Flat Towing Capacity Question

[BillT]

Hi All!

I just need a little help understanding my towing capacity. We want to tow a Wrangler behind my Challenger 37TB. Here are my numbers:

Empty: 19,850
GVWR: 22,000
GCWR: 26,000
Hitch: 8000 lbs.

What I'm wondering is how stressed out I have to get weighing my TOAD and all the stuff I put into my MH. We are going to Flat Tow the Jeep.

Could you folks help me with the calculations and advice on staying within my limits?

Bill

[gmc]

Originally Posted by BillT

I just need a little help understanding my towing capacity. We want to tow a Wrangler behind my Challenger 37TB. Here are my numbers:

Empty: 19,850
GVWR: 22,000
GCWR: 26,000
Hitch: 8000 lbs.

What I'm wondering is how stressed out I have to get weighing my TOAD and all the stuff I put into my MH. We are going to Flat Tow the Jeep.

Could you folks help me with the calculations and advice on staying within my limits?

Pack light...

Hitch rating only matters in that it must be higher than what you are towing... Your rig can't safely tow 8000 pounds even though the hitch can handle it.

How much gear you carry directly affects what you can tow... Full tanks (gas, water, propane), people, pets, and 'stuff' all count as 'cargo'.

• Max 'cargo' in the RV is (GVWR weight - Empty weight) or 2150 pounds in your case - properly distributed front to rear.
• Max 'tow' weight (again includes everything in the toad - not just empty weight) is LESSOR of (GCWR - Actual RV weight) OR hitch rating.
• Your 'mimimum towable weight' should be (GCWR - GVWR) or 4000 pounds. (Assumes RV is at its max...)

The lower your RV weight is (below GVWR) - the more you can safely tow.


My Wrangler (2010 2 door soft top) lightly loaded (full gas - little else) weighs 4300 pounds on CAT scales...
I was surprised how close to GVWR the RV was (that was loaded for a 3 month trip for which I carry more 'stuff'.) - but my total remained below GCWR for my rig (2014 Hurricane 32A).

Easy to get a weight - costs about $10 for weighing on CAT scales (at many truck stops). Front axle on platform 1, rear axle on platform 2, toad on platform 3... (instructions on their web site too).

Wrangler is a great one to flat tow... over 4500 miles towing so far with mine.

[TyCreek]

Personally ... I'd just have to know vs. guessing. I've loaded every RV I've had ready for travel and taken it to a scale to get me a weight ticket. Confirming fears or peace of mind is worth the nominal price IMO.

My bone stock Sahara hardtop 2dr wrangler without back seat came in at just about 4200lb. Bumpers, winch, racks, lift, bigger tires, etc... typically adds weight to a Jeep.

Fluid weights near 1500lb for rigs with 100 water, 80 gas, propane, extra battery, etc... can eat up most of the cargo capacity. Then add occupancy and supplies for travel. Just the 2 of us and a couple dogs traveling light adds roughly 600-800lb to our cargo weight numbers. I don't know your numbers but on paper here I'd see 2100lb of cargo fully loaded (@GVWR). Water carried is a controllable variable with about 800lb of selectable weight variance from empty to full.