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View Poll Results: Vote On Accuracy Of Thor Brochure For 8,000-lb Hitch
Vote Yes If You Agree Thor Advertising Was Complete and Accurate 1 12.50%
Vote No If You Agree That The Thor Advertising Was Not Complete and Accurate 5 62.50%
Vote This Option If You Have No Opinion 2 25.00%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 05-06-2017, 06:00 AM   #1
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

  1. The discussion was centered on a 2016 Thor Four Winds 23U
    a. Gross Vehicle Combined Weight rating (GVCWR) = 22,000-lb
    b. Actual vehicle fully loaded weight = 10,600-lb
    c. Vehicle fully capable of towing 8,000-lb or more.
    d. The Thor brochure specification stated “8,000-lb hitch with 7 pin connector”
    e. On vehicle hitch nameplate contained the following information:
    Class IV.
    Tongue weight limit of 500-lb.
  2. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is responsible for the industry specifications on hitches.
    a. SAE J684 tells us that a Class IV hitch can handle a trailer up to 10,000-lbs but requires a tongue weight rating of 15% of the trailer load.
    b. Other trailer experts say that the 15% requirement is to prevent trailer sway which is a cause of accidents.
    c. Therefore, an 8,000-lb trailer will need a tongue weight rating of 1,200-lbs
  3. There were two parts to the discussion replies on the capability of the specified 8,000-lb hitch:
    a. Many of the replies were centered on the fact that the hitch was capable of flat towing up to an 8,000-lb vehicle and therefore the Thor specification was correct.
    b. There was also agreement that the 8,000-lb hitch could not tow an 8,000-lb trailer as the RV tongue weight rating of 500-lb was too low.
  4. My final thought is that in today’s world of internet purchasing, one needs to rely on the written specifications of a product. We do not like surprises when our package arrives. There was no written advance disclosure of the 500-lb limit. Only by traveling to pick up your intended purchase would you be able to see the name plate 500-lb limit. I assume that many of us are willing to travel to pick up a good deal and would not be happy to find out our deal was not what we were looking for.
  5. I am going to set up a poll with this summary post:
    a. If you agree that Thor has correctly advertised the hitch capabilities, please vote or reply yes.
    b. If you do not agree that Thor has correctly advertised the hitch capabilities, please vote or reply no.

    Thank you in advance for your participation.

    Hopefully this discussion will be a help to those considering an RV purchase with an intent to tow something.

[MOD EDIT - Posts Merged]

My 2016 Thor Motor Coach 23U was advertised as having an 8,000 pound hitch. The brochure stated
“8,000-lb Trailer Hitch with 7-pin Round Connector” (direct quote).

Under no circumstances can the advertised 8,000-lb hitch be used to tow 8,000-lb. Unless you are willing to pay for added modifications depending on what you want to tow.
The unit has a Class IV hitch which should work for up to 1,200-lb tongue weight. However, the tongue weight has been reduced to 500-lb. That is a Class III hitch rating.[/FONT]
Thor Customer Service has denied any responsibility.[/FONT]
I am interested to see what other 23U Class C owners think about the totally misleading advertising and what you see as a solution.
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Old 05-06-2017, 07:39 AM   #2
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

This unit is on the E450 chassis and can easily tow 8,000-lb based on the GVWR and the unit weight. The only limitation is the 8,000-lb hitch advertisement as it is not an 8,000-lb hitch.
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Old 05-06-2017, 07:57 AM   #3
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You have two issues to deal with:

1. Can the motorhome tow 8000 lbs? You need to weigh the coach, loaded for travel. Subtract your weight from the GCWR (should be in your documentation or door post). That number determines how much you can safely tow.

2. What is hitch rated for? It's stamped on the hitch somewhere. So is this a 5,000 lb hitch or a 10,000 lb hitch (there is nothing in between). The tongue weight rating (5000 lbs/500 lbs or 10,000 lbs/1000 lbs) only pertains to dead loads placed on the hitch.

If you are towing a vehicle, tongue loads are pretty minimal even with a tow dolly. So a flat towed 6000 lb pickup is going to add about 100 lbs of tongue weight - well within the limits of the hitch. I don't think you are going to have any problems but again, the real limiting factor is your GCWR - don't exceed that.
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Old 05-06-2017, 09:02 AM   #4
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Could not find the gross combined weight for 2016, but 23u for 2018 lists the combined weight at 18500 lbs, and gross vehicle weight at 12500. That is only 6000 lbs unless you had the mh loaded very lightly. As stated you would need a 10000 lb hitch to achieve the 8000 lb tow capacity. Thats on the ford chassis, the chev chassis is far less at only 16000 lbs combo, and 12300 lbs gvwr. Thats only 3700 lbs towing plus any gained from the gwvr. Pretty hard to shave 4300 lbs off what you are carrying in the motorhome. Not that you would be running max but still. The statement of 8000 lbs towing sounds unattainable at best, especially on the chev platform.
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Old 05-06-2017, 10:35 AM   #5
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

The gross vehicle combined weight rating is 22,000-lb. The fully loaded unit weighs 10,600-lbs. It can easily tow 8,000-lbs but for deficient hitch tongue weight rating. As I said before, Thor represented an 8,000-lb hitch that cannot come close to that because the tongue weight limit is 500-lbs.
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Old 05-06-2017, 10:45 AM   #6
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

The hitch is rated at 8,000-lb but that is impossible with the 500-lb tongue weight rating. That is like advertising an eight cylinder car that only can run on 5 cylinders. Safe towing requires a tongue weight of 10% to 15% which equals 800 to 1200 lbs. The tongue weight rules so the hitch is falsely rated at 8,000-lb.
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Old 05-06-2017, 10:56 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luvlabs View Post

2. What is hitch rated for? It's stamped on the hitch somewhere. So is this a 5,000 lb hitch or a 10,000 lb hitch (there is nothing in between).
Jayco advertises their Greyhawk Class C as having a 7,500 lbs. hitch, with a 750 lbs. tongue capacity.

I recall reading some say they chose Jayco specifically for that reason....the capability of towing a heavier vehicle.

Were they mislead by a false sense of security?
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:07 PM   #8
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:17 PM   #9
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

Quote:
Originally Posted by 23U_2016 View Post
Under no circumstances can the advertised 8,000-lb hitch be used to tow 8,000-lb. Unless you are willing to pay for added modifications depending on what you want to tow.

The unit has a Class IV hitch which should work for up to 1,200-lb tongue weight. However, the tongue weight has been reduced to 500-lb. That is a Class III hitch rating.
Thor Customer Service has denied any responsibility.

I am interested to see what other 23U Class C owners think about the totally misleading advertising and what you see as a solution.

I think you've missed the point that the vast majority of items towed behind a motorhome are other vehicles, either on a tow bar (flat four) or on a dolly.

In either of those cases there is NOT anywhere near 10% tongue weight.

Pulled weight and tongue weight are two VERY different creatures and are not necessarily directly correlated.
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:21 PM   #10
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as I responded on the Thor forum, the Hitch rating is only the hitch manufacturer's maximum towing capability for that hitch, but that's nothing to do with what your REAL towing capability is with your Motorhome - when you subtract your coach's loaded weight, with people and water and stuff, from your GVCWR, you are left with what is the maximum weight that you can tow. Generally that number is ALWAYS going to be much less that the Hitch Rated Tow Capability. The manufacturers HAVE to install hitches that are greater than what you may can tow, of course.
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:22 PM   #11
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Cool

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoneToTheDog View Post
Jayco advertises their Greyhawk Class C as having a 7,500 lbs. hitch, with a 750 lbs. tongue capacity.

I recall reading some say they chose Jayco specifically for that reason....the capability of towing a heavier vehicle.

Were they mislead by a false sense of security?

yes, they were. Jayco could put a 20,000lb hitch on their units and it would NOT change how much you can actually tow.
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:51 PM   #12
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

Quote:
Originally Posted by Murf2u View Post
I think you've missed the point that the vast majority of items towed behind a motorhome are other vehicles, either on a tow bar (flat four) or on a dolly.

In either of those cases there is NOT anywhere near 10% tongue weight.

Pulled weight and tongue weight are two VERY different creatures and are not necessarily directly correlated.
Come on now. When Thor advertises an 8,000lb hitch they mean for you to believe you can tow any trailer up to 8,000-lbs. We all understand the GVCWR and if that says okay for 8,000-lbs then we expect the 8,000-lb hitch to work. It dos not unless you are limited to flat tow as you specify. That is flat out misleading advertising by Thor.
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:57 PM   #13
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoneToTheDog View Post
Jayco advertises their Greyhawk Class C as having a 7,500 lbs. hitch, with a 750 lbs. tongue capacity.

I recall reading some say they chose Jayco specifically for that reason....the capability of towing a heavier vehicle.

Were they mislead by a false sense of security?

At a minimum you are exactly right. At a maximum, They are intentionally trying to mislead the consumer.
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:59 PM   #14
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8,000 lb Trailer Hitch For 23U Cannot Be Used For 8,000 lb Towing

Quote:
Originally Posted by luvlabs View Post
You have two issues to deal with:

1. Can the motorhome tow 8000 lbs? You need to weigh the coach, loaded for travel. Subtract your weight from the GCWR (should be in your documentation or door post). That number determines how much you can safely tow.

2. What is hitch rated for? It's stamped on the hitch somewhere. So is this a 5,000 lb hitch or a 10,000 lb hitch (there is nothing in between). The tongue weight rating (5000 lbs/500 lbs or 10,000 lbs/1000 lbs) only pertains to dead loads placed on the hitch.

If you are towing a vehicle, tongue loads are pretty minimal even with a tow dolly. So a flat towed 6000 lb pickup is going to add about 100 lbs of tongue weight - well within the limits of the hitch. I don't think you are going to have any problems but again, the real limiting factor is your GCWR - don't exceed that.
The gross vehicle combined weight rating is 22,000-lb. The fully loaded unit weighs 10,600-lbs. It can easily tow 8,000-lbs but for deficient hitch tongue weight rating. As I said before, Thor represented an 8,000-lb hitch that cannot come close to that because the tongue weight limit is 500-lbs.
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