MilesAndSmiles Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 My wife and I were planning to tow our 2003 Jetta Diesel Wagon on a dolly behind our 2004 Southwind 37A. Unfortunately, the front bumper hangs so low that the dolly tore it half off! So.... plan B.... I'm looking for a new or lightly used 4WD or AWD toad, 4000 lbs or less, to tow four-down. Ideally should be able to seat five adults in reasonable comfort (Usually it will be the two of us and our 3 dogs, but sometimes we'll be driving with our 3 adult-kids (and temporarily leaving the dogs behind!). I've looked at the Chevy Equinox which looks great, but has only 6.9" ground clearance. We've also looked at the Jeep Compass and Wrangler. Both look like fun cars, but the back seats are pretty tight. Any suggestions? Has anyone modified an Equinox to give it more clearance? Are their Wrangler models that have more back-seat room? How critical is the 4000 lb limit that Fleetwood gives? Could we safely stretch it to 4500 lbs, opening the door to the Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited? 2004 Fleetwood Southwind 37A Retired and loving it! www.milesandsmiles.us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 You have a 4000 lb hitch or only have 4000 left on CGWR? Really you want to be UNDER that amount for your toad. Barb & Dave O'Keeffe 2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesAndSmiles Posted July 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 38 minutes ago, Barbaraok said: You have a 4000 lb hitch or only have 4000 left on CGWR? Really you want to be UNDER that amount for your toad. The sticker in the RV says the towing capacity is 4000 lbs. 2004 Fleetwood Southwind 37A Retired and loving it! www.milesandsmiles.us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 You want a vehicle to tow 4-down with high ground clear, under 4K lbs and able to seat 3 ADULTS in the back. Good luck. We have an AWD Subaru that we pull (manual transmission) but 3 in the back - no way. Barb & Dave O'Keeffe 2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray,IN Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 44 minutes ago, DunellenGuy said: The sticker in the RV says the towing capacity is 4000 lbs. That does not mean you can safely tow 4,000#. How much weight you can tow and be within your Southwinds GCWR totally depends upon your Southwinds actual weight when you are loaded-up(including people and animals, water tank weight, probable holding tank contents weight, LP weight, etc ) ready to go camping, and how much is left between actual loaded weight and GVWR of your MH. Virtually all gas-powered Cl A MH's have a 5,000# hitch weight limit, your 4,000# limit indicates this due to GVWR of your MH. So, in theory you may be able to tow 5,000# IF you reduce the weight of items you load in the MH by 1,000#. The above is only my opinion, not necessarily fact. 2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 LOL don't feel bad I've ripped my bumper off a good 3 times on tow dollies and tilt trailers! Can you remove that black lower lip permanently and be able to clear? It might be ugly but if it works.... Or maybe buy the 04-05 guard that closes off that lip so with some luck it might rub but doesn't catch? http://www.idparts.com/bumper-to-belly-pan-guard-mkiv-jetta-p-2621.html That's gonna be a hard car to replace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesAndSmiles Posted July 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 9 hours ago, Scrap said: LOL don't feel bad I've ripped my bumper off a good 3 times on tow dollies and tilt trailers! Can you remove that black lower lip permanently and be able to clear? It might be ugly but if it works.... Or maybe buy the 04-05 guard that closes off that lip so with some luck it might rub but doesn't catch? http://www.idparts.com/bumper-to-belly-pan-guard-mkiv-jetta-p-2621.html That's gonna be a hard car to replace! It's gonna be impossible to replace! With 170,000 miles it feels like it's just hitting its prime. I'm going to the body shop tomorrow and will ask about removing the lip. 2004 Fleetwood Southwind 37A Retired and loving it! www.milesandsmiles.us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Seward Posted July 12, 2017 Report Share Posted July 12, 2017 We've been towing an 03 Suzuki XL7 4wd for the past 13 years without any issues it weighs a bit over 3,000 lbs don't even know it's behind our coach. Also it doesn't record mileage while being towed. Good luck with your choice and safe travels.... Jim & Sherry Seward 2000 Residency Mod. 3790 2003 Suzuki XL/7 4WD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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