RV towing capacity
 

Question about the towing capacity of an RV, in this case a 2001 model "T" Fleetwood Discover diesel pusher with a Freightliner chassis. It came from the factory with a 5,000 lb rated hitch receiver.


I was told to subtract GCWR-GVWR to find out the maximum that can be towed. When i did this it came exactly to 5,000lbs, which is the rating of the receiver. So is the GCWR rating set by the factory hitch receiver limit or is it solely determined by the chassis and independent of the hitch rating?

I am just trying to determine if I can upgrade the hitch receiver to 10,000 lbs? I called both Fleetwood and Freightliner customer support and neither gave me a solid answer.

Thanks,
John

Re: RV towing capacity
 

John:
Good morning - if you take the GVWR and subtract it from the GCVW you will get a rough idea however that is with the Fleetwood loaded to it's max weight - if you fill the fuel, water, and load all of your gear then weigh the coach now subtract that from the GCVWR you will have the true towing ability of your coach - just as a point of interest if you look at the original equipment tires and see what there load rating is/was a tire dealer may be able to offer a better tire (better load rating) then you can take the difference between each tire and multiply that figure by number of tires to increase the GVWR & GCVWR - some pushers don't have a 10,000 LB towing capacity because the coach MFG orders the least expensive chassis combo they can get and once the coach is built and completed you only end up with a light towing capacity (after loading your gear) - most all the Class A gas coaches you see at the races towing an enclosed trailer (steel) with a door car are illegal (overweight) - Bob

Re: RV towing capacity
 

I had a 1997 Discovery that I put a 10,000 lb hitch on it and actually went over that. I towed about 12,500 for years and hated it. Never had any problem with the chassis, but the Discovery is a pretty light RV for their wind signature. I was pushed all over the place by passing trucks and the wind in general.

I would never tow anything like an enclosed car trailer with that big of a wind signature added to the RV and all that weight again after getting a Super C Renegade that is made to tow that much. Nearly made me quit racing because it was so stressful.

Re: RV towing capacity
 

We have had smaller gassers with beefed up hitches and towed a 24 ft trailer. The wind wore us out and stopping involved a lot a praying and panic.

We now have an older 34 ft Monaco dynasty. It is overbuilt for its size and has big air brakes, 8 air bag chassis and Semi truck size tires. I think it weights like 30,000lbs.

Tows great! Hitch is beefed up. 8.3 Cummins. All RVs are not the same. Some are built in a way that they can barely handle their own weight, let alone a trailer

Kyle has a great point. Do some homework and check the specs out.

Re: RV towing capacity
 

I tow a 24 foot enclosed trailer, trailer with a 24 foot,1998 Class C with a Vortec 454. I made up for the weakness in the motorhome chassis with a trailer toad, so that the tongue weight is not on the frame.
I try to keep my support equipment to a minimum, in order to keep the trailer weight low.
Is it the perfect setup and am I 100% legal, probably not.
However, I have no problem driving at 70 MPH on the Interstate, if I have to, it stops without any problems and is shorter than most rigs that I see at the track.

Re: RV towing capacity
 

Thanks everyone for the input. I will definitely look at other options.

Re: RV towing capacity
 

Trailer Toad 5200' made a huge difference!