Towing weight limits

[M_A_Taylor]

We have a relatively new to us 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N. It's docs say that it's towing weight limits are 5000 pounds with a 350 tongue weight. What does that mean exactly?

We have a Dodge Ram 1500 that I have towed about 5000 miles already with a Blue Ox tow bar. A quick internet search says the truck weighs about 5500 pounds.

We also have a Subaru Forrester XT that has to be towed on a trailer. The trailer car combo will weigh a little over 5700 pounds.

Am I making a serious mistake towing either of these setups?? Thanks for any help you can provide.

[M_A_Taylor]

Thanks for the info everyone. So far we have been on 2 trips and have towed the truck both times. From Oklahoma to North Carolina and back, and we have just returned from Troy Montana. On the Troy trip we crossed the divide at over 6000 feet. No issues at all towing the truck, the Sightseer took the mountains just fine.

I will however check into an upgraded hitch. Thanks again!

[mowermech]

Personally, I would tow the truck with no worries.
In fact, I do. See sig.
However, I would have second thoughts about the Subie on a trailer.
As for the "80% rule", it seems to be a "Rule Of Thumb" thought up by some safety guru. The only place I have ever seen reference to it is on these forums. I ignore it. IMO, the manufacturer has already put a safety factor in his numbers. While I don't know what that safety factor is, I am sure the Mfg. kept it in mind when assigning the ratings. There is always a huge difference between "working load" and "failure load"!
NOTE: I did NOT say you should go ahead and tow your truck. I simply said I tow mine, no more, no less!

[Grandpere]

The trailer/car combo is definitely out of your range, the tongue weight alone will be in the area of 900 pounds. As for the pickup, the tongue weight is fine as it is effectively zero. However, if you actually weigh your truck I think you will find that it weighs more than 5500 pounds. I would not be towing either of these outfits, your MH setup is not big enough. Now, it is possible that you are limited by the class 3 hitch and going to a class 4 or 5 will allow you to tow either of these units, but the only way to know for sure is to take the MH to a reputable hitch installer and have them look the MH over to see if there are other mitigating factors with the MH itself, if not the increased hitch rating will cure your problem.

[Dutch_12078]

The limits mean you should not be towing a weight load that exerts more than 5,000 lbs of pressure in a straight line pull behind the hitch, or a 350 lb pressure down on the hitch. The common thinking is to limit loads to no more than 80% of those values.

[rr2254545]

Yes you bought the wrong motor home if you wish to tow either one - you need to get under 5,000