Towing Overweight

[Funtogo]

Looking at 05 Allegro Bay,15,000 miles,34XB,WH chassis 22000#,Allison 5-Speed.This RV has towed a 24 FT.enclosed car trailer(3500#) with 3500# car and Harley(500-700#),plus the usual stuff for 8000-10000 miles.I figure it was 1000-1500# over gcwr.He says no problems at all.Does the allison transmission have a built in safety factor or is it most likely damaged and will fail?

Thanks
Johnny

[Funtogo]

Looking at 05 Allegro Bay,15,000 miles,34XB,WH chassis 22000#,Allison 5-Speed.This RV has towed a 24 FT.enclosed car trailer(3500#) with 3500# car and Harley(500-700#),plus the usual stuff for 8000-10000 miles.I figure it was 1000-1500# over gcwr.He says no problems at all.Does the allison transmission have a built in safety factor or is it most likely damaged and will fail?

Thanks
Johnny

[Route 66]

IMHO, the entire drive train, and chassis has been over stressed and overloaded.

Everything has design parameters, and the farther over those parameters, and the longer period of time something is operated over those parameters, the shorter it's life span.

The original owner may not have had any problems, but accelerated wear and tear has taken place.

I would be very hesitant in considering a rig that had been clearly overloaded.

[tmar10]

I would have to agree with Dirk and assume the chassis was stressed beyond its design specifications. What, if any, damage exist? We may never know.

The Allison is a strong system and should not be the limiting factor for towing capacity, if properly maintained.

It appears to me, from my personal observations along I-95 every day, many Rvers are either not aware and/or concerned with the weight retrictions of their motorhomes or tow vehicles. I am more concerned for the vehicles around these over-weight units, not the damage they cause to their RVs.

[Pusherman]

I would think that the concern from towing overweight comes more from the stress on the frame and other drive components as compared to stress on the engine and transmission on a DP.

I also agree that you may potentially have unforseen issues in the future with the chassis, but I doubt with the transmission and engine.

I whole heartedly agree with Tom that the true danger in driving overweight is the danger one puts themselves and others in relative to their ability to stop in a panic situation, or a frame failure where the hitch fails and causes a break away situation. I would not recommend to anyone that they tow overweight.

[becks]

I have to agree that past owner was playing russian roulette. I attend the Sturgis motorcyle rally most years and you would not believe how many we see doing that very same thing. Class A's and C's so overloaded you have to wonder how in the world they made it there at all.

[tmar10]

Russian roulette is usually a solitary event. Some of the over-loaded Rver's I have seen show little or no concern for fellow motorist, passengers and/or equipment.

[Tom N]

Towing close to 2 ton more than the chassis was designed to tow makes me wonder how else he abused the motorhome.

With some W22 owners having brake problems I don't think I'd buy a coach that was used to tow >8000#s.

-Tom

[Funtogo]

I agree guys. Thanks for the replys.

Johnny

[Ken Roberts]

Johnny, just to add my 2 cents. First I never heard of an Allegro Bay was a diesel pusher and if it is a gasser the frame, wheels, tires, suspension, braking, etc. are much less than what a pusher would have. I also never heard of an Allegro Bay that had a tow rating of more than 3500#. If this guy did not have an all aluminum trailer the claimed weight of 3500# is malarkey. I have a 20' enclosed trailer and it came out of the factory just over 6,000#. Personally, I would not walk away I would RUN, Ken, '04 DSDP....

[TDInewguy]

Let me guess... Roy's MH on E-bay? I looked at it too, but the way I look at it is he's a performance junkie and probably had his foot on the floor the entire drive.

The trailer he bought was well over 4000# and the GVWR of the trailer was something like 7200#, so even the trailer was overweight. he said he had only put 4000 miles on the trailer and the tires were worn out. (can you say overloaded?)

I'd pass on it...