To tow or not to tow

[Coolrvers]

We are new owners of a 2019 Dynamax Isata 3 24FW on the Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis. We have downsized from a 40' diesel motorhome and towed a 2006 Honda CR-V "4-wheels down" that has a Gross Vehicle Weight rating of 4,450 lbs. The Sprinter came equipped with a wired 7-pin electrical plug and a 2" standard hitch but there is a discrepancy on whether or not we can tow.
""Dealer" says the Isata can tow 5,000 which should work with our existing Roadmaster All-Terrain hitch. However, we just sat down with the Sprinter Service Manager at the local Mercedes dealership where we will go for MB service and he says "ABSOLUTELY DON'T TOW". He said there is too much rear end weight from the RV portion on the chassis and there will be suspension and transmission problems if we tow the CR-V.

What have been your experiences? I have seen photos of 24' Dynamax towing Jeeps 4-down. Anyone towing CR-V?

ANY PROBLEMS???

-- "CoolJudy"

[Timtation]

You might check with MB online, I am sure they would have an advisor to answer within 48 hours.

[Bluepill]

The actual unloaded "Curb Weight" of my 2006 CRV EX AWD AT is 3472 according to Honda website here:

http://owners.honda.com/vehicles/information/2006/CR-V/specs#mid^RD7886JW

The VIN tag on the driver's door pillar states GVW at 4450 as you mention. The tire pressure label states "Do not exceed 850 Lbs. total passenger and cargo weight"

[namusmc]

Originally Posted by Coolrvers

We are new owners of a 2019 Dynamax Isata 3 24FW on the Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis. We have downsized from a 40' diesel motorhome and towed a 2006 Honda CR-V "4-wheels down" that has a Gross Vehicle Weight rating of 4,450 lbs. The Sprinter came equipped with a wired 7-pin electrical plug and a 2" standard hitch but there is a discrepancy on whether or not we can tow.
""Dealer" says the Isata can tow 5,000 which should work with our existing Roadmaster All-Terrain hitch. However, we just sat down with the Sprinter Service Manager at the local Mercedes dealership where we will go for MB service and he says "ABSOLUTELY DON'T TOW". He said there is too much rear end weight from the RV portion on the chassis and there will be suspension and transmission problems if we tow the CR-V.

What have been your experiences? I have seen photos of 24' Dynamax towing Jeeps 4-down. Anyone towing CR-V?

ANY PROBLEMS???

-- "CoolJudy"

Welcome to the forum from Grass Valley!

I don't tow with my 2016 Forester 2401W but would not hesitate as long as I am within all weight limit specs and, most importantly, still under MB drivetrain warranty. Once out of warranty, I might rethink the idea and tow a Smart car.


Enjoy your new rig!

[chroniekon]

You may want to run this question past the guys on the Dynamax subform here. Lots of folks towing with their Isata 3's. But not 5,000 lbs. The hitch itself is rated for 5,000 lbs, but your tow vehicle should be closer to 3,500 to 4,000 depending on the options your motorhome has. The weight tag on the drivers door jam should get you close to what's allowed.

[lacamastraveler]

What have been your experiences? I have seen photos of 24' Dynamax towing Jeeps 4-down. Anyone towing CR-V?

ANY PROBLEMS???

-- "CoolJudy"[/QUOTE]

I can't speak to your exact model but we also downsized from a 40' DP to the MB sprinter (Solera) and continue to tow our '09 CRV with no problems. Towed nearly 10,000 miles. I love the torque.

[Coolrvers]

Great to hear. ❤️. Thanks for the reply.

[sailski]

I have a Forester MBS 2401WS that i tow a Honda CRV with for 25,000 miles so far without any problems. I think you have been given some misinformation.
Although the Sprinter has a 5,000 lb. Hitch the maximum you can tow with it is 4,200 lbs.
Towing a car 4 down will only add half of the weight of the tow bar to the chassis and none of the weight of the car.
Since you can not have any passengers in the car when you are towing it is unlikely you would have too much weight in the car to make a problem.
The only problem I have is I live in Colorado and have to go over mountain passes to get to and from home that slows us down to 40 - 45 MPH. No big deal.

[FFred]

The service fellow may not understand the difference between towing a trailer , where 10%-15% of the trailer weight will be carried by the hitch, and towing 4 wheels down , where maybe 50 lbs is pressing on the ball .

Just because someone can change your oil does not mean he understands vehicles.

You will need a brake system for the towd.

Honda CRV 2010 , with brake buddy, no problems.

[Sandiegodoug]

We tow a 2 door jk
No problem at all

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by Sandiegodoug

Attachment 177288
We tow a 2 door jk
No problem at all

Me too, 22,000 miles and no problems.

[RlMike]

We tow a 2003 Jeep wrangler (~3300lbs) behind a 2014 Forest River Solera. Mileage suffers some, but other than climbing I have to turn on the backup camera to tell it's there.

[High Desert]

Your selling dealer has no idea what he is talking about, which would lead me not have any work done there if this is the depth of their knowledge on products they sell. Generally, the MBS has a tow with restriction of 4200 pounds (which is what our 2017 Sunseeker has). we tow a JK Sahara 2 Dr with no issues. You just need to watch the tow weight.

[dinkhauler]

The only way to know for sure if this is safe is to get your setup weighed. Take your MH loaded up for a trip including any passengers and whatever amount of fresh water you normally take, full fuel, as well as your Jeep with whatever amount of fuel you want to tow it with. Nobody on here including your dealer can truly say if this works since it depends on what you bring with you and how heavy everything is - everyone travels differently and the sprinter chassis have fairly low CCC to start with. I would bet that you are very close to or over the GCVWR with the Jeep.

I have never seen anyone that tows a Jeep with a Sprinter post their weights they always just say "yeah it tows fine."

[mlmay12]

Originally Posted by dinkhauler

The only way to know for sure if this is safe is to get your setup weighed. Take your MH loaded up for a trip including any passengers and whatever amount of fresh water you normally take, full fuel, as well as your Jeep with whatever amount of fuel you want to tow it with. Nobody on here including your dealer can truly say if this works since it depends on what you bring with you and how heavy everything is - everyone travels differently and the sprinter chassis have fairly low CCC to start with. I would bet that you are very close to or over the GCVWR with the Jeep.

I have never seen anyone that tows a Jeep with a Sprinter post their weights they always just say "yeah it tows fine."

How about this then, Sprinter is 10,900 Loaded, Jeep is 4,300 for a total of 15,200. I weigh everything regularly and know the max combined weight is 15,250. My jeep is a hard top with roof rack and lift with 35" tires. Other 2 door jeeps are much less.

[yogiandlisa]

I also have 2401R MBS and a 2007 JK. Been torn on whether to tow or not (i have a lot of Avis points).

Anyway, wondering what kind of set up everyone is using on the JK model. I've read somewhere else it's easy but I can't seem to find that thread anymore. Thanks for your knowledge.

R/S
yogi

[High Desert]

Originally Posted by dinkhauler

The only way to know for sure if this is safe is to get your setup weighed. Take your MH loaded up for a trip including any passengers and whatever amount of fresh water you normally take, full fuel, as well as your Jeep with whatever amount of fuel you want to tow it with. Nobody on here including your dealer can truly say if this works since it depends on what you bring with you and how heavy everything is - everyone travels differently and the sprinter chassis have fairly low CCC to start with. I would bet that you are very close to or over the GCVWR with the Jeep.

I have never seen anyone that tows a Jeep with a Sprinter post their weights they always just say "yeah it tows fine."

Loaded - my 2400R was under 11,000 pounds on the CAT scales. My 2 DR Jeep JK hardtop comes in at 4000 pounds. Yes, I am "close" to the CCC specs. Weights were with fully loaded MH, 1/3 tank FW, loaded rig and Jeep had full fuel tank plus other items stored in it.

[Nknussman]

Originally Posted by Coolrvers

We are new owners of a 2019 Dynamax Isata 3 24FW on the Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis. We have downsized from a 40' diesel motorhome and towed a 2006 Honda CR-V "4-wheels down" that has a Gross Vehicle Weight rating of 4,450 lbs. The Sprinter came equipped with a wired 7-pin electrical plug and a 2" standard hitch but there is a discrepancy on whether or not we can tow.
""Dealer" says the Isata can tow 5,000 which should work with our existing Roadmaster All-Terrain hitch. However, we just sat down with the Sprinter Service Manager at the local Mercedes dealership where we will go for MB service and he says "ABSOLUTELY DON'T TOW". He said there is too much rear end weight from the RV portion on the chassis and there will be suspension and transmission problems if we tow the CR-V.

What have been your experiences? I have seen photos of 24' Dynamax towing Jeeps 4-down. Anyone towing CR-V?

ANY PROBLEMS???

-- "CoolJudy"

I would like to know what data or examples the MB service manager could provide that backs up his claim not to tow. Do rigs that limit their weight to less than GCWR (15250 lb) have trouble?

[AudiDudi]

Originally Posted by Nknussman

I would like to know what data or examples the MB service manager could provide that backs up his claim not to tow. Do rigs that limit their weight to less than GCWR (15250 lb) have trouble?

We've towed 3400 lbs of car/dolly close to 6k miles with no issues - but that is quite a bit less than the CR-V. I weighed mine at the CAT scales last month and it came it at 14250lbs. It tows that just fine, dropping fuel economy from 16+ into the 14-15mpg range, depending on terrain and wind.

When I talked to the factory rep about tow capacity, I was told yes, it can tow 5000 lbs, but anything over 4200 must be subtracted from the OCCC. So I guess you need to know what your OCCC is (mine is 1656).

[Coolrvers]

We set our target new toad weight at 4,000 lbs.. Now to find which one meets our space and seating/visibility criteria. Then to see if we can set it up. We do have the 2017 & 2018 Motorhome Magazine "Guide to Dinghy Towing". -- Thanks, CoolJudy