scottkeen wrote:
rk911 wrote:
- the weight rating of your tow bar
I'm new to towing a vehicle (but not new to towing my RV trailer). Does a "tow bar" mean I would be flat-towing the truck instead of having the truck up on a trailer?
Is there a way to know if my truck can be flat-towed? There's a "Neutral" button on the 2WD/4WD selector.
check your owner's manual or call the mfg to be certain that your truck can be flat towed (preferred method) but generally speaking if a 4WD vehicle has a manually selectable neutral position in the transfer case you can likely flat tow that vehicle. but don't assume...check!
if you tow on a dolly or trailer you must add their weight to the gross amount of weight you're towing. flat towing is best for lots of reasons. less weight to tow, virtually no tongue weight, no dealing with a 3rd wheeled vehicle at campgrounds.
you don't want to overload any of the axles on a motorhome and the sum of the gross axle weight ratings plus the tongue weight rating is usually equal to the gross vehicle weight rating. to flat tow a 7400-lb vehicle you'll need a hitch rating of at least 10,000-lbs (IMO, its best not to exceed 90% of the hitch rating), at least an 8,000-lb difference between the gross combination weight rating and the gross vehicle weigh rating and a tow bar capable of towing 10,000-lbs. you don't want to be towing right at the margins.
permit me to pass on some additional unsolicited advice...
as you shop you'll start encountering different weight ratings (google motorhome weight ratings). IMO they are mostly confusing and you only to worry about three weights:
- empty weight (as the motorhome is delivered from the dealer or factory). minimal fuel, empty waste, water and LP tanks, nothing else. this gives you a baseline.
- wet weight: full fuel, fresh water and LP tanks. nothing else
both of the above weights should be the sum of the individual axle weights.
the difference between each gross axle weight rating and the wet weight of each axle is the axle payload...the amount of weight in food, supplies, clothing, pets, people, etc. that can be added to the soecific axles without violating the gross axle weight rating of that axle.
- finally, your loaded or rolling weight. load up the MH as you would for a trip and then weigh it (again, individual axle weights). this ensures that none of the axles are overweight and you are less than or equal to the gross vehicle weight rating.
good luck.
