weight confusion

[hopefulllyrollin]

I am still searching for my first ever unit and one that I'm looking at raised a question about GVWR and GCWR.  The GVWR is 31,000.  The Wet Weight is 27,550, which leaves a 3,450 payload capacty.  I have calculated the family's weight and itemized what I think all of our stuff will weigh.  All that I can think of and I'm coming up with 1500 lbs..  Until June I'm stuck with the Mazda Tribute which weighs just under 4,000 lbs.  and my husband and I are pretty sure it requires a trailer, which U-Haul says is about 2,000 lbs..  The GCWR is 36,000 lbs..  So, there is only a 5,000 lb difference between the GCWR and the GVWR when the trailer/car will weigh about 6,000 lbs.  However,  I think I have some capacity to spare between the GVWR and the Wet Weight.  So my question is can I tow the trailer/car?  (And did everything I just said make sense?)
Thanks
-Andrea

 

[Ron]

I think you would find towing the car on a trailer or dolly will get old in a hurry. I would recommend contacting Remco to see if your Mazda can be towed and what mods if any are required.  Towing four down make things a lot simpler and less trouble.

 

[Ned]

Your towing capacity isn't just the difference between the RV loaded weight and the GCWR, it's also limited by other factors like the hitch.  We recommend always using GVWR whenever doing towing calculations, for towing cars as well as trailers.  If the Mazda isn't towable 4 down, you would be better to trade it for something that is rather than use a trailer that might very well exceed the towing capacity of your motorhome (which is 5000 lbs).

As Ron recommends, contact Remco and ask if the Mazda can be modified for towing if it can't be towed 4 down.

 

[Jim Dick]

Andrea,

Even if your coach is empty you cannot tow any more than 5000lbs If you look at your hitch I would expect it to be stamped as a 5000lb unit. As previously suggested, the best way to tow is four down. Many cars/trucks can be modified by equipment sold by Remco. Also there are many 4X4 vehicles that do not require modification. Not all 4X4's can be towed four down so be sure to check carefully if you ever decide to go that way.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The simple answer is yes, you can apply the unused portion of the payload to the towing end of things. You just have to stay under the GCWR AND the hitch rating, whatever it is.  But you will find that the amount of stuff you have onboard continues to grow, even if it is only 1500 lbs on day #1. But you will probably have some unused capacity. Just weigh the coach when loaded for the road and everybody onboard, then add a 1000 lb or so for future growth.

Given that the GCWR is only 5000 lbs greater than the GVWR, I would not be surprised if you have a 5000 lb receiver hitch rating. If so, a trailer plus the Tribute isn't going to make the weight limit.  And I agree with the others - you will soon tire of dealing with a trailer or dolly.

 

[dsolberg]

What year, make and model is your coach?  I'm surprised that a coach with a 31K GVWR only has a towing capacity of 5K?  What chassis is it on as well? 

 

[Ron]

Like Gary mentioned it could very well be beacuse the hitch is only rated at 5000 LBS.