2011 Question - all 4 down towing

[tnirish]

I am needing to purchase a new car and I want it to be towable. It has to be an automatic trans as this will be my wife's car.

We looked at a 2011 Mecury Mariner and a 2011 Mecury Milan/Ford Fusion and liked both but I saw all this info on the Ford Escape. Is that still a problem? Any problems with the Fusion (Again we will be looking at 2011's).

Also my wife really wants a Honda Accord which they state is not towable but have read everywhere else that it is. Is there a way it can be made towable and not void the warranty?

Thanks

[GaryKD]

Hi tnirish,
The only place one can find, in writing, if a car is towable is to look in the owner's manual. In the owner's manual will be instructions one must follow to tow 4 down. If the manufacturer says towing 4 down is not allowed, there is no way to tow four down without violating the manufacturer's warranty.

If you subscribe to MotorHome magazine or belong to FMCA, they publish a towing guide once each year with cars that can be towed 4 down. One can use this as a guide. The owner's manual is the final arbiter.

All that being said, there are dollies, fluid pumps, drive shaft disconnects and trailer solutions which may fit into the way you RV. I've used both 4 down and a dolly for many years (not at the same time) . The car we take depends on the needs of the trip.

[tnirish]

Thanks for your reply. I do have another question. I have never towed anything behind our RV (new to this). How much difference is there between 4 down and towing on a dolly?

Thanks

[Mr JP]

4 Down is much easier Good Luck JP

[Parkerrs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnirish Thanks for your reply. I do have another question. I have never towed anything behind our RV (new to this). How much difference is there between 4 down and towing on a dolly? Thanks

I prefer 4 down for ease and quickness of hook-up. Also I don't have to contend with storing the dolly under the rear of the MH or elsewhere when camped.

That being said one is really no "harder" than the other, just different procedures. I find myself watching a dolly closer when turning so that the dolly doesn't contact the toad. The set up is a little dirtier to hook-up in the rain due to the tire straps and safety chains.

Both work fine it's mostly a matter of personal preference. Both what you want to tow (4 down possible or not) and the system you feel most at ease with.

I haven't used a dolly behind the MH since the mid 90's. I did use one behind the P/U about a year ago. Like I said it's preference and I prefer 4 down.

I also search for a Jeep product or similar 4 wheel drive since they are so simple to set-up for toad. Tow bar, brake, lights, place transfer case in nuetral and go. I've been towing an '01 Cherokee but recently purchased a 2011 Grand Cherokee which I'm in the process of setting up for tow.

[Shomeyankee]

Do you like your M&G braking system?

[Parkerrs]

I love the M&G set-up! Simple to install, works great, one air line to connect and go. The M&G has been completely trouble free and dependable.

I like it so much that I'm really downhearted I can't use it with the new toad. The 2011 JGC doesn't have enough room between the master cylinder and strut tower to accomodate an M&G cylinder.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Quote:

Also my wife really wants a Honda Accord which they state is not towable but have read everywhere else that it is. Is there a way it can be made towable and not void the warranty?

The short answer is No. Honda will not approve. That said, the current Accord has the same drive train as previous models that were towable and the same procedure should work. But don't call Honda if you have a transmission problem. Honda has approved towing for the CRV, though.

The Milan and the Mariner are both towable without modifications and Ford/Mercury will warranty them.

[GaryKD]

Hi tnirish,
Like previously posted the setup process is a set of different tasks than 4 down towing. When reserving a site I make sure the CG knows I need a pull through long enough to accommodate the coach and dolly. I have never had to store the dolly in a different place than my site. I have the Kar Kaddy that folds up pretty small for storage or could be stored under the rear of the coach. The bottom line is my vehicle choice is based on how I'll use the vehicle when not towing. That is where it spends most of its' life. Because there are so many different ways to tow, towing is a secondary consideration.

[pdq_bc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnirish I...Is there a way it can be made towable and not void the warranty?

hi tn

i recommend that you be contact with the car manufacturer and ask them about towing and warranty.

we ended up buying a 2009 pontiac G5 - and before doing the final deal, wrote to GM - and got in writing; that it was towable 4 down, towing would not effect the warranty, and exactly the steps / procedure on 'how to tow'

good luck
regards, peter

[DennisZ]

TN
You can always go to the Remco site to see if a vehicle is capable of being towed 4 down. Here is the link.

Dennis

Application Charts | Remco Towing

[ddelman]

Hi Tinirish

I am towing a Ford Edge, 4 down and have had no problems. Ford says to keep it at 65 or less and if driving for more than 4 hours, pull over and run the car. I think the excape problem was more the exception than the rule.

Don D
2006 Newmar Dutch Star DSDP 4024

[wildtoad]

Given the option I would only purchase a vehicle that can be towed 4 down with as few mods as possible. I would only go the dolly route if I already owned the car I wanted to tow and could/would not trade it. I believe in simplicity and a dolly is yet one more piece of equipment to mess with.

[Tom-NC]

Hi,

I would like to put my 2 cents in favoring a tow dolly. I have a Roadmaster tow dolly with electric brakes and love it. There is no problem when going to a campground as I usually ask for a pull through site leaving the dolly hooked up to RV. If I can't get a pull through site and have to disconnect dolly before going into site then I disconnect it and push it behind the coach as it has a third wheel. On sites that are not long enough I can push the dolly alongside the RV. It doesn't take any longer to hook it up then a car with four down and a plus is that you can use any front wheel drive car on it but not four wheel drive cars. The Roadmaster dolly tracks very well as the dolly wheels go in the same track as the rear wheels. The wheels on the dolly steer themselves as there is a steering mechanism and you can put a pin in and make it act like a regular trailer without the car on it.
One thing I like is that I don't have to get a brake buddy or change towbars each time you buy a new car. There are tow dollies that have surge brakes or electric brakes. We were in Alaska this past Summer and drove a total of 11,361 miles without any problems with the dolly. A few RV's that had tow bars and towed four down broke or bent the tow bars.
Lastly A Ford Escape or Mercury Mariner can be towed four down, however one thing always bothers me and that is how the steering works when there is no power to it as the engine is off. Have you ever tried turning the wheel with engine off?
Whatever you decide good luck and I'm sure you will get a lot of info from this website.