Factory towbar - is the tow rating the limit or can I upgrade?

[Madathlon]

Our RV has the factory installed tow bar rated at 2000lbs. (Seems really lite to me) Is this the tow bars limit or the RV? can I get a different tow bar and tow a heaver load?

[Lefty]

I would think it is the limit of the tow bar.. not the RV. But you need to check your rig's owners manual to be sure. Some RV's have particularly weak rear frame extensions.. and are not well suited for towing. especially if the rear portion of the frame is exceedingly long. A good Class IV or Class V 2" receiver hitch that is welded or bolted to the frame should be able to support 5,000lbs (500lbs tounge weight.), but that doesn't mean the frame can support that much before being damaged.
Be aware that when welding on any frame, special skills and techniques are needed to prevent weakening the frame, as it is stamped from hardened steel, and heat removes the hardness. It is not a job for someone who is not a highly skilled welder.

[Madathlon]

Thanks, I was considering having UHaul install a Class V receiver.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep, 2000lbs is too light to tow much of anything besides a lightweight boat.  Even my 92 Jeep Wrangler weighs more than 2K.

Go ahead and have U-Haul install a heavier duty hitch, or better yet find a good-old-boys welding shop and have them install one...they can reenforce the frame as well, and it usually ends up being cheaper, frame reenforcement and all, than U-haul.

Kev

[Madathlon]

Kev you are right on cheaper, BUT if something goes wrong with the install on the road, UHaul warranty covers a lot in fixing it. (I had a few done over the years on trucks) But if Johnny O's Welding shop screws up and 2000 miles down the road the receiver breaks off, I'm screwed. (Been there also a couple of time) Plus the fact I'm looking into buying a Uhaul car trailer I cant get a fully matched up set-up. with receiver, wiring and sway bars set up.

Doing it right the first time really matter when you consider what is to be towed.

[ibdilbert01]

To keep the confusion down....

Tow Bar


Hitch Receiver


Ball Mount


Hitch Classes

Class I - 2000lbs Trailer Weight, 200lbs Tongue Weight (Usually 1 1/4" Tubing)
Class II - 3500lbs Trailer Weight, 350lbs Tongue Weight (Usually 1 1/4" Tubing)
Class III- 6000lbs Trailer Weight, 600lbs Tongue Weight (Usually 2" Tubing)
Class IV - 12000lbs Trailer Weight, 1000lbs Tongue Weight  (Usually 2" Tubing)
Class V - 18000lbs Trailer Weight, 1800lbs Tongue Weight (Usually 2 1/2" Tubing)

I like Kevins advice, find a local welding shop and tell them what you will be using the hitch for.   As he said, normally they can make you a receiver hitch, reinforce the frame if needed and still be cheaper than U-Haul.  Personally I would trust a good weld / fab shop over U-Haul any day off the week. 

Not to mention U-Haul will probably not modify your frame to support the extra load, they are normally just bolt and go installs. 

[M & J]

Understandable about having U Haul do it however I'm with the other guys on having a welding shop weld it on. Our coach came with a draw bar style hitch on it that was welded to the frame and the rear tube bumper. I cut off the tube bumper, bought an 8' section of 3/16" wall 4" square tubing and had it welded on to the frame extensions and the draw hitch. We pull a 16' tandem trailer with our rail buggy and a lot of other bits we don't want in the coach. It's rock solid. The welding shop ground and re-welded all the original welds on the frame where the draw bar was put on to insure the old welds were solid. $90 for the steel and $40 for the welding.

[Rickf1985]

I realize this is almost a year old but I need to do the same thing. Those prices are outrageous! It would cost that much just for the setup here in NJ! Do you have any pictures? I want to keep the original rear bumper on mine so any work will be behind it, the problem is that I have compartments all around that come down below the frame. I will have to use plate extensions from the frame down and then work from that. I want to get a good look at the frame and see if there are enough factory holes that I can use to bolt the plates to so I do not have to weld on the frame. I have been a welder for many years and there is a right way and many wrong ways to weld on a frame. Considering the confines of the motor home the right way is about impossible. Grade 8 bolts, properly installed and torqued are actually stronger than a weld because there is room for torsional movement that you do not have in a weld joint. A weld joint will crack unless done in a very prescribed way. That method is really only possible when you have access to the entire section of the frame, inside and out, and 12" either way of the weld area. That is why the two frame rails and the crossmembers are usually joined with rivets or bolts.

[Stripe]

Dunno if this'll help, but here is a vid of my setup on a Chevy P-30 chassis for a 1984 28' Holiday Rambler.


http://youtu.be/yzkXx4LxAyQ

[M & J]

Try recording again when there isnt an earthquake....

[Rickf1985]

WHOA! I think I got vertigo following that camera around!  Just kidding, I know there is not a lot of room there. I will have to get under mine this weekend and see what I can see. From a preliminary inspection the last time I was down there I don't think I can even see the sides of the frame because the cabinets go right up to it. I am not real crazy about just welding to the bottom of the frame. You have three axis of stress on the hitch, horizontal, vertical and angular. Those type of welds are good for horizontal, fair for vertical, and poor for angular. I am not saying the hitch is going to fall off. It will most likely last longer than me but as you can tell I tend to over design things. Those welds where they are will do no harm but picture the same welds ahead of the axle and you are chancing a broken frame.

A 12"-14" plate bolted to the side of the frame with a smaller plate welded at 90 degrees to that and preferably over the top of the frame and bolted but under the frame and bolted would work and be my idea. That would take care of the vertical and horizontal and as far as the angular goes, while not eliminated it would be very hard to bend two 14" X 3/16 plates sideways. Consider that the drawbar will be mounted in a square hole in the bottom rear corner of each plate and that adds to the strength. Overkill? Yes, but I will never have to worry about it falling off. My main concern is the vehicle frame and if it can handle a 7,000 lb. trailer and a 1,000 lb. tongue weight. The tongue weight issue can be handles by a Trailer Toad.

[Stripe]

Sorry Muck, I don't have a dolly with off-road tires..  


Glad I was able to help if just a little.

[Rickf1985]

22 foot may not have a frame extension and may even still have the rear mounts or holes for a bumper and any other frame mounted accessories. You may be able to buy a hitch off the shelf for a P30 that will bolt up if there is no added extension.