1997 Fleetwood Tioga Towing Capcity

There are two separate limits, tongue weight and towing weight, and neither should be exceeded. Very frequently on class C's the tongue weight is relatively limited if you're towing a normal trailer, which is not a concern for flat towing. (Besides the hitch limits, you also should pay attention to the GCWR, GVWR, and GAWRs. With basically no tongue weight, the last two are fairly easy to meet.)

At any rate, you need to find out the hitch rating for your hitch installation. It almost certainly will not exceed 5000 pounds, but may well be lower. I suspect you would be better off towing a lighter vehicle.

I believe your Jeep is capable of towing 4 down, but for the record for anybody reading this - it is always the best to check with the manufacturer of your tow vehicle first to verify if it can be towed 4 down.

DrewE wrote:
At any rate, you need to find out the hitch rating for your hitch installation. It almost certainly will not exceed 5000 pounds, but may well be lower. I suspect you would be better off towing a lighter vehicle.

By 1997, I think just about every RV builder was having their chassis stretched by third party providers and the work was being done according to specs issued by Ford. Those specs are intended to preserve both warranty and chassis original ratings.

Is your Ford branded as "E Super Duty?" If so, it's the first incarnation of the E450. If the GVWR in the door jamb label applied by Ford is 14050-pounds, it's E-S-D/E450, and the GCWR (Combined Coach and "Trailer," Jeep in your case) is somewhere around 20000-pounds.

Your HITCH, on the other hand, is likely to be rated 3500-pounds. You can upgrade to a higher rating. I think a standard "E350 Hitch" will fit even if you have a Frame Extension to the rear of the axle. Our hitch's extreme width is 41-1/4". It bolts into the bottom of the frame extension. I'd want an upgrade hitch that either 1. Used, or 2. Totally Avoided, the holes left from the original.

Note that the coach's braking is meant only for ITS max weight, not that weight plus a towed load.

Also, the "Label" rating on a hitch may be reduced for motorhome use. Usually less vertical weight. The pulling weight might stay with the label rating.

sticker above the hitch says 3500 lbs - so it looks like i am not towing my jeep...

thanks for the answers

so is there a way to make my rv be able to tow more than 3500 lbs? Is there a after market hitch i can ad or something?
Thanks

You'd need a competent truck frame shop to look at the frame and the hitch and figure out what needs to be done to make it safe for towing more weight. It might be as simple as installing a heavier duty hitch, or it might involve strengthening the frame extensions a good bit, which would of course also add some weight.

If you're towing a trailer, the tongue weight is probably going to be a problem with the rear axle weight limits. There's not a great deal you can do about that easily; it basically requires removing a good bit of weight from the RV. Maybe traveling with empty rather than full water tanks would start to be enough. A first step would be to get the actual axle weights of your RV and see where you stand.

As mentioned in earlier posts, if you're towing four down or with a tow dolly, the tongue weight is pretty much negligible.

Towing a jeep 4 down is a snap. hardly know it's there. Put a braking system on it and upgrade your hitch and you should be fine. Interestingly enough i have looked at 3500lb hitches and 5000lb hitches and there isn't much difference. beefing up the chassis with a few cross braces is my guess. Go to a fabrication shop, look up truck or off road fabrication and speak with them. Your basic hitch guy knows little other than bolt on ,bolt off. At least in my experience.