New to Dingy towing and toads

Hey Army Vet,

I for one appreciate your service to our country. Thanks!

I have a couple of comments. For these hitches, one probably doesn't need to put safety factor on top of safety factor. In other words, if your hitch is rated for 5000 lbs, it will do that with a lot of safety factor built in, probably on the order of 50%. So I don't agree you need to further limit the weight.

In supprt of this, We all know a weight distributing hitch significantly improves the weight rating by taking the downforce weight off the hitch allowing you to tow more weight. Just go to Reese and one can see that. So, logically, with flat towing the hitch itself!, because it has very little tongue weight will easily handle the max weight of 5000 lbs.

The limit can be the design of the motor home. I have asked Forest River this very question and they have tested their provided hitch well above the 5000 lb limit before failure and apparently that was a safely eyelet not the hitch itself. They do not have problem with their motor home up to the 22,000 lb limit of the Ford Chassis. That would be 7500 lb over the GVWR or 8500 lb above my fully loaded weight.

So I have no problem towing the 5000 lb limit. In fact this is for me 3500 lbs below the max GCVWR of 22000 lb and should be well within the capability of the E450. My toad weighs in at 4860 lbs.

Because, you don't know what you don't know, I haven't come to this conclusion lightly. I've did research asked questions of the manufacturer, dealers hitch experts at 3 dealers and others. I hope this helps your situation. I more worried about stopping the vehicle and want to make sure I get the correct braking system. I have decided on the RVibrake.

Good Luck!

jhmaute1 wrote:
is there a reliable list of used cars recommended for towing 4 down

Motorhome Magazine yearly dinghy towing guides.
http://www.royrobinsonrv.com/rv-towing-guide-washington

is there a reliable list of used cars recommended for towing 4 down

" I probably know more about towing, loads and safety than most people jumping into an RV and towing a dinghy. I know that when something says 5000# that means MAX TOW CAPACITY!"
Sorry to add to your stress level, but with those qualifications, what are you doing here asking questions? It is obvious that you know more than anybody here!

"I served in the Army for over 6 years as a track mechanic..."
Sorry again, I'm not impressed. However, if you were depot or field maintenance level, that might mean something. Organizational level?
Not impressive.
I, too, served in the Army, as a helicopter mechanic. I am well aware of the differences in the levels of maintenance!
I retired as a construction mechanic in the Seabees.

ArmyVet717 wrote:
I am not trying to get into a math argument or any type of argument for that matter. I served in the Army for over 6 years as a track mechanic, I was a certified recovery specialist, and was in charge of our 5 ton wrecker. I drove a tow truck for over 3 years, and yes I even towed some 30+ foot MH's. I probably know more about towing, loads and safety than most people jumping into an RV and towing a dinghy. I know that when something says 5000# that means MAX TOW CAPACITY! I am not dumb enough to max it out. My truck will TOW 17k pounds, but does that mean I am actually going to? Absolutely not! I know that SAFE towing is approximately 1000-1500 pounds less than MAX TOW CAPACITY! I am here to try and get some information, but I can see it was a mistake because all I am getting is smart ass answers and dumbass remarks!
Have a nice freaking day!

When you originally posted your question, you didn't indicate your experience level (above) so the posters attempted to answer as best as they could given what you said.

It sounds like you pretty much know what to do here, or as you mentioned, more than most people on this forum. The actual limits of the equipment/vehicles you're talking about might best be answered by a hitch installing firm like Tork Lift, or Camping World. Good luck, and enjoy your trip.

I am not trying to get into a math argument or any type of argument for that matter. I served in the Army for over 6 years as a track mechanic, I was a certified recovery specialist, and was in charge of our 5 ton wrecker. I drove a tow truck for over 3 years, and yes I even towed some 30+ foot MH's. I probably know more about towing, loads and safety than most people jumping into an RV and towing a dinghy. I know that when something says 5000# that means MAX TOW CAPACITY! I am not dumb enough to max it out. My truck will TOW 17k pounds, but does that mean I am actually going to? Absolutely not! I know that SAFE towing is approximately 1000-1500 pounds less than MAX TOW CAPACITY! I am here to try and get some information, but I can see it was a mistake because all I am getting is smart ass answers and dumbass remarks!
Have a nice freaking day!

Why? It weighs 5000 lbs. doesn't it?

rk911 wrote:

ArmyVet717 wrote:
My parents just bought Fleetwood Jamboree 31M. They have a Dodge Grand Caravan which weighs in at around 4400#. We are taking a trip cross country in July and are contemplating buying a "toad" or a dolly to tow my Ford Fusion (auto) with. We found two Saturn vehicles, 97 Saturn SW2 with auto transmission, and 99 SL2 also with auto transmission.
We were told that the tow capacity is 5000#, and figure than anything more than 4000# is pushing it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

- the GCWR minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded for travel (food, fuel, water, LP, clothing, supplies, pets, people and misc. stuff); OR

- the weight rating of the MH hitch (Class II 3500-lbs, Class III 5000-lbs, Class IV 10,000-lbs); OR

- the weight rating of your towbar

load up the MH as they would for travel and then get individual axle weights at a certified scale. compare those axle weights to the published gross axle weight rating (GAWR) for that motorhome. the actual axle weight must be less than/equal to the rating for that axle. add the two axle weights to arrive at the total rolling weight and then apply the three conditions above. assume nothing.

as for limiting your towing to something less than the maximum amount...I think that is wise. not because your tow bar or hitch is going to fail at 5001-lbs...I just think it's better to keep the weight of the MH and the weight the MH has to pull as low as practicable. when we tow our jeep wrangler we're at roughly 68% of tow capacity and 84% when we tow our jeep liberty.

The hitch rating and capabilities of such, brings up a question in my mind of how this rating is calculated. If you're pulling a 5000lb toad, are you really pulling 5000lb? Taking friction into consideration, the load on rubber tires of various sorts, is going to be a lot less than dragging it without any wheels on it at all. OK, lets just put a spring scale of sorts in between the coach and the toad and whatever it takes to make it show 5000lbs is supposedly the hitches limit, so going uphill will have more strain than going on the flats. How about if you could just hang the coach vertically with the 5000lb toad attached beneath it? Now with these theories in mind, it's going to take a lot more than a 5000lb toad with pumped up highway tires on a glass smooth roadway to have a 5000lb pull on the hitch, wouldn't you say, or am I not getting this at all?

ArmyVet717 wrote:
Dealer ToldFor 5000# Max On The Hitch. I Asked About GCWR, I Was Told That the Hitch Was Only Rated At 5000#. I'm Sure The MH Could Handle More, But I'm Not One To Try To Max Out A Vehicles Capabilities.
My Only Challenge Now Is Do I Go For A Dolly And Tow My Fusion (3500#), Or Do I Look For A four Down toad.

If the hitch is your only concern and it passes with the other criteria and requirements, presented here, then take it to a hitch welding shop and see what it might take to beef it up to 10K lbs. I mean a higher rated receiver along with some frame braces and such, surely should do the job and one can usually look at something like this to know what it's capabilities might be. All this comes from a lot of different factors and with cars and trucks, it even depends on the wheel base, so even when your chassis manual says one thing, it could have changed with the coach manufacture when they extended the frame's length. I mean there's a lot of coaches out there that are overloaded by this math and with no ill effects ever.

Dealer ToldFor 5000# Max On The Hitch. I Asked About GCWR, I Was Told That the Hitch Was Only Rated At 5000#. I'm Sure The MH Could Handle More, But I'm Not One To Try To Max Out A Vehicles Capabilities.
My Only Challenge Now Is Do I Go For A Dolly And Tow My Fusion (3500#), Or Do I Look For A four Down toad.