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]

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I guess I have been there, done that before. I have been heavily loaded, and take all those chances to stay well back from frontal collision, don't get mad when they cut me off, and just try to act very defensive when I feel a bit tight.

Do I like it? NO! Do I keep doing it, NO! But it's a decision you have to make by trying it for yourself and learning about your rig and it's ability to stop in an emergency.

It's not the uphill section that will bother you, nor the flat down the road, it's the decision to stop and how well the rig handles that that will determine whether you go for it or don't.

I'm thinking that a 27 or 28 footer should be able to handle towing. The trailer would have brakes. I'd have to install a higher grade tow hitch though, as it comes with a level 3.

[Ranger45]

timmac wrote:
The GM 8.1 or the Ford V-10 both will do the job just fine but make sure the V-10 is 2006 or newer.

It would be a 2011.

[Ranger45]

K Charles wrote:
Our ford V10 is 6.8 and our MH V8 is an 8.1
The V10 worked very well but the 8.1 has more pep.
What V8 are you talking about?

These are the rigs I am considering:

The 23A
Chassis ManufacturerFord Motor Company
ChassisE350
Engine TypeTriton
Engine Size5.4 Liter V8


The 27G
Chassis ManufacturerFord
ChassisE450
Engine TypeTriton
Engine SizeV10

The 28A
Chassis ManufacturerFord Motor Company
ChassisE450
Engine TypeTriton
Engine Size6.8 Liter V10


I'm thinking the 27A, having the same engine and being a little lighter, may pull more?

[timmac]

The GM 8.1 or the Ford V-10 both will do the job just fine but make sure the V-10 is 2006 or newer.

[Artum_Snowbird]

I guess I have been there, done that before. I have been heavily loaded, and take all those chances to stay well back from frontal collision, don't get mad when they cut me off, and just try to act very defensive when I feel a bit tight.

Do I like it? NO! Do I keep doing it, NO! But it's a decision you have to make by trying it for yourself and learning about your rig and it's ability to stop in an emergency.

It's not the uphill section that will bother you, nor the flat down the road, it's the decision to stop and how well the rig handles that that will determine whether you go for it or don't.

[K_Charles]

Our ford V10 is 6.8 and our MH V8 is an 8.1
The V10 worked very well but the 8.1 has more pep.
What V8 are you talking about?