flatbed trailers

[Dan D]

I am thinking of towing a 67 Cougar (3000 lbs.) on a flatbed behind a 30 to 38ft. gas motorhome any opinions or info on it? Any information would be most helpfull

[Dan D]

I am thinking of towing a 67 Cougar (3000 lbs.) on a flatbed behind a 30 to 38ft. gas motorhome any opinions or info on it? Any information would be most helpfull

[Tom N]

Watch the tongue weight. Gas motorhomes can support very little tongue weight.

-Tom

[alvinc]

Most gas Class A's are limited to 5000 lb with 500 lb tongue weight.

I investigated using a trailer for my 4200 lb Wrangler and couldn't find a trailer light enough to keep me under 5000 lbs. Even a 16 ft aluminum trailer was 1000 lbs.

Before anyone gets in a snit about the weight of my Wrangler: after adding a winch, real 3/16" tube bumpers, 35x12.5 tires, gas tank skid, rocker protection, rear corner armor, etc. it is very easy to add 700 lbs.

As for your case; the Cougar is light enough that you might be able to squeeze a short steel trailer into 5000 lbs. If you plan to tow near 5000 lb, the shorter RV may work better. Remember that the weight of the toad eats into the CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) of the RV.

Also be aware of any clearance issues. Some vehicle are so low to the ground that it is difficult to get the vehicle on the trailer even with ramps.

[Mike (KC9IPV)]

any idea what the trailer and tongue weight is on and 80's model class c for e350 chasis?

I was thinking of trailering my built wrangler too. I guess I need to weigh it and get the towing weights of the MH

[FleetMan]

Overall weight of the trailer and the car is one thing but with a flatbed, you can move the load (car) to adjust the tongue weight. Just be sure you have enough tongue weight applied to insure safe handling.

[alvinc]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike (KC9IPV):
any idea what the trailer and tongue weight is on and 80's model class c for e350 chassis?

I was thinking of trailering my built wrangler too. I guess I need to weigh it and get the towing weights of the MH </div></BLOCKQUOTE>It is hard to generalize (I did so for Class A gassers above). When we were looking for units in 2002, in general Class C's had 3500 lb tow limits, Class A gas had 5000 lb tow limits, and Class A diesel were 7500 lb and above. As with all generalizations, there are exceptions.

There are two major things that limit the towing capacity: The weight ratings of the vehicle and the toad, and the chassis extensions added by the coach builder.

The weight ratings of interest are the difference between the GCVW (Gross (max) Combined Vehicle Weight) and the GVWR (Gross (max) Vehicle (towing) Weight Rating), and the CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity). In other words if you carry too much stuff, or your towing vehicle weighs too much, you won't be able to tow very much.

The chassis extensions are added by the coach builder (can't blame the chassis manufacturer) in order to fit these long boxes on the chassis. If they are not strongly enough built they will limit the tow capacity. This is why some low end Class A diesel RVs are limited to 5000 lb towing.

As to what was allowed in the 80's you will have to look at the spec of your vehicle, weigh it and the Wrangler, and do some math.

FYI, tongue weight limits are 1/10th of the tow weight capacity when not using an equalizing hitch. If an equalizing hitch is allowed the hitch will state this.

[Gary RVRoamer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I got one more question to pose I have had to replys from pepole selling their motorhomes. So far the information I've got is these two, both 30'. 1994 Southwind with 22k miles GVW=17,000 lbs. GAWR (front) 6,000 lbs. GAWR (rear) 11,000 lbs. The other one is a 1993 Pace Arrow E30 39k miles GVW=14,800 lbs. GAWR (front) 5,300 lbs. GAWR (rear) 10,000. Which one is closer to fitting my needs or should I just go with towing backwards on a tow dolly? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

None of that information you provided is helpful with regard to towing anything. You need to know the hitch capacity (towing weight and tongue weight) and also the GCWR of the motorhome chassis and it's actual loaded weight. You cannot tow anything which causes you to exceed the GCWR and you can't tow anything that exceeds the hitch rating.

In all likelihood both of those rigs have 4000 or 5000 lb hitches and a GCWR of 20,000 or less. Probably much less in the case of the Pace E30, which appears to be built on a light chassis.