moparhauler

Gentlemen, To be correct I did not say I drive 85 downhill with a loaded trailer. Ah I just checked and I did not. I referenced driving the I-15 that has long flat stretches and in places 8 lanes wide. And I avoid the heat of the day. And I never said I drove a 75mph rated truck / RV tire at 85 either. So you guys can argue between yourselves as agruing isn't what I joined for. Thanks Ray and RS Bill for your creditable input. You other guys need to know that grumpy old men are not cute or have an excuse to act badly, they are just ******** !

Ok Wild Bill seems this engine question has turned in to how to drive your tow rig. Making a grade "without a problem" to me means you were able to do the posted speed the whole way over. If you had to slow due to not enough power then that is the issue I am addressing. RS Bill was right on the money. Not everyone will drive like you or me. If I see a guy driving along eating a sandwich with his dog in the other seat and he is doing 56 in the slow lane just loving life, then more power to him. And when I pass him I move over a lane if possible, never fly up behind and pressure, never cut in too close. That is just common courtesy. If I drove 56 my head would explode but if that guy broke I would stop to help him in a second. As far as speed, I said initially that "good equipment and lots of preparation does the trick". I always run Michelin and the 22.5 truck tire will go 75. Common sense too tells us that at 76 is does not fly into pieces and leave the rim. Tire pressure is everything. The correct profile on the tire (round) will not have a "pouch" that flexes 500 times a mile and creates heat that. That will blow a tire. You can get your 40 ft with all the tanks full and a bunch of people etc and even a tire at listed PSI can get a pouch due to load. So that tire is worry-some even at 56. Lets look at "safety" a little. We have all seen the kids driving the Hondas in and out that have seen Fast and Furious too many times. Or the guy swerving around yelling at the 5 kids in the back seat without seat belts. I am not going to allow these drivers to come up on me at a high rate of speed and I have to bet my rig, everything in it and my well bring on these idiots paying attention. Cause that at some point that will be a loosing bet. Besides being an engineer, I am a martial artist and a racer. I will not allow other people to be in a position to determine my fate. So Wild B sitting and waiting to get hammered in the *** is what I consider STUPID. So back to the HP question, Ray you are onto something with the Alpine. They did a 34ft FD and a FDDS that had a 400hp 8.9L Cummings around 2003-2004. JD Power estimates a 34ft at $47,000. Seen a couple and they are double that but Like RS says they are really nice coaches.

Thanks Bill. I take it that RS is initials in front of Bill Edwards ? Always interesting trying to figure out people's handles. Yes the SMC stuff. That 425hp was pushing a 40-42 coach though. There was Beaver, SMC then all bought by Monaco until they disappeared in 2009. Who can keep track lol. Towing does need a good amount of tongue weight and that was a concern I had that you too mentioned. They have a 2000 engine hanging on the frame but with long overhangs the rig can try to lift the trailer. I have heard of cracked frames as a result. Just looked up the Trailer Toad deal and that is cool. Would solve the momentary overload issue. But they are $3400. Cheaper than the repairs though I guess. Yep I have been around for abit, still have some tread on the tires left though. And Ray you are right on the Apline. Most all are 40's but I saw a 34 ft with 400hp. It was a 2006. Looked good until I saw it was $90,000. :( Just noticed the 40's have 400hp too.

So we are clear my main concern is hill pulling power. The Baker Grade to Las Vegas is 19 miles long and there are plenty of vehicles creeping along with their tongue out. The Grapevine on I-5 is a 6% grade up for 5 1/2 miles. Also very tough. Tucking in behind a loaded 40 ft semi and crawling does not make me feel too safe.

Ok good thoughts and some specifics. And I see we got a bit side tracked when Richard asked "How Fast". That really wasn't the mph I intended for a motor home rig though. So guess everyone can put in their 2 cents but as we all know, 2 cents isn't worth a crap anymore. And I have driven MH's and tow-rigs across the country for 55 years now and all has worked out fine. Like in every endeavor - experience, good equipment and lots of preparation does the trick. Good info from RSBillEdwards. I know the norm for 40's and the like are in the 500hp area. I have not really been able to find curb weights of any rigs just GVRW's. A 40 foot just seems to be a bunch heavier than a 36. Can't find data to do an actual weight to hp comparison. Itasca Meridian and Winnie Journey has 350hp Cat C7's in 34 and 36 ft. The 350 can be upgraded without equipment changes to 380hp. That seems like it would be a great ratio to the dry weight of a 36 ft. And a conversion bus is interesting but at 25,000lb dry weight, 500hp gets used up fast, right. I noticed the late 1990's coaches with 450hp when I stumbled across a Foretravel. That is when I realized not every coach had a 300hp 3126. Not many had slides then though so the interior is really restricted for space. Just spoiled these days but you kinda got to have a living room slide. I figured there must be a dealer "cheat sheet" that lists brand, feet, chassis, engine, and horsepower. Then comparing would be easy. Any such data sheets ?

A Renegade ya that will tow but I am not in the $200,000 range :( And "pretty fast" is 85 on the I-15 to Vegas. Need the tongue weight and tire pressures just right and its straight as an arrow.

I am moving into towing with a MH from my 2007 Ram 2500 with a 6.7 diesel. I tow a 24 foot, 8000 lb enclosed trailer, usually pretty fast. I need something not over 36 foot but I need more than the normal 300 or 330hp engine. We drive the Grapevine in Calif and the Baker Grade in Nevada so creeping at 45-50mph is to be avoided. I need to draw on your collective expertise to see which brand / model has that engine to size combo. My head is spinning looking at ads, that many times don't even list the hp. I know the 1hp per 100 lb rule and that makes sense but we are coming from a different direction than most RV'rs. We haul butt to the destination, hang out for 10 hours then haul butt back as opposed to not having a rush getting there with the goal of staying at the destination for a week. So while we enjoy the comforts of an RV there, the drive is of equal importance. Budget is under $45,000 for about 1998 to 2007 range model with at least a living room slide out. And I promise not to be a disappearing first timer, lol. I may have just got here but I will be here for awhile. Thanks in advance.