What RV to buy for my towing needs?

[Guyver280z]

Hi everybody. I've been looking for a Motorhome capable of towing a two car trailer, but when I search RVs nobody mentions its towing capacity and most of the time the owners only know the motor's HP but not the Torque rating and I know that's what I need to figure out if its going to be good or not for my needs.

I'm looking to spend less than $35,000 on the motorhome and I've found some big diesel pushers for around that price or less, but some research has led me to believe that the engines on those are not going to be enough for my towing needs, so here's what I need and I hope you guys can tell me from experience what would be a good RV to buy.

-I don't need a lot of room so actually a short RV that sleeps 4 people is good enough.
-Is a Diesel pusher better for towing that a front engined diesel?? and is a V10 gasoline engine an option?? (I rather do diesel tho)
-I want to tow a two car trailer with two lightweight racecars (maybe 2,200lbs each, so maybe no more than 8,000lbs.
-Also I don't need it to be super fast, but just reliable on uphills (no warming up or running out of power)

Thanks a lot for your help!!

Moved to Class A Motorhome forum from Towing at OP request.

[Blaster_Man]

This has been posted here before, here's what any MH will tow. Work the numbers, the tow rating is the lower of:

1. GCWR minus tow vehicle's actual weight.

2. Hitch capacity.

3. Coach tow rating.

4. Chassis maker's tow rating.

[Nomadac]

I have never seen any Gas MH with more than 5000K towing capacity and some early DP MH's were only rated the same. My 2003 DP is rated for 10K and many tag DP's are rated 15K towing capacity, but I doubt you will find any for $35K. Good Luck

[mena661]

To answer your question, you will not find a gas motorhome that is rated to tow 8000 lbs so it will have to be diesel. Also, a lot of older diesels won't have a 10,000 lb tow rating either BUT there are some that exist and will be in your price range. Those 300+ hp CAT and Cummins engines will tow that no problem.

[Lowsuv]

I owned a 36 foot Beaver Monterey non slide motorhome as my 3rd RV.
It had the same drivetrain as the previous Monaco owner discussed .
Fairly slow but with the engine in the back it was quiet enough under load .
One major thing I had to do was have the rear radiator removed and cleaned .
The dirt that accumulates on the back of the bus going down the road also accumulates on the radiator .
No way to get it clean but remove it . Expensive operation .
That is why the premium diesel pushers have the radiator grill on the side of the bus .
I thought my 300 HP diesel pusher was only rated to tow 5000 # .
I do not know if the hitch , or the radiator was the limiting issue .
Condition will be more important than brand .
A Super C with the Chevy 5500 chassis and Duramax would be a very good place to look, also .
My last RV purchased new in 2002 is a duramax / allison supercab pickup , fierglass snugtop , towing a 7280 # GVW travel trailer .
I have never kept a rig this long by double .

[Jamboree89]

I see that many are not answering your questions so I'll give it a try.
I think a diesel pusher is best for towing, quieter than a front engine, gas engine will be straining with the weight of the coach and your trailer. Look for a Monaco Dynasty mid 90's to 2000. They will have a 8.3L Cummins, my '98 has 325HP and 950lb/ft torque, you can call Cummins with the engine serial number and they can tell you the HP and torque. It will have an Allison 3060 transmission with 6 speeds. The coach will be rated to tow 10,000 lbs and it will have a 10,000 lb rated hitch already installed from the factory. Look for a 36' or 38', without slides are lighter and cheaper.

[skipsor]

New diesel motorhome hitches are rated for 10,000 pounds. In your price range is doubtful that you will find one that has a hitch rated that high. Older ones, probably pre-2000, are considerably less.

Additionally, remember that when you are calculating the weights of the MH and the trailer you have to figure all of the stuff, people, food, tools, etc. into your weight so try to know all of this before you put your money on the table.

[ferndaleflyer]

Son if you don't think it can be done you have never been to a drag strip-----My trailer is 32ft long and my DP is 38 ft long. Trailer loaded is around 16,000lbs I imagine. I have an 8.3 325 HP Cummins with a 6spd Allison trans. It will top the longest, highest hill around here at 55mph in the hot sun and never get hot. Ran to Fl at 70mph on the cruise. There are a ton of DPs for sale in the East that will get it done for you at that price.....Come buy mine, I'll get another one.

[Francesca_Knowl]

I'd just leave this one as is and start a new one in Class A. I think your specific question about the Contessa would be a great place to start.

Do be ready with coupler-to-stern length info on your trailer as it's sure to come up.

[Guyver280z]

Francesca Knowles wrote:
Y'know, Guy, it may be that you're not getting a lot of Class A diesel guys responding here because this is the tow vehicles forum. (More typically frequented by us trailer toters).

I'd suggest posting a specific question like the one you just asked above about the Contessa in the Class A Motorhomes forum. Link

You should get lots of input from DP users over there.

Oh so here its more about Towing RVs?? I see ok, Ill see if the admins can move my post to the right forum. Thanks!!

[Francesca_Knowl]

Y'know, Guy, it may be that you're not getting a lot of Class A diesel guys responding here because this is the tow vehicles forum. (More typically frequented by us trailer toters).

I'd suggest posting a specific question like the one you just asked above about the Contessa in the Class A Motorhomes forum. Link

You should get lots of input from DP users over there.

[Guyver280z]

Ok,I found some info on this Beaver Contessa:

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 34,600LBS
Gross Combined Weight Rating* 44,600LBS
*Towing capacity is limited by GCWR; your vehicle's towing capacity is the difference between the GCWR and the actual vehicle weight, including all water, fuel, passengers and cargo. Your towed vehicle should be equipped with auxiliary brakes if the weight of the towed vehicle exceeds 1,000 lbs.

Which means this beast is capable of towing a 10,000LBS trailer, right?? And I think my trailer with the cars is not going over 8,000LBS, so something like this should be good enough, right??

[Guyver280z]

What about this one right on the $35,000 price. 1998, Caterpillar 330HP Turbo Diesel, I believe this are 850lb/ft of torque.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/rvd/4282701778.html

[Guyver280z]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

Guyver280z wrote:
Well, if they weren't meant for towing they wouldn't be equipped with tow hitches and nobody would use them to tow their big trailers. But a lot of people do it so I guess there has to be certain models that are capable of doing so, and that's what I'm asking here... I want to know which models have the right engine/frame for my needs

You keep saying "many people are doing it".

I seriously doubt that "many people" are doing what you want to do, which is towing a triple axle two car flatbed weighing 8,000 pounds behind a motorhome that costs "less than $35,000.00".

Best of luck in your search!

Well, I've seen two axle two car trailers as well. But I've seen people towing a gigantic two lever three axle box with two cars inside with a way newer motorhome of course, but I'm not looking to tow something that big and heavy, I've also seen people towing big boats (way over 8,000lbs incl trailer) so I know its doable.

Now if somebody tells me "Hey its going to be hard to find a motorhome that can tow that much for under 35K because of "this and that" then I know what I need to search for. But if people just keeps telling me "no you can't" but don't give me any reason why even when I've seen it with my own eyes then I'm just going to assume that the person who's telling me that it can't be done is wrong.

So does anybody has actual heavy towing knowledge that can help me please??

I know some 275HP-300HP engines offer around 800lbs/ft of torque and some newer ones up to 1000lbs/ft. But I just don't know how to know which one is which.

For example, here's this 1999 35FT for around $39,500. Has a 275HP Caterpillar engine, but I don't know if its going to have enough torque for the job.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/rvd/4271913533.html


Or what about this 36ft RV with a Cummins with a 330 HP turbo diesel, it looks super beefy and they only want $39,995
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/rvd/4280193199.html

[Francesca_Knowl]

Guyver280z wrote:
Well, if they weren't meant for towing they wouldn't be equipped with tow hitches and nobody would use them to tow their big trailers. But a lot of people do it so I guess there has to be certain models that are capable of doing so, and that's what I'm asking here... I want to know which models have the right engine/frame for my needs

You keep saying "many people are doing it".

I seriously doubt that "many people" are doing what you want to do, which is towing a triple axle two car flatbed weighing 8,000 pounds behind a motorhome that costs "less than $35,000.00".

Best of luck in your search!

[Tin_Pusher]

Around here, you get 70 ft. Single, double, triple, whatever, you get 70 ft.