Community Forums

stepside454 · 03-01-2011, 11:25 AM

Personally , if I was in the market for a "toad" I would probably buy a used Chevy Malibu or HHR. Simply for the fact they don't need a remco pump added. There are others also that don't, but those would Lilly be my pick

sandpiper · 03-01-2011, 11:41 AM

"Best"?? Motor Home magazine has a Dingy Towing Guide listing all those vehicles approved by the manufacturer to be flat towed. Some have restrictions, some don't. There are also vehicles not listed that can be modified with lube pumps, driveline disconnects, etc.

If your motor home has a limited tow capacity then that eliminates several of the possibilities. If your tow limit is 7500# or 10,000#, then you can tow almost anything in the guide.

You have to decide what you like and if you can tolerate a stick shift. Some require fuses to be pulled, start-ups every "X" miles, speed restrictions, etc and some, like the Subaru are plug & play with no restrictions - but you have to be OK with a stick shift.

Stepside454 is right on - what is good for me might be out of the question for you. All I can say for sure is that you don't want to buy something right up against your tow limits nor to you want to rely on the dealer or published curb weights since curb weight does not include any accessories. Find a scale on your test drive and remember you will probably have golf clubs and/or other goodies that find a home in the toad. And don't forget that the tow bar and base plate need to be added. If you buy a vehicle close to your hitch capacity, you will be over when you actually hook up.

Wanabee FTer · 03-01-2011, 08:42 PM

Spino,

It seems most people either like to tow a Jeep (off-road capabilities) or an economy car.
Hope that narrows it down for you a bit.

danf7 · 05-10-2011, 07:50 PM

It is an individual preference. I love my Honda Fit, it works for us!

Dan

BBQTVpa · 07-06-2011, 12:33 PM

[QUOTE=stepside454;800573]There is no "best". What's best for you may not be best for me.[/QUOTE

I agree that you should be comfortable in the tow vehicle. So they vary from person to person. We have an Escape that is waiting on a 3rd transmission. Love the vehicle when it works. Hate it when we are without it and cannot go on the road in the RV. It has been a month since it broke 15 miles from home.

Mr_D · 07-06-2011, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

Almost all states require brakes on towed vehicles.

Lori-

Not true, in fact most states DON'T require brakes on a motorized vehicle being towed by another vehicle. This makes them a "combination vehicle and changes the laws sometimes drastically. If you're looking at some of the charts posted on the Internet you will see that they state they are for trailers and not all states treat them the same. For instance, in WA, OR and CA you don't need aux brakes on a motorized vehicle being towed UNLESS you can't stop in XX feet from XX mph. CA and WA are the same spec, OR is tougher to meet.

HOWEVER, just because your home state doesn't require them you are required to comply with the laws of EVERY state you go through. There is no reciprocity on vehicle equipment laws like there is for drivers licenses.

Mr_D · 07-06-2011, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuhly

Also rember most state laws requires brakes an tow vehicles over 3000 lbs. Some states are down to 1500 lbs.

Not true!! You are reading the charts for trailers, not motorized vehicles being towed by another motorized vehicle.

henryn · 07-12-2011, 07:27 AM

I have been following this topic closely because i too have recently purchased a MH and had many questions of towing. We went from a Hyundai to a 2011 chevrolet Malibu so I could tow four down. Many people I spoke to stated no "extra expense" needed such as a braking system. I worked in healthcare for many years, emergency departments in the early years and saw many victims from accidents. Wasn't pretty. for me personally, i chose the Blue Ox Patriot system from recommendations of people I read about on these sites. Haven't used it yet on the road, but did place it in the car and it installed without a problem. It is a lot cheaper then an emergency room visit. safe travels and sorry for the long note.
henryn, 2011 winnie view,NC

isa · 07-14-2011, 08:22 PM

stuhly wrote "Canada also requires tow brakes"

Absolute hogwash, where did you get your information from stuhly.

Here are the regulations by province for Canada:

http://www.rvda.ca/ProvBrakeReqts.asp

and for the U.S. of A.:

home.roadrunner.com/~morodat/toad-brakes-by-state.html

jeepsrule · 07-16-2011, 08:47 PM

My unofficial observation is that the most towed vehicles are Jeeps of various models followed by smaller cars of various makes like the Honda Civic. Personally I tow a Trailblazer soon to be a Jeep Liberty (just purchased) and I use the M&G Engineering proportional braking system.

Finhawk · 07-16-2011, 09:06 PM

My 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland with the US Gear United Brake system and a Roadmaster tow bar tags along just fine. Takes about a minute to set it up to tow. 4 down with an automatic tranny. Got tired of the 5 speed in the Subaru that I had before

VanDiemen23 · 07-16-2011, 10:25 PM

Mr Schuck:

Twice I've seen your posts on this forum stating that a towed vehicle exerts an average of 2.7 times it's static weight in a panic stop.

Frankly, I can't figure out what you mean by that - if you mean 2.7 times the pull force in the horizontal or 2.7 times the vertical load on the hitch.

Regardless, I can't see how you arrive at this figure. In the horizontal, this would require the coach to stop at 2.7g. Damn few vehicles on the planet can stop at 2.7g - Indy cars, F1, F3, Formula Atlantics when braking from high speed, and top fuel dragsters when the chute hits. At 1g, the stuff inside the coach will be making a beeline for the dashboard and the average driver without a 5 point harness will find it difficult to hold his body off the steering wheel. I frequently hit 1.8g under braking and after a weekend my shoulders are bruised!

Hitch load increases are a function of the CG heights in both the towed and towed vehicle, moment arms (CG wrt distances from the axles), spring rates, and damping coefficients. Under hard braking the nose of the tow vehicle dives, lifting the hitchball while at the same time the tow bar is rotating forward pushing down on it. I could see the possibility of 2.7 there perhaps, but those forces effects on braking all cancel out because the weight is constant - only the weight distribution changes.

I'd certainly like to see you post a diagram with resolution of forces showing the loads on the hitch, tires of the tow vehicle, and tires of the towed vehicle. Acceleration, deceleration, and steady state make no difference in the equations - just some of the factors go to positive, to zero, to negative in the final answer.

JDT · 07-17-2011, 07:08 AM

I listed my tow bar for sale on Craigslist a week ago and have had 3 calls. Two of those were new to the game and thought the tow bar was all they needed. When I explained that my tow bar is only one of four parts and they will need a baseplate, brake system and lights, the response was, "oh, I didn't know that". When I explain the expense involved I get a "uh, I'll call you back". Makes me wonder.

I will not get involved in the math but I think a good brake system is very important. We seem to have too many 55/65 mph limit highways around here with an occasional stop light. I always seem to catch them turning red at the last possible moment for me to stop. I am always thankful that my SMI brake system is helping me shut it down.

62_inrightlane · 07-17-2011, 01:14 PM

My toad is a 2011 Chevy Malibu and I have the Blue Ox tow bar and base plate. I have the Brake Buddy Vantage for my supplemental braking system.

I have towed the Malibu without the supplemental braking system and after purchasing and using it I would not recommend towing without one. The weight of the toad does push you when stopping. And without the supplemental breaking your stopping distance is much longer.

The whole set up takes 5 min or less.