Towing with Pleasure Way Lexor FL

[MotoBill]

Anyone towing with their Lexor and how has that been?
I'm looking to tow my motorcycle and worry about weight limits.
Thanks, Bill

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by MotoBill

Anyone towing with their Lexor and how has that been?
I'm looking to tow my motorcycle and worry about weight limits.
Thanks, Bill

Welcome to the forum MotoBill!

You're probably only talking about a 1,000-1500lb trailer & bike combined weight and at most a couple of hundred pounds of tongue weight at the hitch. Your Lexor will probably not even know it's there.

But to be safe, check the door sticker ratings, hitch rating, and weigh your rig fully loaded and gassed up (with passengers) at a CAT scale so you'll know how much capacity is left.

By the way it won't change my answer, but what year Lexor? Sprinter or Promaster?

[booster]

Chevy or Promaster?

[MotoBill]

Promaster 2020, don't have it as yet...but by July should have it. The trailer is 1100 lbs, Bike is 800.

[booster]

Originally Posted by MotoBill

Promaster 2020, don't have it as yet...but by July should have it. The trailer is 1100 lbs, Bike is 800.

A quick look at specs would say there is plenty of tow capacity but you could easily bump off max combined weight.


It looked like if you were at max gross for the van without a trailer, you would only have 800 left for a trailer, but you would have to get the van lighter by the tongue weight to do that even.


So it all will depend on how much the loaded van weighs, it appears.

[MotoBill]

I know I can add 2150 lbs, but with a trailer and motorcycle that 1900 already. That doesn't leave much for supplies. I think I need a lighter trailer and then should be ok.
Thanks for all the replies.

[Jon in AZ]

What is that 2150#? Payload? Towing capacity? Only the tongue weight of the trailer (and the hitch itself) count against payload.

The real bottom-line limits are the GCWR, GVWR, and the RAWR. When you’re close, you’ll want to verify your set-up against those ratings. Of course it all starts with the UVW. Is that number listed somewhere, or have you weighed your unloaded van?

1100# is a pretty heavy trailer, so that would be a good place to start regardless. No sense in dragging around 600 pounds or more of unnecessary weight. A simple, open trailer for one bike should be well under 500# empty.

[MotoBill]

It's the GCWR - GVWR = 2150.
My trailer is enclosed, which I'll have to change to an open, less weight, trailer.
Thanks for the feed back.
Bill

[Jon in AZ]

Since the tongue weight of the trailer is included in the GVW of the van, that 2150# only has to cover the axle weight of the trailer, likely 1600-1700# on a 1900# trailer. That part is good.

The more important issue is whether the tongue weight of the trailer, combined with everything else you carry in the van- people and cargo, will put you over the GVWR or the RAWR.

[MotoBill]

Beside lowing my trailer weight, the rating for the tongue weight on the RV is only 200 lbs. My enclosed trailer exceeds that. Most of the weight of the motorcycle is in front of the axle of the trailer, which adds weight to the tongue.
I need a trailer that that will not exceed the 200 lb tongue weight with loaded motorcycle. Most trailer suppliers can not give you the right information with a loaded motorcycle. I need to go to a custom fabricator.

[booster]

Originally Posted by MotoBill

Beside lowing my trailer weight, the rating for the tongue weight on the RV is only 200 lbs. My enclosed trailer exceeds that. Most of the weight of the motorcycle is in front of the axle of the trailer, which adds weight to the tongue.
I need a trailer that that will not exceed the 200 lb tongue weight with loaded motorcycle. Most trailer suppliers can not give you the right information with a loaded motorcycle. I need to go to a custom fabricator.

They now list a special trailer towing package for the Promasters, is yours going to have that?

[MotoBill]

Not sure, I know I have towing with it, but not a special package.

[Kdbjones]

Lexor’s are on the Pro Master platform.

[Bjones7788]

The weight ratings for 1. the vehicle when loaded, 2. the rear axle with the vehicle loaded and 3. the vehicle (loaded) plus a loaded trailer are all single figures in most operator's manuals. Most owners treat these numbers as the Holy Grail. They is not.

They should be viewed as providing generalized GUIDANCE, because a factory weight rating figure can not account for a host of variables that would fill several pages of the operators manual if they were included in the manual.

A simple example might be that driving I-95 up the east coast or I-10 across the country encounters no steep inclines, where as climbing out of Death Valley on a secondary road puts the rig on inclines well beyond US DOT maximum grade standards for interstate road construction. So power requirements as well as engine and transmission cooling requirements particularly on a very hot mid summer day are vastly different but the operator's manual only provides one number.

Because most RVs have a long overhang between the rear axle and the trailer hitch ball, the mass and momentum of the trailer - at interstate speeds - can exert far more leverage on steering controlability than would be encountered with conventional similar size 3,500 series pickups or vans which have much shorter lever arms between rear axle and hitch ball. (Think of a situation with sudden heavy braking and swerve to avoid a collision). Most RVs with a trailer at Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating are at risk for Jack Knife or starting an uncontrollable sway under emergency lane change and hard braking conditions. ( Consider starting with shallow turns and weak brake application, in a safe area, then gradually increase the turn and braking, to get a sense of how your vehicle with trailer actually handles.) I tow cross country a lot and found that our first Chevy Roadtrek 200 had a very optimistic GCVWR, the 210 model is better but the 190 Chevy Roadtrek clearly has the best towing characteristics in this regard. Just small differences in overhang length between these models made a big difference in towing safety.

Two more tid bits from an old guy.

Google Michelin RV Tire Blow Out Crash Prevention Youtube - Michelin, The Recreation Vehicle Manufacturers Industry Association and Nevada DOT provide expert advice on how to avoid the dreaded roll over with an RV tire blow out.

Also Google U-Haul trailer sway Youtube for a good demonstration of uncontrollable sway physics due to improper trailer loading.

BJ 14 trailers and lots of cross country over size towing over 50 years

[MotoBill]

Thanks for your feed back, it's been helpful.
I have towed before, but not with a RV, your feed back helps me know what to expect.
I will take it slow until I know have the vehicle will respond.
Thanks again,
Bill

[CarolMerrell]

Hi Bill,

We have a 2016 PW Lexor and have been seamlessly towing a BMW F800GS on a Kendon single trailer. The trailer weighs about 350lbs and folds nicely when we take the bike off at our destination. The bike weighs about 450. We can't even feel it when towing. We've towed it from California to Nova Scotia, Yellowstone, The Black Hills, through the Rockies and back. Good luck.

[MotoBill]

Carol,

Thanks for the info and photos.
Sold my fold-up trailer last year and now have a 6x10 V-nose, 1100 lbs, and my BMW is 790 lbs. You're pulling half my weight. I wish I had the smaller trailer now.
Will see how I do and can always down size on the trailer later if need be.
Thanks again for the reply,
Bill