[Archived]

That is a topic that has had some serious disussion in the past.

The bottom line, no matter what anyone says is that our coaches were never designed or built to handle heavy towing loads, but especially heavy tongue weight loads.

On a thread quite a while back there was a discussion that started because someone wished to install a motorcycle lift. The bottom line is that Prevost has a limit for towing and based on the coach and if the engine cradle was revised the limit is 10,000 pounds towing with a 1000 pound tongue weight or 20,000 pounds with a 1500 pound tongue weight. I have see the tongue weight expressed as 6 or 8″ from the bumper, which means if the hitch (or motorcycle lift) is further out from the bumper the capacity is reduced proportionately.

As Prevost has explained the coach handles straight pulls much easier than vertical loads because the coach was never designed to tow, and its construction will not do well carrying heavy loads behind the bumper. Excessive loading can and will result in structural damage and some damage will be hidden. If there is structural damage to a coach due to excessive loads Prevost has indicated they will not repair the damage.

If anyone tells you the coach has been reinforced and Prevost did not supply or install the heavier hitch you may become the test pilot.

[gary]

This is a very good thread to read because within the thread is the Prevost position regarding hitches and towing. You may have to cut and paste the link below.

Towing

[Archived]

Jon, thanks for the link, I have read most of the towing posts but had not seen the one from the Prevost engineer.

I am going to do some more follow up and investigation today and will report back!

[Archived]

Prevost isn’t blind to who is buying their coaches and what those folks want to do with them. I wonder why Prevost hasn’t looked a the structure of the back of the coaches, did the engineering, and some up with a solution for towing heavy tongue weights, motorcycles, and golf carts. Make that standard on all the conversion and entertainer shells the manufacture. Retrofits and field upgrading might be difficult, but even there Prevost could do the engineering.

[Dick]

While there are motor home conversions built every year the number is relatively small compared to seated coaches and maybe even entertainer shells. So for Prevost to opt to build a shell designed for a great deal more towing capacity and tongue weight they would really be doing two things. First, they would spend a considerable amount of time and money to develop a shell for a very small percentage of the market. If we go to 50 coach rallies we might see one coach with a heavy trailer. Most motor home owners tow 4 wheels down because hauling a trailer is a real problem for motor home owners because few campgrounds are really designed for them.

Then Prevost would be faced with going back to a situation that they just worked themselves out of. Our shells were unique and now Prevost has essentially made the entertainer and motor home shells the same. If the motorhome shells were modified so the small percentage of owners could add a motorcycle lift or tow a heavy trailer Prevost would be right back where it was when they were making three different shells.

There is no doubt some owners would like to have a greater towing ability. But the percentage is likely relatively low so unless the cost was very high Prevost would never recover the investment for development.

And that still leaves the problem of buyers of used coaches still not able to tow what they like due to limits unless they got lucky and were able to find one with the heavier towing option. As a buyer I would see the option as a very bad thing because I don’t need to tow excessive weights and I would look at a coach equipped like that as being run really hard and to have potential transmission issues or issues from a differential that was run very hot.

[Archived]

Ok, after having a look at things it appears that even though the build order had this info on it I think that the hitch is orignal untouched factory. I looked at two other (not terribly close) XL2’s and my hitch appears the same.

So….tag says 20k and 1500 tounge, but hitch itself is class 4 which is rated to 10k lbs….correct? It is a 2″ reciever.

So if you want to tow 15k , do you look for a “class 5” or custom stronger hitch?

Wondering what others here are doing or if the factory prevost hitch can handle the weight.

[Bernie]

Your year? Not in your post. Prevost offers a engine cradle upgrade=higher towing capacity for some model coaches. DKO had his done. About $5,000. FWIW His is a mid 90’s XL. To be very blunt it’s not the reciever but will you break the prevost frame or be able to stop /control the toaded load. Bob

[Glenn]

It is a 2001….came with 20k cradle from Prevost. I will post pictures later.

[Archived]

You know I think I recall reading DKO’s post and iirc he said the new cradle is rated 20k and 2000lbs tongue.

While it seems the XL2’s came with a 20k / 1500 from the factory….please correct me if I am wrong!

[Brady]

To the best of my knowledge the tongue weight limit is 1500 lbs. at a distance specified on the plate from the bumper. Usually the distance is 6 or 8″

[Archived]

There are so many going on here. That one is afraid to offer a opinion. I have seen a XLV cracked frame on driverside about 4 2 inches from rear bumper. Guy was towing a very heavy trailer. Caught it in time.. I had a A-w-Sh-T…Moment and had safety chain to tight and did a tight turn and cracked a factory hitch weld and broke chain. When chain broke I checked welds. Was at a friends place and we made repair..Yes He and I are both certified welders…I do appoligize for being to brash sometimes. I see people trying to do to much without concern for safety. I do not think you are one of them! But others are reading this also. I do think the weak spot is where the frame 90’s up also tell tale would be if side (either side) stars to wrinkle. As in any case there is structural weight transfer. Hope this helps in the thought process. Any thing you add to the back is taking weight off the front axle at a highly multiplied rate that far back affecting steering etc.. Prevost Knows..

[Bernie]

Thanks for the input.

Few things, safety is always number one with me. In the last 3 years I have dones 200k over the road towing at GVW, not one incident….but my gear is kept in top shape, and I drive 55….same as I intend to do in the Prevost.

I expect trailer to be 18k max and will abide by tongue weight guidelines. I have a lot of leeway in loading the trailer since it will be bikes, and most likely a really balanced spread axle trailer.

I know the Prevost cradle limits, just wondering about the hitch they put on.

I am pretty damn sure DKO or someone else who had Prevost do a cradle swap said it was 20k/2k….wonder if Prevost bumped it up 500lbs….

[Fred]

G Man

I have run across many guys pulling stackers and always ask what is your tongue weight? 75 % don’t know and others guess. The last guy had an ATC 26ft with a small generator on the front of it cabinets in the front, a closet for the air compressor in the front which he pulled out and had no tools in it. He had a small car loaded and nothing up top. The mezzanine had a few hundred lbs of personel stuff.

I thought I would help him and weigh it so he knew.

You need to spend about 150 dollars and buy a Sherline tongue weight scale. I pulled mine out while he was still loading and he had 2200lbs on the tongue, he about shit. My point being the guys building stackers are setting you up for over weight tongues by what and how they are building them.

My stacker is only to transport my stuff, it’s not a work garage or a means to take more stuff. I built mine accordingly and have 1600lbs on the tongue and gross out at 14,000 lbs.

How your going to pull 18k with legal tongue weight is going to be tricky at best.

Buy a Sherline and be sure.

I remember a guy in Montana 2 years ago full of tools with 2 Harleys in the front, I asked him what he thought it weighed. He said he didn’t know or care. He was an idiot with an additude and gives us all a bad name.

Later

bv

[Archived]

Gman

If you find you have a 20k hitch with 1500lb TW because the Prevost receiver is only 2 inches your limited as to what you can find to handle 18k. The only thing I could find was a 8 inch ball mount with a 1 inch drop rated at 16k. That tells me Prevost doesn’t want that much weight back there, if they put a 2.5 inch receiver on the bus your options are greatly expanded into the 20k range.

Food for thought my friend.

Later

bv

[Archived]

Ugraded cradle was $6500 in early 2012. I thought I was told 20K and 2K on the tongue and repeated that here. Somebody caught the mistake and pointed it out. Prevost says 1500 on the tongue.

I was expecting the receiver to be 2.5 inches. When I asked Prevost about it they said the industry standard for 20K is 2.5 but at some point they decided to keep it at 2 inch but it is rated for 20K.

It is the best upgrade I have done on my bus. It gives me some piece of mind concerning damage to the bus AND liability.

Davy