Is Scion xB dinghy towable?

[Dave in Ohio]

As a new MH owner, I'm looking to buy a toad. Our MH is a 2008 Sunseeker on a Chevy chassis with a gas engine. The owners manual lists a Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) of 16000. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is 14050, which includes a Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC) of 1700. So, I calculate the Maximum Trailer Weight (MTW = GCWR - GVWR) as 16000 - 14050 = 1950.

Unfortunately, there are no vehicles that weigh this little. Therefore, to the extent that the vehicle is over 1950, I will need to reduce my CCC. This doesn't even take into account the fact that I'd like to reduce the ratings 10% for altitude when we go to Alaska. This leads me to select either the Toyota Echo at about 2055 lbs or the Toyota/Scion xB at about 2415. This would mean we'd have an available CCC of either 1600 or 1235.

Questions are:

1. Does it make sense to tow at all given that we will run so close to the GCWR? I'm guessing that we can keep our cargo in the 1000 range. This brings us to within either 400 or 235 of the GCWR.

2. Can the Echo and/or Scion be towed at all? I'm looking at a manual transmission. The guide at http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/dinghytowingguide/ does list the manual Scion as towable. I also checked the owners manual for a new Scion xD at the dealership yesterday, which seemed to indicate the same. Yet, I have a Toyota dealer who just called Toyota and was told that they do not allow towing of any of their vehicles. So, given the confusing signals, I'd sure appreciate some wisdom from the experienced people here.

Thanks!
Dave

 

[dvsmith86]

I towed my Echo automatic on a dolly without any problems. The service manager of the local Toyota dealer told me that they see a lot of various models being towed 4-down without any problems, but that the company does not want the liability of saying they can be towed, so...  We finally gave up and bought a Suzuki Grand Vitara 4WD with a transfer case that can be shifted into neutral and is rated towable.  It is definitely heavier than the Echo and dolly combined, and I can "feel" it.  But it tracks very nicely, and does not rack up any miles when being towed.  I do miss the maneuverability of the Echo when zipping in and out of traffic, but the DW always disliked it.  Looking forward to doing some easy 4-wheeling in the mountains next summer.

 

[Ron]

We all understand if Momma didn't like it you had no choice but to get something she does like. ;D ;D

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Does it make sense to tow? I guess that depends on the alternative. Are there any?  Not many car rental places in Alaska - just a few major cities & towns. You may have no other option but to tow. Or have somebody drive the car behind you. Hindsight says you should have checked the GCWR before buying, but that's water over the dam now, I guess.

I'm having difficulty reconciling the specs you quoted.  What model Sunseeker do you have? All the ones I can find have a GCWR of 17k lbs when on the Chevy Chassis. GVWR is 12,300. But that is for 2009, so maybe an 08 was less?

The Chevy "Class C" chassis matches your GVWR of 14,050 but that has a GCWR of 18,500.

 

[Dave in Ohio]

Wow, Gary. I like your data alot better than mine.

My MH is a 2008 Sunseeker model 2860. The MH owners manual refers me to the chassis owner's manual to get the GCWR. The chassis manual is titled "2008 Chevrolet Express". The towing section includes tables for many combinations of engines, axle ratios, wheelbases, etc., and I am really sure which one fits my vehicle. (I probably need to call Chevy and tell them my VIN to find out, right?).

Nonetheless, I chose the 16000 GCWR because the only values in the table are 9500, 12000, 13000, 14000 and 16000. I assume the GCWR must exceed the 14050 GVWR which leaves only the 16000 entry.

After looking around the last couple days, we are pretty well set on the Scion xB, so it sure would be comforting to learn of a couple thousand pounds more capacity. Can you please point me to a source source for better data?

Thanks!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You can view all the specs on your RV at 2008 Sunseeker. Click VIEW for the brochure and it will show a GCWR of 17,600 for the Chevy chassis with a 14,050 GVWR. A 3500 lb difference between GVWR and GCWR is what I would expect in this class/size of vehicle.

Yes, Chevy can tell you which you actually have from the VIN.  But have you looked on the door post on the driver side and in the glove box? There is usually a chassis information sticker in either or both places.

I see on the Chevy site that a regular Express passenger van does have a GCWR of 16,000 lbs. However, the RV is built on the "cutaway" version of the chassis and may be configured and rated differently.

 

[Dave in Ohio]

Thanks, Gary. Yes, I had seen that brochure before we purchased, so finding the 16,000 in the owners manual was rather surprising. I assume it's the difference between the prelim data of the marketing brochure versus the reality of what was eventually built, but I have a call into Sunseeker for clarification. With a bit of luck they will confirm your thought that the "cutaway" version has a higher rating.

However, the more likely result is that I'm stuck with a GCWR of 16000, which means that with the xB i want to buy today, I'll be running right at limits. Does that sound crazy? I'll add that I only plan to do this for a year, after which I want to sell the whole rig (along with my house) and head overseas for a while.

Thanks again,

Dave

 

[Dave in Ohio]

Hi Gary,

Just to close the loop, I wanted to let you know that the folks at Sunseeker were able to track back to the company that does chassis modification and validate the 17,600 GCWR. So, we now have our Scion and are ready to get the tow bar installed. It doesn't give us a lot of excess capacity, but we should be running almost 10% below limits, so hopefully we'll be ok.

Thanks again for all your help in sorting thru this!

Dave