Community Forums

Doug29 · 06-12-2019, 01:42 PM

Need some advice We have a 2012 Tiffin Breeze 28BR new to us last fall, In December we drove from Maine to Utah I 70 then down to I 10 to Florida and back to Maine. It preformed beautifully. We did this without a toad but now are planning a trip to Alaska in 2020 and plan to haul a vehicle with us. The GVWR is 22,000 lbs and the GCWR is 26,000 lbs the trailer hitch capacity is 4,000 lbs (but is a 5,000 lb rated hitch) When I weighed the MH fully loaded, wife, dog, full fuel and water all our stuff for 5 week trip it was GVW 21,525 lbs. My question, we have a GMC Canyon which I weighed full fuel it was 4,500 lbs which is over Tiffin’s published hitch rating of 4,000 should I be concerned, the Tiffin Breeze 32 BR which has the same engine, transmission and hitch has a GCWR of 28,000 lbs and a hitch rating of 4,500lbs I plan to tow 4 down with a M&G tow brake system.

Roadfrog · 06-12-2019, 01:55 PM

Your post is a bit confusing. When you say " the trailer hitch capacity is 4,000 lbs (but is a 5,000 lb rated hitch)". where do you get the 4k figure? The manual? The hitch will say 5k, which is the official number. Either way, if my math is correct, you'll be ever so slightly overweight on your GCWR (21525+4500 lbs). Just remember that ratings have little to do with power and mostly to do with axle capacities/frames and braking ability etc.

**Lt Dan** · 06-12-2019, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadfrog

Your post is a bit confusing. When you say " the trailer hitch capacity is 4,000 lbs (but is a 5,000 lb rated hitch)". where do you get the 4k figure? The manual? The hitch will say 5k, which is the official number. Either way, if my math is correct, you'll be ever so slightly overweight on your GCWR (21525+4500 lbs). Just remember that ratings have little to do with power and mostly to do with axle capacities/frames and braking ability etc.

The Breeze is rated for 4,000lbs towing due to engine, transmission, braking etc. It does have a 5k hitch, but that is not what the coach is rated for. With that said, you will probably be okay 500lbs over, but you will definitely notice the extra weight.

Doug29 · 06-12-2019, 03:17 PM

Thanks I am sure I will notice the weight, engine and transmission should be ok where the Breeze 32 which has the same size engine and transmission and can tow 4500 lbs. Like you said axle / frame

RKins · 06-12-2019, 03:27 PM

My $.02 and recommendation is to take the rig to a place that can construct custom hitches and either have the one you have pulled and beefed up with plates that run up the sides of the frame and are bolted through the frame OR have a custom hitch made. I did the latter because I had problems with the standard one and almost lost the towed. I paid $750 for a 10,000 lb rated hitch. I pulled the Jeep from FL to Nappanee IN with no problems, over some pretty rough road.

Mr_D · 06-12-2019, 03:31 PM

Hitch is alteady rated for 5,000#'s so beefing it up won't help. It's the transmission that is not rated to tow more than 4,000#'s by the MH manufacturer.

gatorb8 · 06-12-2019, 05:43 PM

a friend had a Tiffin and the frame extension broke while towing, he said there was a recall. I would direct your question to Tiffin and see what they say. The road to Alaska is not the one I would take chances on.

Bsqrd · 06-12-2019, 06:19 PM

I have the same F53 chassis on a Fleetwood. The 4k is what's left when you load the coach to max and subtract from the GCWR. Try filling water half full, run empty waste tanks and look for other ways to reduce weight. That goes for the toad too. Do you really need all that stuff? You might make weight. Don't want to have an accident then find out you were overweight.

Sandy Swede · 06-12-2019, 07:19 PM

Towing at max on the flatland is one thing, but having 21% (4,500 / 21,500 lbs) of your tow vehicle weight behind you on a 7% downgrade is not where a safety minded person would want to be, IMO. By contrast, my 4,500 lb toad constitutes 14% of my MH's fully loaded weight. Also, what gatorb8 said about testing the rig in Alaska is spot on. That section around Destruction Bay is not for the faint of heart.

Sweetbriar · 06-13-2019, 04:51 AM

There are multiple items in the towing chain (coach, hitch, tow bar, safety cable and such) that have individual weight limits. When working out what your towing limit is you must consider each individually to determine it your intended configuration is within the designed limits.

The Tiffin published 4000 lbs limit is the remaining capacity of the chassis, not the hitch, if you load the chassis to the maximum capacity on the axles of 22,000 lbs. GCWR - GVWR = 4000 lbs. Since you know the loaded weight of the coach substitute that number for the GVWR in the equation, 26,000 - 21,525 = 4475 lbs. This is your current tow limit for the chassis and only the chassis. If you put the coach on a diet and drop say 1000 lbs off the know weight, 26,000 - 20,525 = 5475 lbs, you're still within the chassis limit of 26,000 lbs but now you will exceed the hitch limit of 5000 lbs.

The Canyon is overweight for the chassis at the current weight of both vehicles but still under the hitch and probably the tow bar limits. A case of bottle water and maybe a few other items left behind could get you under the limits but keep in mind there is a very real potential for weight gain as you travel that will easily push you even higher and beyond the limits. There is some margin of design safety built in to all the elements in play. Best not to try and find those limits. Might be best to consider a lighter vehicle to take along on the expedition.

Mudfrog · 06-13-2019, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Hitch is alteady rated for 5,000#'s so beefing it up won't help. It's the transmission that is not rated to tow more than 4,000#'s by the MH manufacturer.

Maybe, maybe not. This may depend on the axle ratio since the same transmission is used on larger heavier vehicles. I'm guessing more like it's the added frame extension itself that's causing the lower 4000 lb limitation. Of course, it could be something else or a combination of things too.

I know people do it all the time but personally, I would not want to travel that close to either the GVWR or GCWR. I'd try my darndest to lighten the load. OP, are there any supplies you can do without?

For liability reasons, and for my peace of mind,, I would not consider going over the documented hitch limitation. I'd have to come up with a lighter toad.

Doug29 · 06-13-2019, 11:00 AM

I can drop weight on the MH the 21525 was with full water plus so I can get to 20,530 and I also need to go on a diet.
Sandy Swede 21% of my weight behind me on a 7% down does have concern, this is where on other posts they say the DW gets out and drives the toad down. Even thought the specs allow for 18% it still gives me concern,
The Breeze 32 has a 4500 lb tow rating with the same engine and transmission
but after reading an article on another post a NTEA doc stated "Safety standards that apply to braking, vehicle stability, and chassis manufacturer internal standards for durability, dynamic stability and handling can restrict GVWR" This might explain the difference between the 28 and 32 where the wheel base is 50" longer making the 32 more stable.
So I think the advice is to find a lighter toad
thank you all