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Old 05-27-2018, 06:29 PM   #1
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THOR #11137
GVCWR Question

I am trying to determine the GVCWR for my 2015 Hurricane 32N.

I would love to tow our Jeep Grand Cherokee. I think perhaps it might be too heavy, but I would like to be sure.

Any opinions will be appreciated.

Thank you

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Old 05-27-2018, 07:01 PM   #2
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your vin and gvwr and gvcwr should be on a sticker right behind/next the driver seat...

the GVWR is your Chassis's MAX weight that it is designed to handle, full loaded with all of your stuff, people, fuel, water, etc.

the GVCWR is the 'combined' weight rating that includes your Coach AND anything you are towing


the ONLY 'weigh' to determine whether you 'can' tow your vehicle is to WEIGH your coach, FULL LOADED as if you are going on a long trip, and subtract that weight from the GVCWR number. The difference is the weight of the vehicle/tow bar setup that the coach can tow, EXCEPT that if that weight is HIGHER than the rating of you Hitch, then you have to stay within the Hitch rating limit.

so, in essence, and for example, you can have a coach that weighs 24,000 lbs, and has a GVCWR of 30,000lbs, which leaves 6,000 lbs of towing capacity. If your vehicle, loaded, and the tow setup/tow bar weighs less than that, you are fine, unless you have a hitch rating of only 5,000, which means you can still only tow 5,000lbs.

got it? fun, hunh?
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Old 05-27-2018, 11:02 PM   #3
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THOR #11137
The coach weighs 18000 lbs. loaded. The GCWR is 26000. Which should allow me to tow 8000 lbs. My jeep weighs about 5800 lbs., loaded.

The only problem is the hitch rating. Thor says it is 8000 lbs. Some other sources say it is only 5000lbs.
I may have to confirm that with Thor customer service,

What say you?

Thank you.
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Old 05-27-2018, 11:09 PM   #4
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what is a 32N?
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Old 05-27-2018, 11:28 PM   #5
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check those GVWR and hitch specs again, on their website... it shows either

Thor Hurricane(2018)
18,000 chassis with 23,000 gvcwr, with a 5,000lb hitch(max)
22,000 chassis with 26,000 gvcwr, with a 8,000lb hitch(4,000lbs max)
https://www.thormotorcoach.com/hurricane/specs/

so, you can actually tow MORE with a lighter chassis coach(!)...strange.
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Old 05-28-2018, 01:34 AM   #6
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THOR #11137
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurnerFam View Post
your vin and gvwr and gvcwr should be on a sticker right behind/next the driver seat...

the GVWR is your Chassis's MAX weight that it is designed to handle, full loaded with all of your stuff, people, fuel, water, etc.

the GVCWR is the 'combined' weight rating that includes your Coach AND anything you are towing


the ONLY 'weigh' to determine whether you 'can' tow your vehicle is to WEIGH your coach, FULL LOADED as if you are going on a long trip, and subtract that weight from the GVCWR number. The difference is the weight of the vehicle/tow bar setup that the coach can tow, EXCEPT that if that weight is HIGHER than the rating of you Hitch, then you have to stay within the Hitch rating limit.

so, in essence, and for example, you can have a coach that weighs 24,000 lbs, and has a GVCWR of 30,000lbs, which leaves 6,000 lbs of towing capacity. If your vehicle, loaded, and the tow setup/tow bar weighs less than that, you are fine, unless you have a hitch rating of only 5,000, which means you can still only tow 5,000lbs.

got it? fun, hunh?
The coach weighs 18000 lbs. loaded. The GCWR is 26000. Which should allow me to tow 8000 lbs. My jeep weighs about 5800 lbs., loaded.

The only problem is the hitch rating. Thor says it is 8000 lbs. Some other sources say it is only 5000lbs.
I may have to confirm that with Thor customer service,

What say you?

Thank you.
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Old 05-28-2018, 01:42 AM   #7
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THOR #11137
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Originally Posted by TurnerFam View Post
what is a 32N?
It is a 32'10" gas motor home.
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Old 05-28-2018, 01:46 AM   #8
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Look at the hitch cross piece that runs between the frame rails, there should be a label (and other lawyer stuff labels) that gives the tow capacity and max tongue weight.
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Old 05-28-2018, 01:58 AM   #9
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THOR #11137
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Originally Posted by abjbrtd View Post
Look at the hitch cross piece that runs between the frame rails, there should be a label (and other lawyer stuff labels) that gives the tow capacity and max tongue weight.
Right on! Gives the hitch weight of 8000lbs. Looks like I can tow our Cherokee safely.

Thank you so much!!!!!
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Old 05-28-2018, 01:28 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ragman View Post
The coach weighs 18000 lbs. loaded. The GCWR is 26000. Which should allow me to tow 8000 lbs. My jeep weighs about 5800 lbs., loaded.

The only problem is the hitch rating. Thor says it is 8000 lbs. Some other sources say it is only 5000lbs.
I may have to confirm that with Thor customer service,

What say you?

Thank you.
Did you take it to a scale to confirm that?

If the GCWR is 26000 lbs and its 20000 lbs loaded (scaled) then you'd only be able to tow 6000lbs, not the 8000lbs the hitch is rated for.

Taking it to a scale is very important.
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Old 05-28-2018, 01:36 PM   #11
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right, the HITCH rating is not your MAX towing capacity of the Vehicle itself, it's only what the manufacturer of the Hitch is rated at.... your fully loaded coach's weight, minus your chassis' GVCWR will give you the MAX capacity, though it is then limited by the Hitch rating, if lower.

I think that in your situation, as stated above, you don't have the full 8,000lb rating to work with, but much less.
Now, do we all see folks with ClassA coaches towing maybe 'more' than they should? Yes... every day... but if you are asking us, here on this forum, how to Calculate your tow capacity of your coach, then we are going to give you the 'Legal' answer, according to your RVs chassis capacity.
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Old 05-28-2018, 05:39 PM   #12
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THOR #11137
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Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
Did you take it to a scale to confirm that?

If the GCWR is 26000 lbs and its 20000 lbs loaded (scaled) then you'd only be able to tow 6000lbs, not the 8000lbs the hitch is rated for.

Taking it to a scale is very important.
The coach, loaded with 2 passengers, weighs 18000lbs (scaled). The GCWR is 26000lbs. which leaves me with 8000lbs. to tow. The Jeep with gas and hitch weighs 6000lbs.

That leaves me with 2000lbs. to spare.

Please let me know if I'm missing anything.

Thank you for your patience in helping us out.
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Old 05-28-2018, 07:09 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ragman View Post
The coach, loaded with 2 passengers, weighs 18000lbs (scaled). The GCWR is 26000lbs. which leaves me with 8000lbs. to tow. The Jeep with gas and hitch weighs 6000lbs.

That leaves me with 2000lbs. to spare.

Please let me know if I'm missing anything.

Thank you for your patience in helping us out.
Yup you're good.
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