Towing ~7500 lbs with a 2015 Outlaw 37MD

[Altonymous]

Hi all!

It's my first post here because we are considering purchasing a 2015 Thor Outlaw 37MD. I took it for a test drive today and I was quite shocked at how high those RPMs would climb to get the coach moving.. but then again it's the first RV I've EVERY driven.. hell it's the first I've ever been in while moving.

Anyway, looking at the UVW and GCWR it looks like we will be able to tow our trailer and Jeep; which I'm estimating to be under 7.5k but definitely over 5k. However, I have concerns about it being able to do it well.

Do you have any thoughts on the matter? I'm really hoping to hear good news.. because my bad news tank is full.

Thanks in advance!

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Altonymous

Hi all!

It's my first post here because we are considering purchasing a 2015 Thor Outlaw 37MD. I took it for a test drive today and I was quite shocked at how high those RPMs would climb to get the coach moving.. but then again it's the first RV I've EVERY driven.. hell it's the first I've ever been in while moving.

Anyway, looking at the UVW and GCWR it looks like we will be able to tow our trailer and Jeep; which I'm estimating to be under 7.5k but definitely over 5k. However, I have concerns about it being able to do it well.

Do you have any thoughts on the matter? I'm really hoping to hear good news.. because my bad news tank is full.

Thanks in advance!

First the Ford V10 is a high rev engine. Don't let that bother you.

As to the towing capacity. I believe your GCWR is 30K so as long as the coach, cargo and towed vehicle are below 30K you should be alright.

The first thing you should check however is the rating of your hitch. Thor made a change during the 2015 model year production run where they went from a 5K hitch to the 8K hitch. If your Outlaw was produced early in the production run you may be limited to 5K of towing capacity just because of the hitch. My 2015 Challenger was manufactured in July 2014 and has the 8K hitch installed. When I purchased the coach this past January the dealer could not tell me the capacity of the hitch so I crawled on the ground and got the capacity off the sticker on the hitch. You may want to verify this for yourself.

[Altonymous]

Originally Posted by dstankov

First the Ford V10 is a high rev engine. Don't let that bother you.

As to the towing capacity. I believe your GCWR is 30K so as long as the coach, cargo and towed vehicle are below 30K you should be alright.

The first thing you should check however is the rating of your hitch. Thor made a change during the 2015 model year production run where they went from a 5K hitch to the 8K hitch. If your Outlaw was produced early in the production run you may be limited to 5K of towing capacity just because of the hitch. My 2015 Challenger was manufactured in July 2014 and has the 8K hitch installed. When I purchased the coach this past January the dealer could not tell me the capacity of the hitch so I crawled on the ground and got the capacity off the sticker on the hitch. You may want to verify this for yourself.

We checked it out and it's an 8k hitch. This is helping me feel better, thanks!

I'm really excited to find one RV that meets most of our desires. I'm hopeful we'll find one more so we can compare them and feel confident in our choice!

[Metalman]

Originally Posted by Altonymous

We checked it out and it's an 8k hitch. This is helping me feel better, thanks!

I'm really excited to find one RV that meets most of our desires. I'm hopeful we'll find one more so we can compare them and feel confident in our choice!

Have you towed the 7,500 pound truck with your motor home? If so, how does it tow?

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Altonymous

Hi all!

It's my first post here because we are considering purchasing a 2015 Thor Outlaw 37MD. I took it for a test drive today and I was quite shocked at how high those RPMs would climb to get the coach moving.. but then again it's the first RV I've EVERY driven.. hell it's the first I've ever been in while moving.

....cut....

I personally don't think it has much to do with whether the V10 is a high revving engine or not. And for what it's worth I don't think it is -- not that it matters.

The issue in my opinion is that the power to weight ratio of motorhomes, particularly large ones and or when towing heavy loads, is "extremely" low compared to most cars. When we are new to driving motorhomes we have to change our expectations of what level of acceleration is normal. If we try to accelerate like a car we'll end up flooring it and the engine will rev high as requested.

Think about what it would be like to drive a car the size of a Honda Accord if it only had a 1-liter engine making about 50 HP. That's about the same power-to-weight of a large Class A pulling a 5,000- to 7,500-pound trailer.

My first motorhome was light and accelerated relatively well, but even then I had to get use to it being much slower than my cars. It helped me that I had experience driving a few trucks part-time while in high school and college, but I still had to adapt.

[KCook]

Originally Posted by Altonymous

Hi all!

It's my first post here because we are considering purchasing a 2015 Thor Outlaw 37MD. I took it for a test drive today and I was quite shocked at how high those RPMs would climb to get the coach moving.. but then again it's the first RV I've EVERY driven.. hell it's the first I've ever been in while moving.

Anyway, looking at the UVW and GCWR it looks like we will be able to tow our trailer and Jeep; which I'm estimating to be under 7.5k but definitely over 5k. However, I have concerns about it being able to do it well.

Do you have any thoughts on the matter? I'm really hoping to hear good news.. because my bad news tank is full.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome aboard, it comes down weight, your coach chassis is 26k and GCWR is 30k. How much stuff (including people) are you going to put in this coach and your tongue weight from your tailer as well. If it was me I would be looking at a Super C or something that has a true 10k in towing.

KC

[Metalman]

I agree with Altonymous that the V-10 revs high between shifts. The first time I drove the RV, which is quite short at 28 feet and it was totally empt, I was surprised that it shifted at such a high RPM. I understand that the engine and transmission are set up for those shift points, but nevertheless I was, and still am a bit uncomfortable about it. I tried releasing the the throttle to encourage the transmission to upshift sooner, but interestingly, according to my Scangauge upshifting didn't increase my instantaneous fuel mileage.

Also, in the tow mode, whenever going down hill or coasting and the brake is applied, the transmission downshifts and the engine really revs. Now when slowing, I take the transmission out of tow mode unless I need considerable engine braking. There are so many times that I wish for a standard transmission so I can dictate shifting speed/rpm.