Forum Discussion

Nomad II

Feb 23, 2018

Selecting A Motorhome With Enough Tow Capacity

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

13 Replies

rk911
Explorer
Feb 23, 2018
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 bar

real 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-lbs

so 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.
rjstractor
Nomad
Feb 23, 2018
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.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Feb 23, 2018
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