Realistic flat Towing

[Boise Jamo]

My 2017 Thor Ace 27.2 has the numbers that fit for my desired flat Towing but realistically is there anybody out there with experience that would say how much weight is too much for your flat tow vehicle? Deciding on what type of flat tow vehicle to get and I don't want to end up regretting my choice because I went to big. Still of course being within the limits but making Hill pulling a chore. Thoughts? :-) thank you

[JamieGeek]

What do you want to flat tow? and what are you defining by "hill"?

In July our Axis pulled our Escape* over the high passes on I-70 in Colorado....It was a bit rough but it did the job.

*=on a Dolly.

[Boise Jamo]

Looking to find a vehicle, and I'm planning on staying under 4500 pounds for the flat tow vehicle. We travel the West so mountains and passes. Thank you

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by Boise Jamo

My 2017 Thor Ace 27.2 has the numbers that fit for my desired flat Towing but realistically is there anybody out there with experience that would say how much weight is too much for your flat tow vehicle? Deciding on what type of flat tow vehicle to get and I don't want to end up regretting my choice because I went to big. Still of course being within the limits but making Hill pulling a chore. Thoughts? :-) thank you

I suspect your coach is on the Ford F53 18,000 lb chassis with a gross combined weight of 23,000lb with a 8,000 lb rated hitch That said, you coach can safely tow 5,000 lbs and a little more if you lightly load your coach. The only I would caution you on is the length of the drop required to flat tow. Typically the the hitch is 17" above the ground on the 18,000 lb F-53 chassis fully loaded. Most small vehicles will have the base plate eyes at about 10 inches above the ground necessitating a six inch drop. Just how much more load the drop puts on the hitch is very dependent on the towed vehicle's weight and its secondary brake system. I have no facts on the degradation only a guess is is about 10% per inch of drop or rise. That degradation factor is based on my coach's hitch construction and attachment.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Boise Jamo

My 2017 Thor Ace 27.2 has the numbers that fit for my desired flat Towing but realistically is there anybody out there with experience that would say how much weight is too much for your flat tow vehicle? Deciding on what type of flat tow vehicle to get and I don't want to end up regretting my choice because I went to big. Still of course being within the limits but making Hill pulling a chore. Thoughts? :-) thank you

We have two toads and the same chassis as you.
The Sonics curb weight is 2700 lbs and is a breeze to tow, hardly know it's there with maybe a .5 MPG hit when towing.
The Colorado's curb weight is 4500 lbs and you know it's back there with a full 1 MPG hit while towing and quicker downshifts on hills.

So I would limit your search to sub 5000 lb toads for anything other than flat roads with my experience. Of course it's all subjective as long as you're under the manufacturer's numbers.

[Boise Jamo]

Thank you everyone so much! :-) I love this community

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

What do you want to flat tow? and what are you defining by "hill"?

In July our Axis pulled our Escape* over the high passes on I-70 in Colorado....It was a bit rough but it did the job.

*=on a Dolly.

Assuming you are referring to the climb up to Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,000 feet, that’s as bad as it gets with plenty of very slow moving vehicles (trucks, trailers, motorhomes, etc.) in right lane. If so, I’m curious how fast (or slow depending on perspective) your Axis handled the climb pulling a toad? A wild guess would be about 30 MPH?

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Beau388

I suspect your coach is on the Ford F53 18,000 lb chassis with a gross combined weight of 23,000lb with a 8,000 lb rated hitch That said, you coach can safely tow 5,000 lbs and a little more if you lightly load your coach. The only I would caution you on is the length of the drop required to flat tow. Typically the the hitch is 17" above the ground on the 18,000 lb F-53 chassis fully loaded. Most small vehicles will have the base plate eyes at about 10 inches above the ground necessitating a six inch drop. Just how much more load the drop puts on the hitch is very dependent on the towed vehicle's weight and its secondary brake system. I have no facts on the degradation only a guess is is about 10% per inch of drop or rise. That degradation factor is based on my coach's hitch construction and attachment.

And that is where a cross bar base plate is worth the money. My Base plate raises the tow bar mounting point 1 to 2 inches so that I my tow bar is level with a 2 inch drop on the motorhome’s hitch.

[Chateau_Nomad]

My Wrangler TJ weighs less than 3,500# with a full tank of gas. Flat tow it with our Ford E-350 legacy V10. Blue Ox towbar sits nearly level. Once rolling, it's not bad... accelerating on hilly roads can be a chore, but it gets the job done. Typically get between 8 & 10mpg depending on terrain.

Honestly, if you don't NEED the big toad, why put that extra "piano on your back" which is just a drag? Think through what you really NEED.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Chance

Assuming you are referring to the climb up to Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,000 feet, that’s as bad as it gets with plenty of very slow moving vehicles (trucks, trailers, motorhomes, etc.) in right lane. If so, I’m curious how fast (or slow depending on perspective) your Axis handled the climb pulling a toad? A wild guess would be about 30 MPH?

We were managing 45 mph at redline until we got stuck behind a wide load truck going about 30....


The worst part of that stretch, I found, was how bad the asphalt is. It was more rutted than some dirt roads. In addition, the ruts were narrower than the front track of the Axis so it kept bouncing back and forth as one or the other front wheel would drop into a rut.

In the future we'll likely drop the toad and drive each over the passes--we did do that for the Wolf Creek pass along US 160.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Beau388

I suspect your coach is on the Ford F53 18,000 lb chassis with a gross combined weight of 23,000lb with a 8,000 lb rated hitch That said, you coach can safely tow 5,000 lbs and a little more if you lightly load your coach. The only I would caution you on is the length of the drop required to flat tow. Typically the the hitch is 17" above the ground on the 18,000 lb F-53 chassis fully loaded. Most small vehicles will have the base plate eyes at about 10 inches above the ground necessitating a six inch drop. Just how much more load the drop puts on the hitch is very dependent on the towed vehicle's weight and its secondary brake system. I have no facts on the degradation only a guess is is about 10% per inch of drop or rise. That degradation factor is based on my coach's hitch construction and attachment.

My Spark is about a small as it gets and the base plate is 15.5 inches - the same as my .wrangler TJ was. I use a 4 inch drop on my class A.

[Al2323]

The only problem I have ever had with my Toyota 4×4 toad is when towing on a washboard road. We tow with an older 35' class A Thor Pentacle. We love going remote locations in the west. When roads are to washboard I will disconnect and wife will drive until we arrive.

We have seen some amazing locations.

[ambasatrvl]

Originally Posted by Boise Jamo

My 2017 Thor Ace 27.2 has the numbers that fit for my desired flat Towing but realistically is there anybody out there with experience that would say how much weight is too much for your flat tow vehicle? Deciding on what type of flat tow vehicle to get and I don't want to end up regretting my choice because I went to big. Still of course being within the limits but making Hill pulling a chore. Thoughts? :-) thank you

We love our 27.2 ace and flat tow a 2007 Toyota Corolla with no problems.
Weight is under 2000pounds.
One of the best things we did was install Saf-T-Plus stabilizer. Made all the difference.

[Rybie]

We have a Class C Quantum with E450 and V10. We flat tow our Jeep TJ and going over the 11,000+ foot passes in Colorado we were still doing 45 MPH. Our Jeep has added roll bars, winch, etc. and I'm guessing weighs about 4500 lbs.

[71_340]

I pull a 2014 Ford Focus (3k pounds) and I don't even know its back there. Will not slow down going hills either. Unbelievable what difference a $500.00 tune makes.

Just returned from a 2000 mile trip and averaged about 8.5 mpg overall.

[halhayden]

Love towing our Samurai!