Tow hitch advice

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 1/8/2005 2:51 PM

Has anyone installed a hitch?
Especially wonder about the bolt up one JC Whitney lists for the MB 300-400

BooBoo

[HeavyHaulTrucker]

Sent: 1/8/2005 11:49 PM

BooBoo, I don't know about yours, but mine has a "drop tail" that the hitch bolts onto -- the frame at the end of the coach widens out to full frame height, and the upright brackets from the hitch bolt to the web of the C-channel frame rails.  Since I have the ditty box, the bumper has been extended and the bracket on the end of the receiver tube bolts to the underside of the C-channel bumper.

You may have to fabricate some sort of "stand off" brackets, but it shouldn't be too difficult to do.
John

[denisondc]

Sent: 1/9/2005 8:38 AM

I added a hitch to mine, but one that I welded up myself, and not a class III either, more like a class II. The reason I didn't go with the full class III type of receiver is because the frame rails on my Winny, as made by Dodge, ended about 3 feet ahead of the end of the coach. Winnebago welded on a frame extension, using channel iron, to bring the frame back to the end of the coach. The joint was a butt weld with small flitch plates on the outside, for added weld area. Still it looked like a weak point to me, and is rusty now too. I decided to limit my tongue weight to 300 lbs, and I bolt my safety chain to a couple of holes in the frame over the rear axle, in case the frame extension snaps off. I plan to examine that weld-joint frequently when I am towing a car behind me.Do the frame rails on yours extend all the way back, or is yours also a welded extension?

[HeavyHaulTrucker]

Sent: 1/9/2005 10:33 AM

You're right, denison -- that would be a very weak joint.  On mine, it is a butt weld -- but the plates go a foot to either side of the splice, and they are on both sides of the web.  I think that it was re-done at some point in the past.

Actually, that frame extension was not done by Dodge.  That was part of the Winnebago manufacturing process, because Dodge would not make a frame for them that extended back far enough for them.

John

[denisondc]

Sent: 1/9/2005 11:38 AM

Yes Im sure the extension was added by Winnebago. Dodge would have made a nicer weld. Yours sounds like an improved version. On mine the flitch plate is only about 6 inches long; about 3 inches to the front and to the back of the actual joint. If I ever redo the interior floor of my winny I would weld on a top plate, across the top of that frame. Another good excuse to buy an TIG welder......

[HeavyHaulTrucker]

Sent: 1/9/2005 1:17 PM

No denision, that is 55000# HSLA steel -- you will need a MIG welder with CO2 or argon gas to do any work on the frame.  TIG is for aluminum, and a regular HeliArc will heat the frame up too much and take the temper out of it. John

[Sea Hag]

Sent: 1/10/2005 10:15 AM

A TIG welder is for just about any type of weldable material ,steel , stainless steel or aluminum it depends on the filler rod used . It's simply a electricly powered tunston rod to melt the material that is shielded by gas , and filler material is added with a Rod by hand . A MIG welder is similar but uses a fed wire  rod to melt the material and fill it in at the same time . A stck welder ( heli arch ) will also work .thats what they probably used to originally weld the frames .All of the electric machnies come in different sizes depending on your budget and expected use . . If you are good enough and have enough time you could probably do it with Oxegen / accetalyne torch and filler rod . The tempering is controlled by techneac in all cases . after all you do have to have good penetration to make a good weld , in other words melt the material together . If you worried about the strength after welding you can weld a trangle piece of stock over the joint makeing it stronger than original . and since we are talking about a rear extention it should'nt have any effect on the rest of the frame . Sea Hag

[engineer bill]

We are thinking about pulling a small car either on a tow dolly or with a tow bar. Short of actually trying it, I've been considering whether that is a good idea. My Winne has a welded up tow hitch that is solidly attached to the frame. I'm not sure but I think this was added by the PO. There is no square receiver, just the 2" ball on the weldment. (picture attached.) Obviously there is no rating plate on this hitch. Last week I took it to a local welder who does a lot of RV and towing work and he inspected it, added a couple of welds and pronounced it good to go. However, I'd be happier if the hitch had a rating plate and if I knew what Winnebago and Chevy intended this rig to tow. The VIN plate lists GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) but not GCWR (Gross Combination Weight Rating). I have looked at the Chevy Towing Guide for this year and although it does not explicitly say so, it suggests that this rig can tow 5,000 lb.I expect that the transmission on this '89 P30 454 chassis will be the limiting factor towing. Any thoughts?

[eXodus]

depends on the transmission and the rear axle, What transmission do you have ?

a 4L80E is capable of 21,000 GCWR
a 475 should be good up to 19,000 GCWRBUT !

If you got a axle with a 3.xx ratio your combined will be much lower. I would guess your winnie has about 16000. Just shoot a email to Winnebago costumer support with your serial number and they will tell you (takes about 2 weeks) exactly what your numbers are.So if you don't load your MH up to max you should be able to tow about 5000. But doublecheck and everything over 2000lbs should have additional breaks.

[kattkisson]

Engineer Bill-
I sent you my ratings sheet for my 22 did you get it. ?  Same set up different year.

[engineer bill]

Just sent the email to Winnebago. Looking forward to seeing their reply. I'll post it here when I get it. Thanks.