Newbie question

[hoth]

Hi all road warriors. We haven't hit the road yet as one of us hasn't retired yet but it's coming fast and personal stuff sales going good. The question I have runs like this, We are looking at a class a and then a trailer (enclosed) to pull our car around. Now I know there is talk about over packing an RV so I am wondering about the trailer. Not like we will have a ton of heavy stuff to haul but how does the tongue weight and the RV weight come together??
Thanks,
/-/oth and Sue

[Bill_Satellite]

So far, this is your very best selection! A visit to CarMax might get you a good deal on a trade for a similar style car that you could flat tow (the best option). I towed using a dolly for a few years to keep the bride happy but once we got a car we could tow 4-wheels down we were both much happier (especially when the weather was bad and we had to hook-up!).

[hoth]

The car we want haul is a 2011 Cruze, can not be flat hauled. Now thinking about dollying it. I appreciate all the help!

[bsinmich]

I remember a site from several years back in the UP of Michigan. As I was travelling West I saw a large MH with a large trailer that had actually split the body at the rear axle with the rear end dragging on the pavement and a gap at the top of the MH. There is a price to be payed for overloading the hitch.

[Lwiddis]

Hopefully, Hoth will heed your advice, Drew.

[DrewE]

To answer your specific question, the tongue weight of the trailer is subtracted from the available payload of the motorhome. Since the hitch is in back of the rear axle, in many cases by a good bit, it will tend to shift weight from the front axle to the rear axle(s) due to its leverage, meaning the weight on the rear axle will increase by more than the trailer weight. You could in theory compensate for this with a weight distributing hitch, but that is not commonly done with motorhomes.

There are several limits that should be observed when towing. The GCWR (gross combined weight rating) is the maximum total weight of the motorhome and trailer combined. The GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is the maximum weight on the motorhome, including your stuff and the tongue weight. The GAWR (gross axle weight rating) is for each individual axle, which means it's wise to weigh each one separately. There are also hitch tow weight ratings and hitch tongue weight ratings, and of course maximums for the trailer itself and its components.

[Bill_Satellite]

What he said ^^^^^^^^

You are going to need a big powerful engine/chassis combo to pull and enclosed trailer with car and lots of goodies. What kind of car were you planning to bring along?

[2gypsies1]

It sounds like the trailer will be used for personal things rather than a vehicle. Is that correct? If so, I'd recommend that you tow a car 4-down and eliminate your extra stuff. What kind of stuff would you be hauling around? Everything should be able to fit in your RV. If you're going full-time you need a vehicle for siteseeing and exploring.

[donn0128]

With the right vehicle you can flat tow. No need for a trailer of any sort. Sure would make life easier.

[Lwiddis]

The only enclosed trailers I see RVs pulling are the dragsters, racers etc. with a bunch of parts inside with the vehicle.

[hoth]

so lighter with an open trailer I am assuming?

[sch911]

Gas or DP Motorhome?

This will determine how much you can tow.

Most gassers will be limited to about 5K, so thy're good for most cars and smaller SUV's towing 4 down, no trailer.

To include an enclosed trailer in the equation you'll most likely need more capacity than 5K.