Towing a 20 foot enclosed trailer

[RVMichael]

We are going full time in Dec 2019. I have thoughts of putting my BMW Convertible and Cricket into a 20 foot enclosed trailer. Is a trailer hard to pull behind a 2018 Vegas 24.1? Other ideas, comments, concerns, etc.? Thanks.

[JamieGeek]

I would think that your biggest concern will be weight. How much will the BMW + Cricket + Trailer will weigh? Do you have one of the E-450 based 24.1's?

[RVMichael]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

I would think that your biggest concern will be weight. How much will the BMW + Cricket + Trailer will weigh? Do you have one of the E-450 based 24.1's?

The BMW is a little less than 3,700 lbs. The cricket is around 300. The RUV is rated for 500 pound tongue and 8000 pound pull.

I just spoke to the guy who beefed up my receiver hitch and he said that Featherlite is the best (not least expensive though). It looks like it weighs 2900 pounds so....

BMW 3,700
Cricket 300
4926 Featherlite Trailer (enclosed bed) 3,000
Total is 7,000 pounds

The Featherlite Trailer Model 3110 (open flatbead) is 2,000 pounds.

After reading a little bit more, perhaps I should weight at a CAT scale during my next trip, just to be more accurate regarding GVWR.

[JamieGeek]

The hitch is rated for 8,000 lbs not the RUV. You have to do the GCWR minus scaled weight math to find out how much you can really tow.

If I use our coach: Our 2014 Axis on the E-350 chassis' GCWR is 18,500 lbs and our scaled weight is 11,500 lbs leaving 7,000 lbs left (and since our coach is a 2014 it only has a 5,000 lb hitch so I can only pull 5,000 lbs). If we had the 8k hitch we still could only pull 7k.

[RVMichael]

GCWR is 22,000 pounds so if my scaled weight is close to yours I should be ok, especially since I beefed up my receiver hitch.

[Long & Winding road]

What he said.....Plus many have added a rear track arm to control tail wag when pulling a trailer. I would think something like your (weight and size of the unit = Im thinking of cross winds etc) it would almost be a requirement.

I installed the front way and rear track arm on my Axis (Not towing right now) and it did wonders on the road - esp when semi's pass you.

[gnach]

Hiya RVMichael, reach out to vegasruv24.1 (Thor Forums - View Profile: vegasruv24.1 ) He tows an enclosed car trailer. Check out his thread: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...ead-13272.html

[RVMichael]

Sounds like a great idea. I alwaus like to err on the side of safety.

[RVMichael]

Originally Posted by gnach

Hiya RVMichael, reach out to vegasruv24.1 (Thor Forums - View Profile: vegasruv24.1 ) He tows an enclosed car trailer. Check out his thread: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...ead-13272.html

What an interesting thread regarding the Mods. It sure gives me a ton of ideas!

[Fooch]

Check out aluminum trailer group in Ocala for an all aluminum trailer. https://www.facebook.com/AluminumTrailerGroup/. We're very happy with ours and the price is a lot less then a Featherlite. It's a very small company and the owner will make it to whatever specs you want. Each one is custom built. The only thing I don't like is the serrated aluminum floor. Makes it hard to clean and does a number on your knees. But I'm sure there other options.

[RVMichael]

Originally Posted by Fooch

Check out aluminum trailer group in Ocala for an all aluminum trailer. https://www.facebook.com/AluminumTrailerGroup/. We're very happy with ours and the price is a lot less then a Featherlite. It's a very small company and the owner will make it to whatever specs you want. Each one is custom built. The only thing I don't like is the serrated aluminum floor. Makes it hard to clean and does a number on your knees. But I'm sure there other options.

I like the idea of customizing and saving $$$ while maintaining quality, especially if it's a hard working mom and pop.

[tigwelder]

its all about tongue weight and i am sure you will be over the 500 lbs.

[RVMichael]

Originally Posted by tigwelder

its all about tongue weight and i am sure you will be over the 500 lbs.

If I position the car in a certain position in the trailer I'm thinking I can control the tongue weight.

However, I did have the receiver beefed up by a very reputable hitch shop. He welded a metal T frame from the receiver hitch back to the frame so I could tow a 300 pound Cricket.

[tigwelder]

just moving car or other weight back will make trailer handle bad and can make trailer jack knife in a panic stop . you have to have tongue weigh on hitch to avoid this.all the welding in the world to beef up a hitch like a axis 24-1 is not going to fix the weak link like the frame extention.

[Chateau29Z]

Originally Posted by RVMichael

GCWR is 22,000 pounds so if my scaled weight is close to yours I should be ok, especially since I beefed up my receiver hitch.

Before you go out on the road with this thing fully loaded you should have a look at the brake linings on the trailer. I have had a few scares because of erratic braking--getting sideways at least once. My friend whom is in the racecar business advised me to get rid of the chinese made linings. I did and the problem is fixed.

[Garyj]

I tow a 24' enclosed trailer with my Four Winds Super C. The trailer fully loaded is 9000 lbs. I ended up with the Super C after researching many RV options and finding that virtually all gas powered RV's were marginal when all the various weight factors were considered. A couple of suggestions from my experience (as JamieGeek said, it's mostly about weight):
1. Weigh your RV fully loaded. You'll be surprised how much heavier it is than the curb weight. You may find you are already over the GVWR.
2. Similarly, allow some extra weight for the loaded trailer - you'll end up putting stuff in there too.
3. If you have to use a drop hitch like I did because of the height of the RV receiver, this puts a torque on the receiver that it wasn't rated for. Typical hitch specs say you should de-rate the hitch capacity by 50%.
4. If you do buy an enclosed trailer make sure you get one with the 5000 lb axles (and bigger wheels/tires). Your weight estimates put you right at the limit for 3500 lb axles. Blowouts in the middle of nowhere are not fun. Ask me how I know this.
5. Tongue weight will be close to the hitch spec. Get a small scale to measure the tongue weight to get it right as you figure out where to place the car in the trailer.
6. Be conservative. Personally, I would never tow a trailer that is at the limit on any of these weights. Around town, maybe. Peace of mind when towing a big trailer on the highway at highway speeds is an important factor.

[RVMichael]

I feel like I am picking a flower one petal at a time and saying "My tow plan is fine, My tow plan is not fine", LOL.

I am indeed learning (little by little) what's involved in safely towing something.

Here are some specifics I have learned:

1. My 2018 Vegas 24.1 is built on an E-450 truck frame.
2. My BMW is 3,700 pounds
3. The Cricket is 300 pounds
4. The 20 foot enclosed trailer is 2,700 pounds
5. The GVWR is 12, 500 pounds
6. The towing capacity is 8,000 pounds
7. I need to weigh my loaded RV

I really want to do this, but I don't want to tear up my transmission or something even worse...

[Edki45]

Originally Posted by RVMichael

GCWR is 22,000 pounds so if my scaled weight is close to yours I should be ok, especially since I beefed up my receiver hitch.

Michael,
How did you improve your tongue weight capacity?
We need to tow a Lexus SC430 on a trailer.
3840 lb curb weight
15 feet long
6 feet wide
Our Ford E450 chassis Thor Axis 25.6 that is 26.5' long has a 8000 lb tow capability but only 500 lb tongue capacity. I can imagine the real figure is even lower because of the extended frame by Thor frame.
I am concerned about my tongue weight problem. It is probably going to be around 750 lbs. Do you know a way around this problem? Can you recommend a trailer or at least a trailer company? We live in Texas. We will probably have to to drive it this fall to Thor in Elkhart to to get the rv slide replaced and hope to find a trailer and solve the tongue weight problem on the way back if not before.
BTW, did you get Ford or Thor to level your coach? Mine sits 3" low in the front. I am in the process of building my front spring spacers and alignment equipment. Can't find anyone within 150 mile radius of DFW, Texas that will do it. They can but won't because it is a "God awful motorhome" and not an 18 wheeler.

[Bob Denman]

Don't forget the weight of the trailer as well...
You might find yourself having to buy a really light trailer, and perhaps even a smaller toad...
That's what we did. Total weight of this combination is just over 3,000 pounds.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1595417013

[Chateau29Z]

Tongue weight is a way of controlling the sway of the towed vehicle. Pure weight is not the part of the calculation that is necessary to achieve stability. It is the moment of inertia between the trailer Wheels and the pivot at the hitch. Moving any ballast as far forward as can be accommodated is helpful in achieving the moment of inertia required. Excess load on the hitch may put a strain on the frame that has not been intended. I would love to do some instrumentation and figure this out so I could share it with everybody else. It is certainly got my attention because I was hoping to tow a toybox behind my Thor. I am going to have to seriously consider this because of the issues brought forward in this conversation