Brian,
We bought a 2004 Monterey Newport in the fall of 2003. We traded in a 24 foot light fifth wheel. We sold the house, a boat, a pickup and minivan. We moved into the Monterey and full timed for 3 years. We half timed in it for 9 more. We put 120,800 miles on it. During that decade we had a marvelous time and got very involved in the BAC. A year ago we did an extreme downsize and have drifted a bit from the BAC. We burn gas now and our motorhome looks more like what a Beaver might tow!
I understand your weight issue. We bought ours at full price and discovered a week later that it would never be driven within weight specifications. That and a lot of other quality control and warranty issues drove me crazy. I fought it to the point of being angry and depressed. At about the 18 month point I had to make a deliberate decision to get over it. It was my best motorhome decision ever!
How did you and I end up with an overweight coach? 2003 was an odd year for Beaver. A guy named Kay Toolsen was running Monaco and "owned" Beaver. Beaver in Bend was getting orders from Monaco in Coburg on how things should be done. Toolsen needed a "best seller" and loaded the Monterey with heavy features. The sticker inside a closet door said it "should" have room for about 1,000 pounds of personal gear. They didn't weigh them at the factory and high delivery rates were paramount.
When we took delivery we moved our plastic dishes and other light weight gear from the small fifth wheel. The dealer filled it with diesel, propane and water. A few days later I had it weighed at a truck stop. Shocked that it was overweight, I went back to the dealer. They contacted Monaco and I was told "nothing can be done". They maintained that 20,000 pounds on the rear axle was a goal, not a requirement or guarantee.
Years later I learned that others in the same situation drove their new motorhomes to Monaco with legal homework in hand. Kay Toolsen authorized the installation of new axles and brakes with higher weight limits if the owners agreed to secrecy. Monaco did change the production, started installing different running gear and reprinted the brochure.
The "new" ones had a 23,000 pound rear axle and bigger brakes to go with it. We didn't get that. We were not smart enough to get legal advice at the time.
We learned to live with it. I weighed it many times over the years we owned it. We averaged 4 to 5 percent overweight the entire 120,800 miles. At one weighing we had about 22,000 on the rear axle. As I recall, we were loaded with extra gear for a rally where we were the Rally Masters!
Weight conclusions:
1. We were not overweight enough to cause damage. In the entire time we owned it, I could never find a single instance of a Class A diesel motorhome with Eaton axles failing due to weight.
2. The brakes on our Monterey were always at their limit. After one early emergency stop, I made myself drive with lots of space in front of me for the next 100,000 miles. That meant that thousands of times there was space for other drivers to pull in front of us. I made myself back off to maintain the safe distance every time it happened.
3. We never drove down long hills without the exhaust brake working. We kept the speed down to about 47 to keep in a low enough gear to keep from using the brake pedal.
4. I learned that motorhomes are never weighed by law enforcement. In 12 years I could never find anyone who got a ticket for being overweight. There were a couple stories about a toll road in (maybe) Ohio that stopped an occasional motorhome, but they always seemed to be stories.
5. There is a law that commercial trucks can't have more than 20,000 pounds on an axle. It appears to NOT apply to private vehicles.
The good news is that you have the right tires. The 295 tires will support the load. The 2003 Monterey had 275 tires and were closer to the limit. There will always be discussion about the "right way" to manage tires. At first, I did it the GoodYear way and later the Michelin way.
Tire conclusions:
1. We never drove with tires older than 7 years. That meant that in 2010 we spent a few thousand dollars replacing what looked like tires that were in great shape. It also meant that our trade in was discounted by an "old tire" factor.
2. Tires age faster when not being driven. I tried to drive it a lot! And, frequently.
3. 120 pounds is too much. When new, I went to GoodYear seminars and got books with weight charts. When we got new tires the tire dealer gave me a Michelin book with new weight charts. He ignored the charts and put in 120 pounds. I drove two blocks and let out the excess air.
4. Based on the Michelin charts and rounding up my scale weights, I picked 95 for the back and 110 for the front.
5. I never got a "four corner" weight. Instead, I assumed there would be a side to side difference so, rounded up a little to pick tire pressures off the Michelin chart.
6. I must have had the weights about right because the tires wore evenly.
The most important thing you can do is to not sweat the small stuff. The excitement and joy of traveling the USA in a comfortable Class A Diesel needs to be the focus. It is an adventure of "magic carpet" qualities. Don't let a stupid Monaco screw up cause stress!
Welcome to the BAC. I don't follow this forum everyday like I used to. So, call or email anytime you have '04 Monterey questions. I will do my best to draw from my dozen years of learning what ours was about.
Bill