Tow Vehicle Advice Needed for Novice
Hi, I'm looking at used Highlanders to tow my 17 ft Casita, both gas and a hybrid. But the two I'm looking at do not have a hitch. Is there anything special to know about getting the hitch and plug in...
Forum Discussion
Here are the weights you'll need to know and how they interconnect:
Tow Vehicle:
A = payload
B = tow capacity
Trailer:
C = loaded weight or gvwr
D = tongue weight (about 15 percent of C)
B must be greater than C. How much more depends on terrain, distance, and personal comfort level. Most folks try to keep C at under 20 percent of B (so for a 5,000lb towing capacity, the trailer gvwr would be no more than 4,000lbs or for trailer with a 3,600lb gvwr, the towing capacity would be at least 4,500lbs).
A must be more than the sum of D + weight of all passengers + weight of all gear in and on the tow vehicle.
A 2003 Casita 17 with a dry weight of 2385lbs has a gvwr of 3500lbs. So you are looking at about that range (the actual model year will cause that to vary some).
So, the numbers would be:
TV option 1:
A = 1340lbs
B = 3500lbs
TV option 2:
A = 1465lbs (if 2017)
B = 5000lbs
Casita:
C = 3500lbs (for 2003)
D = 525lbs (for 2003)
Tow Vehicle:
A = payload
B = tow capacity
Trailer:
C = loaded weight or gvwr
D = tongue weight (about 15 percent of C)
B must be greater than C. How much more depends on terrain, distance, and personal comfort level. Most folks try to keep C at under 20 percent of B (so for a 5,000lb towing capacity, the trailer gvwr would be no more than 4,000lbs or for trailer with a 3,600lb gvwr, the towing capacity would be at least 4,500lbs).
A must be more than the sum of D + weight of all passengers + weight of all gear in and on the tow vehicle.
A 2003 Casita 17 with a dry weight of 2385lbs has a gvwr of 3500lbs. So you are looking at about that range (the actual model year will cause that to vary some).
So, the numbers would be:
TV option 1:
A = 1340lbs
B = 3500lbs
TV option 2:
A = 1465lbs (if 2017)
B = 5000lbs
Casita:
C = 3500lbs (for 2003)
D = 525lbs (for 2003)
