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Mark71 · 10-03-2018, 03:46 PM

I'm wondering if a Class B could be flat-towed w/ a diesel pusher? I'm sure some mod's would have to be made for transmission/charging.

What I have in mind is towing a relatively short ~20' Class B that would give more flexibility to go into parks/forests and more primitive areas than our 40' Class A

And at the same time, the Class B would serve as a regular toad for getting around an area when we're staying someplace in our Class A

One example is that we spend some time in Palm Desert. We're afraid to take the 40' into Joshua Tree, where we used to go with our Class B and then Class C

Just brainstorming some alternative scenarios

Is this a ridiculous idea?

okcnewbie · 10-03-2018, 03:51 PM

Your idea seems reasonable to me. Some DP's tow stacker trailers that are longer than that and fully loaded.
I can think of several times when an extra room or two could come in handy.

mrboyer · 10-03-2018, 03:54 PM

Not ridiculous, but do you have to flat tow. When you say that I think you mean on a trailer. All wheels on the ground would eliminate the extra weight.

Do your research to find one that can be ‘flat’ towed. Possibly, you may need to add a drive shaft decoupler.

Mr_D · 10-03-2018, 04:01 PM

I've thought about it as my MH has a 15,000# tow rating and hitch.

Mark71 · 10-03-2018, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrboyer

Not ridiculous, but do you have to flat tow. When you say that I think you mean on a trailer. All wheels on the ground would eliminate the extra weight.

Do your research to find one that can be ‘flat’ towed. Possibly, you may need to add a drive shaft decoupler.

I meant 4 wheels down

keger · 10-03-2018, 04:31 PM

Just curious how many times on your camping would you need that extra space? If it's greater then 50% of the time then by all means go for it. But if your talking just a couple of times maybe for go that and just tow a car or PU truck. I know that's not what you were asking and I get it if your interested in towing a class B then go for it as mrboyer stated. Good luck which ever way you go.

Mark71 · 10-03-2018, 05:13 PM

Not for extra space

For flexibility to go into smaller, more primitive areas

When simply doing class A type "stay" camping, the class B would serve as a traditional toad, i.e daily get around van

**TonyDi** · 10-03-2018, 07:35 PM

Your only problem may be that quite a few CGs state that the RV site is limited to one RV only. If you pull in with a "B" behind a DP you may wind up getting double billed as you now have 2 RVs on one site.

Mark71 · 10-03-2018, 07:44 PM

...that's an interesting point I hadn't thought of

Mudfrog · 10-03-2018, 08:51 PM

On your example of using the smaller rig to go into Joshua,, I'm taking it that you're going there to camp in the class b. Where would the DP get parked when you did that?

Finance · 10-03-2018, 09:47 PM

I've thought of towing a 4wd Sportsmobile as a toad for exactly the case you stated.

theroc · 10-03-2018, 10:55 PM

A few years ago, we were staying at an RV park in California when a couple pulled into the site next to us with big DP pulling a popup camper on a new Dodge Ram 2500 pickup where they used it for the same reason you mention. The only reason I am mentioning this is that once I started talking with them, they too were considering a Class B ...a Roadtrek to be specific.

They decided against the Roadtrek and decided to go with a popup truck camper because of the versatility. When they didn't need the "adventure vehicle," they could take off the camper and stow it on their property at their home base (they weren't completely full-time but close and had one of their children staying at their home with acreage) and just use the truck alone for a variety of reasons. e.g. commuter vehicle, a truck for hauling stuff, or just a toad when the camper function wasn't needed.

It was actually a neat little set-up after he showed it to me in detail. It had a cassette toilet and a make-shift shower area. He said that for the two of them out for a few days of exploring, it was perfect as it had everything they needed for those few days away and had 4WD and lots of ground clearance.

They had a cassette-type tank for the grey water also. I asked him if he minded the portable black and grey waste tanks and he said that he didn't have a problem with it and it was just perfect for outing of five days or less if used conservatively. While we were there, they were gone for two outings. One was 2 or 3 days and the other was 4.

It needed no modifications to tow 4-down and was a bit lighter than a Roadtrek. All three of the full-sized pickup manufacturer's trucks (Ram, Ford, and Chevy/GMC), I believe can be towed 4-down without modifications.

He was a retired engineer so he told me that he actually designed and engineered the tow bar himself and had it custom made. It was the most robust tow bar that I've ever seen ...I wish I had taken a picture of it.

The RV park we were at did not charge him for the truck camper. It fit in the same space that a normal toad would and I didn't see them plug it in to the electric pedestal at all or if they did, they did it discreetly at night.

This is the one he had called Four Wheel ...go HERE

It's a California company and they make a variety of models with different options. I'm thinking that other manufacturers make similar popups.

Just something that you also might consider.