LEEDIANNE Report post Posted October 31, 2017 We are trying to purchase a MH to tow our car and motorcycle thinking that the combined weight will be about 12000 lbs. We have been looking at 600 hp Cummins MHs and find them to be quite costly. I was wondering if a 450 hp engine would be sufficient to effectively pull such a load. I am looking for performance that is not significantly impaired by headwinds or uphill grades. Can anyone provide helpful insight? Lee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted October 31, 2017 leedianne, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. As long as the chassis and coach are rated for that, you will be fine. Be aware that very few are rated over 10,000 pounds. The difference in HP will make a small difference in acceleration and performance and then, only on really noticeable on steep grades. Said another way there have been a LOT of trucks over the years with a lot less than 450 HP moving a lot more than a coach and 12,000 pound trailer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEEDIANNE Report post Posted October 31, 2017 Thank you for your comments. I assume the rating you are referring to is the tow hitch rating. Those we have been looking at are rated 15,000 to 20,000 hitch ratings. Again thank you, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted October 31, 2017 Several ratings are important: GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) Hitch rating Max tongue weight Rear axle GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)-- this one important because the hitch is so far behind the rear axle. Every pound of tongue weight puts well more than a pound on the rear axle and removes weight from the front axle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted October 31, 2017 You might want to look at a used Renegade or Totter coach...their Super "C's" and designed for heavy hauling, up to 40,000, front diesel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted November 2, 2017 To determine the weight you can tow, the tow rating is the lower of: 1. Coach's hitch rating. 2. Coach tow rating. 3. Chassis tow rating (sometimes different than the coach's). 4. The difference in weight between the coach's GCWR and the coach's actual weight when ready to tow. Many coaches with tag axles have tow ratings of 15,000, as do some "luxury'' models with single rear axles. In the subject, the OP mentioned having enough power to tow 12k. If the coach meets the requirements above, power will not be an issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ispjs Report post Posted November 2, 2017 I am really at the bottom of the knowledge food chain when it comes to DP information. What I observed during my recent buying search was that newer DP's in the 40' to 45' range with tag axles generally were rated to flat tow 15,000. Many times tongue weight was limited to around 1,500. That really didn't change much with coaches that had a 400hp, a 450hp, or higher. I'm sure there are some long tag axles coaches out there with 600hp diesels that can tow over 20,000 but we never looked at any. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted November 2, 2017 On 10/31/2017 at 2:30 PM, leedianne said: We are trying to purchase a MH to tow our car and motorcycle thinking that the combined weight will be about 12000 lbs. We have been looking at 600 hp Cummins MHs and find them to be quite costly. I was wondering if a 450 hp engine would be sufficient to effectively pull such a load. I am looking for performance that is not significantly impaired by headwinds or uphill grades. Can anyone provide helpful insight? Lee Lee, welcome to the forum. First that sounds like a lot of weight for what you are talking about. What car and what bike and what trailer? You are never going to find a coach that isn't slowed or affected by steep hills or strong head winds. What you need to do is learn how to drive the coach. You are driving a big heavy Vehicle not a sedan. You may need to manually down shift when climbing steep hills. To keep your rpm in the proper range and you can drive any where. What is important to realize is the 600+ HP coaches also weigh more than the smaller coaches. I have driven over almost all the major hills and passes with my little 300HP coach towing my toad with out a problem. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ispjs Report post Posted November 25, 2017 On 10/31/2017 at 2:30 PM, leedianne said: We are trying to purchase a MH to tow our car and motorcycle thinking that the combined weight will be about 12000 lbs. We have been looking at 600 hp Cummins MHs and find them to be quite costly. I was wondering if a 450 hp engine would be sufficient to effectively pull such a load. I am looking for performance that is not significantly impaired by headwinds or uphill grades. Can anyone provide helpful insight? Lee Lee, since you initially posted I have taken delivery of my coach and purchased my car hauler (enclosed) to tow my Harley Trike and Mini. Haven't ran across the scales yet but just going by the listed manufacturers weight I will probably see my loaded trailer come in about 8,000 pounds. That is adding up all the listed weights of vehicles and the trailer plus about 300 for extra gear. Not sure how much your car will weigh or if you are thinking a regular 24' car hauler, but you should easily be able to stay below 10,000 pounds. I'm confident my 400hp will handle all of this and more just fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jontwork Report post Posted January 26, 2018 Hi: I have been pulling a 12K trailer behind my motorhome for 18 years mostly in the western US, with minimal problems. The motorhome is a 1996 Foretravel U270 (36'/300hp) with a Cummins C8.3 mechanical engine along with an Allison MD3060R (R=Hydraulic Retarder, a must have) along with all wheel disc brakes and an 8 bag air suspension. You can probably buy one comparable for about 50K and it will take take you almost anywhere you might want to go. We have been boondocking in it for 18 years in it with great success. We have been in locations that are probably not on your itinerary. If you pull a 12K trailer, the most important thing is brakes and total stopping power. You can always downshift for going up hills. Open to questions. Jon Twork jontwork@gmail.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted January 26, 2018 Thank you Jon for your insight, and information. The only thing left is to make sure that the chassis is rated to tow 12K+! There are a lot of coaches out there, both gas with Banks system and DP's, that tow 10K more than they are rated to haul...Safety for yourself and your loved one's is paramount, so is the safety of others on the road to be considered. So, to answer your question. No you don't need 450 to 600 hp, what you do need is a coach that will handle the load, within the law. Yes, we have laws now that was not there in 99! I have had coaches since 1967 and a lot of things have changed in that time to now! I will suggest you get a pre 2006 coach, that way you don't have to mess with all of the new emission laws! A 300HP gives you as much torque as a 395HP, just takes a little longer to get there! Also, don't get a trailer that's almost as long as the coach, you'll have the tail wagging the dog! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted January 27, 2018 One other thing that may tell you if your coach can handle that much of a load will be which hitch the Manufacturer put on the coach. If them installed a 15,000 lb. hitch to begin with then it should be able to handle the load. However if they only installed 10,000 lb hitch that would be the limit they believe it can handle. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
