Who says you can't take everything with you?

[Captain Ollie West]

Nothing like taking it all with you!

 

[edthearcher]

i would not want his gas bill

 

[Captain Ollie West]

Here is another one. I wonder what the rated towing capacity is on that motorhome. That combo must weigh 9-10K.

 

[haulnazz15]

I did a quick search for fun on Airstream Land Yacht motorhomes . . . not one of them seemed to be rated to tow more than about 5K! . I agree that rig would be 9-10K lbs at a minimum. I figured 1,800 for the Aluminum car hauler, 700lbs motorcycle, 3,500lbs Blazer, and 3,000lbs boat. Maybe he found a way to beef up the chassis on the Class A, but I doubt it. Probably towing with a Class III hitch with a 2" ball, too.

 

[bassman284]

I found this list from 2006 where it shows Land Yachts with diesel pusher rated at 10,000.

 

[haulnazz15]

Well I hope that's the model he has then, lol. Either way, he's at the limit.

 

[frantically relaxing]

It's not hard to up the 'tow rating' of a motorhome. I used to tow my 7200-or-so pound Sun Runner all over the place with my 27' Winnebago, which was factory rated to tow 3000 pounds. How? I had a killer hitch built and installed. It was actually 2 hitches, one of which was bolted way up under to the original Chevy frame, and a second hitch bolted up "normally" onto the frame extension. A piece of 2" solid bar was fit into both hitch's receivers and welded in place, essentially making them a single unit. The Winne already had air bags so tongue weight was no issue at all. I could've towed a freight train with that setup!

 

[Captain Ollie West]

That is quite a combination!

 

[haulnazz15]

I'm not sure how simply bolting/welding on hitch components raises the GCWR of your RV. Engine/gearing/brakes/suspension/etc all go into calculating that amount. Unless you got a spec sheet from Winnebago certifying that your alterations have increased the towing capacity, I'm not sure how well that would hold up in court, if it came to that.

 

[H20Rat]

I'm not sure how simply bolting/welding on hitch components raises the GCWR of your RV. Engine/gearing/brakes/suspension/etc all go into calculating that amount. Unless you got a spec sheet from Winnebago certifying that your alterations have increased the towing capacity, I'm not sure how well that would hold up in court, if it came to that.

Unless he is towing commercial, or exceeding 26000 pounds, there is no reason to ever end up in court... There is no law saying it is illegal to exceed tow ratings, for a non-commercial driver (within the license class at least)

 

[Captain Ollie West]

I have heard that lawyers love it when an accident occurs with a vehical that is exceeding the factory ratings. A friend of mine towed a huge 5th wheel with an F250. He changed to an F350 dually after talking with some full-timers in RV parks. They told him stories of people being sued because they exceeded the rated capacities of their vehicles. He went with the F350 mainly for the bigger brakes, but I am sure the stories from the guys in the RV parks influences him as well.

 

[Water logged]

It's not hard to up the 'tow rating' of a motorhome. I used to tow my 7200-or-so pound Sun Runner all over the place with my 27' Winnebago, which was factory rated to tow 3000 pounds. How? I had a killer hitch built and installed. It was actually 2 hitches, one of which was bolted way up under to the original Chevy frame, and a second hitch bolted up "normally" onto the frame extension. A piece of 2" solid bar was fit into both hitch's receivers and welded in place, essentially making them a single unit. The Winne already had air bags so tongue weight was no issue at all. I could've towed a freight train with that setup!

You did not upgrade the tow rating of the coach. You only upgraded the hitch. Your rear axle, axle bearings and airbags were way overloaded as was the frame of the coach. You were lucky it held together with that load.

Glenn

 

[kjsAZ]

Only partially true. These RV's are usually build on pick-up frames rated for 10k# and more and are rated lower as the new hitch attachment is towards the added rear section which isn't as strong. If you attach the load the way FR did (to the original PU frame) you upgrade the tow rating.
Some of these RV's you can meanwhile buy with this type of tow rating upgrade.

 

[Captain Ollie West]

I hate it when that happens!

 

[frantically relaxing]

For what it's worth- the main reason for the original tow rating was due to the original flimsy 3000# rated hitch...

This has been our vacation setup for the past 3 years. Didn't need to upgrade nuthin'
(although I am going to put electric brakes on the Chap trailer)...