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Class IV to Class V Receiver

Yahoo Message Number: 74304
I may be purchasing a boat in Washington state and twoing it to Arizona. Boat and trailer = 14,000#. Would rather use the coach than my truck due to the distance and creature comforts, but the current Class IV hitch is rated at 10,000# with 600# tongue weight.
Has anyone found a source for 18,000#/1,800# Class V hitches for the Dynomax chassis or had one made?

Stuart Thornton
2005 34' Allure

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74306
You will have to have a good hitch place beef up your hitch. Have had this done on two coaches. If in the Eugene area can make a good recommendation. Other then that, get the phone book for your area and look under hitches and make calls to find someone with experience. RV hitches do not go that big, that I have every found, matter of GVW ratings for RV do not allow for that much towing. Be sure the boat trailer brakes work well. You will need them.

Leonard

97' Magna 5418

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74315
Stuart,

Have you calculated your overall length for this rig? While your coach is only 34', I would assume that a boat/trailer combo weighing 14,000 pounds would contain a boat well in excess of 30 feet
I once connected my 25' Trophy Pro (8000 pounds w/trailer) to my 40' Intrigue and was just short of 76 feet with outboards, tongues, hitches, bumpers, etc. I think that would have been illegal almost everywhere. I certainly would not have attempted it from Bellingham to San Felipe.

Dick Bradley

04 Intrigue #11830

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74320
CAUTION! It is not just the hitch that needs to be a consideration, but also the rating of the rest of the coach. Everything from the axle weight ratings to the braking system capacity must be considered.

Jim Hughes

2000 Allure #30511

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74326
Leonard, I would like that referral in Eugene. I will talk to Torklift in Kent as well. Could stop and handle on my way to Seattle.
Length? I'll be at 69' overall, okay for Washington, Idaho and Nevada. I will have to skip the direct route through NE Oregon, they are very restrictive it appears. Utah, on the way to Lake Powell, will be my exposure as Utan is limited to 65'. Don't know what it takes for a special permit yet and will consider taking my chances if it is a hassle. Only a few miles in Arizona to the launch so not worried about their 65' restriction.
Brakes? Triple axle all disk with electric over hydraulic. Braking not a problem.
Weight? Here is where it gets interesting. On the placard next to the driver seat, the GVWR is 34,200. I recently weighed about 27,200 wet with passangers (34' cuts out a lot of wieght). There is not GCWR (combined rating) on the sticker or in the manuals. Just a reference to not exceed the GCWR, but they don't say what it is...go figure.
This statement is in the manual: "The factory installed trailer hitch will safely tow a trailer or another vehicle whose weight does not exceed the GTW (Gross Towing Weight) of the hitch or the Tongue Load Capacity." Would that imply, without having a published GCWR, that I should be able to beef up the hitch to a Class V rating and safely tow this boat? Yes or No?

I do have a call into CCC to see if they can identify the GCWR.

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74327
I know that when I drove my hauler (Renegade 34ft) with a 32' race trailer behind that the penalties for over length are pretty steep if they want to enforce them. You would be required to hire a driver with a CDL and not be able to even drive to an exit if you were stopped on the freeway. As for the ticket, it has varied widely from what I've heard. Fortunately, I made it 6 years being close to 70ft without being stopped in California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. they do measure bumper to bumper and includes the hitch length as well.

Roger Harper
2006 Intrigue
#11990

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74333
http://www.hitchproandtow.net/index.php
Call the above and ask them the questions. They do this type of stuff for RV's on a regular basics and will have good answers. Have been very impressed with the design and build quality of work they do. Make an appointment is best.

Another option is this: http://trailertoad.com/index.html for dealing with tongue weight. Adds about 3' to overall length. Have a used one at a good price. Unit works well at what it is designed to do.

The biggest thing to watch for is the speed limit for towing. Would keep it around 60 max. Less likely to draw attention to self. Lots of big boats are towed to Lake Powell behind all kinds of rigs. Might make a call to some source in the Lake Powell area and see how strict they are on boat towing. Length, I do not think, is as big a deal as speed will be.

I tow a 22' enclosed trailer close to #10,000 and can not tell much difference with the loaded trailer vs. our Jeep Wrangler on the ground. The boat will have much more of an air movement issue, maybe, then a trailer that tucks in close to the air stream of the RV.

My biggest issue is trailer brakes. Just one brake malfunction out of the four on the trailer makes a BIG difference, i.e. cool coach brakes or overheating coach brakes. Suggest make sure all six brakes are doing the job. A couple of hard brakes and check each brake drum for heat is the best way I have found to test for all brakes working. Boat trailer brakes are noted for rusting issues and not working. All this about brakes because the coach brakes are only sufficient to stop the coach and not much else. The weight and length are manageable with smart driving.

Have fun.

Leonard

97' Magna 5418

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74334
GCWR on a 1999/2000 Allure was 38,200 lbs according to the spec sheets I have if your serial is less than # 30529. That leaves you about 3000 to 4000 lbs short.
TWI 2004 Intrigue 11731. PS. Don't you mean a 32'?

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74335
I think you're going to be able to add a minimum of 7000 lbs and probably 10K lbs to get to your GCWR. My GVWR is 33,200 and my GCWR is 40,200 which gives me only a 7K lbs towing capcity, even though I have a 10K hitch. I think CC made a typo on my GCWR but I could never get them to admit it. On my coach, the GCWR is not shown on the data plate by the driver's seat, but it is shown on the back of the vanity mirror in the bathroom. Did you check there?

Larry, 36' 03 Allure, 30856

Re: Class IV to Class V Receiver

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 74357
The service manager at CCC called me back yesterday and apparently CC never calculated the GCWR like the truck manufacturers do, figuring the maximum pull/stop/suspension load for the drivetrain itself. Rather they took the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and added the hitch capacity, 10,000# in this case, to become the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). Now that does not totally jive with what some of you are saying but that is what Jim Cooley told me. When I asked him about going to a Class V hitch capable of 18,000#, he said CC has no specifications to cover this modification, but he agreed that the coach itself is more than capable of loads well over 10,000# if the receiver is rated to do so.
That make sense too. My Ford F250 diesel has a published GCWR of 20,000#. The truck scales at 7,400#, so I have 12,600 of towing capacity, but not with a Class IV hitch. Only 10,000# until I installed a Class V. If I can tow 12,600# with my F250, it's a no brainer to recognize that with the Dynomax chassis as muscular as it is, it is certainly capable of outdoing my little ol' Ford pickup. CC just never developed the numbers to support it.
Roger, I should probably call Utah and see if I can get a permit like I can (f$15 - single trip) in Arizona. Might make this really easy.
Leonard, fortunately the trailer will be brand new going into this. Brakes should be good. Bet that Trailer Toad is pricy. I'd use my F250 long before I'd spend that kind of money.
Thomas, yes, I'm 34'. The short Allure went from 32' in 2004 to 34' in 2005.
Thank you Larry, just went out and looked, the GCWR figure is on the sticker in the vanity. 44,200, exactly 10K more than the 32,400 GVWR, just like Jim Cooley said. GVWR + factory installed hitch capacity = GCWR.