How much can I safely tow with my 99 Lincoln Navigator?

[tslanier]

I have a 99 Lincoln Navigator which has around 8500 lbs towing capacity. We are interested in buying our first travel trailer and would love to have a nice used Airstream but are wondering what we can safely tow with this vehicle. I would appreciate any advice from experienced owners.
tslanier
greensboro nc

[StingrayL82]

GVWR of my 71 Sovereign is 7100lbs. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to to that.

Frederic

[overlander63]

Welcome to the forums!
If the towing capacity of you Navigator is 8500 pounds, you should be able to safely tow a trailer weighing 80% of that figure. That would work out to 6800 pounds.
The reason for the difference, is that manufacturers figure towing capacity with an empty vehicle, and no passengers, and little fuel. By the time you add that back in, at 200 pounds per person, and 8 pounds per gallon of fuel, as well as picnic coolers, generators, etc., you are back up the the above figure.
200 pounds x 4 passengers=800 pounds right out of your towing capacity, for example.
30 gallons of fuel x 8 pounds is another 240 pounds, so with four people in the Navigator, and a full tank of fuel, not counting any other supplies, you have deducted over a thousand pounds of towing capacity from your tow vehicle, and you haven't even put the food and supplies in yet.
That said, there are many Airstream models withe a GVWR of 6800 pounds or less. Our Overlander has a GVWR of 6200 pounds, at 26'11"
If you are looking at a new(er) coach, they have gone on a weight gain program over the years, but you can still safely tow a new 25' Safari, and maybe even a 28' one, although I don't have the weight figures on the larger, newer coaches in front of me.
Frederic's Sovereign is a tad over the limit, but not by much, so you can tow something of that size and vintage, as long as you are careful with loading your vehicle.

[robandzoe]

By staying Vintage - you can get more trailer by weight, in my opinion. My 58 30' Sovereign of the Road weighs 3800 lbs. I agree with that you should not go over the 7000lbs range. Good luck. I have a 67 Trade Wind that needs work here in Northern Virginia for $3000. Rob

[CanoeStream]

Howdy and welcome to the forums!

Also look at your Navigator's owners manual. In either a towing, specifications or capacity section there should be a chart for the Navigator's empty weight and GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Restriction). The difference between the two is your capacity -- that is probably also in the chart. That weight has a lot to do with the max capacity of each axle and weight distribution is necessary to transfer some hitch load to the front axle.

Go to http://www.airstream.com/product_lin...ervice/faq.tea and check out the sections on tongue weight and trailer weight. You should be able to come up with an estimate of the people you will normally carry and their weights. Any pets? Does the 'gator have a hitch receiver installed yet? (Count that as 200#). Subtract all those from your capacity number and you should get an idea of the maximum tongue weight you want to be hauling (maneuverability, safety, mechanical issues for the Navigator). I think the same Airstream FAQ page has a list of vintage years, and trailer length/weights.

If you never travel with water, filling only at the final destination (usually possible), you should find it hard to load the trailer to the trailer's max capacity. But the tongue weight will end up being 10-15% of the trailer gross weight -- and hard to keep from the 15% end of the scale. You can't play tricks to balance the tongue weight to less than 10% because that produces a very unstable tow. Try throwing a paper airplane backward and it won't go straight at all -- you don't want that pulling behind you!

This is all great adventure and there are ways to keep it fun. Keep asking questions, browsing the forums, etc. You'll see different opinions and then get to form your own. Come back and share your experiences too!

[StingrayL82]

Good call, Terry. I forgot about the vehicle being loaded. Also, my Sovereign weighs in at 4960lbs empty. I don't think I've ever loaded 2040lbs into any trailer before. When I towed my 1968 29' Streamline Empress from CA to MD, I had it loaded for a cross country trip, and it weighed in at 5900lbs. Granted the Streamline had a lot more aluminum inside than the A/S, making it lighter, but the weight difference was negligible...maybe 150lbs. Also, I always towed with empty tanks, both fresh water (which was a pressurized steel tank...heavy mother!) and black.

Frederic

[05ModPod]

We learned alot about weights and load carrying - lots of opinions here - spoke with car builders, checked out all the available info we could - and did exactly that - based on our own safety levels we made our decision on a nice tow package.

Keep in mind that information here - can be quite different from one person to the next. Trailers range hugely as well - as does the style of travel and types of loads you carry.

A couple without kids who primarily like to eat out - would basically be towing a bedroom/weather shelter. On the other hand a couple in the same trailer with 4 kids, with full eat in supplies and every imaginable toy in tow - could easily pack up about 1500#'s of cargo in the TV and Trailer.

Another point - manufacturers weight ratings - are usually for optimal performance (save the weight on the axles stress breaking points) So in certain cases you can pull more - but your vehicle would not last as long. As well read closely - as our manual gives the weight including passengers (front only) and fuel - but not cargo and rear passengers.

O63 recommends 80% of tow vehicle towing capacity - but most literature will recomend 75% - 5% can represent quite a chunk of available cargo on larger vehicles.

The vintage - units make a great deal of sense - thus we went with a cool 61 Overlander - but wanting newer conveniences was also an issue for us. So we are comprimising - With the wieght capacities in mind - we will gut the 61 save the bathroom and rig it up with as much appliances and systems we can from a 99.

The newer trailers - eg the 99 28 excella is a massive 7800# Max capacity That pretty much rules out any 6 cylinders and light duty 1500 series tow vehicles.

Start making yourself a list of the things you would like to take with you camping and the style of your travel - then you can have an idea of cargo. Factor in Full liquids - as one day you might need them so you may as well be prepared. Add it all up and then do the math - check out the weight chart - and that should give you a pretty good idea of what "Airstream Trailer" you can match to your TV.

Good Luck and welcome to a real cool forum - with lots of diversified people.

[tslanier]

In my owner's manual, it gives GCWR of 12000/13000 lbs and trailer weight of 6400/7900 lbs depending on the axle ratio which I have to determine. But I see references to the GVWR and the dry weight of the various trailers. Does that mean that the 6400/7900 lbs trailer weight maximum for my Navigator should be the maximun GVWR of the trailer I want to tow?

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by tslanier

In my owner's manual, it gives GCWR of 12000/13000 lbs and trailer weight of 6400/7900 lbs depending on the axle ratio which I have to determine. But I see references to the GVWR and the dry weight of the various trailers. Does that mean that the 6400/7900 lbs trailer weight maximum for my Navigator should be the maximun GVWR of the trailer I want to tow?

Close. If you don't know for sure which ratio you have, there should be a tag on the rear axle cover with 3 numbers. It should read something like 3.55 or 4.10, that will be your axle ratio. The 4.10 is preferred for towing, and has the higher tow rating. You will need to subtract the total loaded weight of your Navigator from the GCVW, the difference will be the maximum weight you can tow.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by tslanier

In my owner's manual, it gives GCWR of 12000/13000 lbs and trailer weight of 6400/7900 lbs depending on the axle ratio which I have to determine. But I see references to the GVWR and the dry weight of the various trailers. Does that mean that the 6400/7900 lbs trailer weight maximum for my Navigator should be the maximun GVWR of the trailer I want to tow?

tslanier,
I am from NC and have relatives in GSO Look on your door tag, there is an axle code it will be either a number like 42 or C14 with that number you can call the dealer and ask what the ratio is, or find a decoder online. Another thing you can do is take your VIN to a Ford or Lincoln dealer and ask them to print you a "build" sheet for your vehicle. BTW check out www.outofdoorsmart.com they have a sweet vintage Overlander for sale that would be in your weight range. They are just up the road from you in Colfax, NC.

Aaron