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12-29-2013, 04:45 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 534
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Quote:
Originally Posted by New Hobby
What don't I get? I said that I was going with a very light trailer of of 1000lbs. I figure after I modify it for strength it will be around 1200 max. I then said it would haul any combo of toys we would need for any of our trips which would be our 3000 lb car and 300lb golf cart for a total of 4500lbs or it would be hauling our atv and golf cart and scooters which is less than 3000lbs.
The last thing was merely a hypothetical to see who all felt that 4000 pounds would effect the mpg of a big rv with very little wind drag.
I'm sorry if i missed something, can you please explain so I don't mess up
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At 4500 lbs. MAX. towed weight you should be OK. We tow about 3300 lbs. and average about 7.5 mpg with our V10.
__________________
2019 Newmar Ventana LE 4002
2015 Kia Soul
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01-01-2014, 12:07 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 113
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Quote:
Originally Posted by New Hobby
What don't I get? I said that I was going with a very light trailer of of 1000lbs. I figure after I modify it for strength it will be around 1200 max. I then said it would haul any combo of toys we would need for any of our trips which would be our 3000 lb car and 300lb golf cart for a total of 4500lbs or it would be hauling our atv and golf cart and scooters which is less than 3000lbs.
The last thing was merely a hypothetical to see who all felt that 4000 pounds would effect the mpg of a big rv with very little wind drag.
I'm sorry if i missed something, can you please explain so I don't mess up
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You throw me off with your talk of upgrading to 3500lb axle s
If there is is more than one 3500lb axle, then you can tow up to 7000lbs, which is why I wanted to suggest that you were not doing the math.
But, if you are going to tow a maximum of 4000lbs, then I do not see any significant adverse effect on your mpg if you stay off the hills. If I am wrong about your intentions, I stand corrected.
FWIW, I have a 2004 Damon intruder, which is a 38ft, gas powered, triple slide heavy pig. I tow a 3500lb trailer and my idiot guage on the dash shows minimal mpg impact of towing that amount. A bigger drop in my average mpg shows when I set the cruise control to 65 instead of 55.
Have fun.
__________________
Maurice 2012 F150 Platinum SuperCrew 3.5 Ecoboost
2004 Damon Intruder 373 (Workhorse)
5K lb Trailer with offroad toys
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01-01-2014, 02:00 PM
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#17
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Moderator Emeritus
Damon Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Lone Star State
Posts: 19,203
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NewHobby -Shawn,
You will see a drop in MPG...speed will determine how much change between loaded and unloaded.
Speed will always be the biggest factor with our style RV's for MPG...try to always keep the transmission in the highest gear for the condition to keep the best MPG.
As far as your original towing idea...the mechanical limits for these RV's is actually pretty good, if you do your homework.
First weigh the RV. A truckstop scale, moving company warehouse or even a local landfill will have a large whole vehicle scale.
The weigh-in should be at your operating weight...gas, propane, water and people with their stuff. You can estimate the stuff - just don't under estimate.
Take the weight of the loaded RV and get the difference to the 26,000lb GCWR...that's the actual capacity that can be safely toad.
Thor has been using Class III (5000lb) receiver hitches forever and you can upgrade to Class IV for your needs. If you have the capacity, you could go with your first plan...it's all in the numbers.
Congrats on the new RV. Hope you enjoy it!
Safe travels
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01-01-2014, 02:28 PM
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#18
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: The Land Of Oz RVM17
Posts: 1,592
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Our rig is only rated to tow 5K also. I had a all aluminum trailer custom built. Rock guard in front. Tilting deck instead of ramps. Upgrade to 4800 pound axles from 3500. Added hydraulic brakes and went to 15 from 14 inch wheels, in aluminum instead of steel. Give you bigger tire and brakes. With the escape on board we are right at 5K. When we take the wrangler we are a little over. Our GCWR is 26k. We are at 25k loaded with full fuel and water. Can't really tell the trailer is back there. Don't care about millage and don't check anymore. Have seen as low a 3 and as high as 7 or more. Geny cuts it down some. We dry camp most all the time. I got the bigger axles as 3500 pound axles are wimpy, and I may want to use the trailer behind a pickup and haul other things. Also had extra tied downs put in when they built the trailer. It is a Aluma brand trailer. Also specked with spare wheel and tire on rack and built in tool box in tongue. It weighs 1400 pounds. All aluminum except axles and hitch. $10k out the door. 18 foot load deck.
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01-02-2014, 09:58 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 203
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I just figured I'd up the axles so not so close to the limit. My max would be 4500lbs and that would be rare.
Thanks for the comments and info. I like to track mileage as it helps determine if the coach is having an unseen problem and I sell/rent/share trips with my friends. I will plan a trip almost down to the forks and then divide by all the families so we can all afford to go places together that we might not do alone. We have been doing this for many years and it works very well for our group of 3 families
__________________
1st new coach "2014 Thor Hurricane 34j"
Shawn, Tori, Ryan and "Paw's Memory"
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01-30-2014, 04:55 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 203
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New info
We finally took a short trip (distance) but it was for 4 days so we were loaded for bear. 4 adults and extra gear like you read about and we used my 19' enclosed trailer. Way more than we would take on a longer trip. Below is my weights fully loaded and 60 gallon of fuel in my 80 gallon tank.
Steer axle 6840
Drive axle 12520
Trailer axle 4620
Gross weight 23980
It pulled and stopped it very well, better than I thought it would. Now am I correct to say that if my GVWR IS 22000 and my GCWR is 26000 that I could carry 2640 more pounds in the coach and 380 more pounds in my trailer be right at my max?
__________________
1st new coach "2014 Thor Hurricane 34j"
Shawn, Tori, Ryan and "Paw's Memory"
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01-30-2014, 05:22 AM
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#21
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,216
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To answer your original question, on a MH that gets 9-10 MPG, I would say from experience that if you tow a 4,000 lb. open you will lose about 1/2MPG to 1MPG. Towing the 8,000 lb. enclosed trailer you will lose about 2MPG. If your MH has lots of extra power it will lose less. Windy conditions it will lose more with the enclosed.
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01-30-2014, 12:21 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Posts: 1,392
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I have been pulling a 6000-7000# trailer for the last 9 years. It will take more fuel to pull it but the difference will vary considerably with the terrain. On flat ground I would guess you'll only loose 1 MPG. In the overall cost of a MH it's not much.
__________________
2012 Monaco Knight 36 PFT
Towing either a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland or a car in a 20' enclosed car trailer.
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01-30-2014, 07:10 PM
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#23
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Moderator Emeritus
Damon Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Lone Star State
Posts: 19,203
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Quote:
Originally Posted by New Hobby
We finally took a short trip (distance) but it was for 4 days so we were loaded for bear. 4 adults and extra gear like you read about and we used my 19' enclosed trailer. Way more than we would take on a longer trip. Below is my weights fully loaded and 60 gallon of fuel in my 80 gallon tank.
Steer axle 6840
Drive axle 12520
Trailer axle 4620
Gross weight 23980
It pulled and stopped it very well, better than I thought it would. Now am I correct to say that if my GVWR IS 22000 and my GCWR is 26000 that I could carry 2640 more pounds in the coach and 380 more pounds in my trailer be right at my max?
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You got the math right And you know it works.
And, if you upgrade to a Class IV hitch and keep the RV's load the same, you could technically tow a trailer weighing 6,640lb
Like I said before...It's all in the numbers.
Best luck
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01-31-2014, 04:18 AM
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#24
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 203
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For now I will keep things the way they are. It will do the job we hoped it to do and knows what the future will bring with our economy. If my new company keeps growing I may be able to upgrade to the pusher style of my current coach or maybe they come up with an even better one to fit our needs
__________________
1st new coach "2014 Thor Hurricane 34j"
Shawn, Tori, Ryan and "Paw's Memory"
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