Community Forums

sanfordturbo · 12-28-2012, 09:23 AM

According to the sticker on my 29.2 hitch:

500 lb tongue weight
5000 lb towing capacity

What are you guys towing behind your Thor ACE?
Does the V10 handle it well or struggle?

I'm reading up on the "Toads and Motorhome Related Towing" section of this forum, but wanted to hone in on real world success stories from other ACE owners.

gmadams · 12-28-2012, 09:38 AM

When I had my 29.1 I was towing my Jeep Liberty. The V-10 pulled it with no problems. I didn't even know it was back there. I was able to maintain speed fairly easily.

H3OHIO · 12-28-2012, 09:48 AM

We tow our Hummer H3, book says it weighs around 4,700 lbs.
Don't even know it's back there, towed on a 2,400 mile trip going through mountains and it towed just fine. Make sure you use the TOW/HAUL button on the shifter, it helps with stopping by applying engine braking.

sanfordturbo · 12-28-2012, 12:00 PM

The dinghy I have in mind is a 2007 9-3 Saab Aero FWD automatic. From what I can tell, it can't be converted for flat towing. It weighs 3500 lbs according to the spec sheet online. I'm sure that is dry weight.

Tow dollys are about 500 lbs and are around $1000.

I'd love a tandem tow dolly to take the motorcycle or golf cart around with me in addition to the car.

Heck, I'd love a fully enclosed aluminum trailer big enough to put the car, golf cart, and motorcycle in it at the same time!! (with matching paint and graphics to match the ACE . . . of course) Obviously all that stuff would be too much for the RV.

mfolland · 12-28-2012, 01:12 PM

We just tow a flat utility trailer (approx 700lbs) with four dirt bikes (250lbs each), firewood, air compressor, and other odds and ends. Total weight is no more than 4000 lbs. On flat ground, I don't know it's back there. On steep grades such as the Cajon pass (6% grade), I chug along at 55mph.

Harlee79 · 12-28-2012, 04:31 PM

We tow a 2013 ford explorer, the ace has no issue with it. I just wish Thor wouldn't have went cheap with the trailer wiring. The v10 pulls and stops just fine.

bdickson · 12-28-2012, 04:46 PM

We started with a Honda FIT (2650#) and now a Honda CR-V (3600#). Don't notice any difference. The V10 climbs hills like a champion. I use Tow/Haul pretty much all the time. I had the wiring harness upgraded to 6 pin so I could run a charge line to the toad.

sanfordturbo · 12-30-2012, 03:56 PM

Do you guys think the towing capacity limitations are only related to the hitch Thor installed?

Could the V10 tow 7000 lbs. with an upgraded hitch?

bdickson · 12-30-2012, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanfordturbo

Do you guys think the towing capacity limitations are only related to the hitch Thor installed?

Could the V10 tow 7000 lbs. with an upgraded hitch?

Possibly, but in the event of a wreck your insurance company would walk away from you.

mfolland · 12-30-2012, 05:22 PM

As I've found out with 5th wheel towing. PULLING and safely towing are two different things. I've pulled a 40' 5er with a 3/4 ton short bed with a diesel, and with a 1 Ton dually. While both trucks had the same engine, towing with the 3/4 Ton truck was sketchy.

There's no doubt in my mind the V10 engine will pull a 7K trailer. I don't have the same confidence about stopping and handling that payload.

RVRandy · 01-02-2013, 09:35 AM

I had a 2004 Hurricane 30 footer with the V-10 that I traded in on the Palazzo. I used it to pull a 24' covered race car trailer, total weight of that setup was about 6500 lbs.

If you live at lower elevations the V-10 is OK but if you go through any mountains you are going to struggle a bit.

I live in Colorado at 7,000 elevation so the V-10 struggled with that load and got about 2 mpg at best. I then installed the Banks performance kit that included headers, exhaust, ECM chip and transmission module. The difference was night and day. It added 50 HP and pulled great, mpg got up to 3-5 when towing. I can only imagine how good this setup would run at lower elevations.

If you install a good trailer brake controller and make sure your trailer has good functioning brakes on all axles you should have no trouble towing it. But, make sure the the hitch is rated correctly for the tongue weight and total load.

Use the weight rating of your chassis to determine the total safe load you can tow, you may be able to upgrade your hitch so you can tow at max capacity if needed.

DegoRed · 01-04-2013, 12:02 PM

Sanford, we tow our Jeep on an aluminum car hauler. We are at a minimum of 6,500 lbs, but not more than 7,000. Jeep weighs 5,000+Trailer 1,500+misc(bikes,junk,etc.), and just at or under 60 ft(never measured). So far the V10 has done well, and I have zero complaints. I do have the 5 Star Tune, which is a huge bonus. Wanted an enclosed hauler, but could not find one that was tall enough to fit our Jeep. I am sure one existed, but I was not able to find one, and I know with enough money, one can solve any problem, but just went with the open hauler.

We have only driven our MH with the trailer and the whole set up, never without, so I have no reference to how the MH drives without the trailer & Jeep. We have crossed the continental divide several times, and driven a bunch of grades, and so far no complaints. Yes, there were times where we slowed all the way down to 45 crawling some grades, but to be expected. We usually cruise at 67mph when driving, that seems to be the happy spot.

I did replace the factory trailer hitch with one rated for 16,500 lbs ($250). I also use a Trailertoad, TrailerToad.com

With the Trailertoad, it takes all the weight off the MH. Yes you still have to start and stop it, but there is virually no tounge weight or weight at all on the MH. I have the brake controller set so that the trailer brakes do most of the work for the trailer.

Hope this makes sense, it really is a slick set up. I never unhook my haul trailer. We either get a pull through spot or I just back the whole set up into a spot. Yes, I do leave everything hooked up when leveling the MH, the Trailertoad articulated up and down as well as left and right, so it just adjusts itself the the MH.

Have had others in forums, who have never seen my rig, say that it must be a pain and seems like a lot of hasells. It take me no more time to set up and or park than if I did not have the trailer attached. If you are not good backer uper, when then the learning curve is a little steeper, but I have no issues backing up, so for me its very easy.

I was not happy with the factory set up, and did a lot of reasearch, and this for me is the perfect set up. There is no way for me to flat tow my Jeep, so a hauler was the only option. Trailertoads are what all the race car guys use to haul their heavy car haulers (Stackers) which are 20K to 40K lbs. The guy who invented the Trailertoad is a seriously smart guy named Jok, and he is also a super nice guy to talk to. So if you have any questions, please feel free to call him. I did not know him, but am glad that I found him.