cobradvm

I currently tow my 24' trailer with my Ram 2500, which does an admirable job both up and down hill. Sometimes depending on the entryway to the gas station it can be a bit dicey, but with bogey wheels at the rear of the trailer, it's not usually a problem. However it's pretty common to see car trailers being hauled by class A motorhomes (the big bus sized ones). That seems like it's not the easiest way to haul a car trailer I would think. So if you use one of these to haul your car trailer, can you share the pros and cons? Obviously the benefit is sleeping on site at the track. The downsides are the initial cost, plus running costs. But I'm curious what it's like just driving that kind of setup around? Can you back it up at all?
Another option that might be better would be a class B or C motorhome. Interested to hear what the real world experience is like!

TIA!

RobT 394

As with all trailering, HP and Torque matters when you get into the hills. I had a 320 HP small diesel pusher. It would pull just fine until you hit a large hill. Then it would slow to about 45. Traded up and have a 600+ HP with over 1,000 pounds of torque. As you might expect, no problems getting up the hills. Both RVs would run 70+ comfortably all day long. In town it can be a bit tight to have the overall length but it is not bad. Once you are on the freeway it is super easy. Backing up is not an issue. Hardest part is you cannot see that far back behind the trailer so be careful. The trailering capacity is important just like in a SUV or Truck. Some are rated for 5,000 pounds, obviously not enough. Most diesel pushers will get the job done.

Lemming

I have a Super C that I use for track and vacations. Right now I'm pulling only 6k pounds and you don't even know it's behind the motorhome. I've got a 8.9L cummins with 1100 ft lbs of tq, and the unit can tow up to 20K pounds and up to 3K hitch weight.

Pros - you can sleep at the track, wifey can make you ham sandwiches while driving down the road, storage, baller status ;-) And yes, prior to the purchase of the motorhome, my wife had no desire to hang out at the track, now she enjoys it.
Cons - it's a second home on wheels. Imagine bouncing your home down the road at 70 mph, **** is going to break and it does. Lot's of maintenance, in fact I'm on a break from caulking the top seams of my RV. Did I mention cost. Got storage space for it? Oh yea, since everyone in the US is now buying them, finding decent overnight sites is getting much tougher. Hit me up next year, I will likely be selling mine!

Edit: You need quite a bit of parking space at the race track and it needs to be fairly level. That can be a real problem at places like Road Atlanta when you are using the support paddock. If you show up late, you may not get a spot that will work for you. I often get to the track by 1 or 2 in the afternoon just to be able to get a suitable spot. Of course, you have all the comfort of home, plus a fridge full of beer as you wait for the track to load in. Not to mention the friends that you make on rainy or cold days :-)

Lemming

If you start looking at class C motorhomes, be careful. Some may state that they can tow 8-10K lbs, but when you look at GCVW, it is more like 3-5K lbs after loading all your gear into the RV. I had looked at smaller units, but when I crunched the numbers, the towing capacity just was not there.

Berringer

I pull my GT3 on a 22’ Featherlite with a 25’ class C Thor rated with 8k capacity. It actually rides smoother with the trailer in tow and haven’t had any pulling problems. Base on the class c is a Ford E-350 super duty.

cobradvm

Thanks for the input - all very helpful. I can't do the sleeping in a tent thing at the track - too old for that! Need to have a shower, and a comfortable bed. The issue is most tracks (as everyone on here no doubt knows well) is there are not many tracks that have decent accommodation close by. I can swing the cost, and I have storage, so that's not an issue. It was more the general towing experience that I was wondering about.

TMANN

I've been contemplating the same, and doing casual research for about 6 months. A Super C similar to Lemming's rig is what I would buy. Check out IWS Sales, Chuck has good videos on YouTube, learned a lot watching those and similar.
Home - IWS Sales

NaroEscape

Tim,
if/when you decide to sell, let me know. I may be interested. (Make sure it’s caulked well though!)

Lemming

Super Cs are great, you can get all the towing power you need depending on model. I wouldn't go with a 6.7L cummins in any of them, not enough grunt for that big of vehicle, especially towing. Super Cs drive well, not moved much by the wind. Because they are trucks, you can get service at most truck stops if needed, that's not the case with Class As (at least that is what I've been told). Engine is easy to work on being in the front, but expect to use 5+ gallons of oil when you change it. One negative is that for the size, they have much less interior space than a Class A.

I see a double-stacker in your future!

txhokie4life

I had a Super-C Seneca Jayco -- 6.X L Diesel -- pulled my enclosed 24' Aluminum trailer just fine.

Bought so my wife could join me at the track -- she loved the RV, just not the track. I ended up selling it to my racing buddy.
He's got a place to keep it -- and kids to enjoy it on non-race weekends.

So I'm back to towing with my Cayenne and hoteling it.

If I had a place to store it at the house -- I'd still have it. It was awesome for the few race weekends I took it on. Especially for our ChampCar races where the whole team had rack space.

Mike

Manda Racing

I’ve only hit one street light (in downtown Riverside)and snagged one firepit(Laguna Seca) and plenty of tree scratches.

Id like to try a shorter than 40’ Class A with the bigger engine. Truck stops are your friend.

I bought a stacker too but haven’t tried it yet.

lowside67

If you go to a full Class A RV - you might not need a 24' enclosed any more. Many have got a ton of belly storage which could likely accommodate much of what would normally go in an enclosed trailer and then you swap to a nice, light, aluminum open trailer and you don't need to sweat the weight or the extra length?

-Mark

tgsmith4845

We have a 30’ Thor Class A and tow a 24’ enclosed aluminum trailer with no issues. Best purchase I ever made, after the Spec Boxster. Tows easily with the 6.8 liter gas Ford Triton V10 engine, 460 lb-ft torque, 8000# tow capacity. Drives easy after I made some suspension adjustments. Makes a great experience for my wife while I’m racing, and we bring the dog along also. We love sleeping at the track, so quiet after most of the racers have gone to town. Keeping cool between races on those hot weekends is a real plus.

Helps me fulfill my dream of racing iconic race tracks all over this beautiful country, also. So far we’ve hauled to Utah, Road America, and COTA from California. So nice being able to drive, then pull into a rest area to spend the night.

Oh, and we use it for weekend camping trips too.

Tom '74 911

Let me know if I should start another thread with this question... I'm just starting to look at upgrading my current truck/trailer set up ('98 Dodge 2500 & 24'ish enclosed trailer) to something like a Sundowner toy hauler gooseneck trailer with LQ - around 40' total length trailer and would tow it with a new-to-me DRW truck of some kind... I'm curious about the pros and cons of a 40' gooseneck toy hauler trailer w/a 20'ish garage and 20'ish LQ vs a Class A RV pulling a 22'-24' enclosed trailer?

While they're out there, it's not easy to find a smaller Class A with a tow rating above 5K lbs. - tgsmith4845's set up is a great example of one that works at 8K lbs.. Seems like the Class A would have a much more generous living space over the toy hauler option, but is there a cost? Overall length pros/cons? Ease of driving down the road pros/cons? Cost of ownership pros/cons? With the price of trucks these days, the Class A + trailer might even be a little cheaper initial investment than a newer DRW pickup and 40' Sundowner toy hauler w/LQ?

This is a fantastic first world problem to have for sure... curious to hear from others with experience and why they made the choices they did...
Thanks,
Tom

mikew968

i have a super C a Dynamax DX3 with a 9L cummins. Tow capacity is 20k. Works really well at the track with all the amenities of home. 8kw diesel generator provides the power when there is no plug in power.