Towing heavy with a diesel pusher?

[TDInewguy]

Originally Posted by zmotorsports

I did the upgraded pump kit from Merchant Automotive when my truck had about 60k miles on it. That is a great upgrade, I have had to replace about three rear transfer case halves for people that didn't catch them in time. I have found that under normal use around 100k-120k is when they start having issues if the pump upgrade is not performed.

Mine just turned over 80k about two weeks ago, I don't drive it much. Today I just added a little more fuel capacity by adding the Titan 52 gallon tank. I don't know what GM was thinking by only putting a 26 gallon tank under them.

Mike.

I put a Titan fuel tank in a long time ago... Love it!!

I'd love to get a bigger tank on my motorhome! 90 gallons just isn't enough, I'd like 150+ gallons!

[tderonne]

Originally Posted by Automobilist

The empty trailer weighs about 5200#. No interior cabinets or built in generator / compressor, etc. Has a lighter steel pivot lift, versus a four post lift. Somewhat lighter than several 24' stackers I know of with tons of cabinets, four post lift, etc.

Thanks. That's very light. So many people have no idea what their trailers weigh. If I believed the internet, mine would weight like 3200 pounds, 600 pounds less than it really weighs.

[gregbullet]

well wheh i looked at this thread, i was just looking.
but i have experience. i took a simple tow bar off a 1981 shasta 23 footer and mounted a 5k reciever and had the welder ti
riangulate sume bars welded to 1/4 x 2 angle. i had seen a floor that was extended from the factory bent upwards of 2 feet and i didn't want that.
i pulled a 20' 10k rated that weighed 2k empty and 5600 loaded with 4 scoots and tools. i pulled it all across the us buy way of the central way out to ca from va and back on 90 most the way back. the lil 350 small block with 350 turbo worked well as could and averaged 5.5 mpg over all,
we had no broblem except when the 18 wheelers blew house like paper side ways and raise our emotions abit. but me an momma bear and her 2 teens had a great 6 month trip as we stopped and unloaded and toured the back roads and small americana. the high life

we then sold it toio a friend who pulls is drag car with it and loves it. it had bout 20k miles at first and wasi perfect shape n sold with 70 k and still in goog shaped w/ regular servicing by me.

we bought a winnie chieftian 27 , a 1985 mod that had been sitting a couple years with no winter service. it had issues that allowed for a low price and we resealed th roof a/c and replaced th flooring and some piping and all new tires etc. i then removed the simble tow bar and added a 5k hitch again had the welder add the same inforcements. this time we tied a southen run buy the gulf coast . oh yea we added trunion bar system for load leveling without a swy bar. we upped our load with two harleys cross ways on front with an 89 chevy 4x4 blazer on the tail of the rigf with 3k nin tools in a big box on he toung. it rollrd along really well with th workhorse chevy 454. and again it was 5.5 with the a/c and the gemset runnig to power the fridge and mainly the rof a/c as it was hot
it waqs a trip to san antonio for the aa world convention and then tra vel up to mid mo and then back across kentucy and nwest va and home to central va. without the genset and all a/c off we pushed 7.1 pulling the 8.67k trailer that rated in nat10k but was alil nover winnies ratings. cat scales were helpful as to moving the load ninside the rig to add more weight up front and gei a lil pf thr rear axle.
we saw many law dawgs and passed many weight stations. not a problem

so the main run was to pull all that plush more equipment as we were crossing 1/2 the UAS then north to central canada and then on to alaska but first heading north from white hours yukon territory up to dawson city for a week long party and then across the top of the world highway , thru chicken ak and over to tok . then we went on every road that alaska has. even unloaded the blazer and ran the ice road truckers road (the dalton highway) up to prudoe bay and back. thats like driving from richmo nd va to savanaha ga and then driving back on the muddiest pothole road u could ever run , with no cops. not folks. no cell phone . just us the wildernesrt and all the wild you could ever want nfor 5 days. it was aussume tho we blew all shocks on the old 1989 blazer.

we endd up campping in the back of itr foer 13 days in much of ak'z wilderness with big brownings all around. it was cool

then we loaded up and rqan douwn to homer and ferried to many coaslal ports then headd back. two things that xcaused problems. the 454 big bloched it heart hard pulling all those mountains all we wore the susspension from under the trailer as i had bowned it 4 11 years before and had to rebuild it at a campground in ancorage which pissed off the management. oh well.

we rolled back thru lower alberta and dropped into the rockies and back across the central route back to central va.
we had no problems with the load leveling hitch (5k) with triangled bracing and would run it more but got a good deal on a winnie advevrtuer 35u. a real nice unit with th ford f53/v10 and took the light weight tow bar and added the bracing.

now my part of the answer. i feel that a 400hp cat or detroit diesel wold pull those loads with ease as the 3 gassers seem to have rto work Hard to please my drive.

now fuel economy varries considerably between trying to get some where at 70 - 75 at 4mpg or site seeing at 55 with 5.5 to 7.9 mpg.

i have never even been in a dp but i feel the noise, the ride, and the brute force of the tourqe can make for a more relaxed and pleasing trip, as long as it holes together. if yuo dont have the tools and basic tear down and reinstall mind, then the dp will be quite expensive.


thats my $1.50 worth i hope it helps anyone that needs some info and i can always use good dirrection as i have been camping for 30 years * and 20 of that is with mh'z..

[ChazA]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

Problem is this: IF something happens. Some smart lawyer finds you are towing above your rating, He's going to have a ton of fun at your expense.

I have seen the kind of things they say when they sue you.. The difference is .. In your case. it might well be true.. Plus your insurance may give you fits too.. (in my case.. well let' just say the legal prick was highly castrated by the facts).

You hit the nail on the head! I researched this ad-nauseam for a year before purchasing my DP. Bottom line, I bought one that had the 10,000lb rating sheet on the closet door, from the manufacturer. I called the major manufacturers, each time when interested in various DPs. Even calling back again sometimes I got different answers from different people...are you speaking with tech support, or the original engineer of the MH? There are so many variables, brakes, chassis twisting, etc...and many other points that were mentioned in this thread, that I would never take a chance that two MH from the same year were the same. Say the MH twisited due to excessive weight, and a side panel flew off. If I had a dollar for every time someone said ..."are you kidding, modify the hitch and this MH can handle it...I made it through the Rockies...etc.."

Good luck defending a lawsuit..."Oh, I called tech support at Bounder and they said they were the same MH...the hitch shop said they do all the time...I called Spartan...etc, etc.."

And one last point, if you modify and sell, not a lawyer here, but would you be liable if the next person got into an accident because you told them it can tow over 10,000???" Since these posts are permanent on the Internet, even if deleted, people may be opening themselves up to future issues with the modifications made..."

[N6CUS]

Reading most of these replies, Me I'd give up on the idea of over 10,000 Lbs
too risky, and try to work out a different plan.

[zmotorsports]

The wife and I had a screamin deal on a 26' Haulmark Edge Stacker come up about a year after I had purchased our 26' Haulmark Edge. I really considered it as they were going to give me about three thousand over what I paid for mine new in 2008 as a trade in and it was only a year old. The one we were looking at was new, 2008 model but in 2009. It was a smokin deal as they had picked it up from a dealer that went bankrupt.

I was ready to pull the trigger until I was honest with myself about the weight. The trailer alone had a 9k pound curb weight. I know how I am and if I had room I would have something crammed in it. I could easily seeing my self loading sand toys, Jeep and even more tools in it now bringing the weight to somewhere in the 17-18k pound range. My worry was that I would then not be happy with the manner in which the coach pulled the trailer and I like our motorhome way to much to be looking for a different one, plus I couldn't afford a newer, bigger one anyways.

That said, I decided to keep the 26' Haulmark that we had as we can fit all of the toys we need to in it and just enjoy it.

Mike.

[gregbullet]

thanks for the advice. i lost a suit a couple years back as a doctor didn't log all the info. i have been diabled for years and think about how the lawsuit went and why but had never considerd what you said. thats good advice, and like some said, shops modify all kinds of stuff that run the roads and i guess a good lawyer may look into something as such.. thanks


you would think a shop that installs hitches would say, that we can't modify your hitch, but rather he just quoted me the price.!!

[bmacrc46]

It looks like the entire membership of "The sky is falling" club posts regularly on this site.

Every rating has plenty of safety factor built in as the general public routinely overloads tons of stuff on a daily basis. If you have a tow rating of 10,000 pounds the rig does not immediately become unsafe or a target for every lawyer in the country if you have 10,001 in your rig.

If this has caused as many issues as some folks on this site would have you believe we would be reading about accidents and suits do to overweight issues on a daily basis. I can't recall a single one that has made the news.

I knew a truck driver that could legally haul 40,000 pounds that would regularly put 80,000 pounds in it. You talk about overweight, this guy was the poster child for overweight. The truck did not blow up, the trailer did not fold in half, and the sky did not fall. If he got in an accident things may have changed but I find it hard to believe that anyone within 10% of their rating would ever have any issues. Safety margins by the manufacturer are well above that.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by bmacrc46

If this has caused as many issues as some folks on this site would have you believe we would be reading about accidents and suits do to overweight issues on a daily basis. I can't recall a single one that has made the news.

I knew a truck driver that could legally haul 40,000 pounds that would regularly put 80,000 pounds in it. You talk about overweight, this guy was the poster child for overweight. The truck did not blow up, the trailer did not fold in half, and the sky did not fall. If he got in an accident things may have changed but I find it hard to believe that anyone within 10% of their rating would ever have any issues. Safety margins by the manufacturer are well above that.

There are accidents and there are LOTS of law firms willing to handle liability issues if you tow heavy.

Jackson Hole News&Guide | Truck over weight limit

Baton Rouge Overweight Trucks Accident Attorney | Lafayette Improperly Loaded Trucks Wreck Attorneys | Louisiana Overloaded Truck Accident Law Firm
(Google 'overweight truck accidents' and see how many lawyers pop up offering to sue.)

Overweight Trailer Caused Fatal Crash: Police - Outback RV Owners Forum

Read this Law firm's offering on RV accidents:

Scottsdale RV Accident Attorney | Motor Home Wreck |

[bmacrc46]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

There are accidents and there are LOTS of law firms willing to handle liability issues if you tow heavy.

Jackson Hole News&Guide | Truck over weight limit

Baton Rouge Overweight Trucks Accident Attorney | Lafayette Improperly Loaded Trucks Wreck Attorneys | Louisiana Overloaded Truck Accident Law Firm
(Google 'overweight truck accidents' and see how many lawyers pop up offering to sue.)

Overweight Trailer Caused Fatal Crash: Police - Outback RV Owners Forum

Read this Law firm's offering on RV accidents:

Scottsdale RV Accident Attorney | Motor Home Wreck |

This is great, these extreme cases prove the point on how rare these are as one of the links goes to 2008. The incident with the truck in 2012 was not 3000 pounds over but was 30,000 pounds over.

Now show me the ones from last week that the towed vehicle was within 10% of the weight rating.

Here is a link to an attorney that will sue you for your negligence. They don't need to wait to see if you are overweight. If you cause an accident you could be sued! It is not safe to leave the house anymore.http://www.caraccidentlawyers.net/

[gregbullet]

whao, i posted what i did with the first post as i hoped to relax things a lil, but it seems some folks just keep on keeping on.

hey i am new to irv2, but i am not new. i am a va state certified welder, though it ran out a few years ago but i was tested with the arkansa bell with a p5 root and 7018 filler and cap. then they tested me on the ar bell, tigging the root w/ the same filler and cap. then i took the stainles steel tests for sch 10 and sch 40. both scheduals i certified on 1/16th and 1/8th gap tigging the root and etc. then, 6 months later i took the stainless steel, filler ring gap test and a couple alloy test, as they payed more money if a welder had those certs. and yes, it took a couple times on one of the alloys.

yes they have been out of certification a few years but the knowledge and the level of skills, fabbing and welding , that i had learned and earned and used daily, paid off many ways, as they still do.!!!

working with stainlee steel, black iron, both iron and stainless steel pipe of all scheduals, and the same with alloys, i took w/me when i went back to my passion of tearing your autoz apart and puting the back together but actually fixing them and / or repairing them.

i opened my own auto repair shop in 1980. not to make money and get rich, but to have you all pay my bills so i could build hot rods, rat rods, and custom motor cycles. and yes, i have been riding scoots all my life. and
between auto accidents, mc crashes, and some good ol bar bashes, i have broken over 20 bones and should've had a plate put in my skull. (as it was bashed in and i was left for dead), and yes a couple of the bone were broken more than once.
the back of my skull. well today a person can lay 2 fingers flat across the back nof my head and fill in my skull enough to bring it back out to its roundness!!!

while operating my business, the auto repair shop, and auto sales, and custom auto and bike building, i found it nessary to carry a class A CDL, with ALL endorsements (N,P,S,T,H) and i still have that plus i am Va State Safety Inspector and an ASE certified master tech, and have carried them both for 30+ years. and though they are no longer any good, i was certified by the American Red Cross as a LS1,LS2, and Ls3, Advanaced Live Saving and Recovery Trained and Certified as i was running with the local Resque Squad and Fire dept, but age has crept up on my poor old broken body so i let some of that stuff go.. sorry!!
i have been , but am not now, a member of the IATN (International Automotive Technical Network) were i was a member for , i believe 12 years.
now i didn't tell you all that, to pat myself on the back, though it does feel pretty good to see it all in print, !!

i pass this along as i told a lil story here a few nights back and someone picked at it abit. at the time, i let it roll on down my back and across my butt, then off, to the chair.
i was looking back over the thread tonight and showing mb (momma bear), ( my lovely woman for 20 yrs), all the different types of people and opinions, i felt the water running like a stream, this time. so, i had to stop and remember that, i have been a member of AA and NA, (Alcohol and Narcodics Anonymous) and have been clean and sober for over 23 years!
then sit here and think about the fact that i have been studying the Ministry for the past 5 years.
now, i am sure that many of you are highly schooled with many years of service to your profession. Good and thanks. so, some of us here have worked and lived parts of this life and some of you have sat and studied about it. what i wrote a few nights ago was with All my experiencesfo life and professions concidered and nowhere in there did i remember to state that , yes i have lived the outlaw life for most of my 61 years. and yes, at 60 i had lived 2 life times , as i, myself, and many others, honestly believed that i would not live to be 30..!!!
i graffed and printed my design and the welder looked at me and said yes, but he also had a couple changes and additions. with the two of us working, we had finished (up gradingf) my heavey duty frame and hitch, though it is still stampped 5k.
and yes i used the trounyon bars, both for driving aide with the steering , and to help overal handling, as it took the weight off the rear and did as it was designed back it the 60'z, shift it to the front suspension.!!!
as i said , with the little trailer and scoots (3k, tottal) and the big trailer (5800 lbs) we traveled about 45 - 50 k miles with No troubles. then with the big trailer weighting alot, (6 - 8 k) we have run up and down the east coast many, many miles. toooo many to try to think about. but , then last year, MB and i, traveled to laska and back, with what i said the other night and the only troubles were; 1. before we had gotten out of va, i realized that i had to up the size of the trailer wiring (blue) for the brake system, as the 10lb rated trailer came with one axle brakes in 1989, new and i added the second set of axle brakes, as i figured that that trip would be doing many many miles of mountains. and i was right for both!!
2. in the middle of canada i realized that we weren't slowing and stopping as easily as before. i found the lever that holds the magnet, on the electric brake system, had snapped into. it had nothing to do with the load, but studying the parts, i saw a flaw in the metal, where it had been bent and curved, to make it functionalble, by bendix.
3. doing regular maintainence while camped in ancorage, in a park that most of you wouldn't consider looking at much less staying and leaving most stuff behind, while off riding the scoots and ferrying all over the west coast of alaska for 15 days, i found the original front axle brake shoes were worn out,(about time), and the suppension was worn out and ragged to the point of danger. now, i can't say just how many many miles there was on that trailer. but i bought all new system for it but only replaced the dyer needs parts, and to this day , still need to finish the r and r on it.
4. you won't believe how often the trailer and the rear brakes of th winnie had to be adjusted.
was i over loaded????? well that depends on which state i would have been in if something was to cause an offical of the law to stop and check us out. but remember alln i have told you all tonight. i can tell you that most lawmen out on the roads won't stop you if they themselves do't know, or even know, where or howto look-up the laws on such items. and most just do not want to do the paper work!!!! and yes , i have spent time doing, Ride-a-longs. even though i was over the line most of my life, one of my friends was a deputy sheriff, that just loved nailing me and letting me go. and my only daughter just went and married a retied Marine, turned sheriff. and while i was in bizzyness, i had time to do work for all branches of the government and spent time in the small community talking to the lawmen.

Now, you all can pick it to pieces or you all can take what you need in your heart and leave the rest behind, but my rigs have always handled good and performed as well as they could with the loads they pulled at times.!!

oh, and yes i have been pulled--!!! and Never Was Given Any kind of ticket. i was stopped for speeding, for not moving over nas i passed by them on the shoulder ( i was worn torn and maybe sleeping), for hitting a couple of the big barrel cones trying not to have my mirrow removed by an 18 wheeler that couldn,t stay in his lane in a construction area, for going down a 1 way street , the wrong way (both in day light and at night), and for parking on the narrow streets ancorage and by a Royale Canadian Mounted Police because my light was working but the works had vibrated apart and was swinging around and shinning brightly about 3 inches off the road service , that was ruff, muddy, potholes , full of rocks !!!!

AMen to you all and to all my God bless you and keep you all !!!

[gregbullet]

ok, i am tired. i dont type or spell and really dont care sometimes what folks think. i was raised in the back hills where outside folk won't trusted and usually liked.
so i am off to bed as typping this much has worn me out , after a full day of working and a list of honey-doz,