towing with suv???

dodge guy wrote:
Minimum to be added to a traditional TT with family of 4 would be approx. 12-1500 lbs! I'm at 2000 lbs because i have the room and a 4100 lb CCC.

Trailers can be found with a slideout in the 4500-5000lb dry range.

Good luck!

1500 pounds sounds like a lot. I know you may be correct though. But, Where does all that weight come from? I think if it were my wife and kids I'd tell them to throw some of the junk. Maybe that's why I'm not married and don't have any kids. lol.

Minimum to be added to a traditional TT with family of 4 would be approx. 12-1500 lbs! I'm at 2000 lbs because i have the room and a 4100 lb CCC.

Trailers can be found with a slideout in the 4500-5000lb dry range.

Good luck!

Well I went to the dealer on lunch today and checked the sticker for myself, an it was just as I suspected. The UVW was 7360lbs and the GVWR was 9300lbs. I opted to get a lighter trailer with no slide out (boo) with a UVW of 4900lbs. Again, boo hiss. The dealer advised me that I had enough truck to tow the Jayco with its unladen weight of 7360lbs, they also said that they only figure a 500lbs added gear storage for traveling and towing to a site. They really had me confused though, the jayco is cheaper by $2000.00 than the other one that we chose, the jayco was also a new trade in as of Friday last week. So why would they try to push it on me if I couldn't tow it? Wouldn't they want me to get the more expensive one that has been sitting on the lot longer?........ I am puzzled.

clubhouse wrote:

AntonB wrote:
Thanks E&J push'n wind, the sticker inside the truck says GVWR 7900lb & the manufacturer GCWR is 15000lb. So I am confused then, I have a tow rating of 8750lbs, if you add the 7900lb and 8750 lb together you get 16650 as a GCVR, that is 1650lb over the GCVR that the manufacturer has published. So am I really only able to tow 7100lbs?

Don't overthink this. The maxium tow rating a MFG states is rarely ever possible. They didn't get the numbers wrong -- they are just playing the marketing game. Here is how this works...by the numbers.

Fist you need to know you available payload of the TV. This can really only be accomplished by actaully hitting a scale a weighing you specific vehicle. Make sure when you do you have a full tank of fuel, all the passengers you will normally be taking as well as any stuff you plan to have in the SUV when towing (dog? firewood? other cargo?)

Take Vehicles GVWR - scaled weight = Available Cargo Capacity.

This Available Cargo Capacity is what you have left for the Trailers Tongue weight & WD Hitch. Using Cargo Capacity you can start looking at trailer weights. Since you don't own the trailer you will need to estimate a littler here or use the trailers GVWR. Some trailers have very generous GVWR compared to actaul dry weight (not published unloaded weight).

A trailers tounge weight will be 12-15% of its actual weight. 13% seems to be a good average. So if you are using GVWR of the tailer simply multiply that number by .13.

Or if you know the trailers actaul dry weight you can then estimate how much weight you will add with caping gear, bedding, clothes, kitchen items, food, toys, etc. In this case add dry + added weight and multiple by .13.

The tongue weight is actaully carried by the Tow Vehicle not pulled by the tow vehicle.

If you get this to add up, normally everythign else will be under spec (meaing GCVWR, GFAWR, GRAWR, etc)

So to simply answer you question, that EXPY EL will not be able to tow anywhere near that Max tow weight they published and still stay with in all the other specs.

AntonB wrote:
OK so here is what I am thinking. The GVWR of the trailer has to be the 7200lbs. That would be what the number would have to be so that you know the maximum allowable capacity of the frame the trailer sits on. The unlaiden or dry weight would be in the ballpark of about 4500lb to 5000lb leaving a cargo, passenger, water, fuel, etc limit of 2200lb to 2700lb respectfully. So when speaking to someone on "How much does your trailer weigh?" some respond with the GVWR. I get these numbers because on the Jayco website most fifth wheel trailers weigh 7000lbs dry, this is a travel trailer with one big slide for the dinette and the sofa so the dry weight cannot be in the clouds at 7200lbs should be at the previous numbers stated...... I guess. Sorry for the back and forth just trying to get clarity, my wife and I are new at this

Clubhouse has pretty much hit the nail on the head. Now there are some that come from a school of thought like this. JIMNLIN makes a pretty good point. I kind of tend to think along his line of thought. There are many that would disagree but I think it stands to reason. There are some weight ratings that you just do not want to exceed, namely GAWR fr & rr. Those weights are what the axles are actually rated at and exceeding them could cause damage to them not to mention if you were "scaled" with portable scales, you could be cited though very unlikely.

I checked out the Jayco website and looked at the archives and it only goes back 10 years so needless to say, the one you are looking at doesn't show up. If you actually have access to to said TT, there should be a sticker on the front left side that has the GVWR of the TT. Inside one of the kitchen cabinets, you will find a sticker that has the actual delivery weight of the TT minus propane and battery. That would go a long way towards whether or not your Expi would be up to the task. We need to know the weight of prospective TT other wise it's all spectulation.

OK so here is what I am thinking. The GVWR of the trailer has to be the 7200lbs. That would be what the number would have to be so that you know the maximum allowable capacity of the frame the trailer sits on. The unlaiden or dry weight would be in the ballpark of about 4500lb to 5000lb leaving a cargo, passenger, water, fuel, etc limit of 2200lb to 2700lb respectfully. So when speaking to someone on "How much does your trailer weigh?" some respond with the GVWR. I get these numbers because on the Jayco website most fifth wheel trailers weigh 7000lbs dry, this is a travel trailer with one big slide for the dinette and the sofa so the dry weight cannot be in the clouds at 7200lbs should be at the previous numbers stated...... I guess. Sorry for the back and forth just trying to get clarity, my wife and I are new at this.

half ton suv can haul people AND not tow, or tow and Not haul people.
3/4 ton suv are not as confusing.

AntonB wrote:
Hello I am new to this forum & have a question. I own a 2008 Ford Expedition EL w/ a listed tow rating of 8750 (HD Tow Package) . I have a bead on a 1997 Jayco. It is 31 feet long & weighs 7400lbs. Is that too much for this truck? Also plan to get a to get a Reese torsion bar hitch w/ anti sway bar.

No way not enough receiver strength or payload.

7400 dry means 8500-9000 pounds loaded with 1000-1200 pounds of TW. Your receiver is rated for 900-ish pounds. You probably have about 1500 pounds of payload to support the trailer tongue weight, people and cargo inside. 6k dry is a high limit unless you have a lot of people/weight to transport. Then even lower.

AntonB wrote:
Thanks E&J push'n wind, the sticker inside the truck says GVWR 7900lb & the manufacturer GCWR is 15000lb. So I am confused then, I have a tow rating of 8750lbs, if you add the 7900lb and 8750 lb together you get 16650 as a GCVR, that is 1650lb over the GCVR that the manufacturer has published. So am I really only able to tow 7100lbs?

Don't overthink this. The maxium tow rating a MFG states is rarely ever possible. They didn't get the numbers wrong -- they are just playing the marketing game. Here is how this works...by the numbers.

Fist you need to know you available payload of the TV. This can really only be accomplished by actaully hitting a scale a weighing you specific vehicle. Make sure when you do you have a full tank of fuel, all the passengers you will normally be taking as well as any stuff you plan to have in the SUV when towing (dog? firewood? other cargo?)

Take Vehicles GVWR - scaled weight = Available Cargo Capacity.

This Available Cargo Capacity is what you have left for the Trailers Tongue weight & WD Hitch. Using Cargo Capacity you can start looking at trailer weights. Since you don't own the trailer you will need to estimate a littler here or use the trailers GVWR. Some trailers have very generous GVWR compared to actaul dry weight (not published unloaded weight).

A trailers tounge weight will be 12-15% of its actual weight. 13% seems to be a good average. So if you are using GVWR of the tailer simply multiply that number by .13.

Or if you know the trailers actaul dry weight you can then estimate how much weight you will add with caping gear, bedding, clothes, kitchen items, food, toys, etc. In this case add dry + added weight and multiple by .13.

The tongue weight is actaully carried by the Tow Vehicle not pulled by the tow vehicle.

If you get this to add up, normally everythign else will be under spec (meaing GCVWR, GFAWR, GRAWR, etc)

So to simply answer you question, that EXPY EL will not be able to tow anywhere near that Max tow weight they published and still stay with in all the other specs.

AntonB wrote:
Yeah I understand about diesel being better for towing & that the numbers are maximum tow capabilities under prime conditions. What I am trying to understand is if 8750lbs is the maximum why not be just under that weight w/ a aux brake & anti sway torsioned hitch assembly? Seems like the manufacturer of my truck got their numbers wrong.

The posted(advertised) numbers are usually the highest available in that vehicle, your configuration will change them. 99% of the time your limiting factor will be payload.

Yeah I understand about diesel being better for towing & that the numbers are maximum tow capabilities under prime conditions. What I am trying to understand is if 8750lbs is the maximum why not be just under that weight w/ a aux brake & anti sway torsioned hitch assembly? Seems like the manufacturer of my truck got their numbers wrong.