MAX tow

46490 · 07-27-2015, 03:58 PM

I have a 2014 Itasca Meridian 34B with a 10K hitch. I want to flat tow a 5500 pound F 150 - can I do it and not be over weight. I don't want to sell the truck (2013 FX4 short bed super cab). Any help and or recommendations would be helpful - going to install an M&G air brake system, just don't know which base plate and tow bar to go with - the tow bar will be 10K.

rk911 · 07-27-2015, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 46490

I have a 2014 Itasca Meridian 34B with a 10K hitch. I want to flat tow a 5500 pound F 150 - can I do it and not be over weight. I don't want to sell the truck (2013 FX4 short bed super cab). Any help and or recommendations would be helpful - going to install an M&G air brake system, just don't know which base plate and tow bar to go with - the tow bar will be 10K.

have you weighed your MH as it is loaded for travel (individual axle weights)?

in general, the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

• the GCWR (gross combination weight rating) of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded for travel (includes fuel, fresh water, food, clothing, people, pets, supplies, etc.)

• the weight rating of your tow bar

• the weight rating of your hitch

this is why it's vital to know what your MH weighs as it is loaded and configure for travel before choosing a toad. Your MH will not collapse if it is overloaded but you will experience handling issues as well as longer braking distances and accelerated wear on suspension, brakes,

wa8yxm · 07-27-2015, 05:23 PM

Rich? Have you been reading my posts?

Original poster: What Rich said above.. Could not have said it beter myself, IN fact have typed virtually the same thing word for word many times.

However that said since you have a 10K hitch.. I very strongly suspect you have the towing capacity.. But do check it out as Rich described.

Most of the hitch companies make tow bars with 10K ratings.. I know Blue Ox has one.. Just go for the bigger tow bar.

SuperGewl · 07-27-2015, 06:38 PM

OKay the 34B has a 10k hitch but only has the ability to tow 5k. Actually it can tow 3590lbs if fully loaded to the GVWR 29410 and GCWR 33000

Take a look at the Winnebago web site under the archives for your 34B and it list the information.

So just to let you know, NO you cannot tow your Ford truck per the info listed.

This may be part of the reason they don't have this model any longer.

dnystrom · 07-27-2015, 06:47 PM

Road Master and Blue ox make the base plates. I have the Road Master All Terrain Blackhawk 2 10,000
bar. My base plate had to be custom made as they never made one for a 89 F-250 4x4.
I would not consider pulling my truck all over the country as it's a heavy rig. But for short trips it works and pulls just fine. 5500 lbs is a heavy load to drag a long distance in my opinion.

46490 · 07-27-2015, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnystrom

Road Master and Blue ox make the base plates. I have the Road Master All Terrain Blackhawk 2 10,000
bar. My base plate had to be custom made as they never made one for a 89 F-250 4x4.
I would not consider pulling my truck all over the country as it's a heavy rig. But for short trips it works and pulls just fine. 5500 lbs is a heavy load to drag a long distance in my opinion.

Any suggestions on towing this pu - anything I can add to the coach, I really don't want to trade in my pu or buy another vehicle. I know that there is a safety factor built into the trans and motor, any engineer's out there that may have an opinion, I am not trying to game the sys - I just want to make sure that I have all of the facts and that I am properly informed. Thanks for all of the advice and comments, it is greatly appreciated.

SuperGewl · 07-27-2015, 11:08 PM

It's all up to you what you do. You may do just fine but if you were to get into an accident and they investigate it correctly you may on the hook for all damages. You insurance company will most likely deny your claim because you were towing more than your MH was designed to do.
Personally I would go and find a good cheap used Saturn or Jeep Liberty for less than $5K and set it up for towing behind the MH.
Better safe than sorry

tomsm · 07-28-2015, 04:10 PM

As others have said, you must know the weight of your MH as normally loaded. If that weight plus the weight of your p/u is less than GCWR, you completely legal. People often make the assumption that the difference between GCWR and GVWR is the limit of your towing ability. That's only true if you load your MH right up to GVWR. When we load up for a trip of several months, we are usually several thousand pounds less than GVWR.

Get the MH weighed, it may tell you that you don't have a problem (or that you do) - it's only way to know...

rk911 · 07-28-2015, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsm

As others have said, you must know the weight of your MH as normally loaded. If that weight plus the weight of your p/u is less than GCWR, you completely legal. People often make the assumption that the difference between GCWR and GVWR is the limit of your towing ability. That's only true if you load your MH right up to GVWR. When we load up for a trip of several months, we are usually several thousand pounds less than GVWR.

Get the MH weighed, it may tell you that you don't have a problem (or that you do) - it's only way to know...

you're on the right track, Tom, but you didn't take it far enough. the actual weight of each axle added together is your total weight...some call it the 'rolling weight'. you then have to determine which is less...the GCWR minus the total weight; the weight rating of the tow bar or the weight rating of the hitch. if the GCWR minus the actual weight is, say, 6000-lbs and your hitch and tow bar are rated for 5000-lbs then 5000-lbs is all you can safely tow.

tomsm · 07-28-2015, 04:42 PM

Rich, I agree completely, but the OP stated in post #1 that he had a 10k hitch and was going to use a 10k tow bar. I guess you are right though in case someone else skims through this thread later and misses the part about the capacity of the towing parts (and don't forget the rating of the safety cables).

rk911 · 07-28-2015, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsm

Rich, I agree completely, but the OP stated in post #1 that he had a 10k hitch and was going to use a 10k tow bar. I guess you are right though in case someone else skims through this thread later and misses the part about the capacity of the towing parts (and don't forget the rating of the safety cables).

excellent point on the safety cables, tom. thanks for adding that.

wa8yxm · 07-29-2015, 08:14 AM

YOur max tow is not Max CGVW minus MAX GVW

it is MAX CGV minus ACTUAL GVW

Do you have that puppy loaded to 29K or is it only loaded to say 22K?
SCALE IT, in fact load it up, and scale it so you can computer the load on each of it's 4 corners and adjust tire inflation while you are at it.

but SCALE it to find out the actual weight of the vehicle.. Then find the Maxc GCVW rating and subtract.. If more than 10 K your limit is the 10 K hitch, if less then it's the difference.. I would suggest multiplying the max by 90% or less to be safe but that's not mandatory.

rk911 · 07-29-2015, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

...I would suggest multiplying the max by 90% or less to be safe but that's not mandatory.

good advice. I have a personal limit of 90% of max weight (after determining my max weight thru the steps i outlined earlier) which in my case is 4,000-lbs.