I was just wondering if any of you tow a horse trailer with your motor home.  If you do, what type and length of motor home do you own and what type of trailer do you tow?  I recently purchased a 24 ft Class C Coachmen with a V 10 engine that I would like to use as a tow vehicle when we go horse camping. I own a two horse straight load with a dressing room. I'm guessing it weighs about 5000 pounds fully loaded. Are there any suggestions from anyone on what I should do to beef up the motor home to make it safer?  What do I need to be careful of when towing with this type of rig?  Also, how difficult is it to backup with a rig like this? Any comments or advise will be appreciated.

Yes, a horse trailer with living quarters would have been nice, but we also enjoy camping without the horses, so we thought this would be the way to go.

Danyel

I used to ride in CTR and put on a few CTR rides, Still show up at  a few Endurance Races.  I see folks in RV's pulling horse trailers at these events. I also see a lot of the ATV and Boating  crowd pulling trailers behind their RV's.  So folks do it. I personally don't have any experience with it.

I would talk with your RV dealer. to see what trailer load the RV is rated to pull, how heavy of a bumper hitch weight it can support. Most RV's have a long overhang behind the rear axle.  This limits how much weight you can put on the bumper hitch.

We have several club members with RV"s pulling trailers.  Two have 35' motorhomes and pull 3-4 hours trailers and have gone to IL, IN, etc  One member has a smaller one (not sure of the size) & she is selling it as she doesn't like how it pulls her 2H BP DR (Hawk) trailer. Sorry I don't have more specific info on the size of the RV.

 I have heard that when driving you can't see the trailer at all and backing can be tricky.  The two people above that have the big rigs both used to be firemen and are used to handling huge vehicles, so they never seem to have a problem.

We have some friends who are getting ready to purchase a motor home to pull their trailer.  They like to camp and ride, but he also likes to hunt and fish.  So the MH is more practical since it can be used for all those activities.

I have seen several outfits like that at different camps.  The people really seem to enjoy their setup.

RIDE ON! 

Thank you all for the advise and remarks. I can't even imagine towing with a 30+ foot long RV. I'm hoping that I'll be able to fit most anywhere with my 24ft plus the extra 12 or so foot trailer.

Keep the comments coming. I want to learn as much as I can before I start towing.

Thank you Icepony. That was very helpful. This RV is also in mint condition and has very low miles. It's a 98 model with  airbags on the axals.  I'll definetly get the braking system and the anti-sway bar. I also plan on getting one of those backup mirrors. i thing that will be helpful. I already have US Rider and just love them. Twice they have helped me out. All great advise.

Just out of curisosity, what did it cost to get the RV's framed beefed up?

I have a 31 ft class A. I pulled an 18 ft trailer behind it and I have "carefully" been in some places you wouldn't even think to see a motorhome. I need to get a gooseneck. If you didn't have too much trouble finding a spot it was nice but forget backing up. I actually did quite a few times with success but accompanied with it were a "few" sweat drops coming down my forehead. Another problem was if you needed to run somewhere your vehicle hence is your motorhome. Pain in the backside for me......Remember that you're all front end. You need alot of room to turn around and back in. Goosenecks pivet but I don't think they require as much turn around space and back up front end space. Also, I couldn't feel the trailer let alone see it (no back up camera) very well. I'd catch a glimpse of the wheel wells and that was it. It could've come off and if I wasn't paying attention, I probably wouldn't have caught it right away. I didn't like that at all. I always double if not triple check my hook up and trailer latches before taking off but that set up made me feel even more cautious. It's going along with the boat!

A little heads up...Gotta watch those two tracks. They have a tendency to get more narrow the further down you go.

Hi there. I have been pulling a two horse bumper pull with a small dressing room with a class A 33' MH for almost 10 years.  Most places I have no trouble parking. But I prefer places I can get reservations and like flat, long spots. I can back it pretty good. I have a camera but it is no help other than to know the trailer is still "following" me. I use my mirrors. I can watch the fenders and know when I need to adjust my steering. If I can't see the trailer, I know it is backing up straight. If you are by yourself, you will always find a kind horseperson to help guide you. All the above advice is right on. If I had it to do over again, I would get a 26' or so. Once you get there, you have got a very comfortable LQ. Now that I'm in my 60's I do love it when hubby goes. We have only been in one place where we had trouble. THat was in Valle Vidal, NM. Coming down. Going up was a 2 1/2 hr trek. The LQ trailers were also going slow. Coming down our brakes got hot. Won't go there again in the MH! I've been to Ark, Mo, Tx, NM pulling my horses. For the first time last year we used USRider for tire changing. I was glad we had them.

We also do other things with the MH, so it fit our situation better. I would like to find a small 2 horse gooseneck just for me tho' when my hubby doesn't go. But we would also still keep the MH.

Okeydar,

That was all very useful information.  Thank you.  Did you ever have any reinforcement done on the RV's frame for extra support? Do you have an anti-sway bar hooked to the trailer?  Most of my trips will be by myself since my husband is not that big into riding, so I'm sure I may need a helping hand at times backing into campsites.

Happy trails to you and thanks again.

Danielle

No, we didn't have any re-enforcement done and we don't use a sway bar. I do know we have air bags on the front. I'm not sure of the back. I don't know any anything about the mechanics as hubby takes care of that. I know I don't have trouble pulling unless it is real windy. Then I have touble even without a trailer. We have also pulled a car all over the US.

You will learn to get to a campground and get out and do a walkover of the site you have picked out. Height of the trees and location. As one person stated, it doesn't turn when backing like a gooseneck trailer. We have had our MH places where even I'm not sure we did it!!!!

But the MH has a nice bath, full kitchen with huge fridge, dinette and a couch. In bad weather, we have had several people in it. ALso, everyone knows I carry ice cream for root beer floats!!!! Have fun!!!

There are always downsides to any mode of camping rig you choose. Being stuck in a campground is one. But I travel with several others and can always hitch a ride when going to town.

I have level things built into the MH, but I prefer to just put small planks of wood down and drive up on them. I keep them in the MH.

I think Janine and Jim Wilder (http://www.horsetravels.com/) lived in a motorhome pulling a horse trailer AND a truck for five years, riding all over the country. Maybe you can call her and see what she says?

Sarah

www.fourcornerstrails.com