towing with a class c motorhome

anybody towing their boat with a class c motorhome? i am looking for a class c and would probably be towing my bayliner 2150 at least a few times a year. just wodering if its feasible and how these motorhomes are while towing this amount of weight.

thanks,
jason

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

I tow my 17' Sylvan behind mine, it's no big deal.

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

They all come equipped with 2 inch receivers and the boat certainly weighs way less than the tow vehicle.

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

biggest problem will be unloading/loading. You probably won't be able to see the trailer and will need a spotter, and if the crown of the ramp is too extreme, you risk getting high centered.

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

thanks for all the replies. I thought the biggest problem would be the added weight to the class c since they are kinda close to their max capacity once they get filled up with people and supplies, but it sounds like that wont be much of an issue. my boat stays in a slip, so towing wont be much more than a couple times a year to visit neighboring lakes. thanks for the info!!

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

I think I will probably end up throwing a back up camera for this purpose, but also I like to be able to see it while I am towing it, so I will probably override the back up and just have a switch on or switch off for the back up camera.

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

Been towing boats with motorhomes for almost 20 years, so you won't find ME trying to talk you out of this!

Max weights on motorhomes can be ridiculous. And not all come with 2" receivers. We had a '92 Winnebago Brave 27' class A that had both issues- the original hitch was a 3000# rated "just-a-hitch", and I calculated my "allowed" trailer weight after loading the motorhome to be a whopping 75 pounds. I towed our 21' Sea Ray with it as-is, but when we got our Sun Runner 252, I had a new hitch installed- which was actually 2 hitches, one mounted in the normal position (attached to the add-on chassis frame extension), the other mounted forward of the first (attached to the original chassis). A 2" solid bar was welded from the back of the forward hitch to the front of the rear hitch. I could've pulled a freight train with that setup. It worked great for the Sun Runner--




This is our vacation setup these days--



===================

It's definitely different towing/launching/retrieving with a motorhome, but not a big deal. Because most motorhomes have a lot of real estate behind the axle, I've never known any to have high-center issues on ramps. And the extra length behind the axle actually helps when cornering a trailer, by pulling the hitch opposite the actual turn in a larger radius.

Final note, our Winne had inflatable suspension 'helper' air bags in addition to the leaf springs, which took care of any tongue weight issues. Many motorhomes come with them, if the one you get doesn't have them, I'd recommend it, they help even when not towing anything...

Have fun!

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

Frantically Relaxing said:

Been towing boats with motorhomes for almost 20 years, so you won't find ME trying to talk you out of this!

Max weights on motorhomes can be ridiculous. And not all come with 2" receivers. We had a '92 Winnebago Brave 27' class A that had both issues- the original hitch was a 3000# rated "just-a-hitch", and I calculated my "allowed" trailer weight after loading the motorhome to be a whopping 75 pounds. I towed our 21' Sea Ray with it as-is, but when we got our Sun Runner 252, I had a new hitch installed- which was actually 2 hitches, one mounted in the normal position (attached to the add-on chassis frame extension), the other mounted forward of the first (attached to the original chassis). A 2" solid bar was welded from the back of the forward hitch to the front of the rear hitch. I could've pulled a freight train with that setup. It worked great for the Sun Runner--

This is our vacation setup these days--

===================

It's definitely different towing/launching/retrieving with a motorhome, but not a big deal. Because most motorhomes have a lot of real estate behind the axle, I've never known any to have high-center issues on ramps. And the extra length behind the axle actually helps when cornering a trailer, by pulling the hitch opposite the actual turn in a larger radius.

Final note, our Winne had inflatable suspension 'helper' air bags in addition to the leaf springs, which took care of any tongue weight issues. Many motorhomes come with them, if the one you get doesn't have them, I'd recommend it, they help even when not towing anything...

Have fun!

Click to expand...

BEAUTIFUL setup!!!! Thanks for all the great info, i really like te 2 hitch idea and the airbags. Thanks.

- ?Jason

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

Frantically Relaxing said:

It's definitely different towing/launching/retrieving with a motorhome, but not a big deal. Because most motorhomes have a lot of real estate behind the axle, I've never known any to have high-center issues on ramps. And the extra length behind the axle actually helps when cornering a trailer, by pulling the hitch opposite the actual turn in a larger radius.

Click to expand...

Sorry, should have clarified about the high centered comment. I wasn't meaning behind the axle, I meant the space between the front and rear rv axles. If you tried to unload your rig in the second pic at some of my local ramps, the only way you would be leaving is with a tow truck dragging you... The center of the RV would be resting on the pavement. Not all ramps will have this issue either, only ones with a fairly sharp transition crown at the top.

(also have to watch out about holding tanks that might sit lower than the frame and in between the axles. Don't want to rip open the black water tank and leave the contents on the ramp for the next boater in line!)

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

:facepalm: --I wasn't thinking about high-centering the motorhome-- Not sure I'd even attempt a motorhome launch on a ramp that steep!

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

Last summer upgraded from a class C to a diesel pusher. We go on a vacation every year where we take the boat, suburban and the motorhome over 3 Mountain passes each way. I will tow the boat with the motorhome and when we get there hook it up to the suburban to launch it. I always felt like the class C was way underpowered on the mountains and hated launching the boat with the camper. Always felt uneasy about getting on a wet ramp and getting stuck.

Re: towing with a class c motorhome

Yea, I have a ramp around here that is wicked steep. No way you could launch there with a RV. But most ramps are not a problem. I suppose if your going to a place you've never been to before, you might get there and find that the ramp is too steep and you could high center the RV.