Ideal tow vehicle?

Hi,

I am so confused. After reading "Weights and Balance for RV'ers" by Peter M. Greig, I learned that if you add the combined GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) for both the tow vehicle and the trailer, it must not exceed the GCWR (gross combined weight rating) of the tow vehicle. I looked at the 2008 Dodge Durango as a possible tow vehicle and it says it tows 7300 pounds and I thought "great". Its GCWR is 8600 lbs. I then added the GVWR for the SUV which is 6400 lbs. and the Trailmanor 2619, which I think is 4023. It adds up to much more than the GCWR for the SUV! I can't understand why the manufacturer says it can tow 7300 pounds but when you do the figuring, it can't. I also used the calculator at http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-...eight-tt.shtml and it says it can't tow the TM. The Honda Pilot (2008) does better but I am still over the GCWR by 200 pounds. The Pilot info says it tows 4500 pounds but the calculator says closer to 3700 pounds. Does anyone know why all the differences and deceptive advertising. Is TM being honest when it shows midsize SUV's towing their products? I see many people who post in this forum have trucks or huge SUVs. I don't like either of those options. Do you think I can make it work with a Honda Pilot with 4WD that supposedly tows 4500 pounds? Thanks for your time, Kathy Paris

[Wavery]

It must be understood that all of the MAXIMUM ratings on the vehicle are stand-alone ratings. All of the vehicles ratings must be considered individually and none of them should be exceeded.

Everyone uses their vehicles differently and have different requirements. Just because your TV has a tow-rating of 7300# doesn't mean that it can tow 7300# @ the maximum GVWR (however some vehicles can). However, it does mean that the vehicle can tow 7300# with no cargo or passengers. This may not be relevant to your situation but it may be relevant to some single guy that just wants to tow his 7000# boat to the river for the day with no passengers or cargo.

TM is sorta doing the same thing and they even explain the conditions of their rating in their website now. That's a lot more than most manufacturers do. All manufacturers quote the "Dry weigh" of a totally basic trailer with no accessories . As the owner adds accessories, that will increase the dry weight accordingly. It's only logical to do it that way.

Originally Posted by KParis

I looked at the 2008 Dodge Durango as a possible tow vehicle and it says it tows 7300 pounds and I thought "great". Its GCWR is 8600 lbs. I then added the GVWR for the SUV which is 6400 lbs.
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Those numbers for the Durango seem way off. Are you sure the GCWR is correct? Or maybe the towing capacity is wrong? Like you, I would expect that the GCWR should be closer to the combined GVWR and claimed towing capacity. It is with our Tacoma.

Originally Posted by brulaz

Those numbers for the Durango seem way off. Are you sure the GCWR is correct? Or maybe the towing capacity is wrong? Like you, I would expect that the GCWR should be closer to the combined GVWR and claimed towing capacity. It is with our Tacoma.

I thought so too but I googled GCWR and GVWR and it took me to "How Stuff Works" which listed the numbers. Being so new at this, I didn't realize that they were just listing the simplest model (3.7 liter). I checked some other sites and found that the 2005 GCWR for the 4.7 liter engine with 4WD is 11,000. Yeah--thanks for the heads up. I think it will work.

Kathy Paris