Whats the heaviest TOAD you have towed with a Class C?

[SoulReflection]

I have researched the curb (dry) weight of my 22J. Apparently it is 10,621 lbs.

If I added the weight of what I would travel with...a full tank of gas (55 gallons), 24 gallons of fresh water, full propane tank, 2-100 AMP SLA batteries, 200 lbs. (food, two small led TV's) and 250lbs. for my wife and I, the total for the MH is 11,795 lbs.

Then I add the total weight of my '06 GMC 2500HD with full gas tank, boat, motor, spare 5 gal. propane tank and 100 lbs. for misc. which is 6,265 lbs.

I get a total weight for the two vehicles of 18,060 lbs.

This is close to 4,000 lbs (2 tons) less than the 22,000 gross combined weight.

I don't know what I am missing if its not possible/recommended to do this.

Can anybody shed some light on this?

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by SoulReflection

I have researched the curb (dry) weight of my 22J. Apparently it is 10,621 lbs.

If I added the weight of what I would travel with...a full tank of gas (55 gallons), 24 gallons of fresh water, full propane tank, 2-100 AMP SLA batteries, 200 lbs. (food, two small led TV's) and 250lbs. for my wife and I, the total for the MH is 11,795 lbs.

Then I add the total weight of my '06 GMC 2500HD with full gas tank, boat, motor, spare 5 gal. propane tank and 100 lbs. for misc. which is 6,265 lbs.

I get a total weight for the two vehicles of 18,060 lbs.

This is close to 4,000 lbs (2 tons) less than the 22,000 gross combined weight.

I don't know what I am missing if its not possible/recommended to do this.

Can anybody shed some light on this?

ohhhh you have to take it over and get it on the scale. We use the CAT scale on almost every long distance trip we take.

Seems when I am gone to the store... the DW commissions the "magical unicorn crew" she has lined up to go and load all of her heavy stuff into the motorhome when I am not looking. I have no clue how much we are going to weigh upon departure... until we get on the CAT scale and get the bad news....

[SoulReflection]

Originally Posted by SloPoke

ohhhh you have to take it over and get it on the scale. We use the CAT scale on almost every long distance trip we take.

Seems when I am gone to the store... the DW commissions the "magical unicorn crew" she has lined up to go and load all of her heavy stuff into the motorhome when I am not looking. I have no clue how much we are going to weigh upon departure... until we get on the CAT scale and get the bad news....

I appreciate your comments. Before I spend $3K+ to add the TOAD equipment to the GMC, I will take each vehicle to a scale separately, if I have to.

My main interest is to determine if my combination of weights is safe, according to those with actual towing experience.

I have sent an inquiry to Jayco. In the absence of actual towing experience, I hope their response with be informative.

[EA37TS]

Look at the GCWR - GVWR and that will tell you how much you can tow if the motor home is fully loaded. You can increase the towing capability by reducing your actual GVW by reducing the cargo and passengers.

Load the. motorhome as it will be loaded for travel to include pets and passengers and take it across a scale for 2 reasons. Don't slim down the cargo just because you want to make weight. If you think something will be loaded for travel load it.

First the GCWR - actual weight will tell you how much you can tow

Second to set your tire pressure to the manufacturer's recommendation based on weight.

As a caveat, you need to ensure your tow hitch can handle the tongue and overall weight of the vehicle you want to tow.

If the specs I saw are correct the GCWR is 22K and the GCWR is 14.5K which should allow 7.5K of towing. My rule has always been stay 10 percent below so you should be able to safely tow 6750 lbs. Again that is if the specs I saw are correct and the tow hich=tch is rated for at least 7000 lbs.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Look at the GCWR - GVWR and that will tell you how much you can tow if the motor home is fully loaded. You can increase the towing capability by reducing your actual GVW by reducing the cargo and passengers.

Load the. motorhome as it will be loaded for travel to include pets and passengers and take it across a scale for 2 reasons. Don't slim down the cargo just because you want to make weight. If you think something will be loaded for travel load it.

First the GCWR - actual weight will tell you how much you can tow

Second to set your tire pressure to the manufacturer's recommendation based on weight.

As a caveat, you need to ensure your tow hitch can handle the tongue and overall weight of the vehicle you want to tow.

If the specs I saw are correct the GCWR is 22K and the GCWR is 14.5K which should allow 7.5K of towing. My rule has always been stay 10 percent below so you should be able to safely tow 6750 lbs. Again that is if the specs I saw are correct and the tow hich=tch is rated for at least 7000 lbs.

+1 all the way. Especially the part about weighing it all.

But since you're intending to flat-tow the truck, you won't have to worry so much about the tongue weight subtracting from the GVWR of the camper. Your big concern will be staying within the GCWR, which it looks like you'll be able to do.

I tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee most of the time. It's just under 5,000 lbs. I do carry some gear in there typically. I know it's there, but the camper can handle the weight just fine. Not like a diesel rig by any stretch, but it's capable.

Where do you intend to spend most of your travel time? If it's in the mountains, you could have a slow go of it. The Ford will do it, but it'll take a bit longer, and it'll be loud; you'll definitely feel the extra weight. Mostly flat lands, and you should be fine.

Based on the book numbers, it looks like you'll be within spec, so I wouldn't expect it would be dangerous assuming everything is maintained, installed correctly, etc (just like anything else). You'll probably burn a lot of fuel, but it is what it is.

Like was said, double check the hitch on the camper. Mine is rated properly for the calculated extra 7500 lbs for GCWR on the rig (22K lbs GCWR - 14,500 GVWR), but not so long ago, they installed 5,000 lb hitches on these rigs.

I thought very seriously about keeping my Ram 2500 when we got into our MH. The numbers all played out okay, I could've flat-towed it behind my rig, and I LOVED that truck. But in the end it didn't make sense for us, so I traded it in on the Jeep.

[wmurphy]

We have a 2019 29MVP and are currently flat towing our 2019 F150 4X4 which, when loaded with addition gear in the bed weighs approximately 5200 lbs. Cruises fine at 63-65 MPH, gas mileage hovers around 7-8 MPG. Pulls grades fine and more importantly, stops when it should.

Prior to the F150 we loaded my wife's Nissan Xterra onto our flatbed trailer and towed that. That setup was much slower as the weight hovered around 6000 pounds. We only did it for a short trip of 500 miles.

[SoulReflection]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Look at the GCWR - GVWR and that will tell you how much you can tow if the motor home is fully loaded. You can increase the towing capability by reducing your actual GVW by reducing the cargo and passengers.

Load the. motorhome as it will be loaded for travel to include pets and passengers and take it across a scale for 2 reasons. Don't slim down the cargo just because you want to make weight. If you think something will be loaded for travel load it.

First the GCWR - actual weight will tell you how much you can tow

Second to set your tire pressure to the manufacturer's recommendation based on weight.

As a caveat, you need to ensure your tow hitch can handle the tongue and overall weight of the vehicle you want to tow.

If the specs I saw are correct the GCWR is 22K and the GCWR is 14.5K which should allow 7.5K of towing. My rule has always been stay 10 percent below so you should be able to safely tow 6750 lbs. Again that is if the specs I saw are correct and the tow hich=tch is rated for at least 7000 lbs.

Thanks for the detailed response...I wish I had your Jeep!

[SoulReflection]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

+1 all the way. Especially the part about weighing it all.

But since you're intending to flat-tow the truck, you won't have to worry so much about the tongue weight subtracting from the GVWR of the camper. Your big concern will be staying within the GCWR, which it looks like you'll be able to do.

I tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee most of the time. It's just under 5,000 lbs. I do carry some gear in there typically. I know it's there, but the camper can handle the weight just fine. Not like a diesel rig by any stretch, but it's capable.

Where do you intend to spend most of your travel time? If it's in the mountains, you could have a slow go of it. The Ford will do it, but it'll take a bit longer, and it'll be loud; you'll definitely feel the extra weight. Mostly flat lands, and you should be fine.

Based on the book numbers, it looks like you'll be within spec, so I wouldn't expect it would be dangerous assuming everything is maintained, installed correctly, etc (just like anything else). You'll probably burn a lot of fuel, but it is what it is.

Like was said, double check the hitch on the camper. Mine is rated properly for the calculated extra 7500 lbs for GCWR on the rig (22K lbs GCWR - 14,500 GVWR), but not so long ago, they installed 5,000 lb hitches on these rigs.

I thought very seriously about keeping my Ram 2500 when we got into our MH. The numbers all played out okay, I could've flat-towed it behind my rig, and I LOVED that truck. But in the end it didn't make sense for us, so I traded it in on the Jeep.

Thank you for your response. My travels would be a mix of mountains and flats. Fortunately for me (not my wife) I have hearing aids, so I can turn them down on the hills...I will get ear plugs for my wife.

Although I prefer Jeeps for a TOAD, my fishing trips would be better suited for a 4x4 pickup like a Chev Colorado. I prefer to have things like gas and propane in a pickup bed!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by SoulReflection

Thank you for your response. My travels would be a mix of mountains and flats. Fortunately for me (not my wife) I have hearing aids, so I can turn them down on the hills...I will get ear plugs for my wife.

Although I prefer Jeeps for a TOAD, my fishing trips would be better suited for a 4x4 pickup like a Chev Colorado. I prefer to have things like gas and propane in a pickup bed!

You could always go with a Gladiator (JT) then!! LOL!!

Seriously, I've been pining after them for a while now. DW says "Nope"!

But I love my Grand Cherokee too...

[Jopopsy]

@Camper_Bob - clearly you’re a Jeep man. Consumer Reports routinely trashes Jeeps for reliability - what has your experience been? I’ve always had a interest in them, but the magazine always scared me off.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

You could always go with a Gladiator (JT) then!! LOL!!

Seriously, I've been pining after them for a while now. DW says "Nope"!

But I love my Grand Cherokee too...

We looked at and test drove a Wrangler. The seats did not have an adjustment to raise or lower the height and when the seat was adjusted for me to drive I sat too high and could see the top of the instrument panel because the top of the dash blocked the view. Total no-go from a safety standpoint for me. I believe since the Gladiator is a pickup version of the Wrangler it would probably have the same issue.

I wish Jeep would re-introduce the Comanche which was the pick up based off the Cherokee. I had a 86 Comanche when I was stationed in New York and that thing went anywhere regardless of snow. I was pulling the Blazers and Broncos out of the snow.

[SoulReflection]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

You could always go with a Gladiator (JT) then!! LOL!!

Seriously, I've been pining after them for a while now. DW says "Nope"!

But I love my Grand Cherokee too...

The Gladiator looks interesting but, my bank account says used Colorado!

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Look at the GCWR - GVWR and that will tell you how much you can tow if the motor home is fully loaded. You can increase the towing capability by reducing your actual GVW by reducing the cargo and passengers.

Load the. motorhome as it will be loaded for travel to include pets and passengers and take it across a scale for 2 reasons. Don't slim down the cargo just because you want to make weight. If you think something will be loaded for travel load it.

First the GCWR - actual weight will tell you how much you can tow

Second to set your tire pressure to the manufacturer's recommendation based on weight.

As a caveat, you need to ensure your tow hitch can handle the tongue and overall weight of the vehicle you want to tow.

If the specs I saw are correct the GCWR is 22K and the GCWR is 14.5K which should allow 7.5K of towing. My rule has always been stay 10 percent below so you should be able to safely tow 6750 lbs. Again that is if the specs I saw are correct and the tow hich=tch is rated for at least 7000 lbs.

^ ^ ^ ^ some real good advice there... When you are towing a toad 4-down... some might be prone to move items from the Motorhome to the Toad for the travel so they can stay under the GVWR on the MH. For many who tow an XJ or the family of WJ's. that might be putting a lot of weight behind the rear axle of the toad - that is NOT GOOD. Those with TJ or YJ's have a different situation as there isn't much distance behind that rear axle anyways (for departure angle alone)

My buddy has a YJ, a YZJ, an XJ and I have followed him flat towing each one of them for at least 200mi on each. Some of those trips got a little sketchy and I backed off 1/4 mile because that darn XJ was not loaded like it should with all the weight in the back... Yea.. all were on 35's or 37's but what does that really matter as a toad?.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

@Camper_Bob - clearly you’re a Jeep man. Consumer Reports routinely trashes Jeeps for reliability - what has your experience been? I’ve always had a interest in them, but the magazine always scared me off.

My WK2 (Grand Cherokee) has been pretty reliable. It left me stranded once. Some electrical issue caused it to basically not be able to start. Had it towed to the dealership, they flashed the computer (needed to do it anyway because of a recall) and it's been fine ever since. A couple CELs because of the capless fuel filler neck, but that's pretty much it. The 3.6L Pentastar V-6 is a solid power plant with plenty of pep too.

My YJ just keeps on kicking on down the road too. No problems at all. I replaced many of the emissions components as well as did a "tune up" when I first bought it a couple years ago and got a faulty TPS. I put the OEM one back in and it's been fine ever since. It does pretty darn good for a 26 year old vehicle. I also owned a Ram 2500, and it was a SOLID truck; had one CEL at the very beginning because of a faulty EVAP canister; local dealer had it fixed in less than 24 hours. No other problems.

In reality LOTS of vehicles get bad press like what you've seen in the magazine. You have to take that stuff with a grain of salt IMO. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Jeep. But I will take pause on the Gladiator because it's the first model year.

Originally Posted by EA37TS

We looked at and test drove a Wrangler. The seats did not have an adjustment to raise or lower the height and when the seat was adjusted for me to drive I sat too high and could see the top of the instrument panel because the top of the dash blocked the view. Total no-go from a safety standpoint for me. I believe since the Gladiator is a pickup version of the Wrangler it would probably have the same issue.

I wish Jeep would re-introduce the Comanche which was the pick up based off the Cherokee. I had a 86 Comanche when I was stationed in New York and that thing went anywhere regardless of snow. I was pulling the Blazers and Broncos out of the snow.

Gladiator is its own design. It may look like a JL, but it was designed specifically as a different vehicle. Some of the higher end option packages have 8-way power adjustable seats. FWIW, my WK2's driver seat is one of the most comfortable seats I've ever owned.

I love the Comanche too! LOTS of people wish Jeep would release the Gladiator as a single-cab long-bed. Maybe if there's enough demand, they'll do it...

Originally Posted by SloPoke

^ ^ ^ ^ some real good advice there... When you are towing a toad 4-down... some might be prone to move items from the Motorhome to the Toad for the travel so they can stay under the GVWR on the MH. For many who tow an XJ or the family of WJ's. that might be putting a lot of weight behind the rear axle of the toad - that is NOT GOOD. Those with TJ or YJ's have a different situation as there isn't much distance behind that rear axle anyways (for departure angle alone)

My buddy has a YJ, a YZJ, an XJ and I have followed him flat towing each one of them for at least 200mi on each. Some of those trips got a little sketchy and I backed off 1/4 mile because that darn XJ was not loaded like it should with all the weight in the back... Yea.. all were on 35's or 37's but what does that really matter as a toad?.

Are you sure this wasn't "death wobble"? It's a very common problem when flat-towing Jeeps. And even when they're NOT being towed in some cases!

That's crazy; what did he load back there?! I can't imagine you'd be able to load enough in the back of a Jeep to make it "sway". Unless you have something like a stinger hanging off the back loaded with a 250 gallon water tote or something? It's not like a trailer where you can unload the tongue enough to cause sway. And you really shouldn't put that much weight in the vehicle anyway; you don't want to exceed the GVWR whether you're towing or driving it.

And what is a "YZJ"? You must mean ZJ (1st gen Grand Cherokee)

[SloPoke]

Meant WJ

[CreekLife]

I am a Jeep dealer and currently driving the Gladiator. Don't currently have a toad but will be using that I am sure. As for reliability, and I am not saying this because I sell them, consumer reports is nuts if you are speaking of any Wrangler style model. They more so speak of the entry level SUV's. In our shop of about 1,200 customers a month, Wrangler repairs are few and far between besides death wobble and some steering issues.

[RanWal]

Originally Posted by SoulReflection

I have researched the curb (dry) weight of my 22J. Apparently it is 10,621 lbs.

If I added the weight of what I would travel with...a full tank of gas (55 gallons), 24 gallons of fresh water, full propane tank, 2-100 AMP SLA batteries, 200 lbs. (food, two small led TV's) and 250lbs. for my wife and I, the total for the MH is 11,795 lbs.

Then I add the total weight of my '06 GMC 2500HD with full gas tank, boat, motor, spare 5 gal. propane tank and 100 lbs. for misc. which is 6,265 lbs.

I get a total weight for the two vehicles of 18,060 lbs.

This is close to 4,000 lbs (2 tons) less than the 22,000 gross combined weight.

I don't know what I am missing if its not possible/recommended to do this.

Can anybody shed some light on this?

Ford Super Duty F350 Dually 6,106 LBs

[alazear]

2019 Jeep JLU Wrangler Sport. About 12K on it. Unmodified except to outfit it as a toad to tow behind my Redhawk 24B. No lift, no suspension upgrades, no big tires. I tow it as a toad on trips and daily drive it as well.

Death wobble problems right now. Yes, I've already done the recall on the steering stabilizer in it that is suppose to correct the problem, it does not solve it, but does put a temporary bandaid on it for a number of months. Jeep has now put in 2 new stabilizers saying the first one was "faulty," yea right. The steering has bigger issues to solve than slapping an upgraded stabilizer on it and hoping it solves a greater underlying problem. I wish I knew what that underlying problem was, she's a sneaky devil to find.

[daveobieone]

I've seen the bad-rap that CR does on Jeep vehicles, and it always has me scratching my head, wondering who writes that crap.

We've owned several Jeeps, going back to a 2004 first generation Liberty. I've never had a problem with any of them. My daughter now owns that 2004 Liberty, and drives it daily. It has 200,000 miles on it, and it just won't quit. Outside of normal wear and tear, the only thing that's been replaced was the A/C compressor a couple years ago.

CR just (clearly) doesn't get the whole Jeep thing! I think they all live and drive only in NYC or LA.

Dave O.

[Johnynorthland]

Couldn’t imagine towing that kind of weight with my Class C Redhawk. If possible I would look in to a Jeep product. We just struggled for 8 months with the same questions you have. I like to travel light in every aspect!

We are giving our 2013 Kia Soul toad car, (that we’ve been dolling), to my youngest daughter. It’s 2,700 lbs plus the 300 lb dolly. So we decided to trade in our 2011, AWD, GAS GUZZLING Hylander, for a 2014 CRV. CRV is 3,300 Lbs. So when I flat tow it I’m sure it will feel similar. DW wouldn’t go for a Jeep! Toad gear getting installed end of this month.

Keep it light!