Towing Questions

[kappy1168]

Looking for some towing advice from some experienced RV'ers... I have a 29 ft. Chateau 29G and want to tow my vehicle. I have a 2009 Chevy Traverse that weighs 4800 lbs. I'd like to tow it 4 down, however I plan on only keeping it another couple years so not sure it's worth the expense only to have to change base plates when I buy a new vehicle. I was considering a tow dolly for now but it looks like the heavy weight and size of the vehicle may be too much for most dollys out there that I've researched and don't want to spend as much on a dolly as a tow bar set up. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!!

[JamieGeek]

You can tow a car with the Acme dolly up to 4985 lbs. Thus your 3800 lb Traverse would be no issue for it.

I tow my C-Max Energi (3900 lbs) around with it all the time--can't even notice it back there.

[kappy1168]

With the ACME, you have to have the steering wheel unlocked, correct?

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

You can tow a car with the Acme dolly up to 4985 lbs. Thus your 3800 lb Traverse would be no issue for it.

I tow my C-Max Energi (3900 lbs) around with it all the time--can't even notice it back there.

Except he said his Traverse weighs 4800 lbs. Add the weight of the dolly and he is likely over his 5000 lb hitch rating and maybe GCVW depending on the year.

[kappy1168]

Thanks for the reply Tfryman... actually, the hitch on my 29G is rated for 8000 lbs. so I should be ok. I'm just not sure I like the the design of the ACME cuz it appears as though you have to leave the steering wheel unlocked, thus pulling the accessory fuse. I'd rather get a dolly that has the steering capability but again, looks like my options are limited due to the high weight. Might just be better off getting the tow bar set up and biting the bullet for a new base plate when I buy a new vehicle in a couple years.

[wayneroe]

I use a Master Tow 80THD for my Kia Sorento. Its listed max weight for towed vehicle is 4900 pounds, so you would be right at the limit and over the limit if you carried 100 pounds of stuff in the toad. It requires the steering wheel to be locked. Many newer-model cars, mine included, do not have lockable steering wheels, so you need a work-around. I run the seat belt/shoulder harness through the steering wheel, fasten and tighten it. That works.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by kappy1168

Thanks for the reply Tfryman... actually, the hitch on my 29G is rated for 8000 lbs. so I should be ok. I'm just not sure I like the the design of the ACME cuz it appears as though you have to leave the steering wheel unlocked, thus pulling the accessory fuse. I'd rather get a dolly that has the steering capability but again, looks like my options are limited due to the high weight. Might just be better off getting the tow bar set up and biting the bullet for a new base plate when I buy a new vehicle in a couple years.

If you have the 8000 lb hitch then you probably have the 8000 lb towing capacity as well. The only other number to worry about would be the GCVW rating and that should not be an issue either on your coach.

[WarEagleDan]

Originally Posted by kappy1168

With the ACME, you have to have the steering wheel unlocked, correct?

That's why I like my KarKaddy 460SS. You just lock the steering wheel or tie it down with the seatbelt.

[JamieGeek]

Just because you have an 8000lb hitch you may not have 8000lbs of tow capacity. It's important to get your coach weighed to figure it out.

Subtract your weight from the GCWR to get what you can tow.

[TurnerFam]

...no, your hitch 'rating' has NOTHING to do with how much you can safely tow...that ALL depends on your chassis rating for GVCWR and the actually 'loaded' weight of your RV...before you know 'how much' it can tow...

but, this gives me reason to make a request of Manufacturers: Please provide a new rating - the 'Tow Weight Rate'. This would allow the manufacture to provide this number for owners without all of us having to constantly tackle this question. The manufacturer already knows the DRY WEIGHT of the RV when it leaves the factory. They also already know the fuel capacity, and therefore weight, of the fuel tank at FULL, and the water tank capacity weight at FULL, thereby certainly knowing the reasonable TOW WEIGHT RATE to apply easily to the same sticker that shows all the other ratings.

If the chassis is designed for GVWR of 25,000lbs, and the GVCWR of 28,000lbs, and the DRY WEIGHT is 22,000lbs, the FUEL weight is 800lbs, the WATER weight is 800lbs, and the 'people/contents' included weight is allowed for 3,500lbs(including 4 average 'persons'), then the TOW WEIGHT RATING would be:

28,000lb GVCWR
--------------------
minus

20,000lb dry weight
800lb fuel*
800lb water*
3,500lb people/contents*
-------------------------------
24,900lbs

leaving: 5,100 lbs TOW WEIGHT RATING (4-down towing or trailer)
(a trailer also has a limit on the hitch to the weight at the ball - that is also limited by the hitch itself)

if the hitch is a 5,000 lb rated hitch, you can still only tow up to 5,000 lbs

if the hitch is a 10,000 lb rate hitch, you can then tow up to the 5,100 lbs, regardless

of course, any of this could be different if you carry LESS or MORE weight for the weighted averages* included, but at least you have a good 'starting point' for the moment of ownership.


it's easy for us all to get caught up in what the HITCH rating says, but that is really only 1/2 the story.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Just because you have an 8000lb hitch you may not have 8000lbs of tow capacity. It's important to get your coach weighed to figure it out.

Subtract your weight from the GCWR to get what you can tow.

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

...no, your hitch 'rating' has NOTHING to do with how much you can safely tow...that ALL depends on your chassis rating for GVCWR and the actually 'loaded' weight of your RV...before you know 'how much' it can tow...

but, this gives me reason to make a request of Manufacturers: Please provide a new rating - the 'Tow Weight Rate'. This would allow the manufacture to provide this number for owners without all of us having to constantly tackle this question. The manufacturer already knows the DRY WEIGHT of the RV when it leaves the factory. They also already know the fuel capacity, and therefore weight, of the fuel tank at FULL, and the water tank capacity weight at FULL, thereby certainly knowing the reasonable TOW WEIGHT RATE to apply easily to the same sticker that shows all the other ratings.

If the chassis is designed for GVWR of 25,000lbs, and the GVCWR of 28,000lbs, and the DRY WEIGHT is 22,000lbs, the FUEL weight is 800lbs, the WATER weight is 800lbs, and the 'people/contents' included weight is allowed for 3,500lbs(including 4 average 'persons'), then the TOW WEIGHT RATING would be:

28,000lb GVCWR
--------------------
minus

20,000lb dry weight
800lb fuel*
800lb water*
3,500lb people/contents*
-------------------------------
24,900lbs

leaving: 5,100 lbs TOW WEIGHT RATING (4-down towing or trailer)
(a trailer also has a limit on the hitch to the weight at the ball - that is also limited by the hitch itself)

if the hitch is a 5,000 lb rated hitch, you can still only tow up to 5,000 lbs

if the hitch is a 10,000 lb rate hitch, you can then tow up to the 5,100 lbs, regardless

of course, any of this could be different if you carry LESS or MORE weight for the weighted averages* included, but at least you have a good 'starting point' for the moment of ownership.


it's easy for us all to get caught up in what the HITCH rating says, but that is really only 1/2 the story.

Ummm, his coach has a GCVW rating of 22,000 lbs and a GVWR of 14,500 lbs, so although he may not be able to tow a full 8000 lbs if his coach was at GVWR, he has plenty of capacity for his desired toad.

And for Turner: they already have that rating - it's called the "Tow Capacity". His coach has a "Tow Capacity" of 8,000 lbs per Ford. Some vehicles may have an 8,000 lb hitch but only a 5,000 lb Tow Capacity.

[gmc]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

...

28,000lb GVCWR
--------------------
minus

20,000lb dry weight
800lb fuel*
800lb water*
3,500lb people/contents*
-------------------------------
24,900lbs

leaving: 5,100 lbs TOW WEIGHT RATING (4-down towing or trailer)
(a trailer also has a limit on the hitch to the weight at the ball - that is also limited by the hitch itself)
...

Missed it by just a little... ok literally by a ton...
28,000-24,900 = 3,100... not 5,100..

The wild card is of course people/contents...
My rig weight definitely changes based on the type/length of the trip - I carry much more for long 3 month+ trips than shorter duration.

The deceptive part is advertising a 8,000 lb hitch on a rig that clearly doesn't have 8,000 pounds between known weight an GCWR...

[TurnerFam]

sorry about the miscalculation, it just goes to show you that this whole conversation about 'how much vehicle can I tow?' is important, and having a calculator is too...

the CHASSIS manufacturer, such as Ford, has nothing to do with what's BUILT on top of it...in other words, they have no way to really relay to you, the owner, the actual 'towing weight' because they can't know what the 'weight' of the final RV will be, only the Manufacturer of the RV will know that.

also, the HITCH tow rate has NOTHING to do with how much you can tow with it, within the limits of the VEHICLE it is attached to... advertising the TOW RATING of the Hitch is in NO WAY deceptive, though it ONLY reflects the hitch's tow weight rating, NOT the RV's tow weight rating, which is the ONLY factor to consider, which is why the RV Manufacturer could easily add this to the owner's base information, not just the 'Chassis Manufacturers' info.

[Wrpt58]

Originally Posted by kappy1168

Looking for some towing advice from some experienced RV'ers... I have a 29 ft. Chateau 29G and want to tow my vehicle. I have a 2009 Chevy Traverse that weighs 4800 lbs. I'd like to tow it 4 down, however I plan on only keeping it another couple years so not sure it's worth the expense only to have to change base plates when I buy a new vehicle. I was considering a tow dolly for now but it looks like the heavy weight and size of the vehicle may be too much for most dollys out there that I've researched and don't want to spend as much on a dolly as a tow bar set up. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!!

I tried the Dolly, Steerable with locked steering wheel, for a couple of trips. Didn't really like it. Time to strap it down on dolly, and of course mine was a borrowed one and for some reason the straps kept slipping or loosening, so I was also worried about loosing the car off the dolly. Then of course at the Campground you need space for both, toad and dolly.
Oh, and you really don't want to back up with the dolly (or FT toad) connected, so you need that rear view camera to remind you not too.

Pretty sure towing anything is just another point of aggravation for RV owners, some more than others.

Fortunately, I needed to get another daily driver, so wife and I got a Nissan Versa Note, manual, stripped down so we can flat tow it. Bought the Blue Ox base plate and basic tow bar, gave the dolly back to the friend that I borrowed it from. I still need to get the tow lights configured and installed, but that's coming.

All this to say, you might want to look hard at just going ahead and finding something that is flat towable now and going thru the effort and dollars for tow bar, baseplate, and wiring. I think I have spent up to around $850 on everything I need and did the install myself. Install wasn't a cake walk, but a person with good mechanical aptitude and a LOT of Patience can do it. Just get a lot of the Body Splash Panel push pins before you start.

[kappy1168]

Thanks for your insight Wrpt58. I am under the same assumption as what Tfryman said... My GVWR is 14,500, GCWR 22,000. I actually weighed my rig recently when I was fully loaded with all gear, 4 humans and a dog, full fuel, all holding tanks approx half full and was 14,000 lbs. My assumption would be then that I could safely tow 8000 lbs. on top of that.

Appreciate all y'all's insight and comments!

[Dippytwo]

I had used the ACME with a Kia Soul. You do have to have the steering wheel unlocked, but that's just a matter of keeping the key in and on the on position and disconnect the battery (at least for my Kia). I installed a battery disconnect and that made it very easy, just flip a switch. It may be different on your car. I now flat tow a Ford Focus, and still have to use a battery disconnect and unlock the wheel. I liked that the ACME was light and could store upright, but I didn't like that it didn't have any kind of wheel pan for the tires to sit in.

[Mitch S]

We have the Acme with surge brakes, and have had no problems towing our 2008 Uplander. Biggest problem right now is an inoperative backup camera.

[John & Diane]

Kappy, I suggest you get your MH weighed fully loaded with people, fuel , food, water etc and also get your fully fueled Traverse weighed. We had a 2011 AWD Traverse that had the trailer towing package that weighed considerably more than what the book said! Once you know the actual weights of both you can figure where you are with the hitch limitations and the MH limitations. Personally I would rent car before I would get another dolly! Loading a dolly when it's raining and muddy is no fun. Putting on safety chains and tire straps usually requires you to be on your knees. Only four wheels down for us. Safe travels.
John