As I begin my search for a motorhome I am finding it difficult to determine the towing capacity relative to the vehicle I will tow behind it. My situation is that my vehicle cannot be flat towed so I plan to put it on a trailer (in spite of cautions I have read about that decision). The vehicle (a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek) weighs about 3,200 pounds. An open trailer (which I have not bought yet) weighs 1,500 to 2,000 pounds based on some Internet searches I have made. So I need tow capacity in the range of 5,000 pounds. I should add that I want a motorhome with a Ford gas engine, not diesel, and it will be about 35 feet long (which is pushing the limits of a regular Class C).I've searched some posts here and other websites and I see that the basic formula is multi-faceted. Here's what I think I have learned:1 - Subtract the loaded weight of the motorhome from its GCWR. That is one limit.2 - Check that the hitch rating is also more than the 5,000 pounds needed.3 - Check that the weight on the rear axle plus the tongue weight of the trailer is less than the GAWR for the rear axle.Have I got that right? So as I look at ads for Class A and Class C vehicles sometimes I see the GCWR and the GVWR, but not very often the hitch rating. Questions:How can I determine if the motorhome in the ad has the tow capacity I need?Do gas Class A RVs have higher towing capacities in general than gas Class C RVs?Is there a specific brand/model you recommend? I read one poster saying that Forest River units with Ford E450 all have a hitch rating of 7,500#. That sounds like what I need, but I would probably prefer most Class A layouts.Thanks for your help.Steve

Most all of the Class A gassers I looked at had a 5,000 lb. receiver. one roadtrek had a 10,000 one, but had about 8,000 lbs. available. just because a hitch rating is 7,500 lbs., doesn't mean it is capable of safely/enjoyably towing that much. bumpy

It looks as though you are on track with your research. You didn't specifically mention whether you wanted a new or used motorhome, but there are many class As and specifically the E450 C that have 7500 lb tow ratings. With the longer C you may run into GAWR issues, since the roughly 700 lb tongue weight will add about 1000 lbs to the rear axle. A properly set up weight distributing hitch will help alleviate that, if the motorhome manufacturer and hitch allow the use of such a hitch.

Steve,the amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:- the gross combination weight rating of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded and configured for travel- the weight rating of your hitch- the weight rating of your tow barreal world example: our MH has a GCWR of 30,000-lbs; the hitch is rated at 5,000-lbs; the towbar is rated for 10,000-lbs; the weight of the MH as loaded for travel is 24,380 (neither axle exceeds its respective weight rating). applying the three tests we find:- the GCWR minus the actual weight of the MH = 5,620-lbs- the weight rating of the hitch = 5,000-lbs- the weight rating of the tow bar = 10,000-lbsso the maximum amount of weight i can safely tow is 5,000-lbs. personally, i limit the weight we tow to no more than 90% of max or 4500-lbs. our jeep liberty weghs in at ~4300. but you also should get,at a minimum, individual axle weights after loading up your MH. it IS possible to be overweight on one axle, usually the rear, and underweight on the other axle to a similar degree. if you weigh the MH with both axles on the scale simultaneously you may never be made aware of the overweight axle. i have first-hand experience with that. hope this helps.

I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.

b17drvr wrote:I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.Thanks. Can you recommend some aluminum trailer brands? If not, I'll do a Google search and compare their weights and prices.

Selecting A Motorhome With Enough Tow Capacity | Good Sam Community

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
DallasSteve wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
DallasSteve wrote:
b17drvr wrote:
I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.

Thanks. Can you recommend some aluminum trailer brands? If not, I'll do a Google search and compare their weights and prices.

triton
bumpy

Bumpy

I checked Triton and it doesn't seem to offer trailers for cars, only off road type vehicles. Which maybe would be another thread. Are there trailers that will carry both a motorcycle and car? If the RV I get could handle the extra weight I would really like to add a dirt bike to the equation.

http://www.hannarv.com/C/AluminumUtilityTrailers/6429
I doubt they have one that will carry a car however. sorry
bumpy
DallasSteve
Nomad
Feb 25, 2018
Bumpyroad wrote:
DallasSteve wrote:
b17drvr wrote:
I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.

Thanks. Can you recommend some aluminum trailer brands? If not, I'll do a Google search and compare their weights and prices.

triton
bumpy

Bumpy

I checked Triton and it doesn't seem to offer trailers for cars, only off road type vehicles. Which maybe would be another thread. Are there trailers that will carry both a motorcycle and car? If the RV I get could handle the extra weight I would really like to add a dirt bike to the equation.
DallasSteve
Nomad
Feb 25, 2018
Rick Jay wrote:
Does your Crosstrek have a manual transmission or an automatic? Used to be that manual transmission Subaru's could be flat-towed. Automatics, though, had to be trailered.

~Rick

Mine is automatic. I'd much rather trailer my car than drive a stick again. LOL.

Steve
rjstractor
Nomad
Feb 25, 2018
DallasSteve wrote:
b17drvr wrote:
I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.

Thanks. Can you recommend some aluminum trailer brands? If not, I'll do a Google search and compare their weights and prices.

I used to have a 16 foot tandem axle steel car hauler that was 1500 pounds. It wasn't super high quality but could easily handle a 5000 lb vehicle. The same trailer is still available for about $2200 new in Chehalis, Washington. Again, no frills but perfectly adequate for hauling a car. Bulldog Trailer
DallasSteve
Nomad
Feb 24, 2018
I don't see much difference in price when you consider the tow bar, the brake controller, the installation cost (I'm not setting up an integrated brake controller myself), and mounting plate or Jeep aftermarket bumper. A nice new trailer is about $2,000 and it's probably easier to resell than the assorted toad equipment. Yes, it's more of a pain but it also takes wear and tear off the vehicle and it gives me the daily driver I like. There's trade-offs in all of this RV process.
Heisenberg
Explorer
Feb 24, 2018
It would be easier to buy a dedicated toad. When you consider the cost of a trailer a used (Chevrolet Sonic or many others) would be cheaper and easier. Trailers are a pain.
Rick_Jay
Explorer II
Feb 24, 2018
Does your Crosstrek have a manual transmission or an automatic? Used to be that manual transmission Subaru's could be flat-towed. Automatics, though, had to be trailered.

~Rick
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Feb 24, 2018
DallasSteve wrote:
b17drvr wrote:
I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.

Thanks. Can you recommend some aluminum trailer brands? If not, I'll do a Google search and compare their weights and prices.

triton
bumpy
DallasSteve
Nomad
Feb 24, 2018
b17drvr wrote:
I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.

Thanks. Can you recommend some aluminum trailer brands? If not, I'll do a Google search and compare their weights and prices.
b17drvr
Explorer
Feb 24, 2018
I would recommend an aluminum trailer. Mine only weighs 1350 pounds. A steell one is quite a bit heavier. The downside is the aluminum is expensive.