Towing Capacities GVWR and UVW

[Frenchy]

The problem with common sense and experience is that people seldom update that to current world conditions. Most experience is gained over time. Today's ranger tows more than the F-150 of 20 years ago, and tow more than the F-250 of 30 years ago.

legnth and weight matter in towing, surface area matters more.

However some truths stick around. No matter the tow vehicle you never want to tow more than 75% of capacity regularly. if you hauled that big trailer 2 twice a year yes you would be fine. but moving on a regular basis. When picking a camper out I picked a max camper weight I didn't want to go over 5,000 lbs. That way I can add 500-1000lbs worth of stuff. (and it adds up quickly) and be under 80% of the tow capacity. (a little high, but on long trips we will take 2 vehciles anyways

while a vehicle may be tested to that tow amount for extended time. it creates extra wear on the vehicle.

I say this as in 1988 my dad bought a Ford Aerostar mini van for the family. that van towed a 4,000 lb boat dozens of times over hundreds of miles every summer for 10 years. It also went through 2 transmissions, and 6 alternators.

The Aerostar was also a POS minivan that should have been made. Unfortunately every manufacturer has had a few of those.

Umderstanding what you are saying with the towing capacity range here are my thoughts. If the manufacturer(Ford in this case) has approved a tow rating while also recommending no more than a certain speed(yes it is stated in the owners manual) then you should be fine. The main thing is making sure the trailer weight loaded does not exceed towing capacity and taking it slow as needed.. Even with the little I have towed i would have no problems towing that camper that the OP has mentioned. I would actually do the second one over tue first since the max gross trailer weight is within towing specifications.

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[P. A. Schilke]

The problem with common sense and experience is that people seldom update that to current world conditions. Most experience is gained over time. Today's ranger tows more than the F-150 of 20 years ago, and tow more than the F-250 of 30 years ago.

legnth and weight matter in towing, surface area matters more.

However some truths stick around. No matter the tow vehicle you never want to tow more than 75% of capacity regularly. if you hauled that big trailer 2 twice a year yes you would be fine. but moving on a regular basis. When picking a camper out I picked a max camper weight I didn't want to go over 5,000 lbs. That way I can add 500-1000lbs worth of stuff. (and it adds up quickly) and be under 80% of the tow capacity. (a little high, but on long trips we will take 2 vehciles anyways

while a vehicle may be tested to that tow amount for extended time. it creates extra wear on the vehicle.

I say this as in 1988 my dad bought a Ford Aerostar mini van for the family. that van towed a 4,000 lb boat dozens of times over hundreds of miles every summer for 10 years. It also went through 2 transmissions, and 6 alternators.

Hi David,

The transmission on the Aerostar took until 1989 to successfully complete our durability testing. The rational at Transmission Division was that all the components successfully completed durability but not all at the same time... Sheesh... Designed in Europe between the French and Germans and you know how chummy these two countries are.... The A4LD was a total POS in my opinion. You were lucky...only 2 transmission swaps. Should have been 3 or 4....

best,
Phil

 

[JimG_AZ]

The problem with common sense and experience is that people seldom update that to current world conditions. Most experience is gained over time. Today's ranger tows more than the F-150 of 20 years ago, and tow more than the F-250 of 30 years ago.

legnth and weight matter in towing, surface area matters more.

However some truths stick around. No matter the tow vehicle you never want to tow more than 75% of capacity regularly. if you hauled that big trailer 2 twice a year yes you would be fine. but moving on a regular basis. When picking a camper out I picked a max camper weight I didn't want to go over 5,000 lbs. That way I can add 500-1000lbs worth of stuff. (and it adds up quickly) and be under 80% of the tow capacity. (a little high, but on long trips we will take 2 vehciles anyways

while a vehicle may be tested to that tow amount for extended time. it creates extra wear on the vehicle.

I say this as in 1988 my dad bought a Ford Aerostar mini van for the family. that van towed a 4,000 lb boat dozens of times over hundreds of miles every summer for 10 years. It also went through 2 transmissions, and 6 alternators.

Did you ever read any articles or posts from Andy Thompson on towing? You may find him very interesting. He is an Airstream deal in London, Ontario. What makes him unique is that he is an rv dealer that really understands towing and how to properly setup tow vehicles and trailers. From the RV dealers I have met, that is very unusual. I'll warn you now that at first you will probably think he is nuts. Then after thinking about what he is saying, you may start to agree with him. He is big on towing with cars and smaller tow vehicles. Watch the videos he has of his Chrysler 300 Hemi pulling a large Airstream.

 

[Frenchy]

Did you ever read any articles or posts from Andy Thompson on towing? You may find him very interesting. He is an Airstream deal in London, Ontario. What makes him unique is that he is an rv dealer that really understands towing and how to properly setup tow vehicles and trailers. From the RV dealers I have met, that is very unusual. I'll warn you now that at first you will probably think he is nuts. Then after thinking about what he is saying, you may start to agree with him. He is big on towing with cars and smaller tow vehicles. Watch the videos he has of his Chrysler 300 Hemi pulling a large Airstream.

Towing a big trailer with a car already sounds nuts to me lol. Dont get me wrong. If the vehicle has the towing capacity and you take the time to make sure everything is set up rogjt you should be fine. Also the Airstream campers do have an Aerodynamic advantage compared to most other campers on the market

 

[JimG_AZ]

Towing a big trailer with a car already sounds nuts to me lol. Dont get me wrong. If the vehicle has the towing capacity and you take the time to make sure everything is set up rogjt you should be fine. Also the Airstream campers do have an Aerodynamic advantage compared to most other campers on the market

You are absolutely correct about Airstreams. Also, I think he is far exceeding the tow capacities. Here is his website

 

[Frenchy]

You are absolutely correct about Airstreams. Also, I think he is far exceeding the tow capacities. Here is his website

Yeah without starting any of the videos mast of those far excees towing capacity. The one thing most do not thing about is most of you towing capacity is determined by suspension and brakes. Yeah having the engine power helps too but if your suspension and brakes are not designed for it then irs a horrible idea

 

[JimG_AZ]

Yeah without starting any of the videos mast of those far excees towing capacity. The one thing most do not thing about is most of you towing capacity is determined by suspension and brakes. Yeah having the engine power helps too but if your suspension and brakes are not designed for it then irs a horrible idea

If you watch some of the videos, the Chrysler 300 didn't seem to have any problems with that trailer. He was running it on the highway and then through a slalom course. Pretty impressive. BTW, he was using a Hensely hitch too.

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