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Looking at enclosed trailers for the trip to Road America in July and have been encouraged to have one built with an "extended tongue" to tow behind the motor home. Anyone have any input on this? Anyone have a trailer for sale to fit my needs in the southeast? Probably limited to 20 ft. or less due to gross towed weight limits. Thanks for any/all response.
I don't know why you need an extended tongue to tow behind a motorhome. :confused:
I have trailer with a 20' box and a v nose in front of that. Overall length about 26'. Loaded with race car, zuma scooter, mounted rains, enough spares to build another car, canopy and poles, strings of purple christmas lights, the world's heavist toolbox, blow up plastic toys, etc it weighs 5,360 with 600 lbs. on the tongue.
Pulled it with the Expedition for years. When the Mrs. bought herself a motorhome in February, I didn't change the trailer at all. Many RVs come with light duty receivers that are rated for 5000# towing weight and 500# of tongue weight, But, I built a special reinforced hitch on the RV. Amazing what one can do with 1/2" plate steel... I had to play around with ball mounts to get the ball at the correct height and far enough rearward to clear the bumper. A visit to Tractor supply or Camping World will solve that. :thumbsup:
Usually one uses an extended tongue to lower the tongue weight. But changing how the trailer is loaded can do the same thing. Many of my spares are on a hefty shelf that crosses over the racecar over the trailer axles. Other spares are on shelves built over the race car rear tires. Rear wing of the car clears the trailer door by maybe 2". You can't just throw everything in the nose of the trailer and shut the door... you might end up with 1500# of tongue weight.
We've been to Road Atlanta and Roebling Road so far. Tows like a dream. And, no equalizer hitch.
Hey Jon,
One reason I can think of is if you get in a tight situation, ie; Jackknife, a long tongue will help prevent crunching your trailer against the bedroom portion of your MH.
Ask me at Rd.Am. how I know.
See ya there.
mike
Yes, the benefit of the extended tongue is swing angles NOT tongue weight. Most mfg can do an extra 6 or 12 depending on model & construction type.
Very popular option for custom built units behind motorhomes. PM me if you have specific ?'s or need to locate a dealer.
why do motorhomes need an extended tongue trailer and regular trucks don't? do you need to make tighter turns in the much longer wheelbase MH? i am considering getting a MH as we speak.
It is a combination of factors:Quote:
Originally Posted by mousecatcher
1. Overall width of RV is greater than a std truck
2. Overhang behind rear axle is greater
3. Turning radius is wider
If your going in a straight line it is not an issue, but when turning or backing-up the extended tongue helps increase the swing angle reducing the possibility of the front corner of the trailer and the rear corner of the RV coming in contact. And the big o-sh** that comes w/ it.
My trailer is a 24' box with a 4' Vee nose on the front, so it's effectively quite a long tongue but the space is fully usable inside the Vee nose. Good option, and keeps the trailer away from the tow vehicle. I'd say the ball is 6 feet from where the front of the box would be if it didn't have the Vee nose, so effectively about a 24" extension.
I just got a motorhome. Never had one before. This is a converted 35' MCI highway bus, big honking diesel pusher in back. How hard is it to drive one of these things with a trailer on back? I mean, 35' isn't the biggest Moho out there, other people tow trailers, how hard is it really? At 65' total nose to tail, this is getting up there!
brian
Thanks,
Brian,
My rig is almost the same as yours. I have a 36' MH and a 24' Box tag along. If your trailer is properly balanced (and it took me a few tries to get mine right) you won't notice the trailer as far as weight is concerned. My Cummins is a 275HP with a 6 speed Allison trans (auto).
You will experience more side drafts from big trucks and buses and windy days can keep you busy. Much of that can be solved with proper attention to the steering assembly or the addition of a stabilizer attachment (kind of like a shock absorber for the steering).
You have to plan your travel in town. You need a lot of extra room for clearing a turn and this means sometimes crossing into oncoming traffic lanes. Parking lots are generally designed to accommodate a rig your size, just park far away and walk to the stores.
Most importantly, you need to be careful and anticipate your braking distances. My MH has a "Jake Brake", a system that uses the diesel engine as a braking assist. Someone else can describe how it works but it is effective. Of course, you want to have your trailer brakes working properly and in conjunction with your bus.
As this thread is about the long tongue issue, I was victim of such a crunch and OH S**T moment. Don't get caught in a place where you can't turn around. Seek out huge area of open space when you want to go the other way.:o
Enjoy your new rig. The view is great from on high. And you carry your own bathroom.
Mike
Gee, all these responses and no Gene Simmons jokes?
I guess you need the extended tongue so the trailer does not KISS the motorhome!
ChrisZ
groan! someone had a good friday night!
Chris...you never disappoint. By that I mean, you always disappoint. Does that mean if you always disappoint you won't disappoint? My head hurts.
Mike
Mike,Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Allison
You have to leave the bad puns to the experts:D Not everyone is gifted with this specific mental disorder...
To try and get serious.....why extend the tongue, why not extend the hitch? Sounds like it would be easier and actually make it easier to back up (swing).
BTW, I do have a "V" trailer for my Vee and it is great when towing behind a small van or truck but I can't believe it is any aero help behind a motorhome. I can see how it is a little safer if you jackknife but you do loose a lot of room.
Second the concept of getting the balance right when dealing with tongue weight - anyone have a good way to measure? - too easy to break these new digital scales.
ChrisZ
sherline tongue weight scaleQuote:
Originally Posted by FVRacer21
An extended triple tube tongue designed into the trailer and fabricated out of 6" or 8" steel tube is going to be much stronger than extending the hitch draw bar. On a Reese Class IV draw bar for every inch you extend it you lose approx. 200# in tongue weight capacity also. In the case of extended tongues for use w/ motorhomes we are generally talking 12", but 6" is also available as an option from most trailer manufacturers.Quote:
Originally Posted by FVRacer21
In the case of V-nose models the length of the tongue depends on mfg & model. Less expensive models & brands will often just put a bowed or short 3' V-nose out onto their std 48" A-frame. You get into the more premium models and it will be a 48" V w/ the A-frame being 54"-60" in length, most often determined on how much room is needed to mount the coupler & jack. Weight Distribution bars also can become a challenge to use w/ V-Nose models if you do not plan ahead by having pins welded to the A-frame, as you will not be able to use the conventional hinged mounts as supplied in the kits. This can be important as the tongue weight on V-nose models is commonly estimated to be 5% higher than conventional flat front trailers, thus the need for bars in many towing situations.