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Old 11-11-2020, 08:05 PM   #1
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Towing with a 24FE

Hi,

I want to tow a small vehicle with my motorhome. I have a 2021 Freedom Elite 24FE (Mercedes Sprinter) chassis. It has a 3.0L V6. The Hitch Weight Rating is 5000 lbs, but the GCWR (15,250 lbs) - GVWR (11,030 lbs) = 4,220 lbs. Does that mean that I am constrained to towing only a 4,220 lbs vehicle?

Thanks,
Steve

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Old 11-21-2020, 05:37 PM   #2
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GCWR stands for Gross Combined Weight Rating. What does GCWR mean? It is the maximum weight of your vehicle with a trailer attached, as determined by the vehicle manufacturer. Combined weight means the weight of both the tow vehicle and the trailer together. It also includes any cargo or load placed in either vehicle.
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The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers.
As quoted above and using a little math. You would have to add the weight of people, supplies etc in the MH and toad. all the weight combined will give you your GCW.
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Old 11-21-2020, 06:08 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Wyz3rd View Post
Hi,

I want to tow a small vehicle with my motorhome. I have a 2021 Freedom Elite 24FE (Mercedes Sprinter) chassis. It has a 3.0L V6. The Hitch Weight Rating is 5000 lbs, but the GCWR (15,250 lbs) - GVWR (11,030 lbs) = 4,220 lbs. Does that mean that I am constrained to towing only a 4,220 lbs vehicle?

Thanks,
Steve
If your actual GVW is under your GVWR then you could add that to you allowed toad weight up to the hitch rating of 5000 lbs; but why? There are plenty of toads under 4200 lbs, actually plenty of toads under 3200 lbs. I suspect your 24FE would not be happy with a 4000+ lbs toad. I have two toads: a 2700lb and a 4700 lb and I can tell you there is a big difference towing the heavier toad.
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Old 11-21-2020, 07:19 PM   #4
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Short answer: yes.
But that is the maximum weight you might be able to drag behind you.
(Our Toad and trailer weigh a combined 3,100 pounds.)
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Old 11-23-2020, 12:38 AM   #5
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THOR #21070
The only specifications available to me from the Thor website is the GCWR (15250) and the GVWR (11030). The is the only information I have. With only that, how can I determine the maximum weight of a toad that I can pull?

I don't necessarily want to pull anything very heavy, but just want to know my limit. I do understand that the GCWR includes cargo and supplies. I just do not know the actual Gross Combined Vehicle Weight. Would that be the GVM?

Anyway, given the information that I do have, as stated above, can I determine the maximum weight of a toad that I can haul?
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Old 11-23-2020, 12:59 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Wyz3rd View Post
The only specifications available to me from the Thor website is the GCWR (15250) and the GVWR (11030). The is the only information I have. With only that, how can I determine the maximum weight of a toad that I can pull?

I don't necessarily want to pull anything very heavy, but just want to know my limit. I do understand that the GCWR includes cargo and supplies. I just do not know the actual Gross Combined Vehicle Weight. Would that be the GVM?

Anyway, given the information that I do have, as stated above, can I determine the maximum weight of a toad that I can haul?
Load your RV as if going camping. Go get it weighed. Subtract that weight from the GCWR but since your hitch is rated at 5000 lbs any number over 5000lbs means you can only tow 5000 lbs.
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:09 AM   #7
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Load your RV as if going camping. Go get it weighed. Subtract that weight from the GCWR but since your hitch is rated at 5000 lbs any number over 5000lbs means you can only tow 5000 lbs.
That make perfect sense. So, where can I expect to weight my fully loaded rig? Would truck scales allow me in? Thanks!!!
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:12 AM   #8
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A great little "4-down" Toad is the MINI...
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:26 AM   #9
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A great little "4-down" Toad is the MINI...
I suppose it would be a manual shift MINI? The MINI is not on the Camping World short list of dingy tows, but, it would be perfect.
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:26 AM   #10
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A great little "4-down" Toad is the MINI...
https://blog.campingworld.com/rv-bas...-perfect-toad/
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:30 AM   #11
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How about a Ford Fiesta?
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:42 AM   #12
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That make perfect sense. So, where can I expect to weight my fully loaded rig? Would truck scales allow me in? Thanks!!!
Yes, exactly.
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:56 AM   #13
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How about a Ford Fiesta?
Yep, the Fiesta is on the Camping World short list. Still not sure what I want for a toad, but it will be small, but large enough for the wife and three small dogs. She's a doughnut, I mean dognut, haha.

It will probably run upwards $2500 to get the tow bar and all of the required safety features (toad brakes, etc) going, but will be worth it. Planning a nice trip for next May and hope to have it all ready. However, the Freedom Elite 24FE on the sprinter chassis is a spry little motorhome, so it may not be a showstopper to not have a toad for this trip. Your thoughts?
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Old 11-23-2020, 02:11 AM   #14
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I tow with my Sprinter...
They are a great size; for two people who travel light.
Being "stuck" in a nice RV Park is never a bad thing.
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Old 11-23-2020, 02:26 AM   #15
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That list is way short of a full box of crayons. Look at the Dinghy Towing Guide:

https://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/
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Old 11-23-2020, 02:26 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by Wyz3rd View Post
Yep, the Fiesta is on the Camping World short list. Still not sure what I want for a toad, but it will be small, but large enough for the wife and three small dogs. She's a doughnut, I mean dognut, haha.

It will probably run upwards $2500 to get the tow bar and all of the required safety features (toad brakes, etc) going, but will be worth it. Planning a nice trip for next May and hope to have it all ready. However, the Freedom Elite 24FE on the sprinter chassis is a spry little motorhome, so it may not be a showstopper to not have a toad for this trip. Your thoughts?
I just completed installing everything on my Jeep. It was right at 3K with me doing the installation.
I went with all new gear. I went with Roadmaster base plates and a Roadmaster Nighthawk towbar, the Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit. A Roadmaster Universal Stop Light Switch Kit.
And a Demco Stay-In-Play Duo brake system for the toad.
You can find cheaper gear new or purchase it used.
If you are mechanically inclined, installation isn't bad but it is time consuming.
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Old 11-23-2020, 05:05 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
I tow with my Sprinter...
They are a great size; for two people who travel light.
Being "stuck" in a nice RV Park is never a bad thing.
So what do you tow, Fiesta? I am very interested to hear about how well a sprinter can handle towing. Does it "weigh"you down or can you still keep up with traffic?

Any information you can share would be well received. Plus, you're right, being "stuck" in a nice park is not a bad thing. I do have a bicycle rack and two nice bikes.
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Old 11-23-2020, 05:08 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by Down South View Post
I just completed installing everything on my Jeep. It was right at 3K with me doing the installation.
I went with all new gear. I went with Roadmaster base plates and a Roadmaster Nighthawk towbar, the Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit. A Roadmaster Universal Stop Light Switch Kit.
And a Demco Stay-In-Play Duo brake system for the toad.
You can find cheaper gear new or purchase it used.
If you are mechanically inclined, installation isn't bad but it is time consuming.
Thanks for the tips on what you purchased and installed. I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but I do not weld, I leave that to the pro's. I do realize there would be quite a bit of wiring.
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Old 11-23-2020, 12:35 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Wyz3rd View Post
So what do you tow, Fiesta? I am very interested to hear about how well a sprinter can handle towing. Does it "weigh"you down or can you still keep up with traffic?
Any information you can share would be well received. Plus, you're right, being "stuck" in a nice park is not a bad thing. I do have a bicycle rack and two nice bikes.
We put our little Smart on a 12' trailer. The total weight is just over 3,100 pounds. It could have been towed 4-down; but we always wanted to maintain the option of taking our golf cart along. Since we needed a trailer for that...
Additionally: I wasn't all that confident in mounting all of that hardware up underneath the Smart...
You DO know that it's behind you on the hills.
But it's actually better than a lot of DP rigs. I was able to maintain 40 mph on hills that had them pulled down to below 30.
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Old 11-23-2020, 01:08 PM   #20
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FWIW, my parents are on their second Smart. They've been towing them (2 of them now) 4 down for years without issues. However, Smart has pulled out of the states, and while they're owned by Mercedes, it appears Mercedes isn't all that interested in them. They've started having issues getting parts for repairs at their local Mercedes dealership. The newer one (they still have both) was out of commission for all of last summer, sitting at the dealership waiting for parts.
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