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RE: [RC] Advice needed; pulling trailer with RV - bobmorrisMost important of all BRAKES,BRAKES AND MORE BRAKES. Pulling is nothing, stopping is everything including, possibly your life. Bob Bob Morris Morris Endurance Enterprises Boise, ID -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David LeBlanc Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 4:44 PM To: 'Lari Shea'; ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: [RC] Advice needed; pulling trailer with RV Lari asked: Any ideas on how much power, torque, mileage, etc, I'd be losing by switching to this rig. I love the interior space, but don't want to give up too much in maneuverability and git up and go. The motor home is probably built on a van chassis. What you can do is go look up the motor for that year as if it were a van and see what the ratings are. Here's the basics - Horsepower - this is torque times RPM. Everyone quotes it, and it usually doesn't really mean anything. Funny how that works. Horsepower ratings are frequently done at an RPM that your engine just won't do outside of the testing area. For the most part, ignore horsepower. For an example of how meaningless this is, look at a motorcycle's ratings sometime. Lots of horsepower, won't pull anything. Torque - this is what really matters. This is what pulls you up the hill. Torque doesn't change that much with RPM, and the peak torque rating will almost always happen in a usable range. More is better - you can sometimes see a gasoline motor that has more HP, but less torque than a diesel. The diesel will pull better if it has more torque. Differential ratio - the higher this number is, the more you can pull, the slower your top speed is, and the worse the mileage. Now last is weight - we're required to get things weighed in WA to register. You might find that the motor home weighs more than your previous rig. If the new one doesn't have more torque or a higher differential ratio, you won't be able to pull as well. Next thing to figure on is brakes and suspension. Lots of motor homes do well to stop themselves. If the chassis is equivalent to a F-450, then you have bigger brakes than if it is built on a F-350. One other factor that makes me think twice about a motor home is that not every shop is equipped to work on it. You won't have a hard time finding someone to work on a normal truck. Hope this helps... ============================================================ Why should I look good if I don`t smell good? ~ author unknown ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================ ===========================================================REAL endurance is taking your non-horsey family to a ridecamp with you! ~ Heidi Sowards ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ===========================================================
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