Towing with bus

[DaveNCari]

I know I should not tow anything heavier than a motorcycle trailer with our 4104.....

Is that the case with a Buffalo Bus?

I have seen Eagles towing BIG stuff... .

Dave

[4905 doc]

Don't know about anyone else, but, we towed a 20 foot enclosed with our car, motorcycle and 2 electric scooters in it. Again, I'd like to say thanks to Fred Hobe for the great job he did on the trailer hitch setup.

[uncle ned]

I toe a 18 foot dual axle box trailer that i can put m mg in or 6  dirt bikes and all the riding gear . it also has 2 bunks beds and a air conditioner and generator installed.

It has been pulled by HUGGY for over 12 years. Huggy also has been modified to remove the back door and to put the 6v92 and v730 in the back.

has not broke into yet. even if some of the professional enginers think it will because it was not factory.

uncle ned

[Cary and Don]

Somebody here has pictures of the hitch set up that will let you pull bigger loads.  I lost mine,  but there should be one somewhere.

Don and Cary

[TomC]

I would only tow if there were an Allison automatic. The manual 4spds just don't have enough reduction to start the load on a steep hill. I know, I know, there will be some that say they have never had a problem. But when you do get stuck on a hill, and burn up the clutch trying to get moving, you'll see why the Allison is best for towing. Good Luck, TomC

[RJ]

Somebody here has pictures of the hitch set up that will let you pull bigger loads.

Don -

Are you thinking of the Trailer Toad?  http://www.trailertoad.com/index.html

IMHO, these are cheap insurance if you're going to be pulling a heavy trailer with a GMC.  Takes the majority of the load off those two bolts holding in the cradle.  Not a bad idea for other chassis owners, either.

It's not so much the static tongue load that's the problem, it's the dynamic loads induced while bouncing down the super slab.  Just run alongside somebody towing a heavy trailer and watch what's happening at the hitch point - it will really open your eyes!

A good hitch on a GMC will have stringers going to the rear radius rod attachment points, that way the horizontal loads are tied into the chassis, not the back bumper - again, taking load off those two bolts.

I've seen a couple of GMs buckle the roof above the rear axle from towing heavy trailers. . .

Tom's point about towing with a stick shift applies to ANY 4-spd manual bus, not just GMCs.  Of course, you have to pay closer attention to your temp gauges when towing with the Allison, especially in unlocked converter mode.  Best is to avoid getting yourself into that situation in the first place, regardless of transmission type.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[DaveNCari]

Is this Trailer Toad system available for the 4104...?

I might not be interested in a different bus if I could tow a decent trailer wit h the 4104.... I love everything else about it.....

Dave

[Cary and Don]

No.  Somebody had built a hitch that attached  in front of the engine.  Then it came back and was attached to the bumper only to hold it level.  All the pressure was actually on the undercarriage so there wasn't any torque or weight on the bulkhead. Wish I had the picture.  It bolted on through existing bolt holes.

Don and Cary

[Cary and Don]

I did a search.  OneLapper, Mark,  was the person who did the hitch I think.  This was some time back so the pictures were gone.  Mark might be gone also. It was something that any welding shop could make.

Don and Cary

[Emcemv]

Mark, (one lapper) is the guy with the hitch, he is in CT but have not seen him on the board for quite some time. I know he has had good luck with it, towing quite a large trailer.

Bruce

[DaveNCari]

Being quite the fabricator myself....I'd love to see what this fellow did.....
I might just start making them........

Dave

[buddydawg]

I would like to see some detailed pics of these GM hitch set ups. I hope one of you will grab a camera and share it with us.

[DaveNCari]

Ok.....I'm going to start measuring and figuring.....to fabricate a load spreading mount system.....since the 4104 is what I am sitting in....going to start with them!

DG

[Tony LEE]

I would only tow if there were an Allison automatic. The manual 4spds just don't have enough reduction to start the load on a steep hill. I know, I know, there will be some that say they have never had a problem. But when you do get stuck on a hill, and burn up the clutch trying to get moving, you'll see why the Allison is best for towing. Good Luck, TomC

Exactly right Tom - and it doesn't have to be a big load or a steep hill either. Very embarrassing sitting there with lots of noise going nowhere. At least if the load is a toad, you can put the copilot in the toad and help push to get it moving

[Len Silva]

With a properly designed equalizer hitch, you could actually be reducing the load on the rear structure and transferring it to the front wheels.