towing of heavier toad
Have presently a Winnebago class "A" 35 foot motor home. Desiring to pull a larger vehicle. I have noticed in the last 6-7 months appears a lot of motor homes are pulling jeeps, small trucks, mid size...
Forum Discussion
You haven’t given us much information about the motorhome itself, including model and year. If your motorhome only has a gross weight of 24,000 lbs. it must be gas powered on either a Ford or Workhorse chassis.
If it is either of these chassis the hitch is not factory original. The maximum towing capacity of gas chassis in this weight range is 5,000 lbs., unless you have a late model Ford chassis which is capable of towing 6,000 lbs.
I don't understand your statement: "The motor home has larger assisted brakes, additional torsion bar at rear, front sway bar, heavier shocks, improved cooling for engine and trans, and Banks Pac added to engine." Again more detail is needed. I've never heard of anyone installing "larger Assisted brakes". There is no way to install larger brake pads without installing larger calipers and rotors. Larger rotors would also necessitate larger wheels.
The front and rear sway bars are standard on most newer chassis. They don't increase towing capacity but rather minimize the effort needed to control the motorhome in windy or heavy truck traffic conditions. The shocks will also have no effect on the towing capacity.
As for the Banks Pac there are several available, everything from merely expanding the air intake and exhaust flow, to those with transmission modifications. Unless you know exactly what you have I wouldn’t risk overloading the chassis or drivetrain. Keep in mind the engine and transmissions are matched. An example is the Ford 310 hp 2 valve per cylinder mated to the 4R100 transmission. The engine has a maximum torque output of 425 ft. lbs. of torque from the factory. The 4R100 transmission can handle a maximum of 455 ft. lbs. of input torque from the factory. You can’t increase the engine output torque beyond the maximum transmission input torque unless you upgrade the transmission as well.
In addition the weak points on most older motorhomes are the frame rail extensions. While the original frame can handle a heavy load and a substantial amount of pulling force the extensions are generally lighter than the original frame. The hitch is anchored to the frame extensions and will be capable of pulling only a limited amount of weight.
Someone has increased the size of the trailer hitch in an attempt to tow something beyond the original capacity of the chassis. Unless the chassis and drivetrain has been upgraded as well attempting to increase the GCWR from 24,000 lbs. to nearly 26,000 lbs. is a recipe for disaster. It may work on a temporary basis, but I would expect expensive problems in the future if all the bases aren’t covered.
If it is either of these chassis the hitch is not factory original. The maximum towing capacity of gas chassis in this weight range is 5,000 lbs., unless you have a late model Ford chassis which is capable of towing 6,000 lbs.
I don't understand your statement: "The motor home has larger assisted brakes, additional torsion bar at rear, front sway bar, heavier shocks, improved cooling for engine and trans, and Banks Pac added to engine." Again more detail is needed. I've never heard of anyone installing "larger Assisted brakes". There is no way to install larger brake pads without installing larger calipers and rotors. Larger rotors would also necessitate larger wheels.
The front and rear sway bars are standard on most newer chassis. They don't increase towing capacity but rather minimize the effort needed to control the motorhome in windy or heavy truck traffic conditions. The shocks will also have no effect on the towing capacity.
As for the Banks Pac there are several available, everything from merely expanding the air intake and exhaust flow, to those with transmission modifications. Unless you know exactly what you have I wouldn’t risk overloading the chassis or drivetrain. Keep in mind the engine and transmissions are matched. An example is the Ford 310 hp 2 valve per cylinder mated to the 4R100 transmission. The engine has a maximum torque output of 425 ft. lbs. of torque from the factory. The 4R100 transmission can handle a maximum of 455 ft. lbs. of input torque from the factory. You can’t increase the engine output torque beyond the maximum transmission input torque unless you upgrade the transmission as well.
In addition the weak points on most older motorhomes are the frame rail extensions. While the original frame can handle a heavy load and a substantial amount of pulling force the extensions are generally lighter than the original frame. The hitch is anchored to the frame extensions and will be capable of pulling only a limited amount of weight.
Someone has increased the size of the trailer hitch in an attempt to tow something beyond the original capacity of the chassis. Unless the chassis and drivetrain has been upgraded as well attempting to increase the GCWR from 24,000 lbs. to nearly 26,000 lbs. is a recipe for disaster. It may work on a temporary basis, but I would expect expensive problems in the future if all the bases aren’t covered.
