Class A Towing capacity

[sandhills]

I apologize as I'm sure this topic has been discussed in the past! We are looking at buying our 1st Class A motorhome(33ft-36ft) but not sure if we should go diesel or gas. At times we will be pulling 5,000-6,000lb trailer and not sure if the gas RV will be able to handle that much. Pretty much just traveling through flatland and smaller hills(no mountains). Thanks for any advice!

[timmac]

I tow over 5000 lbs with my gas motorhome, do some modifications to the back chassis and add air bags and it does just fine..



The boat you see now in the pic has been replaced with a heavier one, my weight might be close to 6000 lbs now but I do have 4 brakes on that trailer..

:B

[TDInewguy]

lbligh wrote:

TDInewguy wrote:
There is 10,000lb capacity on diesels, but two things. the hitch rating AND the tranmission. The lower cost diesel motorhomes USUALLY have the Allison 2000 or 2500 transmission, and the beefy ones have the Allison 3000 transmission. This is a big piece in the tow capacity.

I have an allison 3000 and can safely tow 10,000 all day long and I have done it for over 40,000 miles. I did have a custom hitch made that was much stronger than the OEM hitch, but that is another discussion and is related to my wanting things to be more than safe.

good luck on your search!

This is exactly how things like this get started. Where did the idea that "There is 10,000lb capacity on diesels, but two things. the hitch rating AND the transmission" come from because that simply is NOT TRUE. There are many components that come into play when GVWR and GCWR ratings are established.

First, there are many coaches that have a GCWR greater than 10,000 lbs. So, your statement that "there is a 10,000 lb capacity on diesels..." is completely incorrect. As an example, on our current coach, we have a GVWR of 44,600. We have a GCWR of 59,600 and a hitch capacity of 15,000. So, clearly we have a maximum towing capacity of 15,000 lbs.

Second, your statement that the hitch and the transmission alone set these ratings is incorrect. The overall GCWR is set by the manufacturer looking at many different items ie: axle capacity, frame engineering etc. and using industry standards.

The last piece of advise I would give is before you ever entertain the idea of custom making a hitch as you have stated, you first get a copy of the welders liability insurance information. Hitches are rated for a reason and the guy at the local welding shop has no means of rating any hitch.

Safe travels.

You are correct that I made a blanket statement - and should not have.

Regarding the hitch on my RV - it was professionally built by a shop that is certified and builds custom trailers, plows, hitches and many other things, and they put a rating on the hitch of 17,000lbs & 2500lbs tongue weight.

My RV is still limited by the GCWR and other weight limits, but with the old OEM hitch it was a 10,000lb hitch with a 500lb tongue weight rating. Not safe at all for what I am towing. I am still within my weight ratings with what I tow.

The other statement about the transmission - the RV's that have the smaller transmissions - like the 2100 or 2500 allison are not typically rated for more than a 5000lb trailer. Could they be, yes, but not typically.

The Allison 3000 has more than enough capacity to handle the 10,000lb trailer rating put on by most RV manufacturers and some have a 15,000lb rating.

In my extensive research a few years back and calls to Freightliner, Allison and others I found what the limits were for my RV and remedied them in order to have a large safety margin for what I'm towing.

I apologize for making a blanket statement that was not true in every case - it was not my intent. My intent is to educate and help people make good decisions in their rigs.

One more point - the hitch on my Chevy Silverado was known for failing, so the shop that did the custom hitch for my RV also did for my truck and I've been very happy with it. Safety first!

[Daveinet]

Doesn't a drop hitch derate the capacity?

It does point out that most failures are more related to long term wear, as opposed to immediate catastrophic failure as many would have you believe. I inspect my coach as well as the toad base plate regularly. Maybe one of the reason I inspect often is because the welds are my welds.

[xctraveler]

Short story of hitch failure. In my Southwind on a Workhorse w22 chassis I towed a RAV4 weighing 3450 lbs (scale weight). Hitch was rated for 5,000 lbs GCVWR permitted me to tow 3,500 lbs. I had to use an 8" drop hitch to achieve level tow height. After 100,000 miles, returning from Alaska I found that the welds holding the hitch together were cracked. The hitch held together until I reached a safe place to get the coach into repair (this was where I learned how bad it was).

Had I chosen to tow a bigger car as I wanted or put more stuff in the car I have no doubt the story would be a lot worse. The hitch was not overloaded, but it had a lot more stress than one would have expected given the long drop hitch and rough roads it was subjected to.

[Big_Blue]

I am in the process of upgrading from a 2007 35' Montana fifth wheel to a 2008 39' DP Winnebago Diestination (WD08) in this order. Bought the Class A, sold the 5th wheel. Now selling the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD. Then will buy a current model year Subaru with a maual transmission.

Over the past twenty years, have been through two pop-ups, a TT, the 5th & now have absolutely no regrets, only comfortable satisfaction with this Class A. I'm still a few too many years out from full retirement, but will be ready for the road, & then some.

No Regrets ovet the past, great lessons & great trips. Still bonding with the WD08

PS - Watch eBay for awesome opportunities.

[jwoodie]

My MH is rated to tow 6000# but has a 5000# hitch. I towed (four down) a 5500# car and survived.

[Bucky1320]

Some people know what is good for them, and YOU too! 🙂

[Trumpet_Player]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
This guy knows everything about anything----street rods--motor cycles---apples---oranges---now airplanes---and especially how much you can tow!!!!!

Don't know the first thing about motorcycles. Sorry... can't help you there. Now, as for "how much you can tow" (your words)... I am not trying to tell you anything, just trying to educate, which is really hard to do sometimes. The Federal Certification label on your coach and manufacturer hitch ratings TELL you everything you need to know.

Safe travels.

[ferndaleflyer]

This guy knows everything about anything----street rods--motor cycles---apples---oranges---now airplanes---and especially how much you can tow!!!!!

[Trumpet_Player]

Daveinet wrote:

lbligh wrote:

Daveinet wrote:
Except for one problem. Once I modify a vehicle, I have taken the responsibility for rating it because it is my modification.

Not really. You re not authorized to rate anything. The ratings are set by the manufacturer and certified on the Federal Weight Certification. Sorry... you simply are not qualified nor do you have enough liability insurance. I would love to watch you try that on a Scale Master or Inspection Officer. Try telling them you modified the vehicle and it is all good. That would get a good laugh after they put the red tag on the vehicle.

Safe travels.

I assume you have never heard of custom vehicles, or street rods. When they go for a title, they do not ask the builder's qualifications or certifications. It goes through an inspection, but the level of inspection does not cover details of load ratings and the like. Nothing prevents me from building a trailer either. Tons of DIY stuff out there. They are titled as home built. No one looks at the frame rating and engineering aspect.

Dave,

You are trying too hard to find a flaw in my position. Keep looking, as you will not find one I believe. Custom vehicles and street rods...? I have built them. We are talking apples and oranges in comparison to manufacturer built vehicles (chassis) that are issued Federal Weight certifications. However, if it makes you happy to continue to compare apples and oranges, go right ahead. Do you build trailers? Interesting. How about home built air planes? See, I am also a private pilot.

Safe travels.

[Daveinet]

lbligh wrote:

Daveinet wrote:
Except for one problem. Once I modify a vehicle, I have taken the responsibility for rating it because it is my modification.

Not really. You re not authorized to rate anything. The ratings are set by the manufacturer and certified on the Federal Weight Certification. Sorry... you simply are not qualified nor do you have enough liability insurance. I would love to watch you try that on a Scale Master or Inspection Officer. Try telling them you modified the vehicle and it is all good. That would get a good laugh after they put the red tag on the vehicle.

Safe travels.

I assume you have never heard of custom vehicles, or street rods. When they go for a title, they do not ask the builder's qualifications or certifications. It goes through an inspection, but the level of inspection does not cover details of load ratings and the like. Nothing prevents me from building a trailer either. Tons of DIY stuff out there. They are titled as home built. No one looks at the frame rating and engineering aspect.

[Trumpet_Player]

nevadanick wrote:
In this state you can only be cited for exceeding registration, axle limit, not rating and tire rating, that yellow sticker means nothing. I was at a aggregate plant the other day and a truck came across the scales at 128,100 lbs. do you think the yellow sticker in the cab of that truck said gcwr of 128k ? He was within registration and tires rating and under on axle limits which is all that matters

And if indeed he was "under on all axle limits" my guess he was under his stated/registration weight. A "registration weight" is simply a means of buying weight fees that fit your needs, as long as the unit has the capacity to meet or exceed the "registration weight." Now, you said this was a "truck" (without a trailer)? If so, what does GCWR have to do with it? Maybe you should be talking about GVWR? I guess I don't understand your point?

[PastorCharlie]

The 2008 Newmar 3752 has a tow rating of 6,000 lbs.

[nevadanick]

In this state you can only be cited for exceeding registration, axle limit, not rating and tire rating, that yellow sticker means nothing. I was at a aggregate plant the other day and a truck came across the scales at 128,100 lbs. do you think the yellow sticker in the cab of that truck said gcwr of 128k ? He was within registration and tires rating and under on axle limits which is all that matters