I have a 2006 Winnebago W26P Sightseer with a GTWR 7,000 lb tow capacity but a 5000 lb hitch. I have a 3000 lb Carson Hwy Cargo enclosed 20' trailer and a 2000 lb sand car. I thought I could just go online and find a heavier duty hitch but I'm not finding one for an RV.
carringb wrote: Is this on the Ford E350 or E450? If yes, then a class 5 hitch for the E350 van from Hidden Hitch or Putnam will fit.
Be careful, it may have a frame extension welded on, then it probably won't fit. That also may be why the manufacture installed a 5K receiver to start with.
Bob & Betsy - USN Ret'd '78 & FL LEO Ret'd '03 FMCA #F203528 '05 HR Endeavor, 40PRQ w/400 Cummins - With -'05 GMC Sierra SLT, CC Z-71, the pusher '07 Arctic Cat 500A & Wilderness Kayak, riding in the pusher - Our Current Location
I think a sightseer is a class A. Hard to beleive that the numbers are correct.
I would get it weighed loaded for the road. Then subtract that off the Gross combination vehicle weight.
I would look at the manual and see if Winnebago is like most others restrict the weight.
I would look as posted earleir to see if frame has been extened with reduced frame material.
The Texan wrote: Be careful, it may have a frame extension welded on, then it probably won't fit. That also may be why the manufacture installed a 5K receiver to start with.
That won't make a difference for the E-series. The frame rails are perfectly straight on the E-series, just like the frame extensions. Only issue would be on unique rigs like the Bigfoot Garage model that skips on the frame rails and uses a unibody-like construction in the rear.
If skids were added to the frame or frame extensions, they may have to come off. Ford doesn't approve of them anyways.
It is a Class A on a CHEVY Workhorse chassis. It does have an extension welded onto the frame. Not sure where I came up with 7000 lb tow capacity as both the chassis book and the rv brochure shows GVWR at 16000 and the RV brochure shows GCWR at 22000. That leaves 6000 for the tow. Even the 35' Sightseer comes standard with the 5000 lb hitch with the same 6000 lb diff in GVWR & GCWR.
If I spring for a Class IV hitch, so long as I kept the trailer max at 6000 lb, I should be ok, yes? A guy from Curt Mfg emailed me this: "I have a class 4 hitch that is designed for cab & chassis trucks with 34” frames. Part number is 14082 and I have attached and instruction sheet. Again, it’s designed more for full size trucks than RV’s so the drop may not be perfect, but the width will fit the 34” frame. The total drop to the hitch is 7.38”
I don't know if that frame mounted hitch is the right one for your RV. It says it has a 7" drop, so it would be great on a pickup with a lift kit on it - but might make your hitch point to low - depending on how hight it is not.
As for your 7,000 pound towing capacity, I think you have that much - here is why. If hte motorhome is loaded up to 16,000 pounds, then you can not tow anything, because of the hitch weight will cause it to be overloaded. Even a car adds about 50 pounds to the hitch when towed 4 wheels down.
So you have a cargo trailer, and about 10% - 15% should be on the hitch ball - about 700 - 1,000 pounds in the case of a 7,000 pound trailer. So if you start with a 15,000 pound RV, add 750 pounds to the hitch, you can in therory tow up to 7,250 total weight when you reach the total weight of RV, hitch pin, and the rest of the trailer weight to a total of 22,000 pounds.
You don't add the hitch ball weight twice, yet you must accomidate the pin weight in the total GVWR of the RV.
I have heard of 16,500 pound GVWR GM chassis, but not the 16,000 pound rating. Did you find this rating on the RV VIN numer sticker - located someplace near the driver's seat - inside, perhaps under the dash someplace?
You can tow up to 7,000 pounds without violating the GM factory chassis rating, but the last factory it came out of has jurisdiction - so if it came out of a Fleetwood or Jayco, or Coachman (or any other manufacture) RV plant and their certificate says 16,000 GVWR and 21,000 GCVWR, then that is the factory limit for that RV.
It might be because the certified engineer that designed the frame extensions has only enough faith in the frame extensions for a 3,500 or 5,000 pound hitch to be attached back there.
Anyway you asked where to get the hitch. They make class A hitches with left and right brackets - and a adjustable center piece that is bolted into place in between, rated at about 7,000 pounds (Providing your attachment can hanndle that much weight!)
Look at thier website or give them a call, they should know about the adjustable width hitch, or if you happen to have 34" wide frame rails, then you should be able to use a Ford hitch (one for a 1975 also has that frame width).
Fred.
Money can't buy happiness but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche or Country Coach!
I forgot to add that when you place a 700 pound weight on the hitch, about 85" behind the rear axle, and you have a 190" long wheelbase (such as my motorhome has) then you will take about 350 pounds off the front axle and add 1,050 pounds to the rear axle. (like using a torque wrench to lift the front wheels by placing weight on the rear axle, in this case you have 700 pounds x 7 feet of torque on the rear axle)
If you use a weight distribution hitch, then you can transfer about 200 pounds back to the front axle and about 100 - 150 pounds to the trailer axles. This can take about 350 pounds off the rear axle.
But the problem with most motorhomes is they weight to much - even when they leave the factory, but that has been changing with newer units that must post the CCC and includes 154 pounds per seat belt that they install, (as a side-result to get a higher CCC most RV's now have smaller fresh water tanks too).
So the first thing to do is take the RV to a scale, make sure you have at least 1,000 pounds extra capacity on the rear axle and also check the side to side weight (especially on the front tires) to make sure they are not overloaded on one side or the other. One manufacture sold every RV with a slide out with a overloaded drivers side front tire - and had to recall many of their RV's, put on larger front tires and stronger rims too.
If your water tank is behind the rear axle, it might require driving with a very low water level when you are towing, to avoid overloading the rear axle.
Even if everything "Looks OK" and you install a larger hitch, load up the car, fill the water tank with what you think you will usually travel with, then go back to a scale. Better to make sure the rear tires are not overloaded than to have several blowouts to figure it out.
Also your tire weight rating relies on the minimum pressure being maintained. It is better to use an extra 10 PSI, so the tires are at their maximum cold pressure rating - especially while towing.
And according to the tire load/pressure booklet, the LT tires are rated at maximum 65 MPH when at their maximum weight rating.
The height should be ok. My existing receiver works well with the hitch/ball setup that I use on my lifted truck, about a 10" drop. The bottom of the existing receiver is 22" from the ground. Frame/extension is 24" from ground.
The figures I quoted are from the Workhorse Chassis book and the same as on the panel on the wall next to the driver: GVWR 16,000 lb (7,258 KG), GAWR (front) 6,500 lbs, GAWR (rear) 10,500 lbs. Panel says "Manufactured by Winnebago" and "Incomplete vehicle manufactured by Workhorse CC". Oddly, neither source has a GCWR, only the RV brochure which shows it at 22,000 lbs.
The water tank is indeed behind the rear axle. When we need the water is when after we arrive from towing, but I could find a place near the destination, usually Glamis, to fill the tank and then dump the excess fresh water before we return home. All that would keep towing near the edge at a minimum.
I agree that a trip to the local scale is in order.
Thanks for all the great input. Keep it coming!! Steve
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