lighter weight four down toad?

obie311 wrote:
I googled looking for a toad to use as a dinghy for a 3500 Sprinter Class C.

The recommendations were vehicles like Jeeps, F150 pickups, Chevy Colorado, Equinox.

That's heavier than I want. Aren't there some scooters like a Kia Soul or Honda CRV or HRv that'll flat tow? A Honda Fit or BMW Mini are a little too small.

The Honda Element seemed to be what I had in mind but they don't make them anymore.

The CRV cannot be flat towed. In fact the 2022 dinghy guide from FMCA does not list any Hondas. They used to be one of the most popular.

The guide also gives the weight. Good place to look. If you are a member you can look at all the years' guides, all the way back to 1999.

Dale

We tow a 2021 chevy spark manual transmission 4 down behind our class c. A little over2k lbs. And seriously if it were not for the rear camera I would not know it was back there. Had the base plate put on at etrailer. The car is small but gets 40mpg and works perfect for the 2 of us.

I've towed a Tracker and a Ranger.... Tracker was about 2200 lbs. Fun car !

obie311 wrote:
Trailer hitch: 5,000-lb. drawbar/ 500-lb. maximum vertical tongue weight.
GCWR: 15,250 lbs.
GCVR: 11,030 lbs. 

Don't have a tow bar. Waiting to see what toad I buy,

I'm assuming this should read GCVWR 15250 and GVWR 11030, for the combination weight, and vehicle by itself.
If this is true, the first step is weigh the van, loaded ready to camp. If you are at the vehicle's rating, then 4220 is max, and that includes the bar. But if you are below max, say 10250, you have 5000 for toad.

A good used Chevy Sonic (auto or manual) or Spark (manual) but the latter may be too small.

We have a 2020 Ford Ranger 4X4.

Yes that's exactly what my calculations revealed. The published 11,030 is the figure I found from Lichtsinn RV.

A 2022 Honda CRV curb weight is ~3600 lbs. + 90 lbs for 15 gallons gas + ~40 lbs (strictly a guess) for towbar and bracket would give me a gross weight of toad vehicle of 3730. Well under the 4,220 lb. figure. I'm an old pilot so I'm used to figuring weight and balances.

Now, back to my original query. I'm looking for a four down toad in a certain size and weight parameter.

Any suggestions??

the basic rule of thumb is that the max weight you can safely tow is the LESSER of the following:

- the difference between the GCWR and GVWR. both are published numbers by the RV mfg. if you can't find the GVWR you csn get a good approximation by adding the GAWR (gross axle weight ratings).
- the weight rating of the hitch
- the weight rating of the towbar.

is the 11,030 the GVWR of the MH? assuming it is then the maximum weight you can tow,is 4,220-lbs. and that assumes that your MH weighs no more than 11,030-lbs when fully loaded for travel. fully loaded includes everything in the MH...food, fuel, water, LP, clothes, supplies, food, people, etc. it also assumes that neither axle is overloaded...each axle has it's own weight ratings. a 5000-lb towbar would be fine and when flat towing there is negligible tongue weight (no significant downward pressure on the hitch). but the 11,030 is a weird figure. GVWR's are usually even numbers like 18,000, 24,000 or even 19,500-lbs.

Trailer hitch: 5,000-lb. drawbar/ 500-lb. maximum vertical tongue weight.
GCWR: 15,250 lbs.
GCVR: 11,030 lbs. 

Don't have a tow bar. Waiting to see what toad I buy,

what is your GVWR, GCWR, weigjt rating for your hitch and towbar?