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RE: Recommendations for motorhome to tow 9k lbs
Howdy,
I've been exploring the class A options over in the class A subforum... Can anyone fill me in on the Super C choices? Or would I be better off letting this thread die and starting a super C specific one in the super c subforum?
Thanks!
Mark
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marka123
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06/24/09 09:12am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: What chassis for towing an enclosed trailer?
Howdy,
So regarding the chassis... From here and a little reading I've done, it seems like there are the Workhorse chassis (are there different ones?), a Ford chassis, and a Freightliner chassis? Is that right? Are there others?
Nobody has mentioned the Ford chassis... Is that likely to not be suitable for towing a good bit of weight?
I like the idea of a shorter diesel pusher setup, but that's not really based on any particular knowledge. Seems like it might be easier in terms of getting fuel, as the truck stops that I can easily get our current MH/trailer into usually don't have gas available at the truck pumps.
Can I assume that any of the shorter (37' and under?) diesel pushers will have enough power / weight capacity for what I want to do?
If I go with a Workhorse setup, are there any chassis I should stay away from? The W22 and W25.5 have been mentioned... Are the difference there in terms of length/wheelbase only, or are there differences in springs, wheel diameter, etc? How close to the weight line are these setup usually? Should I expect they typical 34' MH on a Workhorse chassis to have enough extra power / weight capacity that it'll do what I need?
In the five to ten year old range, are there any things in particular I should watch out for regarding the various chassis options?
Appreciate the info! If there are any FAQs or "new to class A" references that I should read to get answers vs. bugging folks here, please point me in that direction!
Mark
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marka123
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06/24/09 09:09am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: What chassis for towing an enclosed trailer?
Howdy,
I beleive I understand what you are trying to do. I drag raced for many years and towed trailers with smaller vehichles than I should have. I would stick with a Workhorse W22 chassis. It has an 8.1LT. engine and alison transmision. Units built before 2006 had 5 speeds and after had 6speeds. They have a gross weight limit or 26K lbs. You also can get this chassis under a MH as small as 30 or 32 feet.
Thanks for the response!
Any recommendations for specific manufacturers / models I should be looking at? 30' or 32' on the same chassis as a larger MH is built on does sound like the kinda thing I'm going to want to keep my weights in check. :-)
How's the 8.1 for pulling power? We use a 454 in our 26' Class A now and I'd expect the 8.1 to be significantly more powerful and the Allison to be a much better trans than our 3 speed Turbo 400, but our little class A only weighs in at around 11.5k lbs too...
Mark
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marka123
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06/23/09 08:13pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: What chassis for towing an enclosed trailer?
Howdy,
Why not look at something like a 2000s Win. Itasca Horizon? Our's had a queen bed, 1 bedroom slide and 1 living room slide. Was powered by a Cat 300 w/Allison 6spd, had 100 gal. fresh water and 35 gal propane. Whith what it cost new it should be in your price range by now and it's hard to beat the diesel/Allison combo when towing.
Thanks for the response!
Something like this:
http://www.campingworld.com/rvsales/Class-A-Diesel-Motorhomes/2000/Itasca-Horizon/1915868/
?
Did they come only in that 37' length or were there other lengths available? Are the chassis all the same? How much weight headroom is there with full fuel / water, w/empty grey and black tanks?
Related... Is it common for manufacturers to extend the length of the class A chassis like happens with the class C stuff?
Thanks!
Mark
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marka123
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06/23/09 08:10pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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What chassis for towing an enclosed trailer?
Howdy,
I posted in the beginning forum, but also figured you folks here could help me get educated on class A stuff specifically...
We currently tow our 24' enclosed trailer (9k lbs, +/-) with an upgraded '84 26' small class A. Its a shorter P30 chassis, 454, 16" wheels with good E tires, upgraded suspension, frame reinforcements, extra spring, etc.
It goes down the road ok, but we're getting more and more sick of not having a queen bed and a slide. So now we're looking at options for a newer used unit in the $60k and under (preferably more like $40k) range. We want to have:
* queen bed
* at least one living area slide
* decent sized tanks for dry camping
Other nice stuff would be good storage areas, a forward facing seat other than the two front seats for a child seat while traveling, a human sized shower, bunk beds would be a nice plus but certainly not a requirement, and probably other stuff I'm not thinking about.
And, of course, I want to be able to set it up to tow a 9k lbs 24' enclosed trailer safely, comfortably, and reliably. I don't mind exceeding weight ratings, if I can modify the weakest link to handle more weight, but I'd certainly prefer to stay within the ratings.
Size-wise, almost anything with a queen bed, a human sized shower, and a slide is going to be quite an upgrade over our '84 Coachman Pathfinder. I'd prefer to stay shorter vs. longer, given equal chassis capabilities.
The issue I have with the Class A's is that I know about nothing regarding the various chassis / powertrain combos out there. Are there chassis that are known for having shorter floorplans with longer wheelbases / weight capacities? Will even a shorter gasser be able to pull the load I want it to pull? Are some chassis known for being more stable, particularly while towing?
Appreciate any advice. I know $40k to $60k eliminates the obvious choice of a Renegade / Dynamax RV on a real truck chassis, but I still need to find an option that works and is as safe as possible.
Thanks!
Mark
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marka123
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06/23/09 02:10pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Recommendations for motorhome to tow 9k lbs
Howdy,
You'll need to look at used motorhomes for that kind of towing and price.
Oh, sorry that wasn't clear... Yeah, I'm certainly assuming that I'm going to be buying used, not new here.
My issue is that I don't know enough about the options out there and what their relative plusses & minuses are related to towing some weight.
I'll check out the Newmar stuff. Are there specific chassis for class A motorhomes that I should or shouldn't go with?
Thanks!
Mark
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marka123
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06/23/09 11:24am |
Beginning RVing
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Recommendations for motorhome to tow 9k lbs
Howdy,
The Beginning RVing section seemed like the best fit for this, though we've been RV'ing for a little while now.
We currently have an '84 26' small class A on the P30 chassis. We've upgraded the chassis pretty significantly (frame reinforcements, spring additions, etc.) to handle towing our ~9k lb enclosed race car trailer.
However, the double bed and no slide are getting pretty old, pretty quickly. We'd like to upgrade to a newer unit.
What options should I be looking at to:
* tow 9k lbs safely and comfortably (with a WD hitch, prefer not to have the 'airplane landing gear' setup on the trailer)
* at least one living area slide
* queen bed
* decent dry camping capacities (i.e. decent sized tanks)
* Not too small and not too huge (say 28' to 34' or so?)
* $60k or less, and we'd be a heck of a lot happier at $40k or less.
If it wasn't for that last one, I'd already be on the phone with Dynamax or Renegade. :-)
I've been looking at super c's and shorter class A's, but I'm not too sure what I'm looking at, particularly with regards to class A's. There seem to be some super C's out there in our price range, but all the ones I've seen have had huge rear overhangs. I crawled under an Ultra the other day and also noticed that it had the rear frame extended with just a butt weld, which would make me pretty nervous without doing some significant reinforcement before I'd want to drop 1k lbs of tounge weight on the hitch.
On the class A stuff, I'm just totally clueless as to what chassis I should be looking at, etc.
I don't mind modifying the unit to be able to tow better / more safely, but of course would rather not have to.
Any recommendations out there?
Thanks!
Mark
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marka123
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06/23/09 08:13am |
Beginning RVing
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