Motorhome help
 

What would be the max size trailer u would pull with this motorhome Class A 2000 Thor Infinity 30' has the triton gas V10 engine, has the towing package, Guys @ the dealership tells me that "ALL" motorhomes should not pull no more then 5000 # ......I'm lookin into pullin a New 24' trailer that weighs Aprox. 3200# ,plus the racecar that weighs 2300#,plus tools & a few parts, and also a new ezgo golf cart that i don't know how much weighs, with this motorhome......Does this sound like to much to be pullin with this motorhome ??? Thanks Guys

Re: Motorhome help
 

The reason most RV dealers say not to pull over 5000# is the hitch system on most RV's are crap. If you can get it beefed up or supported it will hold fine. I have a 32' Coachman with the 460, it has the Banks exauhst kit on it, and the Banks cold air intake system, we haul a 30' Cargo Mate, with our 3000# Mustang, 4 wheeler, Jr. Dragster, tools, and all the other stuff needed to spend the weekend racing. Have not had any issues towing at all. All I did was re-enforce the hitch area of the motorhome, ours actually drives better towing than it does without.

Re: Motorhome help
 

The E Z Go weighs 690 lbs dry. No help on the motor home as I use a tk.

Re: Motorhome help
 

I have a 2005 30 foot Damon with the Ford V10. I tow a 28 foot Haulmark with my 3300# race car, golf cart, junior dragster, tools, parts, etc. Make sure you have the hitch reinforced. Also, I got a Trailer Toad last year and it makes a hugh difference. I travel about 17,000 miles a year with mine and have over 50,000 miles on it now. Motorhome pulls and stops fine.

Re: Motorhome help
 

I would be more concerned with the transmission. I have a 1999 Gulf Stream model, 35' with the Triton v10. I am on my 3rd transmission with only 45K miles on the coach. All I have ever towed is a Ford f-150 behind or an Olds Silhouette. Last time transmission was replaced the commercial Ford dealer in NC said the transmission used in my Ford chassis was the same as used in the Ford Expedition. Way undersized for the RV application. You also have to take into consideration the weight of fuel, water, and any gear you carry in the RV itself. Now I am so paranoid I don't even tow a vehicle behind. I would check what transmission is in that chassis, as it could very well be the junk I have in mine!

Re: Motorhome help
 

Was it worth it? I've been toying with the idea of putting a Banks system on my 454 RV for a couple of years. I'd love to hear a glowing review.

Also, I'll raise my hand as a guy with tranny issues as well. I've had no problem with the hitch area of my RV since the dealer reinforced it for me when I bought it. But, at about 35,000 miles it started showing signs of tranny issues, and it's on it's last legs now. I'll be taking this thing over to Competition Transmissions in the near future to have them make it bullet-proof for me.

Re: Motorhome help
 

So, How about Distribution Bars, Would they help to prolong the life of the tranny ???? Just asking before i buy this kinda stuff

Re: Motorhome help
 

The ford v10 powerwise is fine except for large mountians, our first trans was bad instantly when new,
we made them put in a new unit and not fix the one that came out, now 62,000 miles later no problems.
we run synthetic fluid in motor and transmission.we have a tag axle and stops excellent.we tow a 28' and1' extra tall haulmark edge tri axle.handles and drives well.don't know trailer weight but its heavy,we sell parts and race.hitch we had reinforced as well.just watch for the air filter getting wet in hard rain.
you should be fine go have some fun and good luck. Ray Fordyce jr

ps. carry a spare coil pack

Re: Motorhome help
 

I have a 30' 2004 Georgie Boy with the V10 and E4OD trans pulling a 24' Haulmark with all my junk and it does just fine. The Ford MH chassis is rated at 26000 GCWR, which is the MH and trailer combined weight. My MH, totally loaded, is less than 16,000 and the trailer and all the junk is right about 9K. Last time on the scales loaded with my "crew", fuel and water, it was right about 24K. The V10 does remarkably well. You'll just have to get used to the engine screaming at 4500 RPMs when it is really working hard but it will suprise you at how well it pulls.

You really have to pay attention to the hitch and what it is attached to. A lot depends on the wheelbase of the chassis on your box. If you have a short wheelbase then the OEM chassis gets extended by the coach mfg. This can be a recipe for disaster since a lot of times the material used for the extension is lighter weight than the OEM chassis and fabricated by some high school kid. Ultimately the hitch is connected to the chassis and if it is through weak frame extensions it is never going to be right.

When I went shopping for a box I searched until I found one that did not have any frame extensions and the hitch (Reese) was welded directly to the OEM chassis. I then had it reinforced further with some additional gussets. You MUST use a weight distribution hitch. I also added the dual-cam style sway bar. This setup is fairly expensive but it is worth it's weight in gold. The trailer is rock steady behind the MH and after a while you almost forget it's there. Look at a setup like this:
http://www.drawtite-hitches.com/prod...und_Bars,66078

I have never used a Trailer Toad but except for sway, it looks like it would be a nice setup too. It would certainly help keep the tongue weight to a minimum.

I fiddled with the placement of my car in the trailer to get the best tongue weight. I also added the Firestone air bags to the rear suspension which was a very noticable improvement too. They are cheap and really easy to install yourself on the Ford MH.

I have not had any trans problems although it doesn't suprise me to hear that others have. The E4OD/4R100 is essentially a C6 with an overdrive. It is a very stout unit and rated at 1000 ft/lbs of torque. It is the same trans they put behind the Powerstroke diesel for many years. Even so, I plan on adding a trans temp gauge and maybe a deep aluminum pan which adds six quarts. Heat is the trans killer and when the converter unlocks and your pulling a big hill, it's gonna get HOT.

Forget about gas mileage. I get 6 to 6.5 MPG when hauling the trailer. I have read a lot about the banks kit for the V10 and supposedly it really helps with pulling power, but does nothing for fuel mileage, which seems reasonable to me. You gotta burn fuel to make power. Pricey package though. I've been tempted, but haven't done it.

Watch those frame extensions..!!!!

Good luck

Re: Motorhome help
 

I have a 29 ft 2003 with work horse chassis 8.1 liter it works well, i get 71/2 mpg. All i have done to it was put some magna flow mufflers on it what a difference, I pull a 28 ft Vintage trailer in over drive it runs about 2500 rpms at 70 mph. Not very often do I have to use 3rd gear maybe in high head wind.

Re: Motorhome help
 

Mine is a 02 Gulfstream V-10, bought it new, 37000+ miles, had a recall on the fridge, 28', foot extra tall, dragster, golf cart, I am happy with it.
Like said before, have the hitch done up good and arange your trailer for the least amount oftongue wieght. I think tongue wieght is the key.
Also, mine never goes into overdrive until I am on the hy-way
BB

Re: Motorhome help
 

[QUOTE=Jason Oldfield;91434]Was it worth it? I've been toying with the idea of putting a Banks system on my 454 RV for a couple of years. I'd love to hear a glowing review.

QUOTE]


Jason I cant really say on this coach because it was on it when I got it, but this coach tows a whole lot better than my 32' bounder did with the v-10. and being its a 460 base engine, it has the C-6 trans so no trans worries here.

Re: Motorhome help
 

I have been looking at c class motorhomes with ford v 10 and 4od trans .are the chassis not strong enough for a 28 ft trailer? I see very few of them at the races. There are tons of them for sale, but i wondered why noboby uses them. Thanks

Re: Motorhome help
 

big differance in chassis from the class C to the class A. A friend of ours uses a class C with his 24' trailer, and hates towing it anywhere, we used my motorhome to take hit trailer to a race not long ago, and he was amazed at how much better it towed.

His is now for sale also.

Re: Motorhome help
 

I just bought a '07 Winnebago Class C 31' Outlook earlier this year. I use it to pull my open trailer, and I honestly cannot tell that it is back there. I talked at length with Marc LaBrecque at Diamond RV before I bought this unit and his advice was extremely helpful. The Winnebago units are truly better made motorhomes than many of the other brands that I looked at. Mine has a 215" wheelbase and has the rear air springs. This is my first motorhome, so I really don't have anything to compare it to but I have been pleased with how well it drives and with how it pulls the trailer. I plan on maybe boxing in the frame extensions at some point, but as Marc pointed out, it is probably not necessary with the Winnebago and my current trailer.

The only issue I have is, of course, with fuel mileage. It has the V10, and gets about 7 mpg or so without the trailer and about 6 mpg with it. Anyone have any suggestions on how to improve this? I usually drive about 67-68 mph with the engine turning about 2400-2500 rpm. I called Hypertech and they told me that they do not have a programmer for it yet, but they are working on it. I've heard good things about the Banks systems, but it seems like the payback would take forever.

Dean

Re: Motorhome help
 

I started out looking for a class C but found my way to a class A instead. Maybe I'm too anal, but I tend to pay attention to the mfg specifications and the class C chassis don't have enough GCWR to tow most enclosed racecar trailers. The F450 chassis has a GCWR of 20K lbs and most 26' to 32' class C's use up 14,500 of that in their own loaded weight (GVWR). You only have 5500 lbs of capacity for what you are towing. You might get away with an aluminum trailer and a really light racecar and get it down to 5500 lbs, but it's not likely. A trailer-toad would probably really help in this case. An open trailer might work pretty well.

The Ford class A chassis has a GCWR of 26K. I purposely looked for a short overall length with a long wheelbase and a fairly low GVWR to maximize the towing capacity.

I see quite a few Ford chassis class C's, even quite a few E350 chassis which only have a GCWR of 17,600 lbs, towing pretty substantial trailers, so it CAN be done. I wouldn't want to do it myself, however.

Re: Motorhome help
 

I use a 2002 class A motorhome v10 to tow a 24 foot trailer with a s/st car and golf cart.Have had real good luck with it,hitch has extra braces and air bags.This year I bought a Trailer Toad and am very happy with it.Takes all the load off the coach, much better ride,took all the sway out when you pass or get passed by the big trucks.Worth looking at anyway. Trailer Toad ask for Jok 319-404-7001

Re: Motorhome help
 

We (http://www.drcraceproducts.com) do quite a bit of motorhome hitches. Your only concern should be a hitch which is mounted properly. Gasoline chassis motorhomes need to use the weight distribution bars as well as some sort of sway control. Diesel pushers with air ride suspension don't require weight distr. bars but by installing them loosely, they will take out the bounce you'll get when you hit bumps. You won't have any problems towing with this unit and if this is your first motorhome, I think you're really going to be happy you have it. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 609-209-9979.