another dumb queston from da brown i have a jayco cls. c e450, i am planing on towing gmc canyon on a flat bed car hauler,( can be flat towed if set up that way) i think hitch rate for e450 is 5000#. if i am reading right specs on gmc gross vh wt. is 5400.00 should i have to use load levelers, or will it be ok with out ? i put air bags on rear of class c.. my mechanic say he thinks i will be fine.
wt rateing gmc
- Thread starter dabrown
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I have serious doubts that you can actually tow a small pickup on a trailer and not exceed your motor homes limits by a considerable amount. You need to load your MH up like your going camping and find a set of truck scales. Get accurate weights, then decide how much capacity you have left over from the chassis GCWR and GVWR.
BTW, the hitch ratings have very little to do with anything except that single component.
BTW, the hitch ratings have very little to do with anything except that single component.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Your Canyon will weigh in somewhere in the 4000-4500 lbs range when empty, and it probably won't be empty when you tow. A flat bed trailer that can carry it is probably another 800-1000 lbs, so you are almost sure to exceed the hitch rating by a substantial amount. The E450 can handle more, but the hitch is rated lower and most likely attached to an extension to the E450 frame built by the motorhome builder. That frame extension is one of the reasons for the hitch being rated at less than what an E450 alone can handle. Load levelers don't help - they are for carrying more weight, not pulling it. The trailer tongue weight will be moderate, probably around 500 lbs.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
That's the Jayco motorhome, right? The E450 has plenty of GCWR, so it's the weight of the Canyon vs the hitch rating that is critical here.
The E450 cutaway chassis itself has a 14,500 lb GVWR and a 22,000 lb GCWR, so theoretically could tow as much as 7500 lbs. However, the motorhome frame extension and hitch limit is undoubtedly less, usually 5000 on these motorhomes and sometimes as little as 3500-4000 lbs.
A 4WD Canyon can be flat towed with the transfer case in neutral, but a 2WD Canyon would need a drive shaft disconnect to be towed for-down or on a dolly.
gary when i bought the jaco they told me it had a rateing of 7500 lbs and the canyon is 4 wheel dr. and i have a pretty nice car hauler aprox 3 yrs. old my mechanac said i shouldent have any problem at all especally after puting tne air bags on. will ck wt on canyon
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
You are missing the point. The Colorado probably doesn't weight any near its GVWR, which is the max fully loaded weight. You want to know how much it actually weighs when you tow it, which is typically fairly close to its "curb weight" (full fuel but no driver or gear onboard).
ok thank you guess i'll have to load it & hook up then go weigh again. ps the door sticker coach gvwr 14500 the mfgrs decal. don't exceed combined wt. 3409 on JAYCO sticker gcwr on jayco sticker 19500 is anyone getting confused yet? besides me
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
You don't need to hook anything up - just drive the Canyon to the scale.
If your Jayco is one of the recent years, it probably does have a 7500 rating and 7500 lb hitch. I know the 2017 models advertise that. If so, you are good to go. Just verify that before heading down the road,
If your Jayco is one of the recent years, it probably does have a 7500 rating and 7500 lb hitch. I know the 2017 models advertise that. If so, you are good to go. Just verify that before heading down the road,
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Sounds like a plan.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Well, 2300 + 4760 puts you at 7060 lbs. Pretty much pushing the max limit, but at least technically ok. I general advise against reaching the trailer tow max limit, but it's what you got. Unless trading motorhome or truck is an option, you may have to live with it.
