Hi all, we have just discovered the Barth world and are quite interested in it. We are mule people and love to travel & camp with mules. Presently we have a 42' gooseneck trailer we travel with and are looking at making a change. Thinking a Barth could just be the way to go. We love the all aluminum idea, our present trailer is that and we appreciate the durability of it. I was looking at some of the Barth Breakaway brochures and they said that the towing ability was 20,000# is that correct~ seems really high. We would be interested in pulling a 3 mule bumper pull trailer with a length of 20' (from hitch to rear)with a loaded weight of 8500-10,000# Anybody have experience pulling that size/weight of trailer with their Barth?? If so we would love to hear how it worked for you and if there is a better motor/chasis that would do that kind of job for us. Any input is welcome. We are open to gas or diesel (with a preference towards diesel). Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise. P.S. ~ this is an awesome website!

I had a Barth Monarch with the 8.3 Cummins turbo/aftercooled 325HP engine that pulled my enclosed 16' trailer with three mechanized mules on board (motorcycles). Sometimes I also had an electric golf cart in there to boot. My experience was that the 8.3 was adequate, but lacking on hills and start up. In my estimation the smaller Cummins (found in the Breakaway) would be wholly inadequate.

As far as gas, I would definitely stick with diesel for your needs. Both for the pulling torque and for the economy.

Finally, I would want you to have full air brakes for safety. The Breakaway uses air over hydraulic and could be sketchy on long downhills where hydraulic fluid could boil and be catastrophic. Because diesels have little compression braking on their own (as opposed to gas), I would want you to have an engine brake (Jake is the best, but an exhaust brake should be adequate).

So........my choice is an Barth with an 8.3 Cummins and an exhaust brake (can be added).

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Originally posted by AZ Mules:
Hi all, we have just discovered the Barth world and are quite interested in it... We love the all aluminum idea, our present trailer is that and we appreciate the durability of it.

What engine/transmission combo are you looking at? Some Breakaway's came with the 8.3 Cummins and had airbrakes. I believe you should be looking at a Barth only if you can find the right combination for your powertrain - not by a model designation.

Here is a 3208 Cat in a 34' Barth Regency. Click Here

Here is a 3208 Cat in a 38' Barth Regency. Click Here

you'll need to see something called a data tag to get the scoop on the weight ratings as Barth built the coach.

I am not selling coaches, a I am only directing you to 2 that I quickly found in our For Sale forum - there are more to choose from, so look closely and ask questions.

You bring an interesting point I had not considered.
My 91 Barth Breakaway is currently on the market and listed in the Coaches for Sale forum. I just looked at the brochure and at 30' with the Cummings 5.9 and Allison transmission it is rated at 20,000 lbs towing.

More than enough for most applications I would think.

Mac Gray,

I'm struggling a little with that figure. Was it listed as "towing capacity" or are you maybe looking at GVWR?

A class 5 hitch (the largest generally made for a conventional trailer) only goes up to 15K I think. A 20K capacity would also mean your coach has the capacity for 2000 lbs of tongue weight.

The 5.9 Cummins is a great motor, but to tow 20,000 lbs on top of your Barth's weight, that's like pulling 4 full size pickups behind it.

Anyone else out there have a listing on towing capacity for their Barth?

We tow a 22' enclosed trailer with two cars and boxes of parts with our 32' Gillig chassis and Cat 3208T diesel. It has climbed the El Cajon Pass in CA, and the mountians of Carolina without a problem. We get about 9 mpg averaging the whole trip and I would estimate our load at 8,000 lbs plus the trailer which weighs about 4,000 lbs. I guess two mules at under 3,000# so you might get the same experience we do. Our GVWR on the coach is 34,500 lbs.

Tom,

Those are some little cars! Two in a 22' trailer? What are they?

I believe that most 30' & 33' Breakaways powered by the Cummins 5.9 (either the 190 or 230 HP) are rated for a COMBINED weight of 20,000 pounds. That will give you between 4-5,000 towing capacity depending on how loaded the Barth is. We have all seen many a RV with trailers hooked to them that then exceed the weight limits. And here is the key thing---Corey touched on it when he said about the brakes. Most combined weights given for an RV is because of the braking power of the weight, not that an RV can or cannot pull the weight. Very good trailer brakes are a MUST once you get to that 5,000 pound mark...

Stacked Cobra Replicas being delivered. www.everett-morrison.com

Bruce,

Right on!

Braking and the ability to control crosswind/blowouts are a must. The first time you go down a 5 mile 8% downgrade, with an added 5K+ helping Mr Gravity do his job, you don't want to doubt you rigs capacities. Again, the diesel doesn't have compression braking as does a gas, so life can get interesting without an exhaust brake.

A 20,000 GVWR on the Breakaway makes more sense.

Because each Barth is unique, they will also have a unique towing capacity based on the weight capacity of the axles, frame, engine, trans, rear end then mitigated by the weight of the items affixed to the Barth as well as cargo, water, sewage, fuel. Because a trailer carries it's own weight with its own suspension, it is often the tongue weight that is the major limiting factor.

I would easily believe a 5,000 max towing capacity on a Breakaway. That would cover the trailer, the mules will need to trot alongside.

MacGray, what is the rating of your Barth hitch? That will tell a lot.

I resisted so many "ass" jokes as I wrote this



Ma

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Stacked Cobra Replicas being delivered. www.everett-morrison.com

Of course, now I remember!!!

I'd love a 22' stacker.

...and you have the right coach to handle that stacker Corey!!!
I will say that Barth II, our 33' Breakaway, will handle my car trailer at 5-7,000 pounds. That is mainly because of: my trailer has brakes on both axles, the 5.9 in our Breakaway is rated for 230HP, we have a jake brake and MOST IMPORTANTLY----it has the 6 speed Allison trans.
When speaking to some guys from Spartan about Barth I, they said that the 190HP rated 5.9 that we had would handle the weight of the trailer but that the 4 speed Allison was detrimental. I could pull my trailer with Barth I with no problems up and down 95 on the east coast. But as soon as I hit anywhere with inclines I was the guy with the tractor trailers in the slow lane to the right. Without the trailer, Barth I would handle those same inclines MUCH easier, though it would still slow down going uphill. The change to Barth II has taken all of those uneasy times uphill away. But I haven't taken it out west to those mountain challanges yet...

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...and you have the right coach to handle that stacker Corey!!!

I don't think they make a hitch big enough for the tail to way the dog with my 50,000# hunk of steel.

Something interesting you reminded me of when I pulled the trailer with my Barth; due to my lack of power on uphills I would put the hammer down on the downhills when approaching hills to try to create terminal velocity to get up the other side. This meant I often got the Barth going 80 MPH with the trailer on. While the Barth had no issue with this, we know from previous discussions that trailer tires have a max 65MPH rating. I believe this contributed to 3 flats when traveling from Florida back to New England a few years ago. Having reserve power means I can keep my speed consistent.

I may have stated the towing capacity incorrectly. What I meant to say was the brochure shows the 30' Breakaway "GVWR-18,0000 lbs with towing capacity to 20,000."
The Barth data tag on my coach indicates a GVWR of 16,000.

quote:

I may have stated the towing capacity incorrectly. What I meant to say was the brochure shows the 30' Breakaway "GVWR-18,0000 lbs with towing capacity to 20,000."
The Barth data tag on my coach indicates a GVWR of 16,000.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm Not sure how to interpret that. Any way, can you scan that brochure? We can help decipher it. I looked for a Breakaway brochure in the BM section and there is none, so yours could fill that gap.