What's the biggest thing you can haul with a Greyhawk?

[Identifier]

As I mentioned in my previous thread, I'm considering a Greyhawk 29KS, but I forgot to mention that I also need something that can haul a rather long trailer behind it. In particular I'd like to haul a 8.5' x 28' enclosed car trailer behind it like this one but it will only have one car in it + about 500 pounds of toys (so the whole thing loaded should be less than 10,000 pounds). Is it possible to get a frame beefup on a Greyhawk 29KS (or similar RV) to get a 10,000 pound tow rating? Also I'll probably be past 60' total length - am I out of my mind?

Thanks again for any advice!

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Identifier

- am I out of my mind?

Yep! It's not just the frame extension and hitch it's the whole drive train. You're going to need a "SUPER C" for that.

[msturtz]

The maximum GCWR for the E-450 is 22,000. This gives you a maximum tow raiting of 7,500# with a maximum hitch weight of 750#. Ford uses the same engine and transmission for much larger motorhomes on the F53 chassis. The problem you have is you will stress the other drive train components and possibly break something. If you don't care about warranty in theory it could be possible to upgrade the components that would be prone to break. Things that could need to be upgraded are: driveline, axle components, tires and rear suspension. It also wouldn't hurt to upgrade the transmission or install an over/under gear splitter on the output shaft. Keep in mind that you will be over 3,000# in your tow rating and 250# over in your hitch weight. I spoke with the Ford dealer and they said that their is a lot of extra capacity in the system. That said your mileage may vary and if something goes wrong you would be on your own.

[Identifier]

Ok, I'll forget about that idea. Let's say I give up on towing the car in the enclosed trailer and instead I just want to tow an 8.5' x 20' enclosed trailer with about 500# of stuff in it (my stuff is 18' long). That should keep me under 5,000# even considering the weight of the trailer itself, but I'm still talking about towing a 20' trailer behind a 30' motorhome. My gut tells me it's still a bad idea. Would any of you brave guys do that in a Greyhawk? Or should I be looking at a Toy Hauler instead? Do they make those with an 18-20 foot "garage"?

[msturtz]

I think you should be ok as long as you use sway control. The Greyhawk is a very stable towing platform. I tow a 2007 Tahoe LTZ 4x4 behind my Greyhawk 31FS. It weighs 6600# and tows fine. You may also want to consider getting a steering stabilizer for the Greyhawk as well as the sub frame beef up.

[Gma-n-Gpa]

Well my 2011 Greyhawk has 5000 lb towing with 500 lb tongue weight. So the heavy stuff you guys are hauling are out of my range. I do pull my 1850 Reata (actually 26 ft hitch ball to end of lower unit) with NO problems

[msturtz]

Originally Posted by Gma-n-Gpa

Well my 2011 Greyhawk has 5000 lb towing with 500 lb tongue weight. So the heavy stuff you guys are hauling are out of my range. I do pull my 1850 Reata (actually 26 ft hitch ball to end of lower unit) with NO problems

Yes my Greyhawk had a 5k hitch as well. However the Ford chassis will allow towing up to 7,500# with 750# tongue weight provided that you have a sub frame beef up that extends to the Ford frame. You also have to replace the hitch as well. It is a common upgrade.