1997 U270 Towing GCVWR vs Hitch

November 11, 2017, 12:19:06 pm

Greetings! My wife and I are looking to buy our first Class A to better enjoy our somewhat regular PCS transfers (AD Coast Guard). After significant reading/research, I think a 36' Unicoach would suit us very well. However, I don't know if it will work with our intended towing setup.

I'm currently looking at a 97 U270. I understand the GVWR is 30,000, GCWR is 36,000, and UVW is around 25,000. We have an enclosed trailer that is 7,000 max fully loaded.

If we load 3,000lbs into the coach itself (highly unlikely, but just for argument), that plus the trailer would put us at a GCWR of 35,000 (25,000 + 3,000 + 7,000), well under max. However, I haven't been able to find any specs on the hitch rating itself. Can the hitch handle 7,000lbs / 700lb tongue with a WD hitch? Does anyone have access to a similar year owner's manual (I'd think 95-97 should be similar)?

Thanks in advance!

Re: 1997 U270 Towing GCVWR vs Hitch

Reply #1 – November 11, 2017, 09:46:10 pm

Greetings 02Coastie,

Welcome to the Forum. If you plan to pull a relatively heavy trailer behind your coach, you are very smart to look into the towing capacities ahead of time. If you haven't already seen it, the chart linked below will provide some useful information. Notice that the coaches built in the years after 1998 have a higher tow rating.

Foretravel Vehicle Weight

Trying to decipher the tow ratings of various year and model hitch receivers is a bit tricky. In some cases the info is found in the Owner's Manual, but not always. Even calling the factory does not always help. A search of the Forum will provide some hard facts, some opinions, and even a W.A.G. or two. Here are a few threads to get you started:

Trailer hitch question?.

Foretravel towing capacities.

1998 GCWR-.

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