2012Coleman wrote:
Your making the mistake of only considering tow capacity. Payload of your van (what it can carry) is the limiting factor and will be exceeded before reaching tow capacity. Take the advice of getting it weighed, then post a picture of the sticker in the door jamb.
The weight you will need to add to this is the tongue weight of whatever TT you decide to get. You can get close to this weight by calculating 12% of the Gross - not empty weight of the TT.
Add to this the weight of the hitch receiver and the weight distribution setup.
Good luck.
I do not think anyone would argue that it is good to be well informed and get the numbers and understand the numbers, but do not be afraid of them. There are far too many beliefs on what these numbers actually mean, can the lawyers who tell the engineers to slap the numbers on your door be trusted, is there actually any independent science behind the number, or any concrete proof that exceeding these numbers is a risk and if so by how much until it is a risk. And most importantly, just like the wheel bearing discussion that went on for 8 pages last week kept coming back to. The repacking schedule for wheel bearings is based on worst case scenario IE a boat trailer being backed up into salt water on a regular basis. Are you looking at a worst case scenario if not what is a best case scenario... the lawyers will not give you that number.
Don't let the numbers scare you, they were not handed down by god. There are too many strong opinions in this forum (mine included) and virtually no applicable science on what they mean. Get the numbers and take them to an independent hitch installer (not the guy selling you the rig) and talk about it with them and discuss the how/where/when of what you are planning. Posting the numbers here will get you no closer to an answer, just 10 pages of opinion and no science. Spend as much time or more getting a well designed hitch setup as you do worrying about numbers. I worry far more about the morons that think that just because they have a diesel that can pull 10000lbs with the right size hitch ball that they do not need sway or WD or the right height shank etc and they bounce and weave all over the highway at 75mph than I worry about the guy who is over capacity by 10%.
