Hi, everyone. DH is going to take out the seats today on the new CR-V we bought yesterday to use as a toad. The car weighs 3420 with just under a quarter tank of gas, so with a full tank of gas and the seats out (they weigh 135 pounds) we should weigh 3364. We're trying to make the car as light as possible to be under the 3500 weight limit for our 1999 Fleetwood Southwind Storm. We thought it would be a fairly easy process but, looking at it more closely, he thinks it might be a bigger job than he anticipated. Any hints would be appreciated! Thank you.Susan

I would leave the seats in there, and not worry so much about the extra 135 pounds.That said, if you really want them out, Honda does sell a 1" thick book that covers anything you might possibly want to do with one. Make sure that you stay away from any yellow wires. They are yellow to keep mechanics aware it is part of the air bag wiring. Cut it or apply 12 volts to it might cause the air bags to deploy or not work correctly. You might have seat belt tensioners that run on 12 volts. During a crash, they tighten the seat belts to secure the passengers better. Good luck,Fred.

In my opinion, all "ratings" have a bit of fudge room in them and a mere 135 pounds over isn't going to cause failure... um... assuming related components are in good repair (no rusting-through bolts holding the hitch on, for example).

We'd love to keep the seats in, but from reading the towing forums we thought towing at what the manual says is the limit would be unsafe and not fun. With a full tank of gas the CR-V alone would be just at the 3500 limit, and that doesn't count the tow gear. So we thought we had to take them out.Susan

Hmmm. I see your replies, Fred and blangen. Thanks for the good wishes.We're confused at this point (actually, DH hasn't seen these posts and won't until later, so I'm the one that's confused). I've read posts in the forum where folks who are towing at or close to their limit feel it's not safe and have bad experiences. What to do?Susan

I have a 97 Bounder with a very short rear overhang. I toured the Fleetwood factory back in 96 and saw how they make the motorhomes, and how the welders would add anything from 12" frame extension to something like 9 feet to the 38' long Bounder.The 38' Bounder came with a third axle (before the change to 19.5" rims and upgraded GVWR in 1999). This improved the GVWR from a limited 17,000 to 20,500 pounds. Yet the extra 9' welded on might limit towing ability. My model did not have that restriction. Yet for Fleetwood to limit my model to tow say 5,000 pounds while the ones with tag axles are said to only be safe with 3,500 pounds would be a salesman's worst nightmare - explaining how the chassis on shorter models is stronger. . . So they limit everything to 3,500 pounds and don't worry about what the customers think after it is sold. That is my theory anyway.My chassis extension is very short. If I wanted to, I could bolt on a 10,000 pound rated hitch to the Ford chassis. Ford rated the 1996 F-53 chassis to a maximum 22,000 or 26,000 GCVWR. It was Fleetwood that limits the towing ability to only 3,500 pounds. I towed a 5,000 pound +/- 26' long cargo trailer with it once. I did not have a lot of hitch weight, and did not fill my rear mounted 100 gallon water tank at all, so I was taking about 300# off the rear of my RV. It towed fine.That is why I said not to worry much about the extra few hundred pounds. I tow a 4,200 pound 2007 Ford Edge now. I used to have a 1999 Honda CRV back when that car was new. I have also towed my 95 Windstar with a tow dolly. My favorite ride is a 1967 Manx dune buggy. It is only 1,500 pounds, and you hardly know it is back there. No need for brakes on it!Fred.

Best way to take out rear seats on a 2014 Honda EX-L CR-V?

15 Replies

susanka
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
Hi! We'll keep 'er clean and cram all the cargo in the RV. Thanks to all.

Susan
gasser9
Explorer
Sep 08, 2014
Keep the CR-V washed & vacuumed & don't add too much cargo to the car. Have a wonderful trip!
susanka
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
We are doing a brake system for the CR-V. Thanks very much.

Susan
othertonka
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
I would strongly consider adding a brake system to the CRV,
susanka
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
Folks, we're going to go as is, and thank you for all your help with our worry-warting. This is our dream trip, 24 days off work and up to the northeast, where we've never been. We feel reassured, and thank you again for all the time you took to read these posts and answer our questions.

Susan
dicknellen
Explorer II
Sep 07, 2014
Leave the seats in, tow the CR-V and have fun. In 2003 we had a MH with a 3500# hitch rate, we towed a 2003 Chev Malibu which was over 3500# and when you added gas and other things well over 3500# and never had any problems. I never gave it much thought because there is very little hitch weight on a 4 down toad. We love our 2013 CR-V and it tows great. Dick
DownTheAvenue
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
DO NOT REMOVE THE REAR SEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will very likely interfere with the seat belt, air bags, and other related safety items. By your own admission, it is only 135 lbs. That is insignificant in the terms of towing weight. Just get it ready to tow, hook it up, and go. Enjoy your camping!
susanka
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
Hi again.

DH got these numbers from the inside of the MH somewhere. GVWR 18,000; GCWR 21,500. So that leaves 3,500 as the weight we can tow. The front GAWR is 7,000. The rear GAWR is 11,000. The placard hitch rating on the back of the MH is 3,500. The ball hitch itself says 6,000. The UVW (dry weight) of the finished vehicle is 13,058. The net carrying capacity is 4,942. He says nothing has been done to the frame; it's the factory-length frame.

So do we need to take the seats out and everything else we can strip off? We can't return the car. I thought I was confused before, but this is worse. I feel sick.
mgirardo
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
susanka wrote:
I've read posts in the forum where folks who are towing at or close to their limit feel it's not safe and have bad experiences. What to do?

That is comparing Apples to Oranges. Your Motorhome is capable of towing a good bit more than 3,500 lbs. The reason it is limited to 3,500 lbs is most likely because of the frame extensions on the rear of the motorhome. If you looked at the GVWR and subtract it from the GCWR (motorhome weight plus towed vehicle weight), most likely you will have a number well above 3,500 lbs. That's the weight your motorhome's drive train and axles can handle. On our motorhome, that is about 7,500 lbs.

The drive train in the motorhome can handle the weight of the toad. However, the frame extensions most likely are not strong enough to hold it. You would be better off taking your motorhome to a welder and have them look at it to see if it can be strengthened. Most likely they can add some steel to beef up the frame extension allowing you to safely tow over 3,500 lbs.

I would leave the seats in and just not put more than 1/4 - 1/2 tank of gas in the CR-V. You never know when you might need the seats. It's a lot easier to put gas in the CR-V when you are out camping. Once you take the seats out, you can't put them back in until you get back or buy new ones.

-Michael
Popsie
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
If you stick to towing with a quarter full gas tank, you'd be under 3500 with the seats in.

You realize that the 3500 weight limit is a round number chosen to be easy to relate to and less than any real safety limit (not even including any safety margins).

Or, you could trade in your CRV for an 1800 pound Smart Car :C