Groover
Jan 08, 2021Explorer II
New Thor motorhome towing guide
It seems that Thor has come out with a manual to help you calculate the towing capacity of you motorhome.
Thor manual
My favorite parts are:
"To get your towing capacity, it is simply:
GCWR – GVW."
And
"When it comes to hitches, DO NOT USE a weight-distributing or load leveling hitch with your motorhome. It is not capable of transferring any useful amount of weight from the rear axle to the front axle or limiting up and down hitch movement, and you could end up damaging the hitch, the receiver, the rear overhang of the motorhome frame, or the trailer frame itself."
I find these two items fascinating since my several year old Thor coach was advertised to tow 10,000lbs. The first formula gives me 4,000lbs while the second one reduces the hitch capacity to 5,000lbs. I just check and Thor still advertises that the coach comes with a 10,000lb hitch but in my case that is only if you use a weight distributing hitch.
This is a good case of "Buyer Beware!"
I wonder how many coaches actually have a hitch rated for 10,000lbs weight carrying. I want to start checking them out as I see them.
You can check out the ratings here:
Thor Palazzo specs
The Thor marketing group needs to read this manual but since they won't the customers need to.
Thor manual
My favorite parts are:
"To get your towing capacity, it is simply:
GCWR – GVW."
And
"When it comes to hitches, DO NOT USE a weight-distributing or load leveling hitch with your motorhome. It is not capable of transferring any useful amount of weight from the rear axle to the front axle or limiting up and down hitch movement, and you could end up damaging the hitch, the receiver, the rear overhang of the motorhome frame, or the trailer frame itself."
I find these two items fascinating since my several year old Thor coach was advertised to tow 10,000lbs. The first formula gives me 4,000lbs while the second one reduces the hitch capacity to 5,000lbs. I just check and Thor still advertises that the coach comes with a 10,000lb hitch but in my case that is only if you use a weight distributing hitch.
This is a good case of "Buyer Beware!"
I wonder how many coaches actually have a hitch rated for 10,000lbs weight carrying. I want to start checking them out as I see them.
You can check out the ratings here:
Thor Palazzo specs
The Thor marketing group needs to read this manual but since they won't the customers need to.