dmastroluca Report post Posted July 9, 2015 Just purchased a 2000 Monaco Knight 36Z. It has the the Cummins ISB 260hp 5.9L, on a Roadmaster chassis, with an Allision 1000 tranny, 4.88:1 axle. Per the manual, the Roadmaster chassis is rated at 4000 lbs. max towing. Our 2012 Cadillac SRX has a curb weight of 4277. I am pretty sure that chassis can handle the extra 200-300 lbs, but I am concerned about the added load on the engine with a fully loaded, camp ready coach. Especially how it would affect climbing mountain roads. Has anyone gone over their tow capacity by a few hundred pounds? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingfr Report post Posted July 9, 2015 Be more concerned about the brakes stopping it on mountain roads. Also be concerned about legal issues if you have a accident and are towing over the tow limit. You will climb fairly slowly with the 260 engine but you will get there if you don't overload the 100o series transmission. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obedb Report post Posted July 9, 2015 I would first be concerned about your GCWR ( gross combined weight rating ). As long as you don't overload the coach GVWR, a few hundred pounds over the tow rating would not worry me but I have a different work experience than most here. There are legal ramifications. Lighten up on the coach running weight, by having say 1/2 tank of water, leaving your barbells at home, well you get the picture. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted July 9, 2015 I did it on our last coach by 400 lbs. Much different coach than what you have. We had a Class C With a V10 Ford, it pulled......OK, no over temp transmission issues, really no concerns ever noticed other than a serious lack of power and it killed what little gas mileage I had. Our jeep has a floor positioned brake box so stopping was not really a concern, although you knew it was behind you until the box kicked in, I increased my following distance just in case. I had done this a few dozen times before I realized I was over, once I did I stopped and we upgraded the coach. Knowing it is over I would not take the risk. Just curious, what is the hitch rated at on the coach? The reason i ask is my hitch was rated at 5000lbs, Coachmen had a sticker "do not tow over 3000lbs", on the opposing side of the hitch facing forward, I noticed it long after I towed with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmastroluca Report post Posted July 9, 2015 I did it on our last coach by 400 lbs. Much different coach than what you have. We had a Class C With a V10 Ford, it pulled......OK, no over temp transmission issues, really no concerns ever noticed other than a serious lack of power and it killed what little gas mileage I had. Our jeep has a floor positioned brake box so stopping was not really a concern, although you knew it was behind you until the box kicked in, I increased my following distance just in case. I had done this a few dozen times before I realized I was over, once I did I stopped and we upgraded the coach. Knowing it is over I would not take the risk. Just curious, what is the hitch rated at on the coach? The reason i ask is my hitch was rated at 5000lbs, Coachmen had a sticker "do not tow over 3000lbs", on the opposing side of the hitch facing forward, I noticed it long after I towed with it. The hitch is rated at 4000 lbs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmastroluca Report post Posted July 9, 2015 I would first be concerned about your GCWR ( gross combined weight rating ). As long as you don't overload the coach GVWR, a few hundred pounds over the tow rating would not worry me but I have a different work experience than most here. There are legal ramifications. Lighten up on the coach running weight, by having say 1/2 tank of water, leaving your barbells at home, well you get the picture. I am going to take it to the scales after I load it up with camping supplies and see how maxed out it is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlandon13399 Report post Posted July 9, 2015 If you are overweight on any rating you may want to check with your insurance company. Some may not cover you if overloaded. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmastroluca Report post Posted July 10, 2015 The purchase deal is falling apart so I think I will look for something in the 300hp range to give us more towing capacity. Thanks for the replies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted July 10, 2015 Good luck! There are some nice used units out there, depending on where you live and how far you are willing to travel for them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted July 11, 2015 The purchase deal is falling apart so I think I will look for something in the 300hp range to give us more towing capacity. Thanks for the replies. HP is not really too high on what to check. Your towing capacity is normally the lowest of: - GCWR minus weight of MH when ready to travel (loaded). - Hitch capacity. - MH tow capacity. - Chassis tow capacity...some times the last two are different. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
