Towing a Full Size Pickup with a Class A Gas

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nmakarewicz

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Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Posts
13
Hi All, I have purchased a 2017 Thor Miramar 34.1 Class A Gas motorhome and am desiring to tow my 2016 GMC Sierra Crew Cab pickup 4 wheels down. If I am doing the math right, from a weight rating perspective theoretically I believe I am ok. The GVWR for my motorhome is 22000 and my GCWR is 26000 pounds.  I calculate (and will actually weigh at some point) the actual loaded weight of the motorhome to be 19980.  The Sierra weighs 5440 pounds.  Combining the loaded weight of the motorhome with the weight of the Sierra I get 25420, which just a bit less than the GCWR of 26000.  Should I be concerned about being this close to the GCWR?  Should I be accounting for other factors such as elevation, grades, etc. or are they already accounted for in the GCWR?  Does anyone have first hand experience towing a full size pickup with a Class A gasser Trition V10?  If so, what is your experience?  Does the Triton seem to be overtasked?  Interested in any and all feedback.
 
I've seen lots of people doing that with a gas V10 Class A before,  many have a motorcycle in the bed of the pickup truck.

very common to see in my so. cal RV park, one guy here now from Canada with a Polaris quad in the bed of an F150. another guy comes here from Texas every year,  tows a car trailer, with a pickup on it and a ATV in the bed of the truck. He said.. "it ain't fast but he's not in a hurry anyway."... :)
 
What is your receiver hitch rated at? 

I pull a 4,000 lb toad with my coach and my weights are about the same as yours. I've got the GM 8.1 gas engine.

I think you are pushing it a bit too much.

What auxiliary braking system are you going to install in the truck?
 
The GVWR for my motorhome is 22000 and my GCWR is 26000 pounds.  I calculate (and will actually weigh at some point) the actual loaded weight of the motorhome to be 19980.  The Sierra weighs 5440 pounds.  Combining the loaded weight of the motorhome with the weight of the Sierra I get 25420, which just a bit less than the GCWR of 26000.  Should I be concerned about being this close to the GCWR?

YES you should be concerned.

1.  Odds are strong that the coach is equipped with a 5000 lb hitch receiver, which you would be overloading somewhat. Further, in most gas A's that receiver is attached to an add-on frame extension that has limited ability to handle the stresses of towing.  This could be a showstopper.

2. The towed vehicle is approaching 30% of the coach weight. That's a lot of tail for a relatively small dog.

3. Calculated weights are notoriously inaccurate, so expect a surprise when you get to the scales.  On both the coach and the Sierra.  I suggest you get both weighed ASAP

4. Loaded weights always grow over time - it is inevitable. Also, there will come a day when for whatever reason you put some extra weight in the coach, maybe by filling the water tank, or bringing some friends along, or you decide to bring home that big piece of driftwood your wife loves. It happens!

Should I be accounting for other factors such as elevation, grades, etc. or are they already accounted for in the GCWR?
Accounted for, but extra weight definitely affects performance when accelerating or climbing grades.  You will  also need VERY capable auxiliary brake system in that toad.

Does the Triton seem to be overtasked?
The V10 has adequate horsepower to move a combined 30,000 lbs, but it is going to rev up high to deliver its rated horsepower. You are going to notice the noise, the reduction in fuel economy, and the more sluggish performance. If your coach has the older 5 speed [or maybe even the pre-2006 with the  4 speed?] Ford transmission, it will spend less time in its top gear.
 
Gentlemen, thanks for the feedback.  My hitch is rated at  8,000 pounds.  If it ever stops snowing here in southeast Michigan, I will climb under and see how the hitch is actually attached to the motorhome frame. 

For a braking system I am looking at the SMI Stay-in-Play Duo system.  Does anyone have any recommendations for a good braking system?  I would prefer to go with a system that installs permanently in the vehicle. 

I have been searching on line for places to weigh near me in Michigan...it seems they are few and far apart.  The nearest one that shows up on the Allstays app is not a truck stop or fueling station, its just a weigh station right on I-75...I think it is not a business but rather state run?  I cannot even find a means by which I can contact them to see if it is operational and if they weigh RVs.  Should I be able to just show up there and get weighed?  Any ideas on how to best find and contact a weigh station near me before I make a trip out somewhere to find out they are not operational, etc. would be greatly appreciated. 

Sounds like you guys are concerned me towing a 5440 pound vehicle with this motorhome.  What would be a good target weight for a tow vehicle with this setup?  Do I need to shed 1000 pounds?  2000 pounds?  off of the tow vehicle?

Thanks again for the insights and discussion. 
 
The '17 Miramar 34.1 has a Ford F53 chassis with a 22,000 lb GVWR and 26,000 lb GCWR. That means that a fully loaded coach could weight as much as 22,000 lbs, leaving only 4000 lbs for towing. However, if the coach weighs less than 22k, any extra is available for tow capacity.  Therefore the actual coach weight. loaded for travel, is critical.
 
For scale location, definitely check the Cat Scale website.  There are CAT scales about every 20-50 miles along every major interstate.  I just checked my Allstays and noticed that the listing for my local truck stop does not show the CAT scale (which is there).  If you live in a more remote area, you might want to check the local grain elevators.  (If there are any)  One of our local elevators has a scale with digital readout outside that is on 24 hrs, so I can drive by and weigh any time I want to after hours.

As to the towing, I don't have personal experience with a gas class A towing a large pickup, but that does not sound pleasant.
 
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