Bounder 35H hitch sticker: what does this mean?
Hi,
Late last year, I bought a 2009 Bounder 35H Commercial (former rental; looks like a 2008 35H and is built on a 2007 F53 chassis, but nevertheless is officially a 2009 on the sticker, even though it has a 2008 owner's manual). On the trailer hitch, there is a sticker that a weight capacity sticker that reads:
Max Gross Trlr Wt Max Tongue Wt
Weight Distributing 0 0
Weight Carrying Ball Mount 5000 5000
Dinghy Towing 0 0
I understand the 0 for a weight-distributing hitch, but don't understand why there would be a 5000 pound tow capacity (which is what the vehicle specs say, too) but 0 for dinghy towing? Does that really mean I can't dinghy tow with this hitch? If so, why would that be the case? Is it possible the rental company (El Monte) just had that sticker on there no discourage people from pulling toads?
I have all of the original documentation for the vehicle - even the window sticker, but there's nothing in there about the hitch, it's capacity, or who made it. The sticker itself has a number, B37-0103, which appears to be a hitch part number. I found a '99 Discovery 36T parts list that give a hitch model number of B37-0009, as a correlating point, but no brand name. The hitch seems to be a total no-name unit; does anyone know who made these hitches for Fleetwood and/or have a spec sheet that could be used to determine if this hitch really can or cannot be used for dinghy towing?
The vehicle I plan to tow is heavy but within the 5000 pound limit (2009 Odyssey).
EDIT: Fleetwood support's statement is, "People do use a dinghy or dolly when towing. The hitch on that year we believe would be a Drawtite hitch."
While not quite a "Yeah, go ahead and do it," it tends to confirm my belief that I should be able to do so, and what I see people doing all the time on the road: hauling toads behind 200X Fleetwood products that I assume have the hitch they came with. END EDIT.
Thanks!
Late last year, I bought a 2009 Bounder 35H Commercial (former rental; looks like a 2008 35H and is built on a 2007 F53 chassis, but nevertheless is officially a 2009 on the sticker, even though it has a 2008 owner's manual). On the trailer hitch, there is a sticker that a weight capacity sticker that reads:
Max Gross Trlr Wt Max Tongue Wt
Weight Distributing 0 0
Weight Carrying Ball Mount 5000 5000
Dinghy Towing 0 0
I understand the 0 for a weight-distributing hitch, but don't understand why there would be a 5000 pound tow capacity (which is what the vehicle specs say, too) but 0 for dinghy towing? Does that really mean I can't dinghy tow with this hitch? If so, why would that be the case? Is it possible the rental company (El Monte) just had that sticker on there no discourage people from pulling toads?
I have all of the original documentation for the vehicle - even the window sticker, but there's nothing in there about the hitch, it's capacity, or who made it. The sticker itself has a number, B37-0103, which appears to be a hitch part number. I found a '99 Discovery 36T parts list that give a hitch model number of B37-0009, as a correlating point, but no brand name. The hitch seems to be a total no-name unit; does anyone know who made these hitches for Fleetwood and/or have a spec sheet that could be used to determine if this hitch really can or cannot be used for dinghy towing?
The vehicle I plan to tow is heavy but within the 5000 pound limit (2009 Odyssey).
EDIT: Fleetwood support's statement is, "People do use a dinghy or dolly when towing. The hitch on that year we believe would be a Drawtite hitch."
While not quite a "Yeah, go ahead and do it," it tends to confirm my belief that I should be able to do so, and what I see people doing all the time on the road: hauling toads behind 200X Fleetwood products that I assume have the hitch they came with. END EDIT.
Thanks!
