I am thinking of getting a late 80s early 90s Class A with a BigBlock... Under 30 ft like a 25ft Class A. I have a 22ft Cruiser for a boat and I am wondering what you think about these as a tow vehicle? The boat and trailer when heading out of town will prob be close to 5000lbs... Any thoughts on this good... bad? Thanks
It may be difficult to find something in that short in those years. Power wise, if you can find a '96 or newer engine - meaning Vortec, you will pick up a substantial amount power. Be aware though that engine years and coach years can be substantially different. The only way to know for sure is look under the dog house.
Dave
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we had a 92 winne brave 33ft with 454 chevy--plenty of power to pull your load but you need to check towing capacity on the specific unit you buy--ours was 5000#. the 454 had plenty of power but liked to run hot and would eat an exhaust gasket every now the then. then had a 99 winne adveturer 35ft with ford V-10 had plenty of power and ran cool but about 6mpg. I realise these may be newer and longer than your request but do cover the big blocks. good luck tom
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Dad used to have a mid 80s Coachman around 25' with a 454 in it. We used it to pull around a 20' ski boat that weighed about 3500lbs, had no issues pulling it at all. The worst part was backing down a boat ramp, it was hard to see the trailer.
LongWeekends wrote: Just out of curiosity....can you launch a boat with a DP?
Anything is possible, but with the radiator and engine in the rear you run a risk of submersion. We launch our Four Winns with our Winnebago without any problems, but it's a gas.
I did run into an older guy with DP and a nice boat, asked him how he launched. He opened up a cargo compartment with several cases of beer. Said he never had problem finding a young guy with a truck to launch/retrieve if the price was right. Smart guy.
REINELL31 wrote: I am thinking of getting a late 80s early 90s Class A with a BigBlock... Under 30 ft like a 25ft Class A. I have a 22ft Cruiser for a boat and I am wondering what you think about these as a tow vehicle? The boat and trailer when heading out of town will prob be close to 5000lbs... Any thoughts on this good... bad? Thanks
Save a few extra $$ and get a newer model around 2000-2002, they have the best HP compared to the older models, check my pic on my profile, I got a 02 Flair 25Y (26ft) with a 8.1 vortec, I also pull a pontoon boat with it and I don't even know its there, easy to back down the ramp for launching and loading, to many older motorhomes need to much upgrading.
Consider an older DP with the 8.3 Cummins. You could install a hitch on the front of the coach and launch the boat that way, especially if you had an extension or dolly on the boat trailer's tongue.
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They're out there. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes they go fast for cheaper, older motor home. Our Reinell was a 21.5' "Wake board" edition and weighed in at around 3K lbs. I don't think the trailer was at 2K but, possible. In any case, you'll have no trouble towing yours. Backing it down a boat ramp is no big deal either. I've done it a zillion times with our coaches. The tail end of the coach, where the hitch ball is, never even got close to the water.
Unless the particular boat ramp you are intending on using has an exceptionally low angle approach, to the point where you have to have, half your vehicle in the water to float the boat off the trailer, you'll have no issues. We've been to a lot of lakes, beaches etc. and never had any issues launching with our motor homes. The only issue you'll have, if you want to call it one is, approach angle. That is, some ramps have limited prep turning areas that allow for pre-aligning and preparing for backing down the ramp.
That can be a bit of a challenge. But back to your original thoughts. The problem with the older rigs, prior to say, around '88 or older, is they're carbureted versions and that, can be a real pain. Many states have required smog tests on these rigs and it's getting harder and harder for them to pass. And, as everyone knows, carburetors can and do get finicky. So, keep your eye open and be ready, C/L should have plenty of the ones you're in the market for.
Scott
Scott and Karla SDFD RETIRED
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