Towing weight limits

No, I have not yet added a braking system to the truck, but will. The only braking system I've seen was well over $1000 but I've not done any further checking yet. What system do you use or recommend??

Just went out and looked close at the hitch, it says 5000 with a 500 pound tongue. The good news is that it appears to be bolted on so I think it can be upgraded. If that's the case I'll make that happen. Looks like it bolts on between two plate on either side and would be a simple job to change out with a stronger hitch, maybe I can do it myself?

If the question is “am I towing more than the rig is designed for”, the 5K tow hitch is only one of the limiting factors. You need to consider the difference between the RV actual weight and GCVW. The lesser of that calculation and the tow hitch rating is your “rated” towing capacity.

Also, while weighting the loaded RV, get the back axle weight and compare it to the rated axle capacity. Do you have additional axle capacity to handle the tongue weight? (only a factor when using a trailer, nearly zero additional tongue weight when towing 4 down)

Let me say that I would never tow that much weight on a 5000 pound hitch. On the other hand, my brother wouldn't give a second thought to towing it AND add a four wheeler loaded in the bed of the truck. Of course, my brother would also say it tows just fine, no problem at all. And then he would wonder 5 -6 year years down the road, why he is having transmission, or brake problems in the motor home or why the hitch gave way. Point of the story is just because you don't encounter any problems on a few trips doesn't mean that you might not be over taxing the motorhome. I agree that the engineers have built in some wiggle room on the numbers but still the numbers are set at what they are for a reason.

M.A.Taylor wrote:
Thanks for the info everyone. So far we have been on 2 trips and have towed the truck both times. From Oklahoma to North Carolina and back, and we have just returned from Troy Montana. On the Troy trip we crossed the divide at over 6000 feet. No issues at all towing the truck, the Sightseer took the mountains just fine.

I will however check into an upgraded hitch. Thanks again!

Do you have a braking system on the towed vehicle?

Thanks for the info everyone. So far we have been on 2 trips and have towed the truck both times. From Oklahoma to North Carolina and back, and we have just returned from Troy Montana. On the Troy trip we crossed the divide at over 6000 feet. No issues at all towing the truck, the Sightseer took the mountains just fine.

I will however check into an upgraded hitch. Thanks again!

Personally, I would tow the truck with no worries.
In fact, I do. See sig.
However, I would have second thoughts about the Subie on a trailer.
As for the "80% rule", it seems to be a "Rule Of Thumb" thought up by some safety guru. The only place I have ever seen reference to it is on these forums. I ignore it. IMO, the manufacturer has already put a safety factor in his numbers. While I don't know what that safety factor is, I am sure the Mfg. kept it in mind when assigning the ratings. There is always a huge difference between "working load" and "failure load"!
NOTE: I did NOT say you should go ahead and tow your truck. I simply said I tow mine, no more, no less!

The trailer/car combo is definitely out of your range, the tongue weight alone will be in the area of 900 pounds. As for the pickup, the tongue weight is fine as it is effectively zero. However, if you actually weigh your truck I think you will find that it weighs more than 5500 pounds. I would not be towing either of these outfits, your MH setup is not big enough. Now, it is possible that you are limited by the class 3 hitch and going to a class 4 or 5 will allow you to tow either of these units, but the only way to know for sure is to take the MH to a reputable hitch installer and have them look the MH over to see if there are other mitigating factors with the MH itself, if not the increased hitch rating will cure your problem.

The limits mean you should not be towing a weight load that exerts more than 5,000 lbs of pressure in a straight line pull behind the hitch, or a 350 lb pressure down on the hitch. The common thinking is to limit loads to no more than 80% of those values.

Yes you bought the wrong motor home if you wish to tow either one - you need to get under 5,000