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Old 03-12-2019, 12:35 PM   #1
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Max towing margin

I know, I know another towing question. Just wondering what towing margin most of you adhere to between max towing capacity of your TV and the actual gross weight you travel with. So far we've stayed pretty much in FL which is flat. Would like to spend some time this summer in the Virginia mountains or NC mountains where it's cooler than FL. Curious as to a level of safety and wear and tear on the TV.
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Old 03-12-2019, 12:40 PM   #2
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Oh no...another one of these?

Anyway, there is no magic number.

Before anyone can tell you anything we need to know what you are towing...and what you are towing it with!

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Old 03-12-2019, 12:47 PM   #3
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TT is a Coachman Freedom xpress factory weight 3875

Tv is a Toyota 4Runner, max tow cap 5000 lbs.
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Old 03-12-2019, 12:48 PM   #4
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Popcorn and beer time.

My margin is my trailer is 61% of my TV's rated towing capacity.

My old set up was my trailer was 77% of my TV's rated tow capacity and the TV was at or above it's limits for 3 of 5 other ratings.
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Old 03-12-2019, 01:21 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KingJames View Post
TT is a Coachman Freedom xpress factory weight 3875

Tv is a Toyota 4Runner, max tow cap 5000 lbs.
Factory (dry weight) of your TT doesn't mean squat.

Loaded for camping weight is what you need to know!

As for your 4Runner, there is a sticker on the driver's door jam that will give you exactly what your specific tow rating is.

With the numbers you've provided it sounds like you won't have any margin by the time you are ready to travel.
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Old 03-12-2019, 01:36 PM   #6
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Also its not how much you can tow, its what your GCVW is. My max tow according to the "books" is 10,200LBS. However my GCVW is 16,000lbs. My truck full of fuel, myself, and my wife is 6500LBS. So now I am down to max tow of 9500LBS. Add a couple hundred pounds to the truck for some firewood. Now max tow down to 9300LBS. Our TT loaded and ready to camp, with full FW tank, 8300LBS. That leaves 1000LBS unused, which is where I like to be.
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Old 03-12-2019, 01:39 PM   #7
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TT is a Coachman Freedom xpress factory weight 3875

Tv is a Toyota 4Runner, max tow cap 5000 lbs.
Yea, I think that TT is 96" wide, you want a narrow body trailer...7' wide. Aerodynamics is towing enemy.
Figure adding 600# to that "factory weight". And adding another 500# for the 4 Runner cargo.
IMO, too much trailer, especially if you plan on trips around the Rockies or Sierras..
I am bumping max with my set-up.
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Old 03-12-2019, 01:42 PM   #8
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I have to run out and get some popcorn, the popcorn emoji disappeared. At least I have beer to watch this unfold.
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Old 03-12-2019, 01:46 PM   #9
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I have to run out and get some popcorn, the popcorn emoji disappeared. At least I have beer to watch this unfold.
DOH! (click on Homer to see him in action)...
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Old 03-12-2019, 01:47 PM   #10
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Over weight and Frontal area for a 4 Runner. You can not make any number work for this combo. Need a real truck not a Toyota.
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:13 PM   #11
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I have to run out and get some popcorn, the popcorn emoji disappeared. At least I have beer to watch this unfold.
SPOILER ALERT !! In the end, it will come down to..."If you don't have a one ton dually diesel...you can't pull a utility trailer with a garden tractor on it...safely."
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:17 PM   #12
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:21 PM   #13
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I like to stay under 75% - 80%. Using a Tacoma for my R-Pod has worked well even tho I get over that when black/grey tanks fill up. Use what you have and enjoy it. If you find you can't enjoy it, change what in your opinion needs to be changed, as you can.
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:25 PM   #14
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:34 PM   #15
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I like to stay under 75% - 80%. Using a Tacoma for my R-Pod has worked well even tho I get over that when black/grey tanks fill up. Use what you have and enjoy it. If you find you can't enjoy it, change what in your opinion needs to be changed, as you can.
On the flatlands of Florida that combo might be OK.

But not knowing how many people will be in the tow vehicle and adding mountains into the mix, the setup does need to be looked at a little closer than just guessing.
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:43 PM   #16
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I'm at 80% of my 7200 max tow, because my scaled TV GVW (payload) is between 95%-100%. MN doesn't have any mountains either, so we can make this work.
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Old 03-12-2019, 03:33 PM   #17
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Towing with my 1500 I was at 103% GVWR and 102% GCWR. Towed fine. No issues. I felt I was beating on the truck though so now I tow with a Max tow capable diesel 3500 dually. Still no issues just not fogging the tow vehicle as hard.
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Old 03-12-2019, 04:08 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KingJames View Post
TT is a Coachman Freedom xpress factory weight 3875

Tv is a Toyota 4Runner, max tow cap 5000 lbs.
I'm going to assume it's the 17BLSE since you didn't give the model number. That trailer has a GVWR of 5,900LB. As mentioned, the "factory weight" is useless since you will never see that low of a weight. Short of actually having a trailer weighed, the next best way to determine if a trailer is a good size for the TV is to look at the trailer's GVWR. In this case, that trailer's GVWR is 900LB over your MAX tow rating.

The factory hitch weight is listed at 508LB. The trailer is very tongue-heavy for its size, likely due to the garage in the rear.

Let's assume your 4Runner has a max payload of 1,500LB (worst case based on what I can find). This doesn't include any occupants or gear. As soon as you add any people or gear, even you as a driver, that takes away from the vehicle's payload rating which also counts towards the GCWR of the TV and reduces the tow capacity.

Let's say the numbers work out like so...

TV GVWR - 6100LB
TV max payload - 1500LB
TV max tow - 5000LB

Trailer GVWR - 5900LB
Trailer hitch % - 14% (10-12% is the general target so this trailer is tongue-heavy)

You + other people + gear in the TV = 600LB.

Remaining payload is now 900LB
Remaining tow capacity is now 4,575LB assuming Toyota includes a 175LB driver when calculating. The driver is ONLY included for the max tow rating and is NOT included for the payload rating.

Batteries, propane, food, clothing, gear/toys in the trailer another 800LB. Trailer weight is now 4,675LB. Tongue weight is now 650LB plus another 75LB for the WDH bringing it up to 725LB.

You're now over GCWR by 100LB but potentially have 175LB of payload left before you exceed TV GVWR. However, it's also possible that you're over the RAWR (Rear axle weight rating).

Those are just some rough numbers/guesses/assumptions, but the fact remains that you could have assumed the trailer would be too heavy just by seeing that its GVWR is higher than your Toyota's max tow rating which only includes fuel and a ~175LB driver. Any additional people and gear in the TV take away from your max tow rating.

My truck has a max tow rating of 7,600LB but our 5,000LB trailer (loaded and weighed) puts me up against my payload/GVWR ratings due to people and gear in/on the truck so even with a trailer GVWR less than max tow rating it's still possible to run out of capacity.
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Old 03-12-2019, 04:17 PM   #19
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I'm guessing that the 4 Runner has a max tongue capacity of 500lbs, so that trailer's fictional dry tongue weight is already over that.
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Old 03-12-2019, 05:49 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by Cabinfever97 View Post
Also its not how much you can tow, its what your GCVW is. My max tow according to the "books" is 10,200LBS. However my GCVW is 16,000lbs. My truck full of fuel, myself, and my wife is 6500LBS. So now I am down to max tow of 9500LBS. Add a couple hundred pounds to the truck for some firewood. Now max tow down to 9300LBS. Our TT loaded and ready to camp, with full FW tank, 8300LBS. That leaves 1000LBS unused, which is where I like to be.


So your 99% of your max gross and your fine with that??? Wow just wow
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