Tow ability difference ?

[Kiawah]

No vehicle can necessarily tow what the hitch rating is. The hitch rating is just the strength of the metal and frame attachment.

Your actual tow limit, is the LESSER of:
1.) The hitch rating, and
2.) The difference between your vehicles GCVWR (Gross combined vehicle weight rating) MINUS the actual coach weight.

So hypothetically for example if your GCVWR is 20 K pounds (your combined max), and you weigh your RV/coach at a truck stop CAT scale with fuel, water, propane, people and your stuff, and your actual weight is 17 K pounds.......then your allowable tow weight is 3K pounds. It doesn't matter whether the sticker on the hitch says 5K, 7K, 100K....your max is still 3K pounds.

Practically speaking, almost all coaches towing are limited by this calculation....not the tow hitch strength.

The GCVWR value that the chassis manufacturer puts on the chassis before the coach manufacturer buys it and puts on the box, is limited by the individual components (Frame strength, engine strength, transmission strength, brake strength, axle/shocks/spring strength, tire strength, etc). Think of it as how strong the chassis skeleton is and made to support.

Unfortunately it seems to be very common in the RV industry, that a coach manufacturer buys too small of a frame GCVWR rating, and then overloads it with too much stuff on top, leaving too little tow capability. A buyer 'thinks' he can tow a lot because of the sticker, but in reality he can't.

[GoneToTheDog]

"So hypothetically for example if your GCVWR is 20 K pounds (your combined max), and you weigh your RV/coach at a truck stop CAT scale with fuel, water, propane, people and your stuff, and your actual weight is 17 K pounds.......then your allowable tow weight is 3K pounds. It doesn't matter whether the sticker on the hitch says 5K, 7K, 100K....your max is still 3K pounds."


Very easy to understand. But still there are many who will choose to ignore this explanation, and will vehemently insist "but the hitch says"........

We have seen it here before.

[ragoodspeed]

And then they go down the road endangering everyone on the road. The E450 is a superb chassis but it is way to often pushed beyond it's safe limits IMO. It is for the above mentioned reason that I have moved on to a Renegade on the M2. No worries of over loading now!

[TourNut]

Thanks all for your replies , I'll look for a Subaru manual trans. or Ford Fusion w/ lube pump kit.............. ( or , ha ha , an Elio , if they ever bother to produce it ! )