Towing

1. Drive shaft disconnected on wrong end can cause much damage to undercarriage. Here is a post from the FCOC Yahoo Discussion group member Dick Stout - thanks Dick for your input.

I have heard stories of towing companies disconnecting the wrong end of a drive
shaft causing damage to the under carriage and just chalked it up to dumb tow
truck driver. Well, it happened to me. The driver disconnected from the
transmission, removed the yoke and towed my coach. The end of the drive shaft
connected to the differential whipped around and did about $5,000.00 worth of
damage. The mechanic at the FL dealer said that if the tow driver is not aware
of motor home towing, that is an easy thing to happen as that is how they do it
for trucks. Since the engine is installed "backward" the drive disconnect has
to be backward as well. So my advice is to make sure the tow driver knows how
to tow a motor home before he starts the tow.

Happy New Year to all.
Let The Good Times Roll
Dick Stout 05 Tuscany, Cat C7

I have a solid beam axle and have been towed a few times in over 120,000
miles. After hearing about IFS have asked all the tow truck driver and
they tell me that they prefer to use the H bars that go under the tires
and lift the front end that way. Every time my coach has been towed ( I
use coach net towing service not plugging them ) the tow truck drive
has always completely removed the drive shaft and marked which end goes
where when it is to be reinstalled.

Make sure the tow company knows in advance that you have a large motorhome and especially if you have an IFS system. The large tow trucks that are required to tow most motor homes are the same tow trucks they use to haul OTR trucks (18 wheelers). Those tow trucks have very large hydraulic 'lifters' (horizontal arms) that go underneath the front suspension and usually are just clamped or chained to the I-beam front axle.

However, if you have an IFS, there is no large I-beam to easily hook onto and special procedures need to be used to prevent damage to your suspension. Unfortunately I do not know for sure what those special procedures are...I talked with one FCCC contact and he replied that they don't decide how to tow the rigs, they leave that up to the towing companies!

After witnessing a near 'disaster' towing situation on a friends IFS suspension, Jeff brought up the subject of proper towing methods at Camp Freightliner.

"Because of this (situation) I brought the subject up at Camp Freightliner last Fall and suggested FCCC get a notice out to owners outlining the proper towing procedure that we could show tow operators when necessary."

I was told wheel cradles are the only proper method other than [special] flatbeds.

"The flatbed used in NM was 24” off the ground after the RV was loaded. The rear axles slide all the way forward to load and then move back. The driver said they need 15’ loaded."

So, a flatbed hauler can be used IF it will handle big rigs like a 40ft. MH and has special loading capabilities to maintain 15ft. height restrictions. Haven't seen many flatbed tow trucks this big.

I have a 2006 Allegro Bus with an IFS chassis and a Cummins ISL 400.
Last July 2006 I lost a high pressure fuel line in Branson Missouri at
the ABC Campground.   Cummins in Springfield MO arranged for the tow to
their facility and sent a large tow truck with the lifters.   The tow
operator queried me as to the type of suspension and also noted I had
lost all my air.   He inflated my air system and then verified that I
did have IFS and then inserted the lifters underneath.   Each front
wheel was cradled and strapped, and eventual removal of the drive
shaft. The last two items were the" tie up" of the rear rock guard
followed by the marking of the side mirrors for their current position
and folding both mirrors to position against the windshield.   When I
asked about folding the mirrors he stated that is to preclude the
towing arm(s) from striking the mirrors while doing any maneuvering. If
the towing arms strike the mirror(s) there is a good chance they will
rip the mirror from the front cap causing major damage.   He further
stated that if tow driver has not folded your mirrors as one of the
last items to be completed then the tow driver is not knowledgeable
about motor homes and that tow operator (should be) avoided.

It took 1 hour and 5 minutes for him to prepare and check my coach to be ready for tow.

There was no damage to the coach and the tow operator was first class.
Hope this lit bit of info is useful to our group.

Gordon Scruton
Brea, CA

I put this request for towing guidelines to Tony Sippel, RV Product Mgr. at FCCC...here is his reply.

Unfortunately, FCCC cannot publish towing instructions. It is the responsibility of the coach builders to provide instructions on how to tow their respective coaches because of the front overhang, front cap design, etc.

Tony Sippel

In a follow-on email, Tony did say that FCCC. . . "We have been working with several OEMs to recommend different towing methods relative to the amount of front overhang they have designed with their coaches."

Further analysis shows that many flat-bed wrecker trucks will NOT handle large motor homes because of length and height restrictions. . . the best option seems to be a large tow truck & Wheel Cradles (H bars).

Updated 5-29-07