APU exemption for Steers?

just look on the tire. all tires have a lbs at psi cold

 

12,000lb steers is a myth that newbies often confuse.

You can run up to 20k on steers or any "single" axle if it's specd for that capacity.

Check your door sticker for axle capacity then walk and look at the steers rating and the lesser of the two is your capacity.

Now, with an APU, it allows you to exceed that capacity a little but generally you never needed it once you're aware that steers&axles aren't actually limited to 12k capacity on most trucks anyways.

When you see custom sleeper trucks, quite often they run 14-16k on their steers.


Fuel burn off;

Easiest , SIMPLEST way to figure your fuel burn weight loss is:

average trucks burn 1Lb/mi driven at 7mpg.

Lower MPG is more than 1lb/mi
Higher MPG is less than 1lb/mi


FYI; last truck I ran up to 12,900# on the steers with APU. Daily was 12,600-12,800#

This truck up to 13,600# but quite often it's been 13,100-13,200#

The truck will ride noticeably better with the little extra up front BUT make sure you keep the pressure up in the steers. Low pressure will increase heat buildup.(under 110 bad)

 

water weights 8lbs a gallon.

 

Yeppers. That means you are only overweight on your drives. And that little bit will burn off in less than 100 miles.
One thing I've not see mentioned is about the APU. The only way to qualify for the exemption is to have a certified weight document in the truck (usually in the permit book) that gives the true weight of the APU. You can only be over up to the true weight, which may or may not be the 400/550 lb exemption.
Here is a good site to talk about it.
Vehicle weight exemptions for APUs, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

 

Good thread, interesting reading. Thankyou for posting

 

I finally bothered to move my 5th wheel back last weekend. I've been running it at 12,800 for 8 months now and nothing has ever been said.

Georgia can be picky on tandem weights, depends on how they feel that day.

 

To be safe, keep the extra on the drives.

12,000 - 34400 - 34000

Fuel burns off the drives and your good when you hit a no apu state.

Diesel 7.1 lbs per gallon.

 

APU exemption gives you leeway on gross weight, not axle weight. well, it "may" give you leeway on gross weight, it varies by state, and you might need to show proof of the actual weight of the APU from the APU manufacturer.

I wouldn't worry about 100 over of the steers. Unless you pitch a fit and cause problems if questioned, no worries.

 

Steers on my truck bobtail is almost 12k. My GoodYear steer tires say 6175 lbs rated on each tires. I've looked at Michelin steers and other brands of 22.5 LP tires. They are all rated 6175 lbs. So how can you go over 12,350 if most steer tires are only rated for this ? I know they make bigger tires on cement trucks and dump trucks but i have never seen them installed on most OTR type trucks.