dboliek1112
Arkansas
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We own a 1994 Damon Challenger. GWVR is 15,200 pounds according to the federal sticker. GCWR is 25,000 pounds according to the chasis manufacturer, which appears to give us plenty of weight room. We have a Blue Ox 10,000 rated Tow System on a 2007 Saturn Aura. The Aura weighs 4611 pounds. Tow Rating according to chasis manufacturer is 8,000#. While towing it's not always a smooth ride... not bad, just not always smooth. Sometimes feels as if the toad's momentum wants to swing the rear end of the RV on curvy roads. We maintain comfortable speed, but sometimes feel that I could lose control. Any thoughts? Any help and discussion would be appreciated.
* This post was
edited 11/03/09 04:59pm by dboliek1112 *
Simple, clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behavior. Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behavior. (Dee Hock)
Dave and Missy Boliek
Little Bit and Roxeanne
1994 Damon Challenger
2007 Saturn Aura
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sch911
Rochester Hills, MI
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Joined: 04/13/2003
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What you can tow = the GCWR rating - the actual weight of the rig.
The GVWR is the maximum your MH can weigh by itself.
Get it weighed and do the math....
Test & System Engineer (Thermal Systems incl. towing, Detroit 3)
2003 Damon Challenger 348 Class A - F53 Triton V10
Posted by Macintosh
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accsys
Green Cove Springs, FL
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Joined: 07/09/2006
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If you have a tail wagging the dog effect, you should compare the height of the MH hitch to the tow bar attachment on the Saturn. Your tow bar should be level, but in no case should the height difference be greater than 6 inches. The closer to level, the less wagging you will have.
John & Doris
2006 Four Winds Hurricane 34N, F53 - V10
2004 Jeep Liberty Renegade 4x4 Toad
Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar
EvenBrake toad braking system
FMCA F380583, PA, Good Sams
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Hi,
I had towed my Honda CRV many times, and even many times down a twisting road, but until I switched from steel sidewall tires to polyester sidewall tires, the little Honda never pushed the rear of the motorhome from one side to the other. This appeared as soon as I switched tires, and once I went to the same make of tire, but steel sidewalls, the rear axle push went away.
Your tow rating was set by the motorhome manufacture, and while the Ford or GM Chassis is rated for a very high GCVWR, the towing capacity is probably only 3,500 - 5,000 pounds as set by the manufacture.
You must look at how well attached the hitch is to the FACTORY part of the chassis. If there is a large section that was added to the factory frame, and he hitch and rear bumper are attached to that extension, then it is not suitable for towing very much weight.
In my case, there is about 12" of frame extension before my hitch, and I have towed 7,000 pounds once, for a total of about 800 miles in a fairly flat area back east. I would not want to tow more than 5,000 pounds down a steep mountain road, and I do have a braking system for my towed car.
Fleetwood rated my Bounder to tow a mere 3,500 pounds, and I have a 17,000 GVWR, 26,000 pound GCVWR from Ford, but remember that Fleetwood put the 3,500 pound restriction in there for a reason, and that has to do with the frame extensions among other concerns, such as the weight on the rear bumper, in the case of someone towing a cargo trailer with a 800 - 1,000 pound hitch weight.
Also the 35' long Bounder used the same frame as mine, just had a 6' long extension with a tag axle added in there. So the frame extension is really long, and they need to limit towing to only 3,500 for that lineup. I think they just rated them all the same, to make printing the brochures easy.
I would not recommend towing more than 5,000 pounds with most motorhomes, unless the hitch is attached to a factory frame member, or the RV is actually rated to tow that by the manufacture. Some Super C motorhomes are rated to tow 10,000 pounds, these have a special hitch, and it is well attached.
Good Luck,
Fred.
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fire-escape
Sorrento, BC
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Fred - thanks for that explanation. I'm preparing to tow for the first time and now understand the difference between the coach manufacturer's load rating and the installed hitch load rating (higher). Your explanaton that it is not the hitch but what the hitch is attached to that is the critical factor makes sense but I've never understood that before your post.
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dboliek1112
Arkansas
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts and sharing valuable knowledge.
The Blue Ox hitch to car vertical measurement is greater than the prescribed 4-inches. So I shall rectify that. Would have figured the installer would have read the instructions, huh? All weights are in line. Actual Gross Vehicle Weight with full gas, propane, people and stuff for a weekend being about 12% less than the GVWR. I appreciate all of you and your brain power.
Dave
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