โApr-16-2018 09:22 PM
โMay-18-2018 08:09 AM
carringb wrote:blownstang01 wrote:
Interesting. I have a 31' Winnebago and with our 4,300lb Exlporer I have never felt this. Only on long hills do I have any indication it's back there. Curiously, I do have Hellwig bars and Koni shocks, I wonder if that's the difference.
Likely its a function of wheelbase ratio. Most the "29-foot" models have a 202-208" wheelbase it seems. The 31-footers have a 220"+ wheelbase, so the longer coaches gain it mostly in wheelbase, making them more stable, especially if something is pushing on the hitch. But things like steering caster (both the RV and the toad) and even tire pressure affect it.
โMay-17-2018 05:31 PM
โMay-17-2018 01:43 PM
carringb wrote:blownstang01 wrote:
Interesting. I have a 31' Winnebago and with our 4,300lb Exlporer I have never felt this. Only on long hills do I have any indication it's back there. Curiously, I do have Hellwig bars and Koni shocks, I wonder if that's the difference.
Likely its a function of wheelbase ratio. Most the "29-foot" models have a 202-208" wheelbase it seems. The 31-footers have a 220"+ wheelbase, so the longer coaches gain it mostly in wheelbase, making them more stable, especially if something is pushing on the hitch. But things like steering caster (both the RV and the toad) and even tire pressure affect it.
โMay-16-2018 12:59 PM
blownstang01 wrote:
Interesting. I have a 31' Winnebago and with our 4,300lb Exlporer I have never felt this. Only on long hills do I have any indication it's back there. Curiously, I do have Hellwig bars and Koni shocks, I wonder if that's the difference.
โMay-16-2018 10:33 AM
tatest wrote:
For a couple years I towed 3600 pounds of mid-size pickup truck. The combined rig, even with the motorhome over 13,000 pounds, was still within GCWR (20,000 in my case, 2003 E-450 chassis). Transmission handled it just fine, but I do make sure to do transmission fluid changes at 30,000 mile intervals.
You will notice the extra weight on acceleration and hill climbing. I definitely notice it because immediately on pulling out of my street I have three blocks going uphill on 8% grade, and it takes most of the first block to get up to 30 mph speed limit.
The other thing I notice is that the tow pushes me around if I am too fast on sharp curves, like those marked for 15 mph. There is a transition, first pushing the rear of the motorhome to the outside of the curve, then pulling it toward the inside as the tow gets around the curve.
I'm now down to a 2600 pound Honda Fit as my tow. I like it better, but it still slows me down, and can push me around on tight turns.
โMay-16-2018 09:55 AM
โApr-23-2018 12:02 PM
โApr-19-2018 05:14 PM
โApr-18-2018 07:42 AM
T18skyguy wrote:phil-t wrote:
Don't see an issue with what you are planning. Make sure the hitch and tow systems are rated appropriately.
We dingy-tow a '14 Cadillac SRX (~4000lbs) behind our rig with no problems, and we are closer to GCWR than you. It's a class A with the V10, but shouldn't matter.
What chassis is your rig on?
It's the standard Ford cutaway. It seems that once they get 40-50 thousand on them they start pinging and knocking, and the extra weight seems to make it that much worse. We have a lot of mountains here in in western Oregon, and it's a laborious climb even without a toad. Maybe I'll give the MKZ a shot. If I don't like it I'm only out a base plate. I can use the hitch on a lighter vehicle if I decide to go that way. Thanks for all the perspective you guys give me.
โApr-18-2018 05:15 AM
โApr-17-2018 07:51 PM
โApr-17-2018 05:38 PM
carringb wrote:
You can't over work your engine or transmission. Worst case, if you're severely overloaded, a larger transmission cooler may be useful, but you won't hurt anything.
Keep in mind the V10 with the 6-speed TorqueShift is used in Medium Duty Trucks up to 37,000 gross combined.
I regularly run at 22,000 combined, sometimes as high as 25,000 combined, and I have over 450,000 miles and engine and transmission are original, except for some PM items (coils, injectors, timing chain, radiator) and my transmission is the old 4R100, which is not near as capable as the 6R140 that you have.
โApr-17-2018 04:22 PM
โApr-17-2018 12:51 PM
T18skyguy wrote:
It's the standard Ford cutaway. It seems that once they get 40-50 thousand on them they start pinging and knocking, and the extra weight seems to make it that much worse.