What's the limit?
- Thread starter MikeHayes
- Start date
Wooluf1952
Member
northcreek
Member
DocBrown
Member
- Dec 8, 2011
- 501
Read page 4-55 in your manual. 5,700 lbs with 4WD, 5,900 lbs with 2WD.
But max towing capacity is only one of the numbers you need to be aware of if you are towing a travel trailer. You need to know the payload rating, which is found on the wight sticker inside the driver door jamb. Most likely yours is something like 1200# or 1300#. That's not a lot. TT tongue weights are heavy, hence the need for a WD hitch.
So you have to subtract the tongue weight, which for example on a 5500# GVWR trailer could be 715#. Subract the weight of the hitch, roughly 100#. At a 1300# payload you now have 485# left for your wife, kids, dog, cooler, etc. You will be over your payload in a heartbeat. Note that the trailer in my example is 400# lighter than the 2WD max towing capacity.
Power is not an issue. The limitation is in the soft suspension that gives you that nice cushy ride.
From experience I can tell you that towing any trailer close to your max towing capacity is simply not as comfortable as having a healthy margin. Having towed 2 different trailers with my old '03 TB I would recommend nothing over 4500# GVWR. Not dry weight. Ignore dry weight. No one tows a loaded travel trailer at it's dry weight. Always calculate by using the GVWR of the trailer.
Also go into it knowing that towing a box down the road changes the dynamics of your ride. It's essentially like holding a 4x4 sheet of plywood in front of you and attempting to run into the wind. Depending on the weight of the trailer you can expect anywhere between 8-12 MPG.
Hope this is helpful!
But max towing capacity is only one of the numbers you need to be aware of if you are towing a travel trailer. You need to know the payload rating, which is found on the wight sticker inside the driver door jamb. Most likely yours is something like 1200# or 1300#. That's not a lot. TT tongue weights are heavy, hence the need for a WD hitch.
So you have to subtract the tongue weight, which for example on a 5500# GVWR trailer could be 715#. Subract the weight of the hitch, roughly 100#. At a 1300# payload you now have 485# left for your wife, kids, dog, cooler, etc. You will be over your payload in a heartbeat. Note that the trailer in my example is 400# lighter than the 2WD max towing capacity.
Power is not an issue. The limitation is in the soft suspension that gives you that nice cushy ride.
From experience I can tell you that towing any trailer close to your max towing capacity is simply not as comfortable as having a healthy margin. Having towed 2 different trailers with my old '03 TB I would recommend nothing over 4500# GVWR. Not dry weight. Ignore dry weight. No one tows a loaded travel trailer at it's dry weight. Always calculate by using the GVWR of the trailer.
Also go into it knowing that towing a box down the road changes the dynamics of your ride. It's essentially like holding a 4x4 sheet of plywood in front of you and attempting to run into the wind. Depending on the weight of the trailer you can expect anywhere between 8-12 MPG.
Hope this is helpful!
I cannot find any disagreement with what the Doc just said. Just will add a trip to a scale house to check the real weights should be a must for most towing RVs. I did wt. check my TB last week. 2 adults full fuel 5400 lbs. The GVRW is 6400 lbs. Not much weight rating left to put a TT hitched up to the vehicle.
Sorry, I thought my vehicle was displayed, it is not, it is a 02 TB ext 4x4.
Sorry, I thought my vehicle was displayed, it is not, it is a 02 TB ext 4x4.