Would you consider a Class C that was used to tow?

[canuckystan]

Looking at a 2009 class c with a V10 that was used to tow a small SUV across Canada. I'm worried that caused extra wear and tear on the engine and transmission.

Would this be a deal breaker for you?

[CharlesinGA]

Most C class MH's have frame extensions. If they do, the extensions need to be very carefully inspected for looseness (if bolted) and cracks, damage (bent) or other problems. The hitch would be attached to the frame extension and if the extension is a weak design (which many are) then you could very well find problems.

Be very wary of early Sprinter chassied motorhomes which have towed anything, as the transmissions have a higher than normal failure rate. You don't want to go into this blind.

Also, Views and Navions of the '07-'08 chassis years had real problems with the frame extensions, and one company even marketed reinforcements for them.

Charles

[theoldwizard1]

If you do anything to the transmission, make sure it is refilled with the CORRECT Motorcraft ATF. No substitutes !

[ron_dittmer]

My quick answer to the OP's opening question is "no". When it comes to a motor home towing something, I look at it the same as asking if a car I was thinking of buying typically had 1 or 4 occupants making the car work harder. I sort of think of it as a mute question.

At the same time I understand why the question is asked over excessive wear and tear on the chassis. I am sure there is something measurable, but negligible. In our case, wear and tear on the brakes is actually less than if we did not tow because our tow brake kit is setup so the brakes on our tow vehicle helps reduce braking distance than if we did not tow at all.

If the chassis was not maintained properly, maybe towing just might add negative influence, so the question is not so mute after-all.

[avan]

Oh ****! Now the OP asks after I have something approaching 50,000 miles on my Class C V10 pulling my SUV. To find out now that I may have destroyed the MH is just too much 🙂

[carringb]

I wouldn't worry one bit about wear and tear from towing. I'd worry more about rigs that sat extended periods and were only idled, without being driven a full drive cycle. This is worse than just letting it sit.

My rig has 450,000 miles. At least 250,000 of those are towing miles, typical combined weight is 22,000 pounds. I did do the timing chain preventatively around 400,000 miles, and that's it. Transmission hasn't been touched, and I've even switched to 100,000 fluid intervals.

[DrewE]

pnichols wrote:
Andrew,

I believe that one of the big engineering pluses of an automatic transmission is it's ability to convert engine horsepower to higher axle torque via spinning the engine just a bit faster instead of, or for awhile before, dropping to a lower gear.

This kind of torque conversion of course makes for superb driveability but is not as efficient as using gears to do it, so it produces more heat (from less than 100% efficiency) in the transmission while this clutch slipping torque conversion is going on. Keeping overall longterm heat to a minimum in an automatic transmission contributes to a longer life.

With lower rear differential gears (as in the E450 over the E350), of course less clutch slippage torque conversion will occur when pulling weight (whether it be only the RV or the RV plus toad). Thus V10 E450 transmission life could be somewhat superior to V10 E350 transmission life when comparing the same weight Class C motorhome pulling the same weight toad or trailer.

I understand what you're saying now. I was confused mainly by calling the torque converter a clutch; it's not one, at least not in the traditional sense of the word, although modern ones do include a lock-up clutch (for efficiency) as part of the mechanism and have done so for many years now. The variable slippage is entirely due to hydraulic coupling in the torque converter, which causes the fluid to heat up, but isn't wearing friction material down. It's not like slipping the clutch in a traditional manual transmission vehicle in terms of wear.

Excess heat is bad in an automatic transmission, indeed, and towing would generally cause a little more heat than not towing. One hopes that the transmission cooler is sufficiently large to keep the temperatures at a reasonable level in any case; there's a good bit of load on the transmission of a motorhome regardless of whether or not one tows anything.

Some vehicles these days do have automatic transmissions that are more like automated manual transmissions (often a pair of them in a dual clutch transmission), without a fluid-based torque converter, and starting out etc. does have mechanical clutch slippage in these. So far as I know, they aren't used on many class C motorhomes; definitely not on the Ford E series chassis. (The diesel Ram ProMaster I think might have an automated manual, and I'll admit I'm not entirely sure about the Sprinter or Transit.)

[AJR]

At first I almost thought the OP question was a joke. Then I thought what SUV and how many times. That took me to what was the towing capacity of the chassis. Back then some were 3k and some were 5k. One last thing is did the tow have a braking system? Yes, then no problem if the tow rating was not exceeded.

My Class C came with a well-known aftermarket trailer brake on it. I never gave it a thought. So they pulled something and they did it right, big deal.

One last thing, as far as I know all V10 class Cs have two valve engines. Most V10 class A’s have three valves.

[midnightsadie]

some one said dealer? if its on a dealers lot ? I don,t beleave most things a dealer says. they lie a lot to make a sale. private owners in my opinion are more honest about what they tell you. if they have service records I would not be afraid of it.

[pnichols]

Andrew,

I believe that one of the big engineering pluses of an automatic transmission is it's ability to convert engine horsepower to higher axle torque via spinning the engine just a bit faster instead of, or for awhile before, dropping to a lower gear.

This kind of torque conversion of course makes for superb driveability but is not as efficient as using gears to do it, so it produces more heat (from less than 100% efficiency) in the transmission while this clutch slipping torque conversion is going on. Keeping overall longterm heat to a minimum in an automatic transmission contributes to a longer life.

With lower rear differential gears (as in the E450 over the E350), of course less clutch slippage torque conversion will occur when pulling weight (whether it be only the RV or the RV plus toad). Thus V10 E450 transmission life could be somewhat superior to V10 E350 transmission life when comparing the same weight Class C motorhome pulling the same weight toad or trailer.

[Ductape]

Who drove it and HOW they drove it will mean more than a toad. Maintenance is my main concern buying used .

[old_guy]

if you are worried about it I would tell the dealer to have the fluids changed before you sign the line

[DrewE]

pnichols wrote:

Wear and tear of course afffects other things other than just the engine and transmission. The E450 would have had an easier time at towing than an E350: The E450 has bigger brakes, a lower range rear differential ratio, less transmission clutch slippage due to the lower range rear differential ratio, a larger diameter driveshaft, and thicker metal used for it's frame.

Shouldn't there be practically no transmission clutch slippage in any automatic transmission, regardless of load? The slip when starting up etc. is provided by the fluid connection in the torque converter; the clutches to shift gears or lock up the converter engage and disengage pretty nearly instantaneously, and should have minimal slippage and wear in general. I don't believe there's any maintenance schedule for them, nor have I heard of the automatics often requiring rebuilding due to worn friction materials (though I have no doubt that it could and probably does happen on rare occasions).

The clutch in a manual transmission is an entirely different beast, of course. I guess that may come into play with some of the Toyota class C's...but I suspect towing with them would be a patience and character building experience on any sort of uphill grade.

[MDKMDK]

pnichols wrote:
How much wear and tear also is related to what chassis is under the Class C ... E350 or E450.

Wear and tear of course afffects other things other than just the engine and transmission. The E450 would have had an easier time at towing than an E350: The E450 has bigger brakes, a lower range rear differential ratio, less transmission clutch slippage due to the lower range rear differential ratio, a larger diameter driveshaft, and thicker metal used for it's frame.

Even if the Class C is on an E450 chassis, wear and tear also has to do with what size the Class C is due to raw weight. A large Class C that was used for towing would of course have placed more stress on all chassis components than a large Class C that was not used for towing.

If the Class C you're considering was around 27 feet, or less, and on an E450 chassis and had been towing only a small toad ... then probably it should be OK from an additional stress perspective.

Agree.
Not a deal breaker, but with caveats.
Without knowing the exact year/make/model of class C and the vehicle it towed, it's hard to say.
Towing is just simple math based on GVWR, GCWR, hitch rating, and weight of the towed vehicle, to name a few. The Ford V10 is/was considered an excellent option in the gasoline engines category for it's durability, and raw power. However, without knowing what it was being used in, and what it was pulling, anything is possible. No engine/transmission combination is immune from abuse, and that would include the Ford V10 combo.
If you can get the numbers and do the math, you'll know better if the towing was well with in the capabilities of the towing vehicle, or pushing the limits.

[Chum_lee]

If you can do it, checking the condition of the ATF, then pulling the transmission pan and looking at the debris in the bottom along with a road test should tell you what you need to know.

Generally, burned fluid, excessive metal shavings with lots of soft clutch material combined with less than positive shifts or slipping in any/all gears should be of concern and a major deduct in the sale price should you decide to proceed. ATF leaks of any kind are a concern but not necessarily a deal breaker.

Chum lee