Long overhang and dragging hitch delima--solutions request

[trikepilot]

I just sold my old Class C motor home which had no trouble getting up my steep driveway. I had to hit it at just the right angle and the skid bar on the back frame rail would occasionally just touch the ground for a half inch or so. Now I am in the market for a class A and I am looking for a used coach that will have to fit my wife's preferred floor plan as much as possible, but primarily it has to get up the drive.

We are looking at gas coaches and diesel coaches (don't get me started there) so before we start looking in depth, I would like to ask the considerably knowledgeable folks here if there is a direction that I should focus my search. Our previous class C had an 11 foot overhang and the skid (which was the fist thing to make contact) was 17 inches off of flat ground. Does anyone even make a class A with that kind of rear end clearance?

[trikepilot]

I have a friend with a 40 ft Alfa Gold that is going to come up and try to back it in the drive. We will have lots of 2X8 blocking to use as helpers if needed. If that exercise goes well then I will put an offer on a 2006 Beaver Monterey that I have my eye on. I hope that is a good coach mechanically because it sure looks good inside and out. I just want to make sure I can get it up the drive first.

[mchero]

OP's driveway not that bad. Backing in rather than nose first.

[CA_Traveler]

My rig is 12.5' to the drive and distance to the tag is of limited use as the drive has most of the weight.

The hitch is about 17", however that would drag and damage the mud flap. The mud flap could be left off as it's of limited usefulness. Manual air leveling could add a few inches.

My 04 36' Endeavor had 10' overhang and more ground clearance. I think Monaco lowered the frame and increased the ceiling height.

[frankdamp]

Our Class A (a 32-footer) had about 7 ft rear overhang. The original owner, from whom be bought it, had put wheels, maybe 6" diameter, close to the outer ends of the rear bumper. On the odd occasion we encountered a step in the road or a curb when entering a gas station, the wheels would hit just before the bumper would have grounded.

They probably struck maybe 6 times in the four years we used the coach.

[wa8yxm]

Isaac-1 wrote:
I am surprised to see no one has mentioned helper air-lift air bags on a gas class A. I am planning on adding some to my class A to help get in and out of places (gas stations, etc.) at low speed.

My DIY cost estimate for the project is around $650

The post above yours.. Re-read it :).

[TNGW1500SE]

I've got casters on each side of the hitch. They mount to the hitch. Works great.

[Dutch_12078]

If you opt for a hitch mounted roller device, inspecting the hitch is still recommended when you know you've been dragging. Depending on the depth of the dip, a lot of stress can be put on the hitch mounting assembly with or without a roller device. The roller will minimize any sliding/scraping damage of course.

[ncrowley]

If you are going to get the diesel, I would really look into the hitch saver at Source Engineering, as I said in a previous post. Call them and you can can get more information. I think your driveway will need a solution like that.

[trikepilot]

Thanks for the answers so far. The consensus seems to be "block it" and "bag it". I may still be wasting my time but I am hoping to "buy it" first. I understand that the Super C coaches ride quite a bit higher and have really nice floor plans. I just need to win the lottery to be able to afford one.

In the event that I wind up with a 2007 to 2013 class A diesel, which seems to be what I can afford pre-lottery winnings, is anyone aware of models with short 7 to 8 foot overhangs and higher than usual 14 to 17 inch rear clearances? Looking at those first may enable me to either block it OR bag it without having to do both at the same time.

Here is a picture of my crazy driveway for reference.

https://i.imgur.com/i4CvRGI.jpg

I know that the RV I am looking for is a unicorn, but hey, I still believe that I can find it.

[JaxDad]

Isaac-1 wrote:
I am surprised to see no one has mentioned helper air-lift air bags on a gas class A. I am planning on adding some to my class A to help get in and out of places (gas stations, etc.) at low speed.

My DIY cost estimate for the project is around $650

A friend did that, then realized he had to start adding air way before he got anywhere near the gas station in order give it time to go up, that or stop nearby and wait while it went up. Then there’s the ‘do I need air, and if so how much?’ issue.

In the end he gave up and added a caster wheel, it always works instantly IF needed.

[bob_b]

A word of caution on continued driving when the hitch rubs on driveways. A friend thought it no big deal that he had a little scrape now and again until one day it broke. He had just left after filling his tank and the scrape he heard was one too many. The hitch broke off, the tow was being dragged behind on the safety chains, pedestrians started yelling, my friend slammed on the brakes and the toad crashed into and under the M/H!!! He then panicked trying to separate the car and made another bad decision by driving the M/H forward which pulled off the rear cap! Many thousands$ later he is still kicking himself, Bob

[ncrowley]

If you get a diesel pusher with air bags, you can get a hitch saver from Source Engineering in Oregon. You can get it for the rear and the front if both are needed. Most folksy just need the rear. It allows the air bags to inflate to the stop in the shocks. We get about 4 inches higher in the rear. You have to hold a switch down to get it to go up, and then it goes down when you let go of the switch. We have a driveway with a dip as you get out that was causing problems. We had to fill the dip with wood and now we do not have to do that.

[hipower]

Just a suggestion based on my experiences. Any time we drag the hitch we should take time to crawl under our units and make a good inspection of the hitch and frame areas for cracked welds and/or bent components of the hitch and frame extensions. This isn't the strongest part of our coaches and trailers and can easily become damaged.

A little time spent inspecting can avoid a failure when towing down the road.

[Isaac-1]

I am surprised to see no one has mentioned helper air-lift air bags on a gas class A. I am planning on adding some to my class A to help get in and out of places (gas stations, etc.) at low speed.

My DIY cost estimate for the project is around $650