Hitch capacity

sayoung wrote:
My friend is needing a favor from me.my Reese hitch is a 16k and he is needing a grand design brand momentum toy hauler moved from San Angelo to gilmer.the specs say it has a 18k+ GVWR but it has only (2) 8000lb axles.
My truck is plenty enough able but I have a great reluctance since my hitch is only rated for 16k.i told him he might just need a delivery service.his son lives in this one and a deal or delivered to the present spot.
Anybody towing one of theseand if so what hitch.safety 1st.

I would run away from that deal. It sounds like he has a very heavy trailer that should be pulled by a commercial truck.
It could be a lot of liability for you.

Bumpy, you have a point there. I wonder if the Feds have come down on them as I have not see a cop set up on 58 the last several trips. Emporia is between our kids and us, so we are there a lot. The rat bastids are now out lurking on I95. Even Sunday morning early I have seen as many as 3 on 95 and 58 as recently as spring of this year. Maybe they got Waldo'd.

Rvpapa wrote:
Well and good for an empty rig ---- But if you read the post, his friend's son LIVES in it.
Art.

OK - the guy's son LIVES in it.........

.....you figure the son is a real heavyweight??..:@

Don't tow it with him in it, ROTFL...:S

~

bucky wrote:
They don't have truck weigh stations to check GVWR. And they don't stop RV's. Weigh the darn thing and go from there. Maybe let them borrow a hitch from somebody that fits your rails. I agree with others that unloaded partially that thing doesn't gross 16K. It's kind of you to help a friend, but don't put you or your truck at risk doing it.

Truck no problems,Chevy crew dually D/A,"A " endorsement on my license .redid math and after rethinking and another call small detail left out,they have Polaris Razr dune buggy loaded in the toy bay that is between 1530 & 1800 lbs.i know that lowers pin wieght and was never worried about that,just if rv was just too heavy for my hitch.yes I am cheap so just won't spring for a heavier hitch cause if I go there its going to be mucho bucks with big upgrade.

bucky wrote:
They don't have truck weigh stations to check GVWR. And they don't stop RV's. Weigh the darn thing and go from there. Maybe let them borrow a hitch from somebody that fits your rails. I agree with others that unloaded partially that thing doesn't gross 16K. It's kind of you to help a friend, but don't put you or your truck at risk doing it.

just stay out of Emporia, VA., as they just might weigh it.
bumpy

They don't have truck weigh stations to check GVWR. And they don't stop RV's. Weigh the darn thing and go from there. Maybe let them borrow a hitch from somebody that fits your rails. I agree with others that unloaded partially that thing doesn't gross 16K. It's kind of you to help a friend, but don't put you or your truck at risk doing it.

If you get stopped they are going to look at 2 things. GVWR of the trailer and weight rating of the hitch.

The trailer axles don't carry the full weight, the difference is carried on the hitch as pin weight. They allowed 16k for the axles and 2500 for the pin weight. BUT the GVWR is for the total number and what the hitch needs to be rated for.

My 2 cents

OP, did you read this?

mdamerell wrote:
Grand Design shows a 13,800# dry and 18,000 GVWR.

Vehicle weight is pin weight plus axle weights. Your hitch should be rated in excess of the actual towed vehicle's weight.

Your 16,000# hitch should work if they have not loaded the trailer past 16,000#. A trip to the scales would be in order. We added around 1,500# to ours so if someone has been living in it, you probably need a larger hitch.

The scale will answer your question.

Where mdamerell states "if someone has been living in it, you probably need a larger hitch," what he should have said (and probably meant) is you'll need a larger hitch OR have them remove their personal items for the trip.

sayoung wrote:

It's just one time but I have already said no.i don't need a bigger hitch.i probably would have no trouble since its only got 16k worth of axles but his wife probably has that much stuff packed into it.those light axles make me think its not as heavy as the mfg says.

I just feal bad not doing it

1. You don't need a bigger hitch. Probably 4K of that 18K is for water, storage bays, clothing, food, etc. If they'll unload it of personal items and drain the tanks, you should be WELL under 16K -- even well under 15K. They don't need to remove the furniture, just everything else.

2. 5ers carry weight on their axels AND on the pin. Two 8K axles are plenty for an 18K 5er. Of that 18K pounds, probably 3.5K is intended for the pin, leaving a little to spare for the axles.

3. The manufacturer is not saying the 5er weighs 18K pounds; it's saying that's the maximum that it CAN weigh all loaded up with batteries, water and personal items. They assume you're going to load it, and big full-time rigs have room for quite a bit -- probably around 4K pounds.

If you want to tow it for them, simply tell them they must remove all the personal items and drain all the tanks first, so that your hitch can handle it. And then make sure they do. And double check by weighting it before leaving town, if you have any doubt.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
If it was a couple of miles from one spot to the other I would do it

BUT Gilmer is 347 miles from San Antonio.
No way!!!

Have your friend contact an RV transport company or find someone else with a 20K or higher rated hitch

It's just one time but I have already said no.i don't need a bigger hitch.i probably would have no trouble since its only got 16k worth of axles but his wife probably has that much stuff packed into it.those light axles make me think its not as heavy as the mfg says.

I just feal bad not doing it