Melbourne Prestige: questions about weight capacity

[kelmech]

Hi all,

I love the looks of the Prestige LP, but, I cannot get the math to work out for 2 people, a 60 pound dog, towing a vehicle (OK with a smartcar or other super tiny car), and potentially filling up the water to boondock. Does anyone do this? Can you show me the math? it seems like as cool as it is, I can't imagine the math working out with full water tanks, people, gear etc.

For context, we're looking for the smallest possible rig that can take us and dog away from Texas for 3 months in the summer heat, so, not just weekend trips.

[thirdktm]

We have a 2017 Melbourne 24M...We tow a Jeep Wrangler. I try not to fill the fresh water tank prior to traveling. But if we are dry camping, I do.
I have never added up weight numbers and have never had issues.
But I suppose it's possible I have have exceeded them. And that would not be a problem until it is a problem and thus is too late........

[Jopopsy]

I give you a ton of credit for looking at the yellow stickers and asking this question up front instead of after you've signed all your money away. That's not sarcasm either - many of us would have been better off had we done what you're doing.

I learned this lesson the hard way on my first travel trailer.

[Jopopsy]

On the flip side, take a look at the shorter Redhawks. You might miss some bling and you're tied to the Ford chassis (not sure if you've got your heart set on the Mercedes/diesel or not), but you can get a short Redhawk w/ upwards of 3000+ cargo capacity.

[kelmech]

Yeah, we're a year or two out. Love the idea of as short of a vehicle as possible and the idea of basically double the gas mileage, but right now we're probably going to rule out all class Cs on a Mercedes chassis for the weight reasons--unless someone can refute my weight concerns. We may look at Redhawks, Greyhawks, Forresters that are 25-27 feet on a Ford or Chevy chassis, or even Coachman or others. Just, for sure we want 28 or under length.

[Jopopsy]

Just my 2 cents, but having owned a Sunseeker for all of 6 months (Sunseeker is to Redhawk as Forester is to Greyhawk), I would never by another FR class 'C' again. Just shoddy craftsmanship (above the expected norm), and I had 2 leaks right out of the gate. The way FR does their fiberglass roof is atrocious w/ the big seam running down both sides; there is nowhere for the water to run off naturally so it pools along the dicor.

Plus the slideout assembly is terrible compared to Jayco. Jayco uses seals both inside and outside the camper, it puts a membrane and eternabond on the top of the slideout, and it puts a weather proof type membrane on the bottom. FR does none of this.

[kelmech]

Wow, that is too bad. We have a Jayco Hybrid right now which is great for us, but when we can go full-time it won't be a good solution any more. One of the things I dislike about all Jayco trailers and Class Cs is is their interior design. It's not clean or modern, they don't pick nice finishes. Forrester interior designs often just look better, but obviously you're right, if the vehicle construction is poor that doesn't matter.

[Metsfan]

Hello Purchased a 2019 Melbourne Prestige 24L and am a first time RV owner. Any helpful advice from Melbourne owners would certainly be appreciated. I noticed that the blank and grey tank levers on this RV are on passenger side rear while the sewer connection is on drivers side rear. All of the class c models that I looked at had tank levers and sewer connection on same side except the Jayco

[oldmanAZ]

Hello. Congratulations on the Melbourne and welcome to the forum.

There are other Melbourne owners on this site and I'm sure one will be along before too long.

[Pfflyer]

Originally Posted by Metsfan

Hello Purchased a 2019 Melbourne Prestige 24L and am a first time RV owner. Any helpful advice from Melbourne owners would certainly be appreciated. I noticed that the blank and grey tank levers on this RV are on passenger side rear while the sewer connection is on drivers side rear. All of the class c models that I looked at had tank levers and sewer connection on same side except the Jayco

That makes no sense. I don't know if it was you or someone else that mentioned the same thing in another thread. On a 2016 24K they share the exit pipe and each has there own valve. Do you have 2 black tanks? Do you have any pictures of what connections are on the passenger and the drivers side that you are referring too?

[Pfflyer]

Originally Posted by Metsfan

Hello Purchased a 2019 Melbourne Prestige 24L and am a first time RV owner. Any helpful advice from Melbourne owners would certainly be appreciated. I noticed that the blank and grey tank levers on this RV are on passenger side rear while the sewer connection is on drivers side rear. All of the class c models that I looked at had tank levers and sewer connection on same side except the Jayco

That would be a pain if the grey and black were on different sides. This is what a 2016 Melbourne 24K black and grey hook up looks like. Grey towards the front and black to the rear all on the drivers side.

[Metsfan]

It’s the black and grey levers that you pull to empty the black and grey tanks that are in a compartment on the passenger side and the sewer connection pipe is on the drivers side. I’m picking my RV up in 2 weeks so if I can figure out how to send a picture I will

[Metsfan]

I may be looking at it wrong. I’m a rookie at the RV thing. Will be doing my walk around orientation when I pick it up in a couple of weeks. Will know more then thnx for your reply.

[Pfflyer]

The hose hook up on the drivers side makes sense seeing how most campgrounds have all the connections on the drivers side. I have seen some dump stations with drivers and passenger side connections but I don't recall ever seeing a passenger side only connection. Let us know after the walk through if the valves are indeed on the passenger side. It would be strange but doable to operate the valves without at least having the sewer hose in sight.

[bradpark]

Welcome Mets Fan I have a 2018 Melbourne 24L.. You are correct the levers for black and grey are on Passenger side the hose hook up drivers side. Good Luck to you and the Mets

[Metsfan]

Originally Posted by bradpark

Welcome Mets Fan I have a 2018 Melbourne 24L.. You are correct the levers for black and grey are on Passenger side the hose hook up drivers side. Good Luck to you and the Mets

So how do you like your Melbourne so far. Any issues to be concerned about. We are picking ours up this saturday

[thirdktm]

We love the Melbourne. Smooth engine, good mpg, rides comfortably, drives effortlessly, quiet, good kitchen space, plenty of interior cabinets....
That said, it has been in the shop for warranty issues more times than I wish.
The most recent issue is a leak in the roof. I first saw a drip in November, some 15 months after purchase. The Camping World here in Albuquerque, where we live and where we purchased it in July 2017, did a major roof repair after finding a hole, blamed on manufacturing defect.
Well, the must be another hole somewhere, because drips still enter the coach. The drips come through the light fixture between the visors in the cab.
Now, I worry about what sort of water damage might be occurring between the ceiling and the roof......It's maddening.....

[Metsfan]

Originally Posted by thirdktm

We love the Melbourne. Smooth engine, good mpg, rides comfortably, drives effortlessly, quiet, good kitchen space, plenty of interior cabinets....
That said, it has been in the shop for warranty issues more times than I wish.
The most recent issue is a leak in the roof. I first saw a drip in November, some 15 months after purchase. The Camping World here in Albuquerque, where we live and where we purchased it in July 2017, did a major roof repair after finding a hole, blamed on manufacturing defect.
Well, the must be another hole somewhere, because drips still enter the coach. The drips come through the light fixture between the visors in the cab.
Now, I worry about what sort of water damage might be occurring between the ceiling and the roof......It's maddening.....

Well at least you found the roof leak prior to the warranty expiring . Still very annoying hope they take care of that leak once and for all. Enjoy

[Imazman]

I looked at this right before I bought and I calculated to be just under max. There isn't much storage space in the 24K. We have all our cupboards, compartments, and storage placed maxed to the top and I believe we are around the max. Here is a really quick estimate for me...all weights are in pounds...
Dad: 165
Mom: 170
Kid: 70
Pet: 9
Fresh Water: 43*8.3=357
Propane: 42
Diesel Fuel: 26.4*7=185
RV: 11090
Total=11090+998=12088
I believe max on yellow sticker is either 14000 or 14500...so worse case...
14000-12088=1912 lbs for "gear" which is plenty for gear in a tiny RV. Remember there isn't much storage space in the Melbourne. We always bought really light and compact equipment. I haven't gone in a truck weight station yet to verify but perhaps some day.

[nanaproctor]

we have a 2008 29C and have 3 100lb dogs, towed a honda CRV and the rig filled completely. - no problems at all. we did take the dining table out and put in 2 Lazy Boy wall hugger recliners.