How Many of You Follow in Your "Toad" Instead of Towing It?

[WendyG]

Originally Posted by Dan McMartin

We've discussed it and we're happy with the 3113 Bay Star. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but it's ours. I doubt we have 3000 lbs of stuff in our apartment if you subtract the furniture.

To bring this to a close, I spoke with the wife and we decided to try the chase thing. I thought she was less inclined to go that route than she was. The biggest reason is if we sell our current Jeep, we can't go back. It's gone. If we wait and decide to swap vehicles later, we can do that but we can't ever get this Jeep and all the work and money we've invested back. This way, our options are open. It's probably a decision better made once we're in the coach and on the road anyway.

Besides, she's content to sit beside me when we're on our real adventures, of which moving the MH from camp spot to camp spot isn't one of

I am glad to hear that you have an initial plan. See how it works and evolve from there. Happy travels.

[marknpeg]

Something else you might consider, if driving the Jeep becomes too much and you want to be together. We bought a Subaru specifically for its mountain goat abilities, and that it's a lighter car that is easy to tow. I know it's not the same as a Jeep, but it can go some surprising places and we can't wait to get it out west.

[OldKansan]

Interesting discussion. While we have a class B & often have no need for a 2nd vehicle, there are times it would be nice. Looks like the solution is dependent on the couple. This has given some food for thought. My wife & I will discuss thoughts posted here. Thanks to all.

[Old Scout]

Really not sure what you are looking for--I know some couples that take separate vacation but so what? Just like the debate over towing vs renting a car when you get there--some folks do it all the time--we tried it and it was terrible--for us. I fully appreciate your commitment to the Jeep. After more than 10 years and over 150k miles of part-time RVing, we switched from pulling a pick-up to a Jeep. The Jeep has opened up a whole new world of travel for us. IMHO--think you are trying to find justification for not solving your toad issue. We thoroughly enjoy the RVing experience and sharing the time on the road is just part of the it. We only get to do this "life-thing" once-- compromise where you must but don't sacrifice now because you think you can do it better "next time!"
PS--reference the Subaru option--its probably a Jeep thing but without 4WD, high ground clearance, and low range gearing, a lot of the truly impressive back country wont be accessible to you.....

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by marknpeg

Something else you might consider, if driving the Jeep becomes too much and you want to be together. We bought a Subaru specifically for its mountain goat abilities, and that it's a lighter car that is easy to tow. I know it's not the same as a Jeep, but it can go some surprising places and we can't wait to get it out west.

Interesting, your signature shows you towing a 2016 Subaru Cross Trek, but the Subaru dealership told us nothing after 2013 can be towed four on the ground, or even TWO on the ground for that matter, even if it is stick. We currently have a 2014 Outback, automatic, but on trips, tow our GMC Canyon . . . . Comments?

[Tip47]

Originally Posted by Dave-Oh

The 4 door jeep vs the 2 door jeep isn't really that big of a difference:

base curb weight: 2 dr 3785 for auto trans vs 4 dr 4100 lb

My best friend tows his 4 dr auto Willys Wheeler with his WBGO View to Arizona and back every year from PA without any issues. If you have a 5K lb hitch, can avoid filling your RV to capacity, perhaps you can have enough left below your CVWR to tow.

And yes...your wife has visions of sitting in the copilot seat and viewing the world at your side. My wife would absolutely not settle for having an RV if she wasn't able to travel with me, not behind me. It really doesn't matter if you believe your plan makes sense.....

it. really. doesn't.

happy wife......etc

YES YES YES. We'd be too long in many states and too long for comfort if we attached our 2014 CRV so she drives it separately from our fifth wheel rig. As with many here we travel on average about every 2-3 weeks or longer about 5 hours or less. Our "tool" along toad needs rear seat comfort for our two medium large shepherd mix fur kids for our base camp hub trips. So rig length and dog comfort were our personal and practical needs. Your mileage may vary. ;-). MY WIFE AND I both would prefer to be side by side on all road trips too! Many here including us are in a perpetual state of modifying our RV as time and money permit. Our needs always seem to change faster than our retirement income! LOL.
-tip

[QA2FalconRet]

I tow a 15' cargo trailer behind MH with our M/C inside and it is my garage, the wife follows in the Exterra 4X4. been doing this over 6 years and it works for us the chase car can block traffic if needed, we have radios for comm. when we stop she can go for lunch/dinner whatever, if needed I can back up the trailer, if we want to tour the area we choose the M/C if she wants explore she has the car, sometimes we stay someplace a week, sometimes a month or several months if we really like the area, so many places to see and things to do there's not enough time plus Geocaching, fishing, hiking.
Hope this helps or gives you more options.

[JC2]

Originally Posted by blang

To be responsive to the original question... our "chase car" never has been a toad. With communications the way they are these days, we're in touch as often as we need to be. While I'm lumbering down the freeway, she's off shopping, visiting friends/family along the way, getting us food (of a much higher quality above what can be found, impromptu, in a 40' bus). She has many things she does. Often, we don't even leave (or arrive at) a destination at the same time. On the other hand, she is as close as she chooses to be. It's quite nice to have lunch arrive at a rest stop when I take a break.

[ernest917]

Just curious: what kind of MH do you have??? What is your max towing capacity??? We also tow a Mini Cooper (2300 lbs) and love it....

I'd hate to have my wife follow in the toad.... How can you truly experience the enjoyment of "seeing the country together" if you're not really together... Plus - you are adding another expense to your trip - fuel for the toad....

[dix39]

I have never considered the "chase car scenario" in 15+ years of towing. We have always gone 4 down or with a dolly, and always 4 down for our annual coast to coast trips.

Our our toads have been a Samurai, and for the last 10 years (?) a Tracker. Both were 4WD, 5 speed manual, 2 speed transfer case, and front locking hubs.

I had Jeeps for many years back in the '60's and '70's, but after having the Tracker I would prefer it, especially as a toad. The advantages are, IMHO, it is much lighter, gets better fuel mileage, and has done everything Jeep wise I have asked it to do. It is, however, a bit smaller which is sometimes an advantage and sometimes a disadvantage. It also may not have as much ground clearance as a Jeep, but that can be modified if more is desired.

For all the Jeep fans, I'm not saying the Tracker is better than a Jeep, only that it is better for us because of how we use it. My brother in WV would not have anything other than a Jeep. Also, we live in OR where salt is not used on roads during winter.

Best of luck with your choice.

Steve

[SpaceNorman]

We live in a large metropolitan area where traffic can be pretty crazy. We occasionally do the chase car thing when it's necessary to take the coach in for service, to fuel up at our local fuel station, etc. It's actually kind of nice having my DW following the coach driving the Jeep. Done right, she uses the Jeep to "make holes" in traffic that make changing lanes a whole lot easier. For an "over the road" trip? Never.

[rlarence]

No following. Ride together. If it doesn't tow, go without and rent a car if needed at your destination.

Sent from my E6810 using iRV2 - RV Forum mobile app

[Regwal]

We sometimes take a trailer with M/C and sometimes we have Tracker attached and then sometimes we just go! I am not one wanting to take everything we own with us. A lot of the joy of MH is to enjoy the trip and experience plus going where you want, when you want. Our best trips are when we just go!

[Dan McMartin]

Originally Posted by blang

Hey Dan,

Here's a couple more tidbits that you may want to use in the building of your mental picture of how this works. First, we found that the chase car following the motorhome at night meant that the rear camera was always whited out by the headlights. In fact, even if she kept some distance, it still messed with my ability to decide if that was her or if that was other traffic creeping up that I'd want to be aware of. It didn't take long for me to suggest she find somewhere else to be.

Secondly, I found that following the chase car was crimping my driving style. There are enough things to keep track of when driving a motorhome without being concerned about an especially relevant car in front of you. For example, the methodology of passing on a freeway just includes another factor that you don't really need in your thought process. Additionally, from a statistical standpoint, it just seems like a bad plan to follow my wife. Things do happen and if/when they do, I don't really want her in front of my 34,000 lbs.

So... long story short, we found that her, just doing her own thing, was the most desirable. Normally, she's relatively close by for breaks, etc but we make it a practice of, specifically, NOT sticking together.

As for dropping cell signal... there are occasions that it doesn't work the best but a few miles down the road and we're back in touch. We've found that nothing is so pressing that we're in trouble if a particular call doesn't go through. To answer, I use a Plantronics earbud that, depending on how I set it, answers automatically or with the push of one button on my ear. As for dialing out, I'm not as satisfied with voice commands. (Maybe some techno-genius here can point us to a better ear device for android that actually works.) Anyway, to dial out, I just push her speed dial button on the phone, itself, in the hands-free cradle.

And here's our plan B for long hauls... when we were in Seattle and needed to be in Virginia, she took a plane and we called a car hauler company to pick up the car. When she landed, she rented a car at the airport and drove it until I (and, a few days later, the hauler) arrived.

Safe Travels, Dan!

Thanks for the info. We appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Old Scout

Really not sure what you are looking for--I know some couples that take separate vacation but so what? Just like the debate over towing vs renting a car when you get there--some folks do it all the time--we tried it and it was terrible--for us. I fully appreciate your commitment to the Jeep. After more than 10 years and over 150k miles of part-time RVing, we switched from pulling a pick-up to a Jeep. The Jeep has opened up a whole new world of travel for us. IMHO--think you are trying to find justification for not solving your toad issue. We thoroughly enjoy the RVing experience and sharing the time on the road is just part of the it. We only get to do this "life-thing" once-- compromise where you must but don't sacrifice now because you think you can do it better "next time!"

Originally Posted by ernest917

I'd hate to have my wife follow in the toad.... How can you truly experience the enjoyment of "seeing the country together" if you're not really together... Plus - you are adding another expense to your trip - fuel for the toad....

I'm just looking for experiences to see if doing this is feasible and to identify any potential pitfalls. We've decided to give it a try because, like I said, we can't get this Jeep back if we sell it now but we can always make the decision to sell it later.

And we don't look at moving the motorhome from spot to sport as "seeing the country". We see that as "work". Moving the motorhome, our Jeep and all our stuff to the next camp isn't the fun part. We generally don't plan to move far or in heavy traffic if we can avoid it. Once we're where we want to be, then we'll take the Jeep out to explore...together. That's the fun part.

We get that not everyone lives full time and that those that do may not enjoy the lifestyle the way we want to. Some folks like to drive their rig a lot, see a lot of country in a short amount of time. That's not us...or so we believe. We might end up not full timing the way we envision. If that's the case, we'll adjust.

For us, the motorhome is a means to an end. The end is traveling, experiencing things and making memories. Full timing will allow us to travel more and further than we can anchored to our apartment or to a house. We don't dream of living in a luxury RV for the sake of living in an RV. We dream about traveling and seeing the country.