Featherlite Stacker

Carguy I have some questions.

What was that tongue weight that prompted you to back the car in and what is it now?

What is the gross (loaded) weight of the trailer as you use it?

What are your tire pressures, 80?

So combined gross vehical weight, loaded bus loaded trlr. is what maybe 65000? 3.5 mpg, even considering the load and terrain, seems a wee bit short?

Some great posts lately carguy. Enjoy yourself out there on the road, be careful.

Based on your post I would think that those 2 leads on quality built trlrs might be worth looking into for a buyer.

How or with what are you measuring tongue weight? I'm thinking I would weigh the bus back 2 axles combined with and without the trlr.

Sorry for the inquisition

I was told that I should not allow the tongue weight to reach more than 1,000 lbs. by the converter. Using the scale with the trailer loaded as I normally load it I pegged the scale at over 2,000 lbs. This was with both vehicles pointed forward centered over the axles of the trailer plus a golf cart in the front. I blew a front trailer tire which made me think that there could be a possible heat problem due to the weight. I would highly recommend scaling the tongue and adjusting the load accordingly. I have a winch in my trailer and it was no problem to winch the bottom car in backwards.

When I had the blow out I changed all of my tires out to a Michelin that allowed a higher load plus allowed a maximum 110 psi air pressure. Before you do this you need to be sure your rim will accept this much psi. Fortunately, the Alcoa rims on my trailer would accept this.

My mileage on my H has always sucked. It a 2006 model that I had built new. It now has 45,000 lbs. Hopefully, as it gets broken in it will improve. Detroit say they will not look at this until I have at least 70-80,000 miles on it.

Hope this helps

What is your combined gross weight?

You suggested that we really need a scale to measure tongue weight. Do you have a cool tool or were you refering to a standard truck scale?

I was referring to the trailer tongue weight scale that can be viewed at: www.sherline.com It will quickly tell you how much tongue weight you have. Perhaps I should, but I have never worried about my combined gross weight same as I spent any time worrying about the combined 77 foot length unless I am trying to go to California.

I much prefer towing 4 wheels down with a Jeep grand cherokee that can be towed without modification. However, I am into collector cars and use the trailer 5-6 times per year to travel to events around the country.

Link for scale should be: www.sherline.com/lm.htm

Unless the coach has been built or modified to increase the towing limit our coaches have a 1000 pound tongue weight limitation and a 10,000 pound towing weight limitation.

If I recall Prevost can modify the coach to change the limits to 2000 and 20,000.

Were you at the Corvette show in Kissimmee, Fla. last January. We met one of the vendors in the campground it was right next door. He was in a mid 80'S bluebird that had the same black to silver design we have, very nice bus.

Good show too, weather left a bit to be desired.

Thanks for re posting that link couldn't find it earlier, Cool Tool, Mike has another one to add to the list.

I had a stacker trailer and it weighed 10200 empty,with a 5000 pounds in it I got 4.1 mpg on a 650 mile trip,flat towing a Chevy PU I get 5.1 now.Prevost increased the trailer weight to 20000 and I think the tongue weight is 1500,I will verify this tomorrow.These EGR DD series 60's are nowhere as good as the previous non EGR motors.They are real thirsty!!!

Well Jack maybe DD is not all to blame. There is that new ultra low sulfur fuel to deal with too and that ain't helpin none.

If your pulling 15000 your 65 or 70000lbs combined.

I would have expected fuel mileage numbers to be more like 5 to 5+ mpg under those loads?

Does anyone have any fuel mileage data before and after ultra low sulfur showed up. Not statistics but real data.

How much difference is there, on an average day, in MPG going 72mph and going 62mph but just pulling an average toad. I have no computer on ours. I am curious.

Jack what kind of mileage did your previous bus get pulling that same p-u at the same speed?

I found that with my 99XL DDECIII I get about 7.2 at 68 MPH towing a 6000LB Suburban. When I towed my stacker that weight 17000 full of all the things I thought I had to have but never used the MPG went down to about 5.5 at 62 MPH. I did buy that same scale that carguy has and I found that I was a little heavy so I would back the car in or we use a VW Thing and I would drive in just enough to close the back door, I would end up with about 1300LB on the ball. I also bought and installed the Prevost 20,000LB hitch, comes with a new engine cradle and hitch mount.
The XLII with DDECIV only gets about 6.5 on the trip from Texas home at 68 or 70, I just wonder if thats the difference between DDECIII and DDECIV, I thought the engines are the same.