Toad Help

[Daniel McShane]

Last year I picked up a 99 Monterey Trinidad (30 footer) and have been slowly going through everything and upgrading as needed to get ready for retirement. While my coach doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some other Beavers have, this Monterey far exceeds what I thought I'd ever own and I would like to thank  all that contribute to this forum that have helped me understand my coach. I had a Cat dealer service the 3126b and Allison transmission (19,000 mi), all good.

Right now BCS is up upgrading the satellite and both TV's, new windshield seal as well as a punch list of items, pick up Friday. My next major item would be a toad.

Last week, I bought an 09 Jeep Wrangler, and this leads me to my question. What is the best towing and braking device to use? And, Another area of concern is my Monterey can only tow 5,000 lbs according to the specs. My Jeep is right at the limit and will be over when loaded with gear. I would assume that the low towing weight is because of the short wheel base?? What if I exceed my max towing weight?? Again, thanks for all the input.

Dan

[David T. Richelderfer]

Ask BCS all these questions.  No one has more experience or as much knowledge as those guys.

[Roy Warren Co-Admin]

I believe your tow weight is limited by the hitch.  On most coaches, they did not build the hitches to tow more weight than listed in the manual.  Even with a 10,000 lb weight for towables, I had the hitch built up as I had seen a few cracked.  If nothing else, I would beef up the hitch if you are going to be near the limit of the towing weight.
Roy

[Bill Sprague]

Dan,

I have two club friends that have, or have had, a similar Beaver that tow Wranglers.  I'm sure they would tell you their choices and experiences.  

This is a public forum, so I'm not comfortable posting their names and contact info.  Please email or phone me.  

[Gerald Farris]

Dan,
The 5,000 pound towing limit is not because of your coach's wheelbase, but there are several other factors that caused the manufacturer to rate the coach at a 5,000 towing limit.

First, the receiver (hitch) that was installed on SMC era coaches (1995-2002) is rated at 5,000 pounds. Second, the cooling system, braking system, and engine torque rating are all considered when establishing the towing capacity. The latter group of parameters can be managed when towing something heavier than 5,000 pounds by installing tow brakes so that the coach brakes do not have to stop the toad, and not over working the coach on inclines with the proper driving technics.

If you only exceed the 5,000 pound capacity of the receiver by a few hundred pounds, that should be no concern. However, if you are towing 8 to 10 thousand pounds, I would recommend that you either have the receiver reinforced or replaced with a heavier built receiver. I know of 2 of the 5,000 pound receivers that have failed, and one was on my coach when pulling a Grand Cherokee, it is not fun.

BCS (Beaver Coach Sales) may be reluctant to advise you on towing capacity above the posted ratings because of liability laws, and the constant threat that businesses have of liability law suits.

Gerald  

[Daniel McShane]

All,

Thanks again for all the help. I did talk briefly with BCS about the installation of a front receiver and found out they farm out their hitch work. I may have to find a place here in So Cal for an opinion on my 5,000 lb capacity, maybe beefing it up and the installation of the front receiver. By the way, the reason for the front receiver is for a small motorcycle and I'm hoping the added weight to the front will help the handling. What about the tow bar and brakes? From what I gather the "Air Force One" is supposed to be the best one for DP's, any thoughts or suggestions.

Dan

[Joel Ashley]

Many here use Blue Ox or Air Force tow systems, Dan.  But many others, like me, swear by Roadmaster.  Adding a hitch bar, adapters for your Jeep and the attendant connection kits, plus accessories that can protect against several issues inherent to towing, including devices that guard against toad damage from rocks, etc., can get pretty spendy.  Adding an auxiliary brake to the Jeep costs a bit also, but is essential especially in your case.  I use Roadmaster's Brakemaster, but they've developed a newer system recently that's intriguing due to its relatively simple installation, small innocuous presence, and minimal if non-existent prep for each tow: Invisibrake.

BCS isn't into the towing side of things, as you've discovered.  If you are prepared to spend the money on a reliable, complete, and well-supported tow system, I recommend that if possible after BCS is done, you take coach and Jeep up to Vancouver, WASHINGTON, to Roadmaster's headquarters and let them configure everything specific to your needs, and be done with it.  Check their website for preliminary info.  http://roadmasterinc.com/index.php

After having a combination of Camping World and BCS install our current setup in 2006, I later took the car to Roadmaster for some tweaking of installation missteps.  A couple years later I took the entire combo to them for a skid roller and proper drop bar, and both times they charged nothing for their labor to help out, and I got peace of mind my setup was optimized and safe.  The Falcon All-terrain towbar rods got sticky after several years of non-use and outdoor storage on the coach;  Roadmaster has cheerfully asked me to bring it across the river to them so they can take care of it for me, no problem, no charge.

I really like Roadmaster, as you can tell, and that's my 2 cents, but no matter which brand you decide on, it's gonna take a lot more cash than that, so be ready.  You can shop around for best price and likely will beat Roadmaster's, but not their coach/Jeep configuration expertise, installation quality, or customer service.  And they're only about 150 miles from BCS.

Joel

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

Daniel, I am one of the people Bill was referring to. I owned a 1998 Monterey (sometimes wish I still did). I towed a 2002 Wrangler but it was a little less in weight, 4000lbs. I still had the hitch beefed up a little because at the time there had been some cracks seen on other hitches of that era. I used a Brake Buddy as additional braking and in case of a break-a-way. I have used it on several vehicles including a 2005 GMC truck weighing in at over 5500lbs and am very pleased with it.
Remember to keep your radiator clean and move the slobber tube or the blow-by tube to beyond the radiator to keep oil film off of the radiator.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Cat computer does not communicate with the Allison computer. Therefore, when climbing a hill and your engine starts to heat up, the Allison transmission doesn't know to downshift to keep rpm's up. This is right from Cat: when climbing a hill and temps start to rise, manually downshift the transmission to keep the rpm's in the 2200-2300 rpm range.
Marty

[Phil N Barb Rodriguez]

Dan, I have had a Roadmaster tow bar and a Roadmaster Brakemaster tow brake system for around 100k miles.

No issues what so ever. The Roadmaster folks will take care of you. They did a little maintenance on my tow bar at the Redmond gig in August. I didn't even ask them to, they just did some PM because they saw I had Roadmaster gear.

Phil

[John Hennessey]

Dan, we are parked right behind your beautiful 99 Monterey. We're having a new front TV put in our 03 Marquis. Last year Dan put in a TV in the basement plus he took off our Tracstar non-HD and installed a Wingard HD. We really love the improvement.  I'm sure you'll be happy with yours. I guess we will have an opportunity to meet.

[Daniel McShane]

Thanks to every one again for all the valuable input. Joel I did check with Camping World here and the service dept. told me it would run from 3,000 to 3.500 and I believe they push Roadmaster, I just want what's safest. As Marty suggests, I need to find a shop to beef up my hitch first. Unfortunately I won't be driving my Jeep to BCS i'll be flying to Portland then dive to Bend. This all came together soooo fast! I'm glad to hear my coach is still there and looking good, can't wait to see it.

Dan

[Joel Ashley]

Dan, you might want to visit Coachmasters, not far from BCS, while you are there.  They may be able to help with your hitch concerns.    http://www.coachmastersrv.com

Joel

[Glenn Perkins]

To add on to Joel's recommendation ... Coachmasters referred us to Dewey's Welding in Bend when we needed to "beef up" the hitch on our 99 Marquis in order to tow our (then) Hummer H2.  We have always used Roadmaster towing equipment as well ... on both of our H2s, our GMS and Chev 1500s and now our Jeep Liberty.  The one difference is that I would opt for an M&G Breaking System as it is the cleanest system I have seen and works flawlessly ... the one downside is that it is all air actuated so you may have to add an air compressor since I beleive you have hydraulic braking.

My 3 cents.

[Neal E Weinmann]

[size=14]Dan:

I owned a 30' Trinidad for 5 years and for the bulk of that time, I towed an '06 Nissan Frontier using Blue Ox towing equipment and an SMI Stay-IN-Play braking unit. In general, the Trinidad towed the Nissan fine, but in my opinion the limiting factor for that coach is the rear radiator and its challenge to keep the engine at a reasonable temperature when in hilly country with a series of extended modest climbs or when climbing a single significant grade. The coolant was tested regularly, the radiator was kept clean and the water pump was even replaced after developing a leak. On the "flat", it ran from 190 -205 when towing, but climbs would regularly push temps up 8-15 degrees, and a few times the temp went to 226 and triggered the check engine light (which went off as soon as the coolant temp dropped again). We live along the Blue Ridge Mountains and coming home always involves a significant climb. In the heat of the summer, we chose to make the those climbs with my wife driving the Nissan separately.

I would make sure that the cooling system is in top condition before leaving BCS, and as others have suggested, get their thoughts on towing in general with that coach. Finally, to my mind, driving a short wheelbase coach is a learned art over and above coach driving itself.  Adding a towed vehicle behind can, at times, make for a very interesting dynamic as the tail can wag the dog on occasion. Good luck![/size]