Community Forums

jpstakun · 10-12-2018, 11:39 AM

I've been towing my two CRVs with my two recent V-10 powered coaches for the last 18 years. They work fine. Don't listen to the chatter on these forums. BTW, no motorhome is going to perform like a Corvette.

GNRVNG · 10-12-2018, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marjoa

I'm not sure why the OP's experience is he doesn't have the power to tow. I don't understand.

You should not have any problem towing...
"as long as you keep your weights right". If your GVWR is right at 22K, you can only tow 4K not 5K the hitch is rated for. If you need to tow 5K reduce GVWR to <21K. You have a limit total of 26K GCWR.

Get a toad in the 2,700 - 3,500lb range or so and you should be fine and not maxing out the MH's capacity.

We also tow a Ford Fiesta, Manual 5 speed and keeping our GCWR down was one reason we choose this toad. Totally loaded our GCWR is 25,100 and that's with a 1/3 tank of water, so still have plenty of room left for a full tank of water when boon docking and be under my GCWR. This Fiesta also allows us more stuff in our GVWR. The Fiesta tows 4 down, takes 5 minutes to hook up, gets great MPG, easy to park and with full tank of gas and loaded with stuff weighs in at 2,750lbs. Oh, and my wife can hook it up by herself.

[emoji106]

Meetu · 10-13-2018, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redapple

At the Pomona RV show today and fell in love with a Tiffin Open Road 34 gas, price was excellent, and they are willing to work with me on a trade...

My concern...
I want to add a toad...my current rig is a 2006 Damon Daybreak 32 with the V10. I would never consider towing with this, just not enough power, yet all day long I was told the current Ford platform is ok for a small road.

I looked at a Tiffin 33 Red which was beautiful but also 60k more for diesel, and the diesel specs were not much more than the Ford.

Please help me understand why they keep saying V10 is ok to tow despite my experience to the opposite.

Thanks,
Bill

We have a 2016 34PA and flat tow a Jeep Wrangler. We are fulltimers and didn't want to spend the extra $60K for a diesel of comparable length. We haven't regretted it. Our rig has towed up and down mountains. Admittedly the higher altitudes slow us down to 35-45 but it is pretty rare for us to travel at altitudes over 7,000 where we might consider unhooking and driving separately. We've never had to do that. We use a brake buddy system in our Jeep and that saves the MH brakes on the decline. However, we've never had a problem with brake fading.

The 34PA Ford V10 has plenty of power. The only reason we would consider upgrading to a diesel (and we have talked about it) would be for a smoother, cushiony ride. We have found many highways that are in poor condition - potholes and frost heaves. We're at the Tiffin service center as I write, and we've asked some diesel owners about their ride, and so far they claim that it's not any smoother. Another thing to consider is that we've been told that diesels don't do as well as gas in cold temps. Thirdly, is the annual $3K for routine maintenance.

More problematic for us was the V10 dashboard lighting. It's pretty dim when turned to the highest illumination. On a bright, sunny day, it is almost invisible to see the gauges. After asking Tiffin, Ford and researching the internet to little avail other than knowing it's a Ford problem, we added a small string of LED lights over the gauges and switch (wired to the cigarette lighter) next to the console. Problem happily solved. Hope this info helps.

dmatt13 · 10-14-2018, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redapple

At the Pomona RV show today and fell in love with a Tiffin Open Road 34 gas, price was excellent, and they are willing to work with me on a trade...

I looked at a Tiffin 33 Red which was beautiful but also 60k more for diesel, and the diesel specs were not much more than the Ford.

Thanks,
Bill

We just got back from the Pomona show and fell in love with the Red 33AA. I know it's more expensive but I don't think you looked close enough at the specs.....Peak HP 360 HP @ 2,600 RPM and Peak Torque (lb – Ft. Max Net) 800 @ 1,800 RPM . It also had a 10k lb hitch. Big difference from a gas 34', but yes, a big difference in price as well

Redapple · 10-14-2018, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmatt13

We just got back from the Pomona show and fell in love with the Red 33AA. I know it's more expensive but I don't think you looked close enough at the specs.....Peak HP 360 HP @ 2,600 RPM and Peak Torque (lb – Ft. Max Net) 800 @ 1,800 RPM . It also had a 10k lb hitch. Big difference from a gas 34', but yes, a big difference in price as well

Yes, by nearly 100k show price.

fleatools · 10-18-2018, 04:19 PM

Redapple,
So I am on my second coach. First was a Winniebago Brave 2003 with the 8.1L Chevy Engine/Workhorse. I am part of the younger crowd and don't like to wait. So I upgraded this coach with the BANKS Power Pack with cold air intake. After this upgrade this coach drove and had the speed of a pickup truck. I could actually race if I wanted. I also added a rear stabilizer that I purchased through Brazels and added Koni shocks. All worth while upgrades on this coach. I miss driving it compared to the coach I have now.
Fast forward to the 2011 Allegro Tiffin 35 QBA. We needed to sleep more peeps on the bus so bunks were the way to go. This coach was slow and unstable when we first got it used. We bought it off a couple going through a divorce but a good deal. The coach was very unstable and I found out later that the rear stabilizer bar had loose bolts. Apparently it is common on the F53 chassis. You would be wise to check this. The coach came with sumo springs and the safe-t bar. The coach did not have the turning radius of the BRAVE. As far as power I have installed the BANKS Power pack with another cold air intake. I also installed the 5 star tune at the same time. Looking back I would only install the 5 star tune. It changed the shift points of the transmission and make it climb uphills nicer. I don't feel the BANKS kit helped to much at first. I later found that my catalytic converter was plugged (only 20K on the coach WTH?). I too had power issues. I tried a straight pipe on the coach after talking with some folks (with the BANKS kit) and this coach took off! Night and day difference. I can sit and hold 70MPH over the Skyway (South of Tampa/Big Hill) towing a golf cart on a trailer. Before the plugged CAT I could not do that. I am looking into replacing the test pipe with a free-er flowing cat but I am still working on that project. The V10 will pull if you have the 5 star tune (~$4-500 but worth it). If you still don't have power possibly look at your Catalytic converter. My neighbor blew two V10 motors before he realized he had a plugged cat. ($10K per motor...)

Other upgrades I would recommend:
The F53 free chassis upgrade, ~30mins per axle
Koni Shocks (Pricey but worth it, lowers the banging on the expansion joints of the road.)
Rear cross stabilizer. (Keeps the big trucks from pushing you around the lane your in on the expressway.)
Gas is still the way to go over Diesel if your just a weekend warrior. Full time is a different story.
Best of luck!

Rollergirl · 10-18-2018, 04:23 PM

I have a Tiffin Allegro gasser with V10 and tow a Honda CRV, no problem. Just be sure to chk your weights, including whatever you carry in the car + tow bar. And be ready to be the last one up the hill. Gassers are slower with less on-demand power. If that's not an issue for you, as it isn't for me, you should be just fine.

Ragmanx · 10-18-2018, 06:32 PM

All I know for sure is that our Hurricane 32N tows our 2011 Grand Cherokee just fine.

We are not full timers but travel the northwest.

V- 10, stock 10K hitch. Total coach and toad is 23K scale weight loaded.

deeojoe · 10-18-2018, 07:49 PM

deeojoe · 10-18-2018, 07:50 PM

I have no issues towing in the mountains. Max speed is about 50. But that’s fine with me.

dsisemore1 · 10-18-2018, 08:34 PM

I have a 2016 Tiffin 36LA gasser. Tow a jeep no problem. Have been to Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Small problems as with any new coach but Tiffin has been awesome as far as customer service goes.

Captn John · 10-18-2018, 09:53 PM

The V10 is a great motor. Like all gas motors the torque comes at the high end of the RPM scale. They also lose power at higher altitudes. With all the turbo experience Ford has ~ if it could be put to use on the V10! The newer transmissions ~ additional gears and tighter bands also help but torque is always most beneficial.

dvredc5 · 10-18-2018, 10:14 PM

I fully understand your towing concerns and lack of HP & torque you might experience with the Ford V-10. Just my 2 cents as they say and there are thousands of very happy motorhome owners who have gas engines and especially the Ford V-10. We owned a really nice 2010 Newmar Canyon Star Toy Hauler with the F53 chassis and Ford V-10 with 5-Speed trans. I’m a self admitted HP & torque lover in all my vehicles and at 58-years old have been towing just about everything you could imagine during my lifetime. Cars, snowmobiles, motorcycles in open and enclosed trailers. I learned long ago I’m never comfortable towing anything when I’m at the or near the maximum capacity of the tow rig. We really liked our Newmar but couldn’t stand how underpowered and under braked it was. I realize it’s a motorhome and not a race car but I couldn’t set the cruise and maintain 70 mph in the flat lands of the Midwest without it downshifting when we crossed over every interstate overpass or when there was a wind blowing and that was when we didn’t have any toys in the back or were towing anything. We took 1 long road trip through many states out west while looking at colleges for one of our daughters. Like you we spent countless moments at 4,000 rpms trying to maintain even 40 mph on some of the steeper mountain inclines. Again, we weren’t towing and I made the investment in a Banks Power Pack (cold air intake, headers and exhaust) which helped some but was still very disappointed in overall performance and driveabiity. My right foot would literally be sore at the end of a long driving day from not being able to use the cruise control and having to work the gas pedal all day long. The real safety issue for us was how inedaquate the brakes were for our coach. It was 40’ long and fairly heavy but it was down right dangerous on some mountain grades where even downshifting I was sweating like crazy working the brakes and revving the engine at 5,000 rpm trying to not run over others on the way down! I’m sensitive to your budget as we were with ours but the best thing we did was trade the Newmar for a Tiffin Phaeton DP. From superior ride quality, exceptional braking, added Diesel engine braking, the ability to get up any grade at reasonable speeds are all wonderful positives. The real added benefit is I not stressed or anywhere near as tired at the end of the days drive because it is so much easier than our gas V-10 coach. Again, I’m sensitive to everyone’s budgets but maybe you can look into a used DP to get the benefits without having as much price difference? Again, just my 2 cents of opinion being offered based on my extensive experience towing during my lifetime. Best of luck with your decision.

Redapple · 10-19-2018, 12:15 PM

Thanks All, I appreciate all the input. I decided not to.pull the trigger on the Tiifin, not because they wouldn't work with me on a good deal, quite the contrary...after looking at the numbers, I just can't afford it right now. With that said, there is no reason I can't continue to look. I think i will be in a better position to trade up in a couple of years. So i will continue window shopping for a bit, but, Tiffin is currently at the top of my list.