Greeting from SoCal #vanlife

[silex840]

I joined the forum about a week before my first RV purchase ever. Then I waited until I took delivery this past weekend before posting this introduction lol. Well here I am! Bought a lightly used 2017 Carado Axion in base trim. Initial plans to purchase a tow dolly, underhood generator, and rear door ladder. Still on the fence if a roof rack is necessary since there is very limited roof real estate on the 1500 Promaster 136” wheelbase. Are there any local RV meet-ups? I’m going to take a stab at this #vanlife movement and would like to meet others doing the same

Here she is:

[wincrasher]

Tow dolly for what? These vans have very low tow ratings and lightweight hitch setups.

[silex840]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Tow dolly for what? These vans have very low tow ratings and lightweight hitch setups.

Towing cars two wheels up. Tongue weight is 450lb and tow weight maxes out at just over 4500lb for this model.

[Phoebe3]

You can tow the LESSER of the hitch capacity or the GCWR, which is a number provided by your manufacturer that equals the combined weight of the tow vehicle PLUS the vehicle it is towing.

Our Transit 350 HD has a tow hitch with a 5,100 lb capacity, but the GCWR is 11,200 lbs. Since we have weighed our vehicle with people, fuel and water, and come out at 9,000 lbs, we can tow a maximum of 2,200 lbs.

I would be surprised if the Promaster had a higher tow capacity. Be safe out there.

[wincrasher]

I'd be majorly surprised if GCWR allows for a 4500 lbs car to be towed.

Get the van weighed - the conversion should be in the neighborhood of 2500 lbs or so, putting your dry weight somewhere around 7,000 lbs or so. Add in about 1000 lbs for your gear, food & fluids and you'll find you are quickly running out of capacity.

Considering that they put a beefed up minivan transmission in these Promasters, I wouldn't be pushing the limits even if you can get the numbers to work.

Good news is that the only difference between 1500, 2500 and 3500 series is simply the rear leaf springs. All the drivetrain bits are the same.

Check here for the specs - https://www.caranddriver.com/ram/promaster/specs

GCWR is 11,500 lbs. From what I said above, figure about 3,000 lbs towing - subtract the weight of your tow dolly (probably 500-750 lbs), leaving around 2250. Based on my experience with Promasters, that would be a bit taxing and yield extremely poor fuel economy - think 7-8 mpg at best on the flats.

Good luck!

[silex840]

Thanks y’all for the input. Your numbers are fairly spot on! I won’t be towing all the time and when I do it’s netween two destinations within 100mi of each other. Nothing too crazy. The “toy tow” mode will certainly help keep revs up at least.

[Oliver2017]

Congrats! Did you buy the van in Florida and drive it back to SoCal?

[silex840]

Originally Posted by Oliver2017

Congrats! Did you buy the van in Florida and drive it back to SoCal?

Thanks! I got very lucky in that I found exactly what I wanted for the price I could afford literally a stone throw away from where I live. Now I’m curious how Florida came into this discussion?

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by silex840

Thanks! I got very lucky in that I found exactly what I wanted for the price I could afford literally a stone throw away from where I live. Now I’m curious how Florida came into this discussion?

The pic you posted shows a rig parked at Sunshine State RVs. They are one of the best-known Class B resellers in the U.S., and they are located in Florida.

Edit: The listing for that particular rig is here. They may not have updated their website because it is still showing as available.

[silex840]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

The pic you posted shows a rig parked at Sunshine State RVs. They are one of the best-known Class B resellers in the U.S., and they are located in Florida.

Edit: The listing for that particular rig is here. They may not have updated their website because it is still showing as available.

Ahhhhhh, the magic of the internet! I was merely using the photo as a reference as I do not have my own ones yet

[InterBlog]

You'll find that people don't miss a single thing in good user forums. We get treated to a regular parade of shysters, and so we tend to fact check extensively.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by silex840

I joined the forum about a week before my first RV purchase ever. Then I waited until I took delivery this past weekend before posting this introduction lol. Well here I am! Bought a lightly used 2017 Carado Axion in base trim. Initial plans to purchase a tow dolly, underhood generator, and rear door ladder. Still on the fence if a roof rack is necessary since there is very limited roof real estate on the 1500 Promaster 136” wheelbase. Are there any local RV meet-ups? I’m going to take a stab at this #vanlife movement and would like to meet others doing the same

Here she is:

Congrats on the purchase of the 2017...


Why do you think you need to tow anything.... it's a Class B....

[silex840]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

You'll find that people don't miss a single thing in good user forums. We get treated to a regular parade of shysters, and so we tend to fact check extensively.

Touchè!

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Congrats on the purchase of the 2017...


Why do you think you need to tow anything.... it's a Class B....

It's for business reasons primarily as I tow cars between auctions. But from a personal perspective I plan to use a bike or luggage rack which should be fine so as long as it doesn't go over the 450-ish lb tongue weight.

[Coachmen Crossfit owner]

Meetup (you can download the app) has a Huge van crowd that meets at Fiesta Island in San Diego every other month. Search vanlife in SD area on the app. Its free and a lot of fun. Bring Potluck and you get to see what other vanners have come up with. I always find something helpful that people have created within our small living spaces. Some members are full timers and others are summer and weekend warriors like me.

[stevigee]

Our 2016 Transit Diesel with 3.73 gears has a GCWR of 13500. lb

[silex840]

Originally Posted by stevigee

Our 2016 Transit Diesel with 3.73 gears has a GCWR of 13500. lb

Wrong thread?

[dhectorg]

Originally Posted by silex840

Towing cars two wheels up. Tongue weight is 450lb and tow weight maxes out at just over 4500lb for this model.

No way you will have enough capacity to tow a car after you're loaded up with gear, fluids and people. You'll be left with 2000 pounds towing at best. My question is, with a rig this tiny, why do you even need a tow vehicle? One of the biggest benefits of a small class B like this is the fact that it can go anywhere.

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by dhectorg

No way you will have enough capacity to tow a car after you're loaded up with gear, fluids and people. You'll be left with 2000 pounds towing at best. My question is, with a rig this tiny, why do you even need a tow vehicle? One of the biggest benefits of a small class B like this is the fact that it can go anywhere.

He explained this a few posts back.

[dhectorg]

Originally Posted by BBQ

He explained this a few posts back.

My bad, missed that.

[silex840]

Thanks y’all again for all the welcome words and advice to this newbie! I’ll be taking her on her first maiden voyage soon. Still deciding overnight logistics and trip plans.