Anyone ever towed a Rav4?

[Molaker]

Ok I found the placard. The GVWR is 10,500 but it doesn't say what the GCWR is. Where do I find this info? I'm happy to inform everyone as well that yes, my motorhome has a hitch to tow, now it's just a matter determining how much it can tow. (It does have two radiators/fans) as well, so I think that's to cool the tranny. Now off to find the GCWR.

Look for a placard on the hitch itself.  It won't tell you what the MH tow rating is, but if found, it should tell you the limits of the hitch, which is probably (s/b) less than that of the MH itself.

 

[lvlyfun]

Firehose....can you tow and how much if so?

 

[firehose]

Firehose....can you tow and how much if so?

Hi lvlyfun, I am new to RVing and do not tow currently.  I've taken interest in this thread because I am learning as well..

From what I understand, since my GCWR is 14,000, that is the max I could tow and carry in the RV.  Meaning, if I weigh 10,000, without the tow, I could only tow up to 4,000 lbs.  This confuses me somewhat, because a car being towed supports it's own weight.  It seems it's pull on the engine at that point.  My little 19 foot RV has a Ford 460.  It has a lot of power for a smaller RV, this engine, seems like it could tow a mountain.  I would be surprised if I could only tow a small vehicle behind it.

Again, I'm learning too.  It is great fun. 

I believe I'm thinking like a towboater.  I work on tugboats and sometimes our boats tow 6 million pounds of product over the water.  But that's over the water.  I gotta think like a land towboater now. 

 

[Larry N.]

My little 19 foot RV has a Ford 460.  It has a lot of power for a smaller RV, this engine, seems like it could tow a mountain.

If pulling power were the only consideration, you might be right.  But there is strength of the frame and remainder of the drive train (tranny, etc.), braking capability, relative vehicle lengths (don't let the tail wag the dog), supporting the tongue weight, etc.

 

[lvlyfun]

Firehose.......does yours have two radiators? Mine does. Which makes me think they towed something with it before. It's got a hitch already as well, so I'm thinking it's there for some reason, and back in 1982 cars weren't 2887lbs lol they were made of some big metal. I think I can and I'm gonna try it out on a small trial run as soon as I get my RV back from the dump that has it now (they are fixing what I already paid to have fixed and they didn't do it).  Beyond that my rig is pretty much new, yet I would like to replace the carpet with tile, but linoleum would be cheaper and lighter. Either way I intend on enjoying my time away from home this summer. Nuttin better than sitting by a fire making money  

 

[shakenbake]

What you are most likely seeing is a radiator and a AC Condenser. It looks kind of like a radiator but has nothing to do with the cooling of the engine. Sometimes there may be a smaller oil cooler or tranny cooler that also looks like a small radiator.

 

[lvlyfun]

But it's there to cool something else yes? Which means it's probably for the transmission : ) Which makes me smile. And yes, it is a little smaller.

 

[shakenbake]

If it is the AC condenser is doesn't help with cooling the engine down. If it is a tranny cooler then yes it will help with towing. You can find out by following the lines coming out of it. That will let you know what that "radiator" goes to so you dont have to guess.

 

[lvlyfun]

I am laughing so hard right now. On the placard it says clearly that the GVWR is 10500 and I'm on the phone with GM themselves and they are saying it's 23-26000. Can't wait to see what they come up with on the towing capacity lol and when I asked for the GCWR they seemed lost........like what is that "We've never heard of that" they said. I swear too goodness according to them I have a semi truck ha ha ha ha ha

 

[lvlyfun]

http://www.andybaird.com/travels/LD-guide-web/changes.htm  here's a website that is very informational. I also found that to get to the GCWR you add the curb weight, allowable payload, driver and passengers weight and the trailer weight. Anyone know if this is true? P.S. they asked me for a model number and there is no model number. It's very annoying to me.

 

[Ned]

The GCVWR is a specific number for your vehicle like the GVWR, independent of what you will be towing.  It is used to calculate what weight trailer you can tow.

 

[firehose]

Beyond that my rig is pretty much new, yet I would like to replace the carpet with tile, but linoleum would be cheaper and lighter.

You could replace the carpet with pergo lamanent flooring.  That's what the previous owners of my rig did.  I really like it.  It looks like real wood flooring, yet doesn't have the weight, and is easy to clean.  I added a couple of rugs that are easy to shake out.  All in all, takes me just a few minutes to sweep the floors and shake out the rugs.  I like a clean RV. 

I appreciate the comments on towing, in this thread.  I don't plan to tow, currently, but the knowledge is helpful.  This is my first time owning a vehicle with a v8.  The 460, wants to go...she wants to run.  I feel like my 4 cylinder engine days are over, and I need to tame the beast under the hood. 

 

[lvlyfun]

If you have a 22 ft motorhome, what is the length of the chassis?

 

[billelliottnmartinez]

I have this exact problem. No GCWR listed, only GVWR. Questionable hitch. Lot's of contradictory information. I will post my questions in a new post: "Towing with a 1989 Winne Warrior".

 

[K and J]

Here is Toyota's information on which they say are towable.

http://toyota.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7710/~/is-it-possible-to-tow-my-toyota-with-all-four-wheels-on-the-ground%3F

Keith

 

[old_as_dirt]

Just to put a bow on this....I know its a very old thread, but someone (like me) might be searching for info.

The 2001 RAV4 is towable four-down in any configuration; 2wd/4wd, Automatic or manual  (speed limit 55/max distance until starting engine:200 miles)

See page 172 of the owner's manual for confirmation.  It is only the 2001 year.