Large toads

[Johnny]

Just wondering--what are the largest vehicles people here tow? I ask because I'm planning to tow either a 1986 Chevy K-5 Blazer diesel (~6200lbs) or a 1977 Dodge W-200 Power Wagon (~7000lbs).

For the record, that's quite a leap from the 1980 VW Rabbit pickup (~2500lbs).

[Johnny]

Just wondering--what are the largest vehicles people here tow? I ask because I'm planning to tow either a 1986 Chevy K-5 Blazer diesel (~6200lbs) or a 1977 Dodge W-200 Power Wagon (~7000lbs).

For the record, that's quite a leap from the 1980 VW Rabbit pickup (~2500lbs).

[wallynm]

What is your CGVWR, GVWR rating and hitch rating. We tow a 5750 pound chevy su. We gross out at ~31500 lbs and have a GCVWR of 41,000 lbs with a 6000 pound hitch rating.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I know some folks who tow 3/4 ton Suburban and another that has a Hummer. Nothing wrong with big toads if your rig is rated to pull it. But if the big toad makes you exceed your GCWR or is a substantial percentage of the coach GVWR, you are asking for trouble. Worse, you are taking chances with MY safety as well as your own. So first, do the arithmetic with the numbers.

[Neil C]

I tow a E350 PSD with all my junk it weight in a 7700 lbs. Have a drive shaft disconnect and use a Roadmaster 8000 tow bar. No problems for 25,000 miles.
Neil

[Cruzer]

The ability to tow will depend upon your specific chassis and the hitch rating. My previous W20 chassis had a GVW of 20,700 and a GCVW of 26,000. If I loaded the coach up to full load that would allow me 5,300 lbs. However the hitch was only rated at 5,000.

On a W22 the GVW is 22,000 while the GCVW remains at 26,000. If you load up a W22 to max you will only have 4,000 left for the toad, also with a 5,000 hitch. If you reduce the load by 1,000 lbs you could safely pull a 5,000 lb toad.

On my Bus I have a 32,000 GVW and a 42,000 GCVW and my hitch is a 10,000 lb hitch. The 400 ISL has plenty of power so towing a heavy toad on a DP with these specs is not a problem. But, not all DPs are the same so you need to check these 3 numbers to determine if you can safely haul a heavy toad. Some units have a 10K spread between the GVW and GCVW but the hitch is only rated at 3500 lbs so you have to check carefully.

[Johnny]

My coach is a Ford B-700 school bus...essentially an F-700 with a bus body. GVWR is 25,500 (and I doubt I'll be within 5000lbs of it), GCWR is well north of 30,000.

No hitch yet, but it will be rated for at least 10,000lbs.