What toad are you pulling?

[stink]

2000 accord v6 auto. Tows very well, like it's not there.

[Jeff and Cheryl]

2005 CRV. With the right brakeing system the battery will not go dead. I use the M&G Engineering system and have never had battery problems. BTW the fuse does not have to be pulled if you only go for a day or two of towing before driving the car.

[RARN]

Honda CRV. Had the switch installed and waa-laa. Done!

[Tim McK]

We started RVing a few years ago and didn't know what to get that would tow well. After doing the research, we ended up with a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (the four door version). It tows wonderfully as expected, but what I didn't anticipate was the fun we would have with the Jeep. We have traveled to Colorado several times, and the Jeep is so much fun to get off the beaten path and into the back country. You don't have to do serious, hardcore trails to get to some gorgeous scenery that few people get to see. Had we chosen a CRV, which we thought about at the time, I wouldn't have had the same experiences. I guess the point is to think about your lifestyle and expectations, and try to match it with your vehicle. If you get a Jeep Wrangler, know up front that while it's very easy to tow, it's going to be more noisy and rougher riding than a CRV and obviously a bit less elegant than say the LIncoln MKX.

[DianneS]

It is all about your needs and wants. Our first toad was a Jeep Rubicon. We LOVED taking the top off, and we did a LOT of off-roading. There are just so many great back road trails to discover. At that time we carried one Harley on a lift on the back of our coach. Then I also got my motorcycle license which meant 2 bikes to carry. So we now have a Ford F-150 4X4. We carry one bike on a lift and the second one it the bed of the pick-up and a couple of bicycles on a rack in front. We can still do some off-roading but nothing like a Jeep. If we could figure out a way to do it we would carry 2 motorcycles, a Jeep, our corvette, a couple of kayaks.....the more toys the better!!

[voltdoc]

2007 Honda Odyssey aka "the storage shed". Blue Ox baseplate and towbar. Air Force One braking. TST Truck TPMS. Six bolts into factory installed pre-threaded mount points make adding a hitch easy so our Odyssey now also has a 2" receiver for a bike rack. Interfaced turn signal/brake lighting with Honda factory wiring so no bogus "extra bulbs" or diodes needed. Rigged up a battery charger from the +12v lead on the tow connector - works great! Have towed it about 20K miles so far. Unfortunately, the 2007 Odyssey is probably the last year of this model you can get away with four on the ground towing.

Originally chose this model because we already owned it! It has worked out well - the Odyssey made up for the lack of large item cargo storage on our former Discovery (no pass thru storage) and it's were we kept some of our folding chairs and other awkwardly sized items. The Odyssey has as many cubic feet of protected inside storage as a truck based SUV but is easier to load, can carry 4x8 sheet goods inside and up to 11' long narrower material, handles great, seats up to 8 and gets about 26 mpg on the freeway.

With the Entegra and it's larger cargo capacity we might eventually consider downsizing to something smaller and a little lighter like the CRV. For us good on-road characteristics trump off road abilities, depends what you want.

Choose well as the cost/time involved with the baseplate, braking and electrical installation on the toad is not insignificant.

[tnrzryd]

2012 Honda CRV with Blue Ox baseplate, Aventa LX towbar with SMI Air Force One supplemental brake system. We live in the mountains of AZ and the AWD CRV is great for getting thru the mud when it rains and thru the little creeks. Fold the back seats down and there is plenty of room for three big dogs to tag along with us.

[Ann n Gene]

We have two toads! Usually pull 2012 F150 4x4 also pull Lincoln MKX. No fuses to pull on either, just hook and go. Use magnetic, wireless lights so no wiring or diodes to worry about, just replacement batteries once on a while.

[BUS4US]

Tom,

Take your time and think about this investment wisely! As referred to by Dave, a trailer will give you current and future flexibility. I have a custom built motorized tilt trailer using a snow plow remote for power up and down. This trailer (which is a heavy duty tandem axle) lightweight aluminum with enlarged wheels and tires, allows me to tow my either my Lexus convertible, Cadillac Escalade pick-up, or Buick LeSabre. Any of those three with my golf cart on board. No wear and tear on tires, axles, trans, etc. ONE of the best investments made for our traveling. With an option like this Tom, you can basically pick whatever ride you want now or in the future. As I told my wife, when we go to tour the Corvette factory next year, (no tours this year due too major renovations,) I can load up a new Stingray and bring it back home with us!!!

[MSMatt]

Ford Raptor on the ground or something more sporty in a 20" toy box.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by voltdoc

Unfortunately, the 2007 Odyssey is probably the last year of this model you can get away with four on the ground towing.

Actually Honda quit allowing it with the 2005 model. We got it in writing on Honda letterhead in Dec 2004 before we bought the '05 Ody that it was towable four down using the CR-V instructions.
After a little wrangling with their legal department they paid us something over $2,200 not to tow it anymore. We bought a KK-460 dolly. And yes, I have tried towing it four down, the battery (new BTW) goes flat in just a day of towing.

[bill2011]

We tow a 2012 Ford Escape but the Escapes have issues and ours overheated once. When we are near out of warranty we will likely switch to a Jeep or CRV based on comments we have read.

[Steve N Sal]

Gas coach / PT Cruiser Convertible.

[bowpulpit]

2011 Jeep Liberty 4X4
Blue Ox Towbar
SMI

Hook her up, put transfer case in Neutral, shift to park, remove keys, lock the doors and then get rolling