What do you tow

[Termite748]

I was wondering if anyone tows a vehicle behind their classic motorhome? I have a 1981 Excella 28 ft. With 454 Chevy and trying to figure out what to get.

[Smartstream]

I don't always tow with my moho but if you look closely at my avatar you will see my smart pushing the moho.

[Gregsch]

I have heard that a lot of folks are gun shy to tow with there classic MoHo. Many comments about the factory hitch being rated for 2000 lbs. I have towed a car on an open trailer with tandem axles and I did not have a bit of trouble. It weighed about 4300 lbs and I could hardly tell it was back there. The bigger MoHo's have a lot more overhang , I can see how that would change things.

[Vycan]

My hitch was upgraded. I tow a 1998 Saturn SW2, 4 on the road. They were designed to be towed that way. She's 2,500lbs empty.

Only time I notice she's back there is at the pump. I get 11mpg with her, 13.5 without her. I got 15 once coming back from Colorado on I-70 with a stiff tail wind.

[WayneG]

I have a 1984 27' Excella and I tow a 2016 Polaris Ranger 570XP
The trailer is about 1000, the Ranger is about 1300, and I usually put extra stuff under the Ranger and in its cargo box, so I guess I can do 2500 pounds safely.
As long as I dont load the Airstream to heavy, it drives nice. My only concern is overheating on steep grades on days over 80 Degrees.
The biggest hassle is trying to back up, so I try to avoid that at all costs. If I have a tricky camping spot, I unload the Polaris, unhook the trailer and tow it around with the Polaris.

[CLKIESER]

We have a '94 Classic diesel pusher. We have towed an older Toyota Camry four down, and more recently a Ford Fusion 4 down. We chose the Fusion in part because it could be towed 4 down. I don't notice the car behind, which is good (or bad, if I cut it too close). We did have our towing arrangement looked at to see if it needed reinforced.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by WayneG

I have a 1984 27' Excella and I tow a 2016 Polaris Ranger 570XP
The trailer is about 1000, the Ranger is about 1300, and I usually put extra stuff under the Ranger and in its cargo box, so I guess I can do 2500 pounds safely.

Wayne, are you sure that trailer weights 1000 lbs?! I wouldn't think that trailer would weigh more than 500 lbs, likely less.

[windfallsp]

We bought a 2007 standard shift Subaru Forester to tow with our 1985 Classic 345 (Chevy 454 gasser). We never used the OEM hitch on the 345 -- it's not legal in our state -- and installed a new hitch and a Blue Ox tow bar system.

We've now got a 2001 LandYacht 360XC (diesel pusher) and are still towing the same Subaru, with a Blue Ox system.

At the risk of igniting a conflagration, I urge you to check out the requirements of your state, and the states you're likely to tow, in WRT the need for a supplemental braking system. There's quite a bit of variation state-to-state in the maximum weight you can tow without supplemental brakes.

FWIW, we had a Roadmaster system during our Classic years. We hated it and will never knowingly buy a Roadmaster product again. Since our LY has air brakes, we were able to install an SMI Air Force One system. No moving equipment in and out of the Subaru -- just hook up as usual and flip a switch. Love it!

We've always towed 4-wheels down and have never regretted that decision. Especially with the 454 engine, towing a dolly or a trailer just adds weight. The only advantage to them I've seen is that you can back them up, although we've had to unhook only twice in 10 years of towing.

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Wayne, are you sure that trailer weights 1000 lbs?! I wouldn't think that trailer would weigh more than 500 lbs, likely less.

It is a 5.5' x 10' heavy duty, Carry On Trailer. It is 950 pounds empty, and a GVWR of 2990 pounds. They do make a lighter weight version that Big Box stores, but it cant handle the weight of the Polaris.

[bkahler]

Wow! That must be one stout little trailer!

The trailer I used to tow the Spitfire race car weight around 1000 lbs and was 6'-8" x 14'6" with a dove tail. I thought it was kinda heavy for it's size but maybe not

Brad

[mhardin71]

I tow a 08 Toyota Prerunner pickup behind my 03 26ft Land Yacht--pickup owners' manual says not to--but it has been professionally altered to be a tow vehicle--the owners manual for the LY says to tow not more than 4500 lbs--the PU weights about 7000 lbs--it has towed perfectly without any trouble--I checked with my MH mechanic and he said it should be OK--I am not sure but I don't know what to expect--I have the Chev 454 Vortec engine and I monitor the engine heat--I suspect the biggest concern would be the transmission and or suspension--anyone have any ideas or suggestions

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by mhardin71

I tow a 08 Toyota Prerunner pickup behind my 03 26ft Land Yacht--pickup owners' manual says not to--but it has been professionally altered to be a tow vehicle--the owners manual for the LY says to tow not more than 4500 lbs--the PU weights about 7000 lbs--it has towed perfectly without any trouble--I checked with my MH mechanic and he said it should be OK--I am not sure but I don't know what to expect--I have the Chev 454 Vortec engine and I monitor the engine heat--I suspect the biggest concern would be the transmission and or suspension--anyone have any ideas or suggestions

If you don't have a transmission temperature gauge I would definitely put one in. Along with that I would install an extra transmission inline oil cooler with fan to keep the temps below 180 degrees. Transmissions do NOT like to run hot! Their life expectancy drops dramatically if they run hot.


Brad

[chiefair]

I tow a 2003 Jeep Wrangler. Hired a welder to reinforce the original hitch. He took one look, then cut it all off with a torch and built a new one that is fit to use.

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by Smartstream

I don't always tow with my moho but if you look closely at my avatar you will see my smart pushing the moho.

What a smart idea Dan, using a car to push the Classic diesel over the mountains; now thats some British ingenuity for you. Why haven't I thought of that. I betcha Richard would get the old gal to over 100 mph with that Porsche 911 pushing her along

Cheers
Tony

[split window]

Hi Folks
With my 250 diesels on my tours, I am pulling a trailer with one of my vintage cars. 1500kg (+ -3000lbs) total.
It is allowed 2000kg with this vehicle in Germany..
Of course I have to keep track of the gearbox temperature.
But it is not a problem. It is very easy to drive.
The consumption is 15ml / gal.

best regards Peter

[ShinyPete]

Termite-

In our MH days we had a 2000 Dutchstar diesel pusher, with a 330 Cummins and Allison 6 speed. A great drivetrain, but it had a wimpy 4k rated hitch on it. We towed a 2007 Lincoln MKX with a BlueOx flat tow system and an SMI AirForce brake system (plug in an airline-easy). The MKX/Ford Edge sisters are great toads - run the engine 5 minutes while hooking up, leave it in neutral and go. No fuses to pull, no trans problems, no run the toad engine while towing (gasp-seriously have seen it), nothing.

Like windfallsp above I am a proponent of supplemental braking systems on toads. Just do it, it is worth the aggravation even if you have to move a pedal pusher box into and out of the car, just do it. I also preferred the BO system on the MKX because it's nearly invisible when not towing - we still have and enjoy the car.

Now, with your gas coach, you are going to have to be careful on weight. We were pushing our luck with a 4k hitch and a 5k car. Don't push yours 3-5k over the hitch rating. Replace or re-engineer the hitch, but remember, the frame rails back there may just be extensions on that gas chassis, so........ be careful...........

Hope this helps.

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

What a smart idea Dan, using a car to push the Classic diesel over the mountains; now thats some British ingenuity for you. Why haven't I thought of that. I betcha Richard would get the old gal to over 100 mph with that Porsche 911 pushing her along

Cheers
Tony

And the smart gets so much better mileage than the motorhome.

There is so much being said around here about the mental stability of us classic moho owners. Also much is being said about the sanity of driving a silly little smart. Put the two afflictions together in one person and the result can be frightful.

[Smartstream]

Actually towing the smart works well. It only weighs 1600 lbs. so it doesn't stress the feeble hitch on the Airstream and I believe there are only 2 or 3 states that require a supplemental brake system on a towed vehicle that light. I do use a tire pressure monitoring system because you can't see the little guy back there and you certainly can't feel if anything unusual is happening like a tire failure.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Smartstream

....Put the two afflictions together in one person and the result can be frightful.

Who knows, maybe they cancel each other out which means you're normal

[Smartstream]

Come on Brad, you know that will never happen.