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Vintage465's avatar
Vintage465
Nomad
Dec 20, 2015

Towing a small car with a class B

So my sister-in-law is prepping up a 2015 Mercedes 4x4 van into a camper. It has some kind of small diesel engine......I assume they are all the same. Don't know what the rear axle ratio is either....and again, I kind of assume they are all the same. The conversion is going to be pretty basic and likely no where near the weight of a the normal class B. Based on this real thin info I have given you guys, what can she pull with this? What can you pull with a pretty loaded down factory equipped Class B. I would think that if a pretty loaded down class B can pull any kind of light weight car like a RAV-4 then she should be able pull at least that.

thanks,
Class B
  • georgelesley's avatar
    georgelesley
    Explorer
    Dec 20, 2015
    Look up the gross vehicle weight including towed weight. Our Sprinter RV is about 15K max including towed weight, about 11K max actual vehicle weight including fluids and people. Get the vehicle as is weighed and you will have the answer.

    Don't forget about a supplemental braking system whick is required in most states.
  • mkguitar's avatar
    mkguitar
    Explorer
    Dec 20, 2015
    the questions are very general- the answers will be very specific in the owners manual-

    esp a 4X4 may have reduced extra capacity due to 900# of front drive gear and transfer case.( and a higher center of gravity)

    Home work first will be better than bandaids later.

    in my many many thousands of miles on the road I've seen all kinds of horrible wrecks due to over enthusiastic modifications....many involving towing and a lack of regard for weight/brakes/tires

    Mike
  • Vintage465's avatar
    Vintage465
    Nomad
    Dec 20, 2015
    Well, it's not my vehicle, and it's not near me and my sis-in-law is not gonna know how/where to get the vehicle info. I just want to know if anyone pulls a small suv or some kind of small car with there sprinter based Class B.

    thanks,
  • John___Angela's avatar
    John___Angela
    Explorer
    Dec 20, 2015
    Here is our toad. You can tow four down (we tow ours on a trailer). We have towed it behind our 22 foot little B plus motorhome and it wasn't even noticeable. Just under 2000 pounds. A LOT OF FUN especially if you get the convertible. We have had ours for about 10 years and still love it every time we go out.

  • mkguitar's avatar
    mkguitar
    Explorer
    Dec 20, 2015
    Vintage465 wrote:
    Well, it's not my vehicle, and it's not near me and my sis-in-law is not gonna know how/where to get the vehicle info.


    If she doesn;t have an owners manual, she could consult a dealer- there is also a tag usually inside the drivers door: GVWR and tire specs are there.

    any weight would have to take in the amount of stuff involved in the conversion she is doing. ( a commercial truck scale may be handy for getting total and axle weights once she is done building)

    Some of the factory-built class B's end up quite short on capacity for passengers and luggage once the conversion is done.

    and that can affect any tongue weight allowances

    Mike
  • Traveling_Pa's avatar
    Traveling_Pa
    Explorer
    Dec 20, 2015
    The new Sprinters come with either a 4 or 6 Cylinder engine. The 6 is recommended for towing. (Probably the 6 is recommended for 4 wheel drive also.) Check the topic "Hitch height for towing TT" to see the problems that often some up when towing with a class b motor home. I have had so many of these problems when towing with a one ton Chevy van that I decided not to consider towing with my new 2004 Sportsmobile/Sprinter 2500 when I got it. The result was 240,000 miles before major transmission work was needed.

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