Towing Cross-Country? Double-Check Your Capacity!

I contend that towing an RV has ruined more relationships than Tinder.

RV weight ratings are cryptic, overlapping, muddled, and nuanced. What’s the difference between curb weight, factory weight, dry weight and unloaded vehicle weight? For some vehicles, all four numbers are identical. For others, all four are different!

If it makes you feel better, it’s worse inside the industry. We deal with FMVSS, enforced through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) agency, which is part of the Department of Transportation (DOT). And per RVIA compliance regulations, we must follow National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 1192 regulations, ANSI LV, the National Electric Code (NEC) – also known as NFPA 70 (possibly along with ANSI 119.5) – and ensure our products are listed by their Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) …

  1. Educate yourself! Read this blog and check out the towing calculators at Changing Gears.
  2. Get the numbers. Take your RV to a certified weigh scale, or even better, a wheel position weighing scale (research local RV rallies near you to find one). Learn EXACTLY how much your RV weighs when empty and when packed. Write down your tongue weight or king pin weights. Write down your actual wheel weights. Get it all down on paper!
  3. Do the math. I actually encourage you to work through the math yourself. It’s a great way to educate yourself, and soon, it’ll be second nature! It’s the only way to get 100 percent accurate results. But if you’re scared of arithmetic, again, I recommend checking out the educational calculators at Changing Gears.
  4. Retire old parts. I get it – if it ain’t broke, why fix it? But some parts, like safety chains, couplers and hitch pins, are fairly cheap to replace. After being in service for 10+ years, maybe it’s time to retire and replace. 
  5. Evangelize. Warn other RVers if you see warning signs that they’re towing dangerously or when overloaded. If we work together, everyone stays safe!

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