TOAD recommendations for F53

[cloo]

Hi all,

I have a 2022 Winnebago Vista 29V on order and will be picking up next fall. I'm looking to hear from people who have a similar sized Class A with the F53 chassis as far as 'heavier' TOADs.

Right now, the short list is a 2-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and a Ford Ranger (Tremor package). The Ranger has a curb weight about 400 lbs. more than the Rubicon, but that difference will shrink when I start modding the Jeep. Both are still under the 5000 lb. limit (Ranger at 4660 curb weight).

Will this MH struggle with this much weight?

Thanks!

[D20]

I have the V8 F53 chassis and my GCW is around 28300 lbs. I don’t have any issues at all moving this much weight.

[cloo]

Originally Posted by D20

I have the V8 F53 chassis and my GCW is around 28300 lbs. I don’t have any issues at all moving this much weight.

Awesome, thank you!

[NXR]

There is a wide variety of F53 chassis specs so you need to look up the GVWR and GCWR numbers for yours. Per this link: https://www.winnebagorvsource.com/sp...an-29v-tr51643

Your GVWR is 18,000 pounds. That is the absolute maximum that the motorhome can ever weigh.

While Winnebago does not list the GCWR, from a Ford doc is appears to be 23,000 pounds.

GCWR minus GVWR = 5,000 pounds. This number, not the tow hitch rating, is how much weight your chassis can tow unrestricted. For you, the numbers are the same but that's not that common.

Why is this important? My 22,000 pound GVWR F53 chassis has a GCWR of 26,000 pounds. That means we can only tow 4,000 pounds unrestricted even though we have a 5,000 pound hitch, just like you do.

Unless you have actually driven your proposed toad to a CAT Scale and weighed it with no one inside, you can only guess at it's towing weight.

Remember, just because the motorhome can get all of that weight moving does not mean the motorhome can stop it safely. You must have a supplemental brake system installed in whatever you tow.

Hope this helps,

Ray

[Mighty_J]

Congratulations on your new motorhome! We had a canyon star on the f53 chassis (v10). It had a GCWR of 30,000 pounds. GVWR was 26,000 and dry weight was 22,000. We towed a Ranger with a brake buddy system.

Water and gas ate up a little over a thousand pounds of payload, then add all your stuff and we found we were pretty quickly at the limits.

I always tried to tow the ranger with a ¼ tank of gas - never more.

It was perfectly fine for mostly flat terrain and the occasional large hill. I will say it struggled significantly in eastern Canada going through the laurentians and out to the coast. As long as we were judicious with our weights and not in a hurry, it got us there. The v8’s got more torque so it may perform better.

As a toad, the ranger is simple to install the baseplates and easy put into two mode.

Best of luck!

[cloo]

Originally Posted by Mighty_J

I always tried to tow the ranger with a ¼ tank of gas - never more.

It was perfectly fine for mostly flat terrain and the occasional large hill. I will say it struggled significantly in eastern Canada going through the laurentians and out to the coast. As long as we were judicious with our weights and not in a hurry, it got us there. The v8’s got more torque so it may perform better.

As a toad, the ranger is simple to install the baseplates and easy put into two mode.

Best of luck!

Originally Posted by NXR

Your GVWR is 18,000 pounds. That is the absolute maximum that the motorhome can ever weigh.

While Winnebago does not list the GCWR, from a Ford doc is appears to be 23,000 pounds.

GCWR minus GVWR = 5,000 pounds. This number, not the tow hitch rating, is how much weight your chassis can tow unrestricted. For you, the numbers are the same but that's not that common.

Ray

I appreciate your responses and for looking out for me on the GCWR. I do plan on putting my loaded MH on a scale to make sure I'm under GVWR. In general, I try not to travel with full tanks (just enough fresh water to flush the toilets until we get to our destination). Given that, I'm also trying to be careful about GCWR, which as Ray pointed out is 5000 lbs.

Assuming I'm keeping within these limits my main concern was towing close to that 5000 lb. limit and not feel like I'm totally struggling going up hills. Mighty_J is towing the same vehicle with the same engine so that puts my concerns to rest.

Now, time to start over-researching TOAD braking systems!

Thanks again for all your great responses.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by cloo

Assuming I'm keeping within these limits my main concern was towing close to that 5000 lb. limit and not feel like I'm totally struggling going up hills. Mighty_J is towing the same vehicle with the same engine so that puts my concerns to rest..

I've read that Winnebago builds their own hitch and over-build them. I don't know if it's true or what "over-build" even means in terms of safety margin. Forest River does not do that.

If I was at 90% or more of the 5,000 lb hitch capacity being used I'd have a reputable trailer shop replace it with a properly-installed 7,500 lb hitch.

A hitch gets abused a lot with rough roads and too-tight turns. I do not believe in running anything too close to the design limit. One broken weld can make for a miserable, expensive event even if no one gets hurt.

Ray