GVWR?
Printed From: r-pod Nation
Category: Forest River r-pod
Forum Name: Maintenance Issues, Tips and Tricks
Forum Description: Have you ever wondered how something works? Found a good way to do something? Discovered the hard way what NOT to do? Share them here.
URL: http://www.rpodNation.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1051
Printed Date: 23 Apr 2024 at 11:49pm
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Topic: GVWR?
Posted By: GoTak
Subject: GVWR?
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 3:56pm
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Hi everyone;
I have 172 since last September but I don't have a Vehicle to tow yet. Specs on R-pod site says: Dry Weight: 2113lb Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 3179lb I have a Honda Odyssey with tow capacity 3500lb. What does this GVWR 3179lb include? What is difference between Dry Weight and GVWR? I have two 6V batteries, TV and TV antenna as the options other than that all standard. Total weight of my family of 4 is 330lb. Can I take all my camping gears with us? I will remove 3rd seat from Odyssey. Thanks; ------------- 2010 r-pod172 |
Replies:
Posted By: yizit
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 4:04pm
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Here are a few sites that might help answer your questions.... http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml - http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml http://www.klenger.net/RV_General/index.html - http://www.klenger.net/RV_General/index.html http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/vehicle-towing/maneuvers/dead-weight-towed-weight.htm/printable - http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/vehicle-towing/maneuvers/dead-weight-towed-weight.htm/printable ------------- Former owner of 2009 Rpod 172 Darlene & Jim, Ewok our Lhasa Roada our 2004 Roadtrek 190P Conversion Van |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 4:54pm
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Howdy GoTak !!
IMHO you are as they say "taking it to the limit" as far as towing capacities go.
I would not recommend it.
The links that Yizit has furnished are some "Great" resources to refer to. I recommend you read them.
For the most part, no-one can really tell you if you can or can't do something. Its best to add up the numbers and compare them to the specifications according to what equipment you have.
(in this case your "loaded" vehicle, and your "loaded" TT)
IMHO, a tow-vehicle with a 5000lb towing capacity for the r-Pod is safe and reasonable.
There are many posts here that cover the small/mid-sized trucks and the small/mid-sized vehicles.
The Honda Odyssey has come up many times here, so there may be some good infoe for ya.
Do a search here using you vehicle name.
Good Luck ! http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk762YYUS">
 |
Posted By: photog
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 5:13pm
GoTac,
Dry Weight (UVW) usually consists of the trailer without options, without propane and no battery.
GVRW is maximum loaded trailer weight, period.
Here is what I have done to determine what I can tow with our Ford Escape.
2009 Escape V6 Auto 4WD
Curb weight: 3546 lbs (does not include gasoline)
GVRW: 4641 lbs
GCVWR: 7240 lbs
To the curb weight I added: Tank of gas, 2 persons and baggage est. at 700lbs. Add this to the curb weight and your TV weight is now 4247 lbs. I use an equalizer hitch and that will add about 200 lbs to that. So now I am at 4447 lbs.
GCVWR: 7240 lbs
- 4447 lbs
= 2793 lbs left over for total trailer weight, and that does not leave much of a safety margin.
I can not afford to get another TV so we will load the trailer very lightly but if anyone is buying a new TV, please get something that is rated for 5000 lbs.
Take care,
------------- Heinrich and Elly 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab Prime Time Tracer 205 M |
GoTak wrote:Posted By: rpodmania
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 7:16pm
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So what your saying is a SUV thats rated at 3500lb tow capacity is NOT a good Idea to tow an R-pod From what Ive seen on the forum here a lot of people are using vehicles in that 3500 tow range with no problem(so they say) after all isnt that what the R-pod was made for smaller tow vehicles? Thats what the dealers push too as did mind when I bought my 171 last fall and after taking it out one time before winter hit towing with my Hyundai Santa Fe (3500lb tow capacity)I not so sure that I feel all that secure towing with the Santa Fe Which is to bad as we went with the DEALERS ADVICE on the 3500 lb tow rating and purchased the 09 Santa Fe so we could tow the R-pod  I think I may have made a huge costly mistake
------------- 2010 171 Ford f-150 5.4L |
Posted By: Larry
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 8:06pm
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I think that the best thing to do is just add everything up. My TV is a V6 2008 Ford Edge with a 3,500 towing capacity; according to the specs my r-pod has a 1,060 lb cargo capacity, so you add up the weight of whatever options you have on the pod and that will give you your “Dry Weight.” The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) for my r-171 is 3,181 Lbs, so add a full propane tank, battery, and water to the options, and what you have remaining is for other stuff; this includes the weight of the people in the pod. GVWR is the weight that the axle can handle and anything over that may cause problems for the pod axle or burn out the transmission on your TV. Personally I have no problem towing with a 6-cylinder mini SUV Ford Edge. It even does great climbing hills and going over mountain passes. But I do not carry any water in my tank when I am traveling; I have bottled water and other drinking liquids in my TV. So I’m way under the GVWR when I travel. Now at campgrounds I fill the water tanks and I put 4 jack stands (cost about $10 each) under the pod to help support the descending jacks which are already on the pod. I’ve pulled a trailer for many years with a 6-cylinder and have never had any problems. You will know if the weight is too much; your TV will strain when traveling. |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 8:20pm
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I wouldn't say you've made a mistake rpodmania .....
Just keep weight as light as possible. The r-Pod is made for lighter tow vehicles.
The stats might show that you are "within" your particular specifications, but once you've got the TV loaded, full tank of gas, r-Pod loaded and hitched it may be darn close.
Having an electric brake controller does help is some respects, but I believe that keeping a watch-ful eye on weight will pay off.
Try some local camping or just take a joy-tow to get to know the feel of how the TV handles.
As Ive mentioned, we towed from OH to IL after purchase and believe me, I knew the Pod was there, but I've never towed for that length of time before. It actually did very well, and there were times I "wish" I had a bit more HP, but we are weekend campers and use our TV more for other uses.
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Posted By: yizit
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 8:25pm
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Make sure your TV is set up for towing...(eg..radiator etc) We blew a transmission pulling a pop-up that was "close" to towing weight in short time, and it was set up for towing.
------------- Former owner of 2009 Rpod 172 Darlene & Jim, Ewok our Lhasa Roada our 2004 Roadtrek 190P Conversion Van |
Posted By: photog
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 10:42pm
It will depend on how heayy you load the Santa Fe, how many people and how much cargo. With a light or reasonable load you should not have a real big problem.
On the Hyunda website there are no figures for GVWR or GCVWR, they only give you the curb weight of the Santa Fe and without these figures it's next to impossible to calculate actual towing capacity of the vehicle.
I don't know what class of hitch is on the Santa Fe but you should have a class 3 and tow with equalizer bars. If you don't, I would spend the money on it because it does make a world of difference.
Make sure that the trailer brakes are adjusted properly, that'll save your bacon one day.
And you are right, the dealers push this tow rating but seldom tell you to do the math.
Manufactures establish the tow rating of a vehicle by taken the curb weight of the vehicle, gas and driver, nothing else.
------------- Heinrich and Elly 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab Prime Time Tracer 205 M |
Posted By: Larry
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2010 at 11:47pm
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The other thing is I think it is important to watch your RPM’s when towing; you don’t want that needle to stay on 5 (k) or over 5 for too long and if you reduce your speed it will most likely also reduce your rpm’s when you are towing. |
Posted By: GoTak
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2010 at 5:02pm
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When I use yizit's first link to calculate tow limit for 2007 Odyssey.
GCWR(8210 lbs.) - GVWR(5952 lbs.) = 2258 lbs. only.... It is almost Dry weight for 172. This result tells me that I should not tow with Odyssey. Now I am so confused what I should do. ------------- 2010 r-pod172 |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2010 at 5:59pm
That calculation makes no sense to me. I don't see GCWR - GVWR being a useful number. The GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) is the total maximum weight of vehicle + trailer + people + stuff that your Odyssey is capable of hurtling down the highway. The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is the total maximum weight that your Odyssey is capable of carrying (either in the vehicle or on top of it), and, most notably, the maximum amount of weight that your vehicle's braking system is capable of safely stopping. ----- Given what you said in your first post, my gut feeling is that you're going to be very close to your Odyssey's limit. You should really check it out at the weigh scale. Load up your family, your camping gear and trailer and head to the weigh scales. See how much your loaded vehicle really weighs. See how much your trailer really weighs. Then, check and make sure that you don't exceed your tow capacity or your GCWR. ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |
Posted By: photog
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2010 at 6:48pm
Out bound is right, you are assuming that the Odyssey is loaded to the limit. Run the Odyssy over a scale loaded as you would towing the trailer. Deduct that weight from the GCVWR and you know what you can tow. Would be nice if there would be at least a 10% safety cushion.
------------- Heinrich and Elly 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab Prime Time Tracer 205 M |
Posted By: GoTak
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2010 at 11:14am
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Thank you for all information. ------------- 2010 r-pod172 |
Posted By: Larry
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2010 at 1:24pm
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I did a little research for you and it appears that 2007 Honda Odyssey is not the best kind of towing vehicle for anything over 2,000 lbs. It’s rated to be able to tow 3,500 lbs but everything that I’ve read says that you should install a transmission cooler on the Odyssey if you‘re going to pull that kind of weight. It can be done without the cooler but from what I’ve read I would not advise it. Ideally you should have about 1,000 lbs between the maximum towing capacity of your tow vehicle and the dry weight of your trailer. This leaves room for options, cargo, etc. If I were you I’d talk to two or three different mechanics about your 2007 Odyssey’s towing capacity; get two or three opinions; also see what your owner’s manual says about towing. Forget about GCWR, etc. it’ll only make things complicated. Look at what your vehicle can safely tow and then look at the dry weight of what you want to tow. Consider options and all of the other weights later. That’s my best advice!
Click on this link and read what it says about transmission issues: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Odyssey - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Odyssey#Transmission_issues |
Posted By: Larry
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2010 at 1:39pm
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P.S. I should also add that Honda Odyssey is a top rated minivan, but another consideration would be the Towing Model as described in the article. |
Posted By: yizit
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2010 at 11:40pm
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Exceeding any of the weight ratings of the RV or the tow vehicle is nothing more than a negligence lawsuit waiting to happen. If it's proven that you exceeded the manufacturer's ratings in any way, it can easily be argued that constitutes negligence on your part in the event of an accident. The best way to look at it is to take each and every maximum rating and make sure you are under every one of them. Especially after you are loaded, fueled and ready to get on the road. Often, the only way to do this is to load up your rig and head for the nearest truck stop with a scale. Weighing your rig and understanding the weights you get are key to a safe outcome. ------------- Former owner of 2009 Rpod 172 Darlene & Jim, Ewok our Lhasa Roada our 2004 Roadtrek 190P Conversion Van |
Posted By: photog
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 1:58am
Amen
------------- Heinrich and Elly 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab Prime Time Tracer 205 M |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 8:07am
Fortunately for Go Tak, the transmission issues in the article refer to second-gen Odysseys and the 99-01 models were specifically identified as having problems with the transmission. Go Tak has a 2007 and, according to the article, it "has fewer transmission problems compared to the second generation, and 2005–2008 overall reliability has been average to better than average according to Consumer Reports." Of course, Wikipedia, by its nature, is not an authoritative source and the information should be verified elsewhere. I'd also suggest that anything that Consumer Reports has published should be taken with a very large grain of salt; their reporting of Suzuki Samurai rollovers in 1988 was completely manufactured, misleading and irresponsible and I lost trust in everything they've ever published ( http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/business/suzuki-resolves-a-dispute-with-a-consumer-magazine.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss - NY Times Article ). ------------- Craig :: 2008 Mazda Tribute :: 2009 r-pod 171, The Johnnie Ray |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 8:42am
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I concur, always get a few opinions from different sources.
It's the only way to come to an informed conclusion, or assumption. |
Posted By: TerryM
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 9:24am
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Load up your Pod exactly the way you would for camping. Take it somewhere and have it weighed. As for the dealers, it's sad to say this but, they will do anything to sell a camper. Including telling a lie. That is a generalized statement as there are of course some truthful dealers out there. Just not many. Terry |
Posted By: gepaine
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 7:56pm
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The weight ratings for our 2008 Toyota Sienna make no sense at all to me. The GCWR is 7827, the published curb weight is 4270, and the towing capacity is 3500 lbs.
Doing the math:
7827 - 4270 - 3500 = 57 pounds
According to this, the only way one can tow 3500 pounds is to find a driver and fuel load combination that does not exceed 57 pounds!
Maybe hire a 2nd grader and only carry a gallon or two ??!!
So far our Sienna has handled fine when pulling our R-POD, but I am very cautious about how much cargo I carry. ------------- Gene & Linda - 2007 Escalade - 24-Foot Keystone Cougar TT- Life is not just about gas mileage! |
Posted By: photog
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 9:51pm
Curbweight is the empty vehicle without gasoline. So, 100 lbs for gas, 2 people and lets say 200 lbs of luggage makes for 700 lbs.
curbweight= 4270
+ 700
4970 deducted from 7827 = 2857 lbs, thats what you can tow.
This is without any safety margin whatsoever, and yes the manufactures tow ratings are not always explained.
Ford states it very clearly, the 3500 lbs tow rating is for the vehicle, gas and driver. Everything else that you put into or on the vehicle comes of that rating. That is why they publish a GCWR. ------------- Heinrich and Elly 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab Prime Time Tracer 205 M |
Posted By: Larry
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 11:08pm
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So what is the people weight that auto manufactures use when doing these calculations? I mean do they calculate based on a person weighing 150 lbs; because given the obesity rate here in the U.S. I doubt if the average weight of a person is 150 lbs. I weigh 200 lbs. and that’s the preferred weight for my height and BMI according to my doctor. If they are calculating based on a 150 lb person I would think that they are under-estimating things. |
Posted By: PodPatrol
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2010 at 11:28pm
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I would assume that they do an average weight calculation.
100lbs Gas
200lbs cargo
=300lbs
subtract that from 700, you get 400lbs. For two people that would average 200lbs per.
But IMHO if your at the 500lb line (over/under) then it should be of some concern.
Over 500 and I'd feel ok with that. (over 500lbs under limit)
Under 500 then I'm concerned. (close to limit)
Ive seen some Ridgelines at their forum that are tote'n some "big units!"
But they have mod'd out their Ridgelines to compensate, to some extent, and I'm sure the RVs are of a lightweight nature.
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Posted By: postalpanzer
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2010 at 3:06pm
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My experience with consumer reports has been spot on My parents were divorced but separately bought a white ford tempo and a white mercury topaz sister vehicles basically the exact same car. Consumer reports had marked on reliability a full black circle for the air conditioning and the engine. Both vehicles the air conditioning broke and both engine blocks cracked. My nissan sentra had a full black circle on exhaust system and it rusted out three times in 5 years My dodge intrepid had a full black circle on power windows and transmission the driver side power window broke and I had to get my McDonalds drive through by opening the door and reaching around. I didnt wait for the transmission to go. |
Posted By: postalpanzer
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2010 at 3:11pm
| we have a Mercury Mariner 3L V6 six speed automatic we just got our R pod 177 Are you saying that this is not a proper towing vehicle for an R Pod? |
Posted By: tdrace
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2010 at 4:01pm
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I tow with my Hyundai Santa Fe V-6 With no problems. It did not have a tow package. I had one put on at U-haul and Couch's added the Equalizer E-2 for weight distrubution and sway control. I have never had any problem so I think you should be fine. ------------- Theresa's Seaside Cowgirl 2010 FORD F150 V-8 2010 R-POD 173 Sisters on the Fly #1569 |
Posted By: Kenn
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2010 at 6:46pm
As far as your Mariner, you should be fine with it as long as you're not planning on going back and forth to the Rockies and ensuring that you stay within the weight limitations for your vehicle. Tow ratings and such are for safety, rather than the capability of your vehicle. Usually, brakes and vehicle weight plays a big role on how much a vehicle can tow. A good example would be a RAM and a Viper: both have the same engine, but I guarantee that you'd destroy the Viper towing the same trailer you would with a RAM.
You should also watch the stuff you place in your POD, for it too has a GVWR.
Hope all is well. Good Luck! ------------- 
2010 RPOD 176 (Silly-POD), 2011 Forest River Stealth 2612, and 2014 Forest River XLR 380AMP |