[Archived]

You’ll hear from the guys with the
stackers here, my trailer is only 12′ long and used occasionally
in the past with the Harley. I like pulling the trailer because it
was easy to back up, you can fit lots of stuff in with the bike and
it became a garage for the bike when setup at the campground.

[Roger]

Yes that is what I am talking about is a stacker trailer.

Robert

[Ken]

I may create a bit of controversy for saying this, but I couldn’t be more opposed to towing a trailer, especially a stacker. First, our coaches were not built to drag a lot of weight behind them. If the trailer is heavy enough the coach needs to be modified, and that is only to reinforce the rear structure for the excess weight. I am not sure what impact the extra weight has on braking or the life of the transmission.

But if I ignore the argument above I get to another personal gripe. We carry too much stuff. All of us. If there is open space on a coach I will bet it is full. Any coach. Our closets are full, our drawers are full, our bays are full. If we tow trailers I am willing to also bet that after a while the trailer will also be full. Weight is our enemy. It costs us fuel mileage. It degrades performance. It may affect the safety of the coach.

Having managed to remain married for 50 years I hope everyone recognizes I cannot allow my wife to read this, I cannot have a discussion with her on this topic, and I am limited to what I can leave behind. About once a year I sneak around my coach and remove duplcates of Glass Plus (do we really need four bottles?), countless Zip Lock bags, multiple boxes of vanilla wafers, and about a gazillion CDs. I don’t dare touch anything in her closet or drawers, but I do pare down what is in my closet or drawers. (How is it possible that I might need all 15 pair of jeans?). I just know if we dragged a trailer it won’t be long before it held more clothes, more food, extra coffee makers (just in case), and maybe a golf cart so we don’t have to walk.

I fully expect to be flamed for my stance on reducing weight, while dragging an H2 Hummer behind the coach, but in my defense I would rather have a Honda Element or Subaru Forester, but I have been told we need a Hummer for protection against other drivers.

But there is one distinct benefit of a trailer that I wish was available to me when towing 4 wheels down, and that is the ability to back up. Having that ability almost justifies a trailer (no it doesn’t actually).

[Larry & Diane]

Thanks for the reply Jon,those are some of my thoughts as well. The main reason for me to pull a stacker is to carry the toad as well as a golf cart and a couple of scooters. I can see how it could get heavy quick, one of the main factors in deciding if it is worth it is how friendly camp grounds are to 45′ coaches with 26′ stackers?

Robert

[Rodger]

Jon, you are walking on quicksand with removing one scrap of paper from the bus belonging to DI. How do they remember it all is beyond me. In 30 + years with Mary Ellen I have learned she has a steel trap memory. Off the bus for a month and back on for 22 minutes and remembers exactly where she left her pen.

We also have a extra coffee maker just in case, a hair dryer just in case.

Remember, hair dryers are the hands on electrical system testers on all buses.

[jack]

My view without flaming is that it is difficult enough to find parks where one can navigate and park with the toad connected. Many times we have to disconnect and connect before entering the park. Many very nice parks are back in only. Remember due to trees you will sometimes be able to navigate a park with a toad connected, but not a stacker that is as high as the coach.

Adding to that if you find a pull through park where you easily fit and the trailer stays connected the site is usually just long enough for the coach and one towed vehicle. Where will you park the toad when you unload the trailer. Well you say, back into the trailer. If that is OK with you fine then. I would not like that.

I have found that some parks require the trailer to be parked in a storage lot.

There are many variables to your question, such as what part of the country you will be traveling in and how long you will be staying.

If you are in traveling mode I think you will regret having the trailer.

If you are going to a destination park for an extended stay, the trailer can be dealt with.

You can quickly decide on your own by planning several trips you expect to make, looking for RV parks along the way and with questions to them directly and with the help of Google Earth decide if your plans can be carried out.

We have found that it is often very difficult to find a suitable RV park for a Prevo in, but not limited to, Ohio and Pennsylvania, for example.

Hope this helps, JIM

[Archived]

Al, if you promise not to speak to Di about my post, I promise to not discuss yours with Mary Ellen.

True story……when we were at the point where Di had to bless the purchase of our current coach I knew it was a slam dunk. She did the normal oohs and aahs as she walked towards the rear, stopping to make note of things she like such as the colors, the private toilet, the stacked washer and dryer, but I told the salesman none of what she saw would necessarily do the deal, but I knew exactly what would. When she saw the rear closet with the carousel I saw her eyes pop and watched her mentally calculating how many new clothes she could buy to fill it.

So now we have a bus attached to one of her closets. Unless a bus has a closet of similar size there is no way we will be trading. If we were to ever get a trailer, I question how long it will be before that becomes a walk-in closet, and I have to find a way to hook a Roadmaster tow bar to the rear of the trailer which is hooked to the rear of the bus. When our first bus had the fire in the engine compartment and we had to leave it with Prevost Jacksonville I filled a Penske rental truck with our stuff. It was like moving out of an apartment. It took three days to clean the bus out. I had to find ways to avoid the scales on the return to home. (OK, I’m stretching it a little).

[Archived]

I purchased a really nice ATC trailer that I had special ordered,it was a stacker 30 feet long,I found that it was a PITA to use-tow-deal with.I tow a Chevrolet 4 wheel drive PU truck and it has room for a golf cart for the horse shows that we go to,it is super.I had a chance to sell the trailer and I did,there will not be any more.It weighed 17,000 Lbs added to the 54,000 Lbs for the bus and that equals 71,000,fuel mileage was 4.5 or less and there were always engine codes.I really don’t think that with the rear engine installation with zero cooling air unless the fan is running that the bus is very happy towing more than 10,000 LBS.

[Robert]

I don’t and won’t! There are many, many campgrounds that make you park a trailer in a overflow type lot and even those that don’t many times have sites that are not large enough. Plus as other have mentioned, weight is BAD.

I pull a full size Tahoe, and that is as big as I want. We have to unhook even that many times just to park at campgrounds that don’t have sites large enough, or require you to back in.

One more thing that hasn’t been brought up is brakes. Pulling a heavy vehicle / trailer will make your stopping distances longer unless you have a properly working and adjusted braking system. I have seen many that don’t and it scares me to think that if they have to stop quickly, they may not be able to do so.

[Archived]

Jon,

I know a place were you can get military gun ports installed in your Hummer for additional protection against other drivers.

[George]

John,

There are times when the other drivers need to fear me and especially Di. She keeps insisting we need a large caliber cannon for the front of the bus.

[John]

Hello Jon,

I am not even a newbie yet. Have been researching, scanning ads and kicking some tires and getting real close to a purchase. We have had several plastic coaches and one steel (older Bluebird) but never my life’s dream of a Prevost.

And what (and how) to tow has been a concern as well. I have used tow dollies and didn’t like them. I towed a Honda Accord wheels down behind the Bluebird and on more than one occasion had to unhook to effect a backup.

And now to the point……. have you seen the http://electrictowhitch.com/ offering? It looks like the answer, but at what risk to the coach? I would be interested in your opinion.

Bill in Tyler, TX (and soon to be Lufkin….)

[Tom]

I can only imagine the problems with the concept. Some of which are what kind of structure is needed under the toad? Will the tongue weight be within the limits of the coach which are 1000 pounds or 1500 pounds depending on the year and type?

I know for sure that if the coach has to come out of or enter a driveway with a steep approach something is going to drag. What happens if that occurs because I can envision the toad being forced to the ground and the weight of the rear of the coach pressing down on the toad suspension?

But the real question is why is backing up so important? If a person is driving a large coach they should always be looking and planning ahead, so avoiding situations where backing is required should be a given. When forced to unhook those situations are so rare that it appears to not make the device that important. I think they are playing to people’s fears. FWIW the device is not for me.

[Archived]

Jon. I’m telling.

[Susan]

Go ahead Roger. Get it over with. I knew it was coming as I typed my response.

However make sure the readers understand there is no proof. No photos. Nada.

I will admit if you tell the story that most folks would prefer to not be in that situation. Despite the miles of headlights and all those blue and red flashing lights.