HowdyI just bought a 1997 forest river sun seeker 2300 with 18,000 miles and the ford v10 on the e350 chassisThe hitch is rated at 3500 and I'm having trouble finding any others rated for more. Specifically I'd like to find a 10,000 lb rated one. Then I noticed that the factory frame has been extended 31` by butt welding and crosses plating. Question: can safely beef up the frame and hitch to haul a 18 foot flat bed car hauler with my jeep wrangler? Total weight around 6000\7000 pounds with tongue weight around 500, if so, how?Thanks!

Without trying to examine specs online I think the answer will be no. Look at the GCVWR and see if the loaded RV with the loaded trailer will be over. I will bet it will. Then look at the GVWR. Look at the actual weight of your loaded rig and then add the tongue weight. I doubt that a properly loaded 7000# trailer will only have a tongue weight of 500#, more like 900#, but make an honest guess. Based on the year, I'll bet it will be over.Then there is the issue of hitch and overhang. Some E350 chassis can tow that much, but they are not extended another 31" after the fact. If everything else is ok it might be worth fabrication that can make this possible.

sunny the 97 Sunseek wrote: Question: can safely beef up the frame and hitch to haul a 18 foot flat bed car hauler with my jeep wrangler? Total weight around 6000\7000 pounds with tongue weight around 500, if so, how?Thanks!Beef up the frame? Sure.... but what about the engine, transmission, brakes, suspension...etc? You think all of that would handle the increased weight plus the 7000 lb trailer/jeep with a large tongue weight?Probably your jeep is 4-down towable...if not, make it so or trade it for another that is. Jeeps are probably the most common 4-down towable you'll see on the road today.'Ron

Definite maybe.I believe the E350's then as now have a GCWR from Ford of 18,500lbs. The issue I suspect will be the chassis GVWR, which might be as low as 11,500lbs. The empty weigh of a 2300 will be mid to high 9's; my '11 E450 2300 is 9950lbs on the door sticker, however I'm on a E450 with a 14,500lb GVWR and 22,000lb GCWR.You could be close or just over on chassis weight once loaded up and with tongue weight.

I agree that flat towing with the proper equipment would be a better choice. A hitch with an appropriate GTW will still be needed.What Wrnagler do you have? My TJ was only 3880 on a scale full of gas.

You have to be close or over your GVWR and GCWR. Aside from that no off the shelf hitch, no matter what it's rated for is going to help you. Your main issue is the frame extension. A custom build shop can fabricate a hitch that ties into the main frame.

towing with a class c | Good Sam Community

MikeRP
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
Sounds like you will have fun!
MikeRP
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
Mich F wrote:
MikeRP wrote:
So your rear axle is supposed to weigh no more than 9600lbs. GVWR is 14500. And GCWR is 22,000lbs. So in my case, my Rear axle is at 9000 lbs. Remember, keeping extra air in your air bags, I run at 70 psi, raises the rear up and puts more weight on the front axle. The Coach overall is at 13,500 lbs fully gassed and loaded.

My toad is 4860 lbs. some would say you are too close to the limits with my toad but remember there is an incredible safety factor in those hitches. They are very conservatively rated and also remember the carrying capacity on a normal truck hitch is nearly double with a weight distributing hitch.

I know a guy who has been towing over 7000 lbs for years with a 3500 lb hitch. Found him on the forest river forum.

The 350 lbs may be weight on the bumper itself. I've hear those bumpers are not rated to carry much weight and 350 strikes me as what mine is. Check it out to be sure.

Overall they have told you anything wrong. You just have to know your weights.

I have a regular frame mounted hitch, which actually has a Winnebago Industries sticker on it.I know they make a lot of their own parts, perhaps they make the hitch also. They just decided to put another 350# tongue weight limit sticker on the b.umper.
I haven't weighed my MH yet, but according to a sticker on the door I'm not to exceed something around 3,275# in passengers and gear so it looks like I have plenty of CCC, if that sticker is anywhere near accurate.
My right side air bag has suddenly developed a leak which I have to get fixed when I bring the MH in next week for a recall on the range.
As far as the Firestone air bags are concerned, I believe they tell you not to exceed 90 or 100#. Back in something like 2004 I talked to someone at Firestone about air bags I had on an F250 with a slide in camper. He told me they were actually good for 150#, but rated them at the lesser weight.

The air bags are rated at 100 psi and sounds like that bumper sticker may be a relic from the old 3500 lb hitches. I'd go by what is on the hitch itself or call the manufacturer not the dealer. They won't know more than likely.

Load it up and take it to a flying j and get a weigh slip record.
sunny_the_97_Su
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
So mike can you send me a link for the Forest River Forum - having problems finding the guy you said tows 7000lbs regularly

Meanwhile, now I understand that Class C's have a horrible time with too much tongue weight in that it can cause the front end to be light and wander. This can especially be a problem if brakes have to be applied abruptly in the rain and suddenly there is no steering...Now granted I will have electric brakes on my car hauler trailer

Has anyone had any experience with loss of steering?

Thanks

Andy
sunny_the_97_Su
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
MikeRP wrote:
So your rear axle is supposed to weigh no more than 9600lbs. GVWR is 14500. And GCWR is 22,000lbs. So in my case, my Rear axle is at 9000 lbs. Remember, keeping extra air in your air bags, I run at 70 psi, raises the rear up and puts more weight on the front axle. The Coach overall is at 13,500 lbs fully gassed and loaded.

My toad is 4860 lbs. some would say you are too close to the limits with my toad but remember there is an incredible safety factor in those hitches. They are very conservatively rated and also remember the carrying capacity on a normal truck hitch is nearly double with a weight distributing hitch.

I know a guy who has been towing over 7000 lbs for years with a 3500 lb hitch. Found him on the forest river forum.

The 350 lbs may be weight on the bumper itself. I've hear those bumpers are not rated to carry much weight and 350 strikes me as what mine is. Check it out to be sure.

Overall they have not told you anything wrong. You just have to know your weights and the advice on the hitch is good. That's why folks tow with a dolly or 4 down. Either of those options put very little downforce on the hitch itself.
Mich_F
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
MikeRP wrote:
So your rear axle is supposed to weigh no more than 9600lbs. GVWR is 14500. And GCWR is 22,000lbs. So in my case, my Rear axle is at 9000 lbs. Remember, keeping extra air in your air bags, I run at 70 psi, raises the rear up and puts more weight on the front axle. The Coach overall is at 13,500 lbs fully gassed and loaded.

My toad is 4860 lbs. some would say you are too close to the limits with my toad but remember there is an incredible safety factor in those hitches. They are very conservatively rated and also remember the carrying capacity on a normal truck hitch is nearly double with a weight distributing hitch.

I know a guy who has been towing over 7000 lbs for years with a 3500 lb hitch. Found him on the forest river forum.

The 350 lbs may be weight on the bumper itself. I've hear those bumpers are not rated to carry much weight and 350 strikes me as what mine is. Check it out to be sure.

Overall they have told you anything wrong. You just have to know your weights.

I have a regular frame mounted hitch, which actually has a Winnebago Industries sticker on it.I know they make a lot of their own parts, perhaps they make the hitch also. They just decided to put another 350# tongue weight limit sticker on the bumper.
I haven't weighed my MH yet, but according to a sticker on the door I'm not to exceed something around 3,275# in passengers and gear so it looks like I have plenty of CCC, if that sticker is anywhere near accurate.
My right side air bag has suddenly developed a leak which I have to get fixed when I bring the MH in next week for a recall on the range.
As far as the Firestone air bags are concerned, I believe they tell you not to exceed 90 or 100#. Back in something like 2004 I talked to someone at Firestone about air bags I had on an F250 with a slide in camper. He told me they were actually good for 150#, but rated them at the lesser weight.
MikeRP
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
Additionally, I always hear how these Coaches e450 are so close to their ratings. And I agree they are. But really they are super heavy duty vehicles. The drive train in the E 450 is almost exactly the same, except for the 3 valve engine which is used on the Class A F53 chassis which will handle 26000 lbs.

It is made to handle some serious loads. At 19000lbs coming off a mountain, the e450 is handling 7000 lbs less than its Class A brethren. It's hardly huffing.

I also find when the Coach is fully loaded is when it drives and rides the best.
MikeRP
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
So your rear axle is supposed to weigh no more than 9600lbs. GVWR is 14500. And GCWR is 22,000lbs. So in my case, my Rear axle is at 9000 lbs. Remember, keeping extra air in your air bags, I run at 70 psi, raises the rear up and puts more weight on the front axle. The Coach overall is at 13,500 lbs fully gassed and loaded.

My toad is 4860 lbs. some would say you are too close to the limits with my toad but remember there is an incredible safety factor in those hitches. They are very conservatively rated and also remember the carrying capacity on a normal truck hitch is nearly double with a weight distributing hitch.

I know a guy who has been towing over 7000 lbs for years with a 3500 lb hitch. Found him on the forest river forum.

The 350 lbs may be weight on the bumper itself. I've hear those bumpers are not rated to carry much weight and 350 strikes me as what mine is. Check it out to be sure.

Overall they have not told you anything wrong. You just have to know your weights and the advice on the hitch is good. That's why folks tow with a dolly or 4 down. Either of those options put very little downforce on the hitch itself.
Mich_F
Explorer
Jul 16, 2013
MikeRP wrote:
Here is my understanding of the rating situation on the new motor homes. Like you I have a 5000 lb hitch which can be upgraded to a a heavier hitch which would usually be 10,000 lbs.

So my manufacturer told me that sure you can upgrade and tow up to the GCVWR. They just won't warranty the Coach. Why? Their theory I'd that with the 10000 lb hitch, I might be stupid enough to load it to 10000lbs which would be over the rated 22,000lbs to 24500 lbs.

Crazy logic if you ask me, however they have told me the provided hitch is very robust.

I saw your post last night but decided to wait until I got home to respond. I somehow managed to use 126 of my monthly 300MBs in the first two days of the billing cycle on my cellphone.

I was looking in the owners operating manual from Itasca. They list all the specs as supplied by Ford including the 22,000 GCWR. They have a note with that which states
Actual towing capacity is dependent on your particular loading and towing circumstances which includes the GVWR, GAWR, and GCWR as well as adequate trailer brakes. Refer to the chassis operator's manual of your motor home for further towing information.

One could read that to mean you can tow up to Ford's rated GCWR. As far as the hitch that is on the MH now, it's rated at 5,000#. There is one sticker on the hitch that says 500# tongue weight, but there's another sticker on the hitch and an additional sticker on the bumper that say not to exceed 350# tongue weight. It also states in the manual that 500# tongue weight on a 228" wheel base adds 800# to the rear axle. They also don't want you to exceed 8" from the center line of the hitch pin to the center line of the ball.
MikeRP
Explorer
Jul 15, 2013
Here is my understanding of the rating situation on the new motor homes. Like you I have a 5000 lb hitch which can be upgraded to a a heavier hitch which would usually be 10,000 lbs.

So my manufacturer told me that sure you can upgrade and tow up to the GCVWR. They just won't warranty the Coach. Why? Their theory I'd that with the 10000 lb hitch, I might be stupid enough to load it to 10000lbs which would be over the rated 22,000lbs to 24500 lbs.

Crazy logic if you ask me, however they have told me the provided hitch is very robust.
Mich_F
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
MikeRP wrote:
MichF

Which motor home do you have?

I have a 2014 Itasca Spirit 31K and a 1997 Coachmen 22RK.

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