Towing 8,000 pounds with a Kountry Star

[Keith55]

I would like to tow my Diesel F250 with my Kountry Star. Loaded it will be near 8,000 pounds.

Kountry Star has the 400HP 8.9 liter.

I know the top rating is 10K.

Am I crazy to start across the country towing this much weight?

Anybody doing it now? My mechanic looked at me like I was crazy. Gave me second thoughts.

[wjohnson913]

I’m pretty sure the Kountry Star has the 6.7 liter 360 HP (if your speaking of the 2020 model). The 10000 pound hitch rating is the maximum but can be limited by total load in the vehicle.
I’ve seen people pull heavy toads with the 6.7 and I’m sure a member here will tell you of their experiences.

[DGBPokes]

The weight of the truck is pretty heavy.The information you gave is incomplete, we need to know the weight of your coach....loaded.

The rule of thumb is 1 hp for every hundred pounds. IF you have a 360 hp engine, any gross weight over 36,000 lbs, will not perform very well. The worse the difference, the lower the mountain performance.

And yes, you might push it. But, you risk a lot of major problems; engine overheat, tranny failure, brake failure on the downslope.

FWIW. I own a 07 KSDP 350 hp, with an Allison 3000 tranny.
Four corner weighed loaded 31,000#
Tow Nissan Frontier pickup. 3,800#

Total. 34,800#
Just a hair under the recommended weight to hp ratio.

[Keith55]

Originally Posted by DGBPokes

The weight of the truck is pretty heavy.The information you gave is incomplete, we need to know the weight of your coach....loaded.

The rule of thumb is 1 hp for every hundred pounds. IF you have a 360 hp engine, any gross weight over 36,000 lbs, will not perform very well. The worse the difference, the lower the mountain performance.

And yes, you might push it. But, you risk a lot of major problems; engine overheat, tranny failure, brake failure on the downslope.

FWIW. I own a 07 KSDP 350 hp, with an Allison 3000 tranny.
Four corner weighed loaded 31,000#
Tow Nissan Frontier pickup. 3,800#

Total. 34,800#
Just a hair under the recommended weight to hp ratio.

Thank you for your reply.

I have the same coach with the 400HP. Seems like I should be good.

[Keith55]

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

it's an 07 with the 8.9 liter 400 HP. The displacement add a ton of torque - 1250 foot pounds.

[sgwyble]

The total weight matters the most. We have the same engine. Our Ventana weighs 40,000 and we tow a grand Cherokee weighing 4,500. Only traveled in the east so far, no problems on hills. The key is torque, not hp. At 1,250 you have the same torque as the 450 hp engine on Dutchstar

[Keith55]

Originally Posted by sgwyble

The total weight matters the most. We have the same engine. Our Ventana weighs 40,000 and we tow a grand Cherokee weighing 4,500. Only traveled in the east so far, no problems on hills. The key is torque, not hp. At 1,250 you have the same torque as the 450 hp engine on Dutchstar

Thanks - Easy then. The coach unofficially weighs about 27,000 pounds (rounded up). Figure 3,000 pounds of stuff - we dont usually travel with too much water etc. Then 8,000 pounds for the truck. Easily within the limits. Truck will probably weigh 7500 pounds. I like to round weights up for safety.

I have J rated tires on the coach - new Hankooks. I am not a tire guy but I think they can actually handle more than the coach is rated for.

[Granite17]

Check Newmar’s GCVWR for your
coach. This is the maximum weight rating of your coach and the vehicle/trailer you are pulling . Gross combined vehicle weight rating. I would think your over or pushing it.

[RVPioneer]

Keith55 seems to know his coach.

Per the Newmar brochure, a 2007 Kountry Star has the following capacities with either the 350hp or 400hp option.
GVWR 32K
GCWR 42K
UVW ~27K

[Keith55]

Originally Posted by RVPioneer

Keith55 seems to know his coach.

Per the Newmar brochure, a 2007 Kountry Star has the following capacities with either the 350hp or 400hp option.
GVWR 32K
GCWR 42K
UVW ~27K

Thanks RVPioneer. Yep, I should be fine.

A couple people rattled me about towing an F250 but in reality its an extra say 2000 pounds over an F150 or a loaded up Jeep Grand Cherokee. I am under the limit and that extra 2000 pounds is only 5% of total GCWR.

Heck the difference between carrying a full water and nearly empty (which we do) is about 850 pounds alone.

Sometimes I let people get into my head (temporarily).

[RVPioneer]

You’ll be within the rated capacities of the coach. About 20% less than the towing capacity and 10% less than GVWR. That’s better than the estimated 60% of overweight rigs on the road.

What supplemental braking system are you using on the truck?

[twogypsies]

You definitely need a supplemental braking system.

[Keith55]

Originally Posted by RVPioneer

You’ll be within the rated capacities of the coach. About 20% less than the towing capacity and 10% less than GVWR. That’s better than the estimated 60% of overweight rigs on the road.

What supplemental braking system are you using on the truck?

Thanks RVPioneer.

I ordered a Patriot 3. Planning to run a charge line to keep the F250's batteries topped off.

[NHRA225]

Towing on a Trailer--maybe i missed something here !