Community Forums

Robby W. · 03-23-2019, 09:37 AM

We've toyed with the idea of downsizing to a 24-26 foot diesel motorhome, such as the Winnebago View with the Sprinter chasses. We have 2 Jeeps that we tow, one a four door the other a two. I believe the 4 door weights 4,600 and the 2 door 4,000. On our most resent trip, 4,000 miles, I never saw one of theses smaller MH towing anything that heavy. My question is for those that have this size unit, what can you tell me about how well they tow?

Thanks,

Robby

avfordguy · 03-23-2019, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robby W.

We've toyed with the idea of downsizing to a 24-26 foot diesel motorhome, such as the Winnebago View with the Sprinter chasses. We have 2 Jeeps that we tow, one a four door the other a two. I believe the 4 door weights 4,600 and the 2 door 4,000. On our most resent trip, 4,000 miles, I never saw one of theses smaller MH towing anything that heavy. My question is for those that have this size unit, what can you tell me about how well they tow?

Thanks,

Robby

In short, NO reason being the WBO has a GROSS COMBINE WEIGHT RATING OF 15250, bare empty weight of motorhome is 11030 that means cargo AND tow vehicle cannot exceed 4220lbs, hope this helps

avfordguy · 03-23-2019, 11:32 AM

I will go one step farther and figure a little better,
Driver and passenger avg 300lbs, basic tools,food,clothing, chairs, bbq grill, add 200lbs, so add 500lbs to empty weight, that's 11,530 so max towing is 3720, I sure would not do it.

theroc · 03-23-2019, 12:36 PM

The responses so are are essentially correct pertaining to the maximum weight of what you can tow but the 11,030 lbs. is the GVWR so it's not really the "empty weight of the motorhome" but rather the maximum weight that the motorhome can or should weigh once it's loaded ...you do NOT want to exceed the GVWR but the amount of cargo you can carry will obviously be below that weight.

Therefore, if you loaded the motorhome to its maximum weight allowed --which is its GVWR or 11,030 lbs. total-- you could still tow 4,220 lbs. So that would allow your 2-door to be towed as it would still put you below the GCWR. However, the 4-door would put you over the GCWR assuming that you had the motorhome loaded to its maximum.

theroc · 03-23-2019, 01:16 PM

Just ran across this video of someone towing a 4-door with a view. He claims he has a 5,000 pound towing capacity, however ...?? Perhaps he's loading his motorhome substantially under it's GVWR in order to be able to claim a 5,000 towing capacity?

And here's a photo of a 2-door Wrangler sitting behind a 24' View ...go HERE

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF3Te8bUCtA

rk911 · 03-23-2019, 04:14 PM

the easiest way to get a rough idea of how much weight a MH can tow is to look at the difference between the GCWR and GVWR. that will put you in the ball park. knowing the weight rating of the hitch will also give you a clue. but...the only way to be sure is to know what your Jeeps weigh as they are configured for travel without people in them. don't use the curb weights in the manual...get them weighed.

then...in general, the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

- the GCWR (gross combination weight rating) of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH (defined as the sum of the actual weights on each axle) as it is loaded for travel (includes fuel, fresh water, food, clothing, people, pets, supplies, etc.)

- the weight rating of your tow bar

- the weight rating of your hitch

this is why it's vital to know what your MH weighs as it is loaded and configure for travel before choosing a toad. Your MH will not collapse if it is overloaded but you will experience handling issues as well as longer braking distances and accelerated wear on suspension, brakes, steering, etc.

Dutch Star Don · 03-23-2019, 06:33 PM

If you look at the Winnebago site, they show the numbers listed above, but advertise a 5K tow bar, which would make most people believe they are rated at 5K with a 500 pound tongue weight.

rk911 · 03-23-2019, 06:41 PM

yes but flat towing exerts minial tongue weight.

theroc · 03-23-2019, 08:02 PM

I posted a long and convoluted explanation of my interpretation of why it "could be doable" to tow either one of the OP's Jeeps. I deleted it after concluding it was just too confusing and wasn't really conveying succinctly what I was trying to say.

I also questioned that assertion by the person who made the video I posted claiming that he had a 5,000 lb. towing capacity.

I then ran into an article from FMCA's familyRVing magazine that sums it up in a lot fewer words than I used in a lot easier to understand terms.

It pertains to earlier View models in the 2010 range but it appears it has the same GVWR and GCWR as the current models.

Here's what it says:

"In 2009 the Sprinter’s towing capacity was upped to 5,000 pounds (the upgraded seven-pin hitch receiver is rated at a maximum of 5,000 pounds pull weight and 500 pounds tongue weight). This capacity was carried over for 2010, but you still must adhere to both its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 11,030 pounds and its gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 15,250 pounds. Please be aware to not exceed either of these limits."

From: Winnebago View Profile 24DL

Therefore, we can conclude that the OP can tow either of his Jeep Wranglers.

The 2-door can easily be towed even if the coach is loaded to its GVWR.

The 4-door can be towed but more scrutiny must be used as to both the weight of the coach (can't be loaded to GVWR) and the weight of the toad so as to NOT EXCEED GCWR. It can be done (as the guy in the video is doing) but by making sure the coach is under its GVWR as if it is at GVWR and towing a 4,600 lb. toad, it will exceed GCWR.

l1v3fr33ord1 · 03-24-2019, 04:59 AM

Robby-

To be sure, you need to weigh the coach in its fully-loaded condition and the toads in their fully-loaded conditions.

The actual weights of candidate towed vehicles can exceed their published curb weights.

Once you have "real" numbers you'll know where you stand.

If you do find you can tow one or both of your Jeeps, take a look at hitch height differences so you can solve that issue in advance of buying tow gear.

Sandy Swede · 03-25-2019, 10:16 AM

Kind of hard to know until you plug in the numbers. Let’s say you are looking at two options:

2010 View with 154 hp / 280 ft-lb torque
2017 View with 188 hp / 325 ft-lb torque

I don’ think the GVWR of 11,030 lb and GCWR of 15,250 has changed from model years, but I am not certain. When we owned a View, fully loaded with fuel, water, 2 passengers, food, supplies, tools, chairs, BBQ, etc., it weighed about 10,700 lbs. We did not tow a car. So, using those numbers, 15,250 – 10,700 = 4,550 lbs. Now you would have to deduct the weight of your towbar and base plate for the Jeep. Any mods to the Jeep? Another deduction. Stowing anything in the Jeep? Another deduction. So, you can legally tow a vehicle weighing around 4,200 lbs. You would be at the edge of the envelop. Is that where you want to be with your loved ones?
Then there is the question of how satisfied you will be chugging up the Raton Pass with over 4,000 lbs behind you. The previous owner of our View towed a VW Bug.
We loved our View and found that you can get almost anywhere with it that you can with a car and never found the absence of a toad to be a problem. Just plan your trips to the store and watch the height clearance. Best of luck on whatever you decide.

AC Orange · 03-25-2019, 04:02 PM

.
Curious as to how an auxiliary braking system (for example a Brake Buddy) would factor into all of this. Since some of the concern on the towing vehicle is it's brakes, the aux brake system would relieve a lot of that burden. Post #73 explains some of the physics involved : http://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/the-p...ing-19087.html

luvlabs · 03-27-2019, 01:20 PM

Given the high weight of the Jeep and the relatively low weight of the Sprinter based motorhome, auxiliary brakes for the towed are almost mandatory.

BTW, Winnebago puts a sticker on the 5000 lb hitch that, in effect, says that your actual towing capacity is less. I don't know what other builders say.

Robby W. · 04-01-2019, 07:07 AM

Thanks to everyone that contributed here. Sorry it took me so long to get back, I got sick and didn't have the energy to respond, I'm good now.

Looks like towing a Jeep is out the question for me, no way we wouldn't be overloading the motorhome and even if we did managed to get under the weight recommendations it would be cutting it to close for comfort.

I like the idea but that little motorhome just isn't up to the task.

Thanks again,

Robby