Towing a race trailer help

Posted By: moparguy7074

Towing a race trailer help - 04/25/14 07:47 PM

Hey guys, need some help. I just bought a really nice mh, but the frame isn't quite up to the task of towing my 10,000# car/trailer combo. I'm looking for one of those assist wheel setups. What do you guys use?

Posted By: Challenger 1

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/25/14 08:16 PM

Quote:

Hey guys, need some help. I just bought a really nice mh, but the frame isn't quite up to the task of towing my 10,000# car/trailer combo. I'm looking for one of those assist wheel setups. What do you guys use?

Sorry but even with a trailer toad, it's going to put a lot stress on the back of your RV. It will cause all kinds of trouble back there, imo. Plus the power is not there to tow a 10k trailer plus the RV. Even with a trailer toad you need to have full frame welded on back there, but you still won't have the engine power needed, sorry.

I have lot's of experience towing race trailers and I hate to give you the bad news.

I stepped up to a toterhome in 2002.

Posted By: pittsburghracer

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/25/14 09:03 PM

I put a class 5 hitch on mine and found a "like new" Trailer Toad and love it. I talked to Bob Jones who owns a trailer dealership and he said go with this model. I almost ordered a new one but after talking to the guy that owns Trailer Toad he said I could go with the older smaller tired model.
http://www.trailertoad.com/

10,000 pounds is a lot to tow so you may have to box the rear frame section too if the motorhome has the power and the braking ability to handle the weight.

Posted By: Cab_Burge

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/25/14 11:19 PM

If it is a Unibody motorhome chassis don't tow with it

Posted By: Al_Alguire

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/25/14 11:21 PM

What kind of motorhome is it? A class A, C or Super C. Gonna guess class C or A puller. FWIW I tow all over the west with a Class A pusher and have no issues at all except climbing some of the big hills where I am slowed to 45. Otherwise no issue and if I were in the Midwest would have no issue running 75+

Posted By: Challenger 1

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/26/14 12:27 AM

Quote:

What kind of motorhome is it? A class A, C or Super C. Gonna guess class C or A puller. FWIW I tow all over the west with a Class A pusher and have no issues at all except climbing some of the big hills where I am slowed to 45. Otherwise no issue and if I were in the Midwest would have no issue running 75+

Doesn't a class A puller or pusher have a full frame?

I assumed he had a class C with a gas engine when he mentioned the "frame isn't quit up"... Class C usually have smaller engines I thought. I could be wrong.

Posted By: Al_Alguire

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/26/14 12:38 AM

Many of the class A pullers are built on basically HD pickup truck chassis so I would not think they would be suitable as is for a lot of heavy towing as there is not much frame there. Where as the pushers are better equipped frame wise, depending on chassis.

Posted By: moparguy7074

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/26/14 11:20 AM

It's a 2001 Four Winds Hurricane 31' Class A puller. V-10 Ford engine. Ihe frame goes clear to the back, but the last 2' is poorly welded to the rest. I can strengthen it to make it work. The bad part is it has a shorter wheelbase with approximately 9' behind rear wheels, which from what I'm told will flex and cause issues no matter how much I reinforce the frame.

Posted By: StealthWedge67

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/26/14 06:09 PM

I tow with a 97 Four Winds 31' C-class. Its on an E-SuperDuty chassis with air-assist bags in the rear. and a full frame extension to the bumper. Not the same as your A-class, but the powertrain would be the same. I wouldn't want to try to tow 10k with it! I just have an open trailer, roughly 5k lbs with my car on it and it tows that pretty well.

To be honest, I think 10k may just be too much for a triton V10 thats already worked pretty hard pulling the chassis alone. the '01 & newer Ford has the 5-spd. transmission, and I've heard that helps alot with towing because the V10 likes to rev. A toad may help the chassis with the weight, but I'm skeptical about the long term ability of that powerteam to do the job you're asking it to. I think the job you're looking at really requires a FRED or a D-pusher, if you want it to last at all.

Posted By: MR_P_BODY

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/26/14 06:24 PM

Quote:

It's a 2001 Four Winds Hurricane 31' Class A puller. V-10 Ford engine. Ihe frame goes clear to the back, but the last 2' is poorly welded to the rest. I can strengthen it to make it work. The bad part is it has a shorter wheelbase with approximately 9' behind rear wheels, which from what I'm told will flex and cause issues no matter how much I reinforce the frame.

With 9' behind the axle its gonna flex the frame and
body pretty good even with the toad... it would still
have the side to side load... I put another X brace
on the back of my Rampage chassis so I could pull
a LIGHT small trailer.. without it, it would have
flexed the body

Posted By: moparguy7074

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/27/14 03:03 PM

I found what I was looking for, but the price!!

www.tufftow.com

Posted By: pittsburghracer

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/27/14 04:09 PM

Quote:

I found what I was looking for, but the price!! www.tufftow.com

If you have your mind made up on a Tuff-Tow I may know where you can get a used one if the guy still has it. Its not far from me in PA.

Posted By: Hemi_Joel

Re: Towing a race trailer help - 04/27/14 05:06 PM

box the rear frame, X brace it, use a
weight distributing hitch, load the trailer so the tongue weight is not too heavy, put a sway reducer on the hitch, forget about the towd, you'll be fine. Been there done that.