Towing over the limit

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

Wait! Am I reading this right? According to the specs I have found on the Thor Miramar site, the GCWR of the Miramar 34.1, 34.2, 34.4 and 35.2 are all listed at 26,000. The GVWR of each of these vehicles is 22,000. Does this mean that no one who drives a Miramar (other than the 37.1) can tow more than 4000 lbs? That eliminates a LOT of towing possibilities.

No, it means that it can't tow more than 26,000 lbs minus the actual weight of the MH. It isn't always loaded to its GVWR.

[Jimbo56]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

Wait! Am I reading this right? According to the specs I have found on the Thor Miramar site, the GCWR of the Miramar 34.1, 34.2, 34.4 and 35.2 are all listed at 26,000. The GVWR of each of these vehicles is 22,000. Does this mean that no one who drives a Miramar (other than the 37.1) can tow more than 4000 lbs? That eliminates a LOT of towing possibilities.

What it means is you need to weigh your coach with all your stuff and full fuel tank. Subtract that from the 26000. That’s what you can tow.

[Moondoggie]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

What it means is you need to weigh your coach with all your stuff and full fuel tank. Subtract that from the 26000. That’s what you can tow.

Ah! Now I think I’m with you. I just drove my Miramar off the lot, so its empty and should weigh in at considerably less the GVWR limit of 2200.
Now, assuming my 8000 pound hitch rating is accurate and bolted in properly, I should be able to safely tow my 5200 pound Jeep as long as the jeep, RV, and all the passengers and junk I pile into it have a total weight of less than the 26,000 GCWR.
I guess the weight also needs to be well balanced between the front and rear axels, too.
Is there a spec somewhere that would indicate the weight of the rv when it’s empty?
Thanks!

[Jimbo56]

Go weigh your coach at a truck scale somewhere. That’s the only accurate way to know.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

Ah! Now I think I’m with you. I just drove my Miramar off the lot, so its empty and should weigh in at considerably less the GVWR limit of 2200.
Now, assuming my 8000 pound hitch rating is accurate and bolted in properly, I should be able to safely tow my 5200 pound Jeep as long as the jeep, RV, and all the passengers and junk I pile into it have a total weight of less than the 26,000 GCWR.
I guess the weight also needs to be well balanced between the front and rear axels, too.
Is there a spec somewhere that would indicate the weight of the rv when it’s empty?
Thanks!

No it doesn’t mean that. Load the coach for travel then get it weighed with passengers inside. The GCWR - the actual is what you can tow

My bet, you can’t tow the Jeep because by the time you load the coach you will be close to, if not over GVWR. The hitch rating has nothing, repeat nothing, to do with it until the rig is weighed for travel.

I had the same issue with our Challenger. I could not tow a Jeep.

[Moondoggie]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

No it doesn’t mean that. Load the coach for travel then get it weighed with passengers inside. The GCWR - the actual is what you can tow



My bet, you can’t tow the Jeep because by the time you load the coach you will be close to, if not over GVWR. The hitch rating has nothing, repeat nothing, to do with it until the rig is weighed for travel.



I had the same issue with our Challenger. I could not tow a Jeep.

Thanks. Yep, the thing to do would to load up and get the rig weighed. But I’m located 70 miles from a truck scale and a hundred from a set of cat scales. With gas at 4 dollars a gallon I’ll have to wait a while and incorporate the trip to the scales with a recreational trip. In the meantime I’m just fooling with the numbers I have available.
Thanks for the replies.

[Bob Denman]

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1647006595

[lwmcguire]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

Ah! Now I think I’m with you. I just drove my Miramar off the lot, so its empty and should weigh in at considerably less the GVWR limit of 2200.
Now, assuming my 8000 pound hitch rating is accurate and bolted in properly, I should be able to safely tow my 5200 pound Jeep as long as the jeep, RV, and all the passengers and junk I pile into it have a total weight of less than the 26,000 GCWR.
I guess the weight also needs to be well balanced between the front and rear axels, too.
Is there a spec somewhere that would indicate the weight of the rv when it’s empty?
Thanks!

You don't have a grain elevator close by? They will let you weigh at no charge

It is always difficult to not overload the front axle on most rigs unless you have a long overhand and storage in that area.

Front and drive axle weights for sure. Then you know where your at.

4 Corner weights are best then you know how to adjust your load

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

Thanks. Yep, the thing to do would to load up and get the rig weighed. But I’m located 70 miles from a truck scale and a hundred from a set of cat scales. With gas at 4 dollars a gallon I’ll have to wait a while and incorporate the trip to the scales with a recreational trip. In the meantime I’m just fooling with the numbers I have available.
Thanks for the replies.

If you have the patience, desire, time and willpower, you CAN weigh the rig contents... individually - piece by piece - using a simple accurate home scale. Using simple math and knowledge of gasoline and water weights, you can get fairly close. However, without actually weighing the rig itself, you'll have to trust the manufacturer (yellow sticker) for that weight until you get to a scale.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

If you have the patience, desire, time and willpower, you CAN weigh the rig contents... individually - piece by piece - using a simple accurate home scale. Using simple math and knowledge of gasoline and water weights, you can get fairly close. However, without actually weighing the rig itself, you'll have to trust the manufacturer (yellow sticker) for that weight until you get to a scale.

Another post says the yellow sticker is gone.

[lwmcguire]

Originally Posted by Beau388

My personal opinion is max gross weight rating is about stopping and not about towing. If your entire rig can't be stopped in 150 ft, you need better tires, brakes or less weight. I have an old 1965 Corvair convertible with drum brakes that stops from 60 mph in 101 ft. I have a 2016 Hurricane that stops in134 ft from 60 mph when fully loaded. Carrying the Corvair on a dolly with surge breaks (2900 lbs total), the Hurricane stops in 149 ft on dry pavement. My reaction time is about 1 second or 88 ft at 60 mph. That is a long way to try to stop a 53 ft long rig. Have you ever tested your anti-lock brakes to see if they work?

Stopping is the key whether it is a motorhome with a towed or TT/5th Wheel

Newer engines can tow a lot more than they are designed for and the brakes are primarily designed for the vehicle not the towed load
I always upgraded my brakes on my towed RV's as the factory were minimal at best

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by lwmcguire

Stopping is the key whether it is a motorhome with a towed or TT/5th Wheel

Newer engines can tow a lot more than they are designed for and the brakes are primarily designed for the vehicle not the towed load
I always upgraded my brakes on my towed RV's as the factory were minimal at best

Agree!

Google your VIN to find the "yellow sticker" data. Make certain any trailer you use has functional (legally required) trailer brakes designed for the load it can carry. Trailer brakes are designed to significantly reduce the inertia of trailer weight.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by lwmcguire

You don't have a grain elevator close by? They will let you weigh at no charge

It is always difficult to not overload the front axle on most rigs unless you have a long overhand and storage in that area.

Front and drive axle weights for sure. Then you know where your at.

4 Corner weights are best then you know how to adjust your load

I don't know if you didn't word it right, but the front axle is rarely overloaded. It is the rear axle with the long overhang that is almost always the limit, especially on Class C MHs.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Beau388

My personal opinion is max gross weight rating is about stopping and not about towing. If your entire rig can't be stopped in 150 ft, you need better tires, brakes or less weight. I have an old 1965 Corvair convertible with drum brakes that stops from 60 mph in 101 ft. I have a 2016 Hurricane that stops in134 ft from 60 mph when fully loaded. Carrying the Corvair on a dolly with surge breaks (2900 lbs total), the Hurricane stops in 149 ft on dry pavement. My reaction time is about 1 second or 88 ft at 60 mph. That is a long way to try to stop a 53 ft long rig. Have you ever tested your anti-lock brakes to see if they work?

I’m curious how or why you use a dolly?

Corvair are rear wheel drive, so do you load and tow it backwards with rear wheels on dolly? And if not, and you load front wheels on dolly, why not flat tow instead? Being an old “classic” car I suppose getting a tow bar to fit may be difficult short of a custom baseplate or bar.

Just curious. I may have similar need some day with old Mustang.

[Bob Denman]

Putting them up on a trailer is really much simpler...

[lwmcguire]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

I don't know if you didn't word it right, but the front axle is rarely overloaded. It is the rear axle with the long overhang that is almost always the limit, especially on Class C MHs.

Your right, I was thinking of the large tag axles, many of them had to have upgraded or larger front axles due to the weight, and larger tires on the steer

Different deal when you have the caboose back there