4 down towing with Chevy 454 /7.4

So, I have a Chevy 24 ft classC and I?m thinking of purchasing a 3000,lb toad. The basic 2001 7.4 has 295HP and about 300 tq. Being new to the towing world, is this a significant weight car to be towed down flat? Would the 7.4 be taxed on grades? Also, other than pulling grades should I leave it in 3rd gear for most of the drive or is it ok to shift into overdrive on level ground? Appreciate your experiences and input. Thanks, Newby.

You have a 7.4L engine in a 2001 rig? The bigger/stronger 8.1L was released for the 2001 model year in GMC/Chevy trucks, but your motorhome may be a 2001 motorhome body on a 2000 chassis. So that would make sense.

The max weight rating of the rig (GVWR) and combined weight of the rig + any cargo or towable (GCVWR) are important numbers for you to research. Check for a data tag mounted somewhere around the driver's seat. Or, on a Class C that info may be on the manufacturer sticker on the driver's door frame or doorjamb. What do those numbers say? That will help us determine if the rig has adequate "headroom" in the towing department to handle a 3000# toad.

Your tow hitch may also be limited to a certain amount of weight, so check that too. 3500# is common on smaller motorhomes, so that would handle a 3000# vehicle obviously. Remember that anything inside the vehicle or the weight of any towing equipment is also being "towed" and needs to be factored in.

If all those numbers check out, the engine should be able to tow on grades... but it'll be working hard and you won't be going fast. A lot will depend on how much headroom you have with towing capacity, as far as the towing experience being enjoyable, white knuckle, or somewhere in between. My experience towing with a 7.4L engine is with our 3/4 ton Suburban, which I used until very recently to tow our 32' travel trailer that weighs about 9500# loaded. We live in the Midwest so it's pretty flat, but I want to be able to hit the mountains in future years. I bought a diesel truck to give myself some more confidence in that task.

Don?t forget, you also have to stop it.

As Scotty and Lynx said watch your weight limits. 3000 pounds isn't heavy. We have a 2017 Ford Fiesta hatchback which is about as small as you can get and it's nearly 2800 pounds. The Chevy Spark and Mercedes Smart car are over 2000 pounds but they are super tiny and not good cars in my opinion. Going up hills you may need to slow down. I let the transmission pick the gear unless it's bouncing back and forth then I'll downshift.

Here's the important thing, some states don't require a breaking system under 3000 pounds but if an accident were to happen the lawyers are going to do what lawyers do and your insurance company may not be too friendly either. I really didn't want to spend the money but I have too much to lose. Ended up getting the RVi with tire pressure monitoring. Expensive but it works well.

I have a 32 foot RV with the same engine. MCGVR for my RV is 19,500 pounds and I weighed in at about 13,000 in "driving weight" - full fuel, loaded for the trips full LPG and half water.

My hitch is rated at 3500 pounds so I am zero concerned about towing up to that weight.

You should use the transmission as it was designed. I only pulled my bike trailer to MS and with the bike and trailer it was around 1,000 pounds. The RV did not even notice it was there basically. I ran OD on all the flats and slight grades. You will learn when it is running out of pull. The I downshifted to "3rd" and kept the speed at around 55mph.

You don't want to run in 3rd gear all day long at 65mph - the engine will be revving too high and various things will be getting stressed out (engine & trans).

Check your numbers but I am sure your rig will be fine. The only other consideration for towing capacity is really brakes - If the RV maker "matched" the engine & trans capability with brakes that can stop a heavy rig they will have a pretty good MCGVR.

Will it be taxed on grades? Sure. Will it get to the top anyway? Also "sure".  In terms of horsepower, you have plenty but you have to be willing to tolerate the noise of higher rpms where the full HP is available.  You might want to make sure it has a heavy duty cooling system, but most motorhomes have that chassis feature anyway. The cooling system on a 2001 might be tired, though. Clogged radiator or transmission heat exchanger (cooler).

4-down towing means the toad is supporting its own weight and most of the time you only need to overcome tire friction and some extra wind-resistance. Not a big deal except when accelerating or climbing hills. And also slowing or descending.