A stupid question about towing
I have a new to me old Cruise America 2005 E450 Majestic 28' V10 and it has a class III trailer hitch. I was going to tow our Cadillac SLS on a trailer behind it when a friend told me to check the fra...
Forum Discussion
There should be at least two labels in the driver's door jamb:
1. From FORD, describing the Chassis as it left the Ford plant
2. From Coach Builder (Four Winds?), describing the RV as it left their plant.
The Wheelbases on those two labels should be different. See if there's another label
3. From a concern that specializes in stretching chassis to the wheelbase and rear overhang needed to carry an RV body. You may be able to contact that concern and learn the rating they modified it for.
That said, get up around 3000-lb and you'll start feeling the toad. At 4000, you'll know it's holding you back. Not uncommon to have a 5000 towing rating (properly stretched E450 with correct hitch) but more weight than you'd want to tow routinely. Also, RV's often have the "hitch weight" down-rated from what the hitch was built to handle. The long rear overhang leads to that. So you may be able to pull 5000 which usually means 500 hitch weight but the RV only allows 350. That isn't enough for a 5000 trailer.
I don't like them personally, but REMCO makes "lube pumps" that enable flat towing with some (not all) of the automatic transmissions not otherwise towable.
In your case, a dolly, one equipped with brakes, would be my choice.
1. From FORD, describing the Chassis as it left the Ford plant
2. From Coach Builder (Four Winds?), describing the RV as it left their plant.
The Wheelbases on those two labels should be different. See if there's another label
3. From a concern that specializes in stretching chassis to the wheelbase and rear overhang needed to carry an RV body. You may be able to contact that concern and learn the rating they modified it for.
That said, get up around 3000-lb and you'll start feeling the toad. At 4000, you'll know it's holding you back. Not uncommon to have a 5000 towing rating (properly stretched E450 with correct hitch) but more weight than you'd want to tow routinely. Also, RV's often have the "hitch weight" down-rated from what the hitch was built to handle. The long rear overhang leads to that. So you may be able to pull 5000 which usually means 500 hitch weight but the RV only allows 350. That isn't enough for a 5000 trailer.
I don't like them personally, but REMCO makes "lube pumps" that enable flat towing with some (not all) of the automatic transmissions not otherwise towable.
In your case, a dolly, one equipped with brakes, would be my choice.
