txhokie4life

As my wife and I become empty nesters -- we're looking to hit more events and sharing the time together. My wife's idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn.
A lot of the tracks have little or no accommodations that close to the track. So, I'm contemplating picking up a small RV for hauling my lightweight aluminum enclosed trailer.

The RV would be the weekend hideaway for her, and tolerable accommodations.

My trailer and gear are less than 3000#, and the SPB is ~2500# without my fat *** in it -- so I have a conservative 6000# trailer load with some weight to spare.
I currently pull with my Cayenne TT -- and barely notice the rig behind me.

While several of the 25' diesels claim a 7500# tow -- when you read the fine print -- they're lucky to have 1/2 that in Gross Vehicle Weight limit availability.

I'm not really liking the idea of a full blown 30'+ RV/Bus.

So anyone recommend a small RV with good towing capability.

thanks,

Mike

DTMiller

Can you flesh out what you mean by "tolerable" conditions? And "small"? The best towers are toter homes but they aren't generally super comfortable. The most comfortable motorized units will be Class A or Super C rigs but they aren't small. As with most things, budget matters.

The problem with small RVs is that everything is small. Beds, fridge, seating areas, bathrooms, holding tanks, towing capacities.

Drew_K

Your choices are a diesel Class B, which is basically a large van, Super C (diesel), or a Class A (diesel or gas). I’ve hung out in all 3 at the track, and personally I favor the Super C’s.

The Class B’s are easy to park, drive, and store, but they’re really small inside. I suggest you sit inside one and really think about how it will work for you when you’re at the track. And they’re really expensive.

The Super C’s are built on 18 wheeler truck frames, drive pretty easily, and are much easier to work on. They by far have the most towing capacity. Price wise, these are going to over $100K unless you get an older one.

Diesel Class A’s can typically tow 10K pounds, but they’re also pushing 40 feet and longer. The smaller Class A’s are gas and typically only tow 5K pounds. So I don’t think a Class A will work for you.

The question is do you want something smaller to drive and store (and therefore small at the track), or vice versa.

txhokie4life

Now you're just trying to get me in trouble :-) She already complains my Cayenne doesn't have an Aux cord or Satellite radio...

I've already got the 24' aluminum trailer -- so I'm committed there.

I think small will be fine as long as the amenities are there and there are two sleeping arrangements -- a nice comfy one for her -- and a cot for me in the trailer :-)

I was looking at the mid-20' Class-A's with a diesel -- but while they claim 7500# -- I think they run out of Gross Vehicle capacity long before that due to total weight.

The Large Class-A is more than I want to deal with driving, maintenance, and storage -- not a game breaker -- but I'm looking elsewhere first.

I'll take a look at the Super-C -- but the cost maybe a little prohibitive -- We're talking probably 6 race weekends a year... But the happier the Wife is the higher than number can be, or if not,
that number gets constrained quickly.

Mike

DTMiller

Super C is your best bet at a compromise. The smaller rigs just won't have the creature comforts that will allow her to enjoy her time. They have beds but often they are "RV queen" size beds. If you google that you'll see that an RV queen is a unique size that is smaller than a standard queen; just barely larger than a full size bed. We have a full size king bed and it makes all the difference in the world when we are traveling.

The other big issue I alluded to above is that small units have small holding tanks. We have an 85 gallon fresh water tank which means my wife and I can camp at the track for 2 nights and we can both easily take sufficient showers and have plenty of water. Smaller units don't really allow that and if you can't shower in it... how comfortable will that be? Sure, you can probably find a water source and a dump station somewhere but there goes your convenience factor.

If the track car isn't street legal, you're at the mercy of track buddies, which usually is fine, to get to/from dinner or you need to cook at the rig. So the kitchen needs to be adequate unless PB&J is your thing.

Anyway, there are a lot of issues. We've been RVing 12-16 weeks per year for the past 4 or so; if you've got questions, let me know. Being in Texas you have access to one of the best dealers in the nation, MHSRV or something like that.

RobT 394

RVs are a slippery slope much like Racing. Once you get in and enjoy the experience it is hard to go back. At that point you will find bigger is better. Keep in mind many tracks do not have full hookups. That means you need to carry enough water for two people to live comfortably for 3-4 days. Whatever you choose, look for large holding tanks and a strong generator. Cowboy showers are simply not the best way to end a track day.

In Class A you will want a Diesel Pusher. Better towing capacity, have enormous fuel and water holding tanks, and get decent MPG. The smallest pusher we could find is a 34 footer. At the time it seemed enormous. Now it seems small. For the most part you don't even notice the trailer is behind the bus. The only exception is large hills when in slows to about 45 to 50 MPH. On flat surfaces we cruise at 70 MPH easily.

thekid96

Been down this road and what you are hoping for simply doesn’t exist. You can either lighten your load to a Featherlite and run a smaller rv. Or get a bigger rv for your current trailer setup. Around 4500-5000lb trailer most of the smaller diesel rv’s will do the job, and at 15mpg. Otherwise you need a diesel pusher or a super c. You can find some nice pushers at 34-36 ft but they are not as popular and tend to cost more than a 40.

dogger15

Based on what you have described, I think a mid size class A diesel pusher would do nicely. Check out Thor coach company and look at their 34-36' offerings. That size with the claimed capabilities would fill the bill nicely for a race weekend.

I used to own a 40' Country Coach and while it offered ample amenities, we didn't need that much size for two people. Of course, everything is subjective so you'll have to work your way through the gauntlet of choices. Good luck.

mikew968

I have a Seneca on a Freightliner business class chassis. It has a 6.7 L cummings with an Allison trans. This is a really nice combination for towing to the track and staying at the track. King sized bed and all the amenities of home. There are some smaller specialty RV haulers out there you just have to fine them and then there will be lots of compromises on either the GCWR or the comfort.

Paseb

From A class motorhome gas engine to A class diesel motorhome to A class tag diesel motorhome.

We enjoy it

I had also a small 24f C class gas engine, could tow the race car on a small open trailer, but thats about it.

txhokie4life

Thanks to everyones input and guidance -- it steered me to a Super-C.

Went a tad smaller and older than your Freightliner based -- made a deal on a 2008 Jayco Seneca. The newer Seneca's based on the Freightliner were all just a bit too long to be legal to haul my 28' (tail to tongue) enclosed. I had to be under 37'.
The Seneca I'm getting was already outfitted for towing, stronger leaf springs, brake controller, engine computer controller plus some other goodies -- as the PO was a motorcycle enthusiast towing his gear around.

Now I just have to figure out how to get it from LA to Austin.

Mike