2008 sunseeker 3100 ss hitch capacity

[SunseekerDave]

Hi it seems from the threads that the 2008 sunseeker e450 chassis was rated at 5000 pounds to tow, but got upgraded to 7500 in the mid 2010s.

My question is, is it actually an upgraded hitch? Or should I be fine to tow more than 5k with the existing? Some have beefed up, but has any 5k hitches failed???

 

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the Tech and Repair section to the Forester and Sunseeker sub-forum for better help from other Sunseeker owners and possible factory support.

 

[ChrisParise]

Tow what the hitch is labeled. But you've got to stay below the carry weight.

I augmented my Curt 5000 lb hitch on my Sunseeker. I bought a Curt 10000 lb hitch but it barely fit on the extension frame rails so I returned it.

Before returning it I measured every aspect and differences between the 5000 and 10000 lb hitch. The only difference was few extra inches on the hitch arms and 1 additional bolt on the far end into the extension frame rail.

My dealer welded angle iron onto the 5000 lb hitch and added another bolt.

 

[phalexander]

These are not questions we should try to answer for you. Your hitch receiver will be labeled with its rated capacity and you should believe what it says. But regardless of its capacity you should not exceed the GCVWR four your individual vehicle. You should be able to find that rating on a yellow placard somewhere in the coach. Then you should weigh your machine and calculate from there. It is likely that you will not be able to tow as much as the hitch capacity.

 

[ChrisParise]

Hi it seems from the threads that the 2008 sunseeker e450 chassis was rated at 5000 pounds to tow, but got upgraded to 7500 in the mid 2010s.

My question is, is it actually an upgraded hitch? Or should I be fine to tow more than 5k with the existing? Some have beefed up, but has any 5k hitches failed???

Your carry weight, 20,000 lbs, and gross vehicle weight rating is the same as my 2006 Sunseeker 2860DS E-450

I tow a 2013 5140lb GMC Acadia with my 5000lb augmented hitch and am under my carry weight fully loaded for a trip with 2 adults according to the CAT Scales.

There have been receivers that have failed but not because they carried more than they were rated. Cracks and suspect welds seemed to be the symptoms. I dont think any of the failures were ever assigned a root cause. No one really knows if these failures were subject to abuse either.

I would not recommend towing more weight than your hitch is rated.

 

[SunseekerDave]

It looks like gross combined is 14500. I think that's how they are coming up with 5000 for towing. Same frame and Power plant is 7500. Any way I can tell how else to verify if mine will tow more? I dont see any labels on the hitch.

 

[ChrisParise]

It looks like gross combined is 14500. I think that's how they are coming up with 5000 for towing. Same frame and Power plant is 7500. Any way I can tell how else to verify if mine will tow more? I dont see any labels on the hitch.

Dave,

Pretty much so.

All Sunseekers on the E-450 chassis that year are 5,000 lb hitches. If the label is gone the only way is to Google the specs. If your lucky you'll get a link to FR itself for that MY.
When I need to search for info like this I find it helpful to cross reference a couple of sites making sure they all say the same thing. Know what I mean?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://mhsrv.com/pdfs/forestriver/2008-Sunseeker.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiczejk_v-JAxVopokEHedgOEsQFnoECBYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2y-ZHcq44OjXXLvyQSC3bO

 

[SunseekerDave]

Yes but what's the difference? Wonder if I could get a hitch from a mid 2010s e450 and be reated at 7500
5k is light

 

[ChrisParise]

Yes but what's the difference? Wonder if I could get a hitch from a mid 2010s e450 and be reated at 7500
5k is light

Youvw got to be careful with another chassis year. The frame rails are not all exactly the same.

You can try. I did. Bought one on eTrailer after they thought it would fit and I measured my frame rails multiple times to confirm. But the reality was it barely fit, meaning if my dealer drilled holes in the frame rail they would be too close to the edge of the rails and they were afraid the bolts would break through.

So my dealer augmented my hitch.

Now, your chassis is probably a 2007. Most Ford Class cs are built on the prior MY. Your title mught say 2008 but its proabky a 2007. Go to the Ford website and put in your VIN for the MY. Or, my 2006 Sunseeker has a plaque on the inside kitchen cabinet door stating the VIN, MY and vehicle weights, tire psi, etc. It's really a 2005 chassis

Then, to eTrailer with your MY and see what hitches are available. Take the measurements and see if it will fit on your chassis

 

[SunseekerDave]

So you bolstered yours with more metal and towed more than 5k right? If e trailer says a 7500 will fit, then it's likely good? I'm in Florida where it's flat. Maybe I should just bolster mine with more metal

 

[ChrisParise]

So you bolstered yours with more metal and towed more than 5k right? If e trailer says a 7500 will fit, then it's likely good? I'm in Florida where it's flat. Maybe I should just bolster mine with more metal

My rv dealer bolstered mine. Currently towing a 5140lb GMC Acadia on a bolstered 5000 lb Curt hitch.

My experience with the eTrailer hitch did not work out. It barely fit the frame rails and might have resulted in a hitch attachment failure.

Make sure your hitch can be returned. Returning mine was easy just brought it in original box to the UPS store after going through the eTrailer return process.

Flat or mountain terrain, hitch has to be solidly attached

 

[ChrisParise]

I believe I posted my hitch enhancement here on the forum. I think you can search on my profile or just use Curt on a keyword search.

It wasn't a particularly widely read post but it's out there!

If you can't find it let me know I may have posted it on iRV2

 

[SunseekerDave]

Thanks...I did shee it somewhere. Did u say what u did exactly or just that u bolstered it?

 

[ChrisParise]

Modified existing 5,000 lb Curt hitch to tow 5140lb 2013 GMC Acadia.

Added 2 pieces of 2 x 2 x 13.5" angle iron 3/16" thick with 1 additional bolt at the end into the frame rails. Stock Curt hitch had 3 bolts into the frame rail extensions so by adding the longer steel to the arms it increased the bolts from 3 to 4.

Adding the 13.5" angle iron extended the hitch arms by 5 3/4". Note, the Curt 14053 10,000 lb hitch we tried to install would have added about 9" beyond the Curt 5,000 lb hitch and from what I determined by comparing the 2 hitches, it is the longer hitch arms and additional bolt at the end which gives the 10,000 lb rating.

Will attach some pictures later they are hard to select from my Onedrive right now. (Edit. Sorry about the pictures. They are heic format not jpgs from my old phone and thryve not been converted so they are sceeenshots of pictures)Since the new steel is black on black you can see the fresh black paint on the new steel. And note the 3 bolts and 1 additional bolt

 

[SunseekerDave]

Thanks for this! You've towed 5100 lbs thousands of miles with this set up? Is it just the one angle iron on the back side or am I missing something else?

 

[ChrisParise]

Thanks for this! You've towed 5100 lbs thousands of miles with this set up? Is it just the one angle iron on the back side or am I missing something else?

2 pieces of angle iron.

One for each arm.

Dimensions above

Your not missing anything.

I have a picture of the other arm I just didn't include it. I thought showing the same arm with and without the tape measure would be good. A good shop should be able to do the same for you especially with these pictures.

Acadia consistently shows weight as 5140 lbs on the CAT Scales. I try to tow it with between 1/8 and 1/3 tank full of gas. Gas is weight. More than enough to get around while traveling.

Had the hitch modified in November of 22. Cost was about $400 and that included my dealer attempting to install the 10,000 lb Curt hitch I bought.

Since then I've towed the Acadia about 5,000 miles. 1 trip from Wisconsin to Glacier NP in Montana via Rapid City and Yellowstone and 1 trip around Lake Michigan (circle tour).

Pretty extreme mountain driving out west.

Smaller trips in there too.

 

[SunseekerDave]

Sounds good. Thx again