Towing Rating Confusion

[Ranger45]

I am looking at getting an RV from Cruise America: looking at the 23A, 27G, and 28A.

The 23 has a V8 and the other two a V10.

I want to eventually be able to tow my FJ Cruiser on a trailer-have been looking at lightweight aluminum trailers. The FJC weighs about 4300 lbs but will be a bit more once I finish upgrading it with winch, bumper, etc.

A trailer weights I think about 1500 to 2000 lbs.

I was told that the V8 will struggle and the V10 will be fine.

Two years ago I rented a 10 foot U-Haul box truck-the smallest one- to move cross country and towed my old Jeep Wrangler TJ-full of stuff-on a U-Haul trailer-the kind that holds all wheels off the ground. It was a heavy trailer and the truck was fully loaded-as in nothing more would fit-with my wife and my 80lb dog, yet the truck, which had a V8, towed it fine and did not seem to struggle. We drove from FL to AZ taking I-40 from around Nashville, TN.

Granted, my TJ weighed just over 3000 lbs, but the truck was small. Am I missing something? Is it because the V8 was only having to deal with a smaller truck so had more leeway?

Also, am I correct in deducing that the V10 will actually get better gas mileage because it won't have to struggle as much?

Thank you in advance for any and all input!

[Ranger45]

Perhaps I need to forget about towing the FJC, get a smaller RV that can go more places, and tow a Ural sidecar motorcycle in a small encoded trailer that can serve as a workspace for my art.

[mkirsch]

Your 10' Uhaul was nowhere near as heavy as a 27' Class C motorhome will be. It also had a much smaller frontal area than the motorhome, which means less drag.

I've personally never seen a Class C with a receiver rated for more than 5000lbs. Most I've seen only come with a 3500lb receiver. I'd imagine it has to do with the fact that the frame extensions are only designed for the weight of the coach above it and not much else.

[Ranger45]

OutdoorPhotographer wrote:
Jeep Wranglers make great toads because of their weight and four wheel down towing. The FJ is going to be a challenge. Look up when the E-450 went to 7500 lb tow rating. Pay attention to your cargo rating which will include your tongue weight. Finally, look at your GCWR.

Yeah. I used to have Jeep TJ which would have been easy. My wife drives a Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) which would work, but I want to be able to pull the FJC. I'm going to have to get some solid specs from Cruise America about the chassis. I've been told that the CA chassis are heavier duty than usual and that I will need a class 4 hitch welded on. Will have to make sure that's true.

[Ranger45]

Grit dog wrote:
Get the V10. 5.4 will be a super pooch. May be able to run uphill faster than it will tow while hauling a camper body on the back.

Yeah I'm pretty decided on the V10. Wish they had it in the shorter RV, but they only have it in the 27 and 28. Not bad though.

Thank you!

[Grit_dog]

Get the V10. 5.4 will be a super pooch. May be able to run uphill faster than it will tow while hauling a camper body on the back.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

Jeep Wranglers make great toads because of their weight and four wheel down towing. The FJ is going to be a challenge. Look up when the E-450 went to 7500 lb tow rating. Pay attention to your cargo rating which will include your tongue weight. Finally, look at your GCWR.

[Ranger45]

I'm pretty set on the V10, though I wanted a shorter rig than a 27.

However, I can't flat tow the FJC without ruining the transmission. I'd have to spend about $1,000 for a modification of the input shaft I believe. For a little more I can get a trailer.

I was looking at Featherlite aluminum trailers. One that can hold the FJC weighs 1,300lbs. The FJC at let's say 5,000 fully loaded would put the load at 6,300lbs.

I'm still confused as to how a 10' Uhaul with a V8, fully loaded, with two adults and a large dog, towed a 2,210 lb trailer with a Jeep Wrangler so easily. Is it the short frame of the truck?

Jeep Wrangler GVWR is 4360 with Curb Weight of 3,073 (mine had a bull bar, rear bumper/tire rack with 3 jerry cans, and a roof rack.

FJ Cruiser GVWR is 4,360 with Curb Weight of 4,200. The upcoming bull bar, winch, rear bumper/tire rack etc. will increase that.

Will one of those toad things help? The one that its an extra set of tires under the tow point?

I'm kind of at a frustrating point. It would be perfect to get a Super C with a diesel, but that's out of the question due to expense right now.

Do they make trailers for towing cars that have the wheels/tires set up more like a car? As in instead of the middle they are at the corners? I've seen big rigs towing train with that kind of deal using much bigger trailers, so would something like that distribute the weight off the hitch enough since it would be like flat towing?

[carringb]

That's a heavy enough enough rig I think you'll be much happier flat-towing it.

Also.... get the V10. The V8 is fine for a box truck, but the motorhome is many thousands pounds heavier empty. The V8 can get it done, the V10 does it better.

[Desert_Captain]

OutdoorPhotographer wrote:
You need to get exact specs. I'm pretty sure tow rating on Class C's with Ford chassis were 5,000 lb's until 2015 or so when it bumped to 7,500.

There is already a lot of weight with the RV which reduces your tow capacity.

X2

I own a 2011 E-350, 24' Class C with a GVWR of 11,500#, V-10 that is rated to tow a max of 5,000#. The motor is a beast and will tow your Jeep just fine but....

Even the E-450's are rated for a max tow of 5,000# and unless you tow the Jeep 4 down the Jeep and trailer together, will be well over the hitch rating/tow capacity.

Take the curb weight of the coach you want and add 1500# to account for normal loading keeping in mind many folks load much more than that. This will give you a rough idea of the weights you will be dealing with since going to the scale prior to purchase is probably not an option.

:C

[bikendan]

forget the 23A with the 5.4 v-8.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

You need to get exact specs. I'm pretty sure tow rating on Class C's with Ford chassis were 5,000 lb's until 2015 or so when it bumped to 7,500.

There is already a lot of weight with the RV which reduces your tow capacity.

[Ranger45]

That's great info. THANK YOU!

How do I know what I can tow then? It seems the tow rating for the 27 and 28 are more than enough for towing the FJC on a trailer, but is that diminished by the frame length? Would a welder be able to gusset it up or add extra crossmember or something?

I was told that adding a welded on class4 hitch would do it.

[Beverley_Ken]

One other thing you will have to look at the the MH frame extension tow ratings. Even if you upgrade the hitch, you may still be limited without having the frame beefed up.
Ours has a class 3 receiver (rated at 5000lb towing and 500lb hitch weight) but Winnebago rate the towing for 5000lb BUT only a 350 lb hitch weight, due to the frame extensions.

Ken

[tatest]

At 2011-13 era, the E-series cutaway chassis had ratings from Ford as follows:

E-350 with 5.4 V-8, 13,000 GCWR, 7,700 maximum loaded trailer weight
E-350 with 6.8 V-10, 18,500 GCWR, 10,000 maximum loaded trailer weight
E-450 with 5.4 V-8 (rare), 14,050 GCWR, 8,500 maximum loaded trailer weight
E-450 with 6.8 V-10, 22,000 GCWR, 10,000 maximum loaded trailer weight

Prior model years (they've been making the E-450 at least 13 years, the E-350 cutaway more than 30 years) could have lower ratings.

These are for the cab chassis. You put something on the chassis, that takes away some of the GCWR for carrying the load, reduces what is left for the "tow rating." What you can pull, with a 10,000 pound hitch on the original Ford frame, is GCWR - actual loaded weight. This is where you are at when you rent an E-450 V-10 box truck from U-Haul, Ryder et al.

RVs are different. They are almost always extended 6 to 12 feet beyond the end of the OEM frame, and few RV manufacturers install a 10,000 pound hitch receiver. While the RV manufacturer usually does not lower the GCWR from the OEM specifications, the finished RV will often be given a "tow rating" much lower than Ford's "maximum loaded trailer weight."

The usual numbers are 5000 pounds for a flat tow, 3500 for a load on the hitch, with 350 pounds maximum tongue weight. Since Cruise America doesn't allow towing with rentals, most likely the towing equipment is install by them prior to sale, and only Cruise America knows just what the rating is. It will be not as high as U-Haul's ratings.

GCWRs and tow ratings don't have as much to do with engine sizes and power outputs as they have to do with the ability of the chassis to control the tow, gearing, and cooling capacities for engine and transmission. Distance from rear axle to hitch, length and strength of frame, are factors that change when you build a house beyond the end of the frame, not just put on a box that fits.