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Old 12-27-2018, 09:12 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: South Carolina
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THOR #12398
question about towing

I have a 2013 Freedom Elite model 21c. It comes with a tow hitch rated at 5000lbs. I am new to RVing and I am trying to make sense of all the numbers related to towing a vehicle. I must be a bit dense cause I cannot figure this out. Basically, I want to know if I can tow a Jeep Wrangler 4door. It seems to be one of the favorite tow vehicles in the rv community. So, how do I figure out if I can tow it. Help please. Thanks.



John

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Old 12-27-2018, 09:55 PM   #2
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For towing a car you really only need to worry about the combined weight as there is little to no tongue weight.

Look up your GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) for your chassis (for an E-350 this will be 18,500 lbs, for an E-450 it will be 22,000 lbs).

Now take your coach to a scale and weigh it (lets say your coach weighs in at 13,000 lbs).

Subtract that value from GCWR (in my example the difference is 5,500lbs for an E-350).

The amount you can tow is the lessor of that value or your hitch (since your hitch is only rated for 5,000 lbs in my example you could only tow 5,000 lbs).

Next take your Jeep to the scale and weigh it--just to know (I believe I've seen those on here listed as approx 4,000 lbs).

Finally, after you're all hooked up and ready to tow you can also weigh the whole kit and kabootle just to see if your math worked out.
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Old 12-27-2018, 10:01 PM   #3
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You should be fine with a Wrangler. I bet its around 4500# total.

But keep in mind you cant have the RV itself over loaded AND tow 5000#. I think the figure a person loading like 1500 - 2000 of junk and people weight inside the RV?

You should see a Thor Tag inside (Mine is on the wall next to the drivers seat) with vin # and it also that tells you the tire pressures and weights that you can haul/tow.

I cant remember all of the lingo (GVW etc) but you can look it up on line and decifer what you can haul.

It would not be a bad Idea to get your RV scaled at a truck stop (fully loaded with fuel and water) for a baseline.

Is yours based on the E350 chassis?

Plenty of info on line.
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Old 12-27-2018, 10:02 PM   #4
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I knew someone would reply before I got this thing sent.... Thanks Jamiegeek. He knows his stuff.
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Old 12-27-2018, 11:02 PM   #5
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To over-simplify the Math
(For my over-simplified brain! ):

GCWR minus GVWR: will give you a ROUGH idea of how much you could tow.

Now you've just got to keep in mind the hitch's capacity, actual weights of the vehicles, what you stuff into them...
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Old 12-27-2018, 11:27 PM   #6
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Thanks to everyone who answered. After doing a little research, it looks like the GCVWR is 18500 and the GVR is 12500. So if I understand, I have 6000 lbs to play with. This will be the towed vehicle, driver and passenger, and anystuff we have loaded including the fresh water. Thanks again.



John
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Old 12-28-2018, 01:06 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Ford View Post
Thanks to everyone who answered. After doing a little research, it looks like the GCVWR is 18500 and the GVR is 12500. So if I understand, I have 6000 lbs to play with. This will be the towed vehicle, driver and passenger, and anystuff we have loaded including the fresh water. Thanks again.



John
Don't forget full fuel tanks.
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Old 12-28-2018, 01:11 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Ford View Post
Thanks to everyone who answered. After doing a little research, it looks like the GCVWR is 18500 and the GVR is 12500. So if I understand, I have 6000 lbs to play with. This will be the towed vehicle, driver and passenger, and anystuff we have loaded including the fresh water. Thanks again.



John


ONLY if your RV actually weighs 18500 lbs. many (MANY) RVs are overweight. And, of course, if you are underweight you have that much more to “play with”. Good luck.
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Old 12-29-2018, 01:52 AM   #9
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curb weight?

Does anyone know what the curb weight of the Freedom Elite 21c is? No passengers, no cargo, empty water tanks. Just the vehicle ready to roll. Thanks.
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Old 12-29-2018, 02:34 AM   #10
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If you have the rig's title handy: you should find the weight listed on it.
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Old 12-30-2018, 01:32 PM   #11
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Thanks Bob, but I will have to wait until the bank is paid off to do that. I was hoping someone here would have that info. Thanks again for trying to help.
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Old 12-30-2018, 02:01 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Ford View Post
Thanks Bob, but I will have to wait until the bank is paid off to do that. I was hoping someone here would have that info. Thanks again for trying to help.
Really? Whenever I've purchased a vehicle (RV included) the title was sent to us with two "owners": Us and the bank. Once the loan was paid off a new title is sent to us listing just us as the owner. So we've always had a title.

That could be a Michigan thing, however.
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Old 12-30-2018, 02:33 PM   #13
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Some States send the title to the LIenholder. New York is one that lets the owner of the vehicle hold onto the paperwork.

As an option: try to find the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin. (M.S.O.) It's possible that you got a copy of it when you bought the rig, and it contains the same info as does the Title...
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Old 12-30-2018, 02:51 PM   #14
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Here is South Carolina I think the state holds the title until the lienholder sends information that the loan is paid and ok to release the title to the owner. However that is just a guess on my part. Thanks everyone.
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Old 12-30-2018, 05:13 PM   #15
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Good reply Jamie. I was going to say the same thing so I must have a good understanding.
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Old 12-30-2018, 05:15 PM   #16
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Bob I don't think it's just the vehicle weight, but the vehicle, contents, and people are factored in to the Gross vehicle weight. Someone correct me if I am wrong...
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Old 12-30-2018, 05:30 PM   #17
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True... but it's a good starting point.
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Old 01-05-2019, 11:47 PM   #18
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The tow weight limit only applies to the hitch pull rating. The hitch is bolted to the frame. The tongue limit is generally 10% of the tow capacity. Tongue weight will be minimal with a towed car, but if you want to use a carrier for a motorcycle, you would need to upgrade the hitch to heavier welded one. My hitch is rated to tow 10,000 pounds and handle a tongue weight of 1,000 pounds. Also keep in mind that most states require a towed vehicle to have an automatic braking system to apply the brakes to the car being towed when the towing vehicle slows or brakes. The RV brakes are already heavily taxed.
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