Just bought first Toad/CRV

[efstewart]

Jusr paid cash for my first Toad, a used CRV...2005 EX AWD 125K miles, one prior owner. I had been looking at lots of used CRVs for weeks.. a Chevy dealer in Victorville, Ca had this one with a carfax report, one Owner, who had all the necessary service done including alignment, oil changes, brakes, etc.

I did not know that it was a prior Toad until I looked at the front grill and saw the baseplate (I suspect it is a Blue Ox as it is hardly noticable) and a four pin outlet for lights?

I have towed on a dolly before but this is my first one on all fours so I need:

1. A good quality and late model, easy to use, tow bar...preferably used, thats folds back when not in use

2. Wiring from motorhome (7 pin) to Toad (4 pin)

3. Recommendations for any Toad maintenance at 125K (It drives nice and quiet and no leaks..prior owner took real good care of it, all oil changes done, valves adjusted at 75K, 3rd and last 4 wheel alignment done at 109K, along with the transmission fluid flushed) Am I missing anything that needs to be done?

4. I still need the CRV floor mats, and owners manual

5. Need a good front "bra" type protector for the Toad, as the paint job still looks new

6. The dash radio appears to have a stuck CD (6CD changer) in it that will not let me eject it. The display shows "error e") on it, and it will not let me turn the radio on!

As you can tell, I can hardly wait to go on the road..this time with no tow dolly!

[donhoward49]

Can you find a Blue Ox or Road Master dealer nearby.. They could take care of the tow bar and lights& rock guard. Floor mats and manual can be found on Amazon, or Ebay.
Have fun

[John How]

Congrats on your purchase, I just bought a 2000 CRV and am in the process of rigging for towing I have installed the baseplate and the Ready Brake cable. Now I am trying to figure out how to rout the rear lights. This CRV is very tight when it comes to finding a wiring rout. I have read here as well as other places about the ease with which several have done it but it's got me stumped. I'll keep at it till I figure it out because that is my nature but it is being a pain. Did you say your wiring is already connected? How lucky that is. Can you tell how it is routed back to the rear of the vehicle? Well enjoy your new toad, I can't wait to drag mine out on the road.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by efstewart

Jusr paid cash for my first Toad, a used CRV...2005 EX AWD 125K miles, one prior owner. I had been looking at lots of used CRVs for weeks.. a Chevy dealer in Victorville, Ca had this one with a carfax report, one Owner, who had all the necessary service done including alignment, oil changes, brakes, etc.

I did not know that it was a prior Toad until I looked at the front grill and saw the baseplate (I suspect it is a Blue Ox as it is hardly noticable) and a four pin outlet for lights?

I have towed on a dolly before but this is my first one on all fours so I need:

1. A good quality and late model, easy to use, tow bar...preferably used, thats folds back when not in use

2. Wiring from motorhome (7 pin) to Toad (4 pin)

3. Recommendations for any Toad maintenance at 125K (It drives nice and quiet and no leaks..prior owner took real good care of it, all oil changes done, valves adjusted at 75K, 3rd and last 4 wheel alignment done at 109K, along with the transmission fluid flushed) Am I missing anything that needs to be done?

4. I still need the CRV floor mats, and owners manual

5. Need a good front "bra" type protector for the Toad, as the paint job still looks new

6. The dash radio appears to have a stuck CD (6CD changer) in it that will not let me eject it. The display shows "error e") on it, and it will not let me turn the radio on!

As you can tell, I can hardly wait to go on the road..this time with no tow dolly!

Sir,
We've purchased two folding tow bars off ebay and have been totally satisfied with both of them. Our present one, a Blue Ox Aladdin, rated at 7500 lbs, was in great shape and came with the cables, coiled pig tail, cover, locks, and more, for a mear $400.00, shipped to my door. It works flawlessly. And, it's the kind that folds up and stays on the coach. Nice!

As for your lights, I'm curious, did the prior owner wire it to utilize the stock tail light bulbs or, did they install extra bulbs in the tail light housings?

Originally Posted by John How

Congrats on your purchase, I just bought a 2000 CRV and am in the process of rigging for towing I have installed the baseplate and the Ready Brake cable. Now I am trying to figure out how to rout the rear lights. This CRV is very tight when it comes to finding a wiring rout. I have read here as well as other places about the ease with which several have done it but it's got me stumped. I'll keep at it till I figure it out because that is my nature but it is being a pain. Did you say your wiring is already connected? How lucky that is. Can you tell how it is routed back to the rear of the vehicle? Well enjoy your new toad, I can't wait to drag mine out on the road.

John How,
I've wired a few dozen toads and, getting the wires back to the back can be a bit of a challenge. But, what I've done a few times is, follow the existing fuel lines, wiring, brake lines or whatever is leading from as far back as possible, to the front of the car. Then, I just ran my toad wiring parallel with those and wire tied/zip tied that new wiring to those existing lines. It works flawless. If you go up and over the rear suspension, just wire tie it to as many places that will allow for a secure attachment that you can.

Now, I don't know how you plan on setting up the lights but, I've utilized the stock tail lights on 11 toads and that too works flawless. Below is a schematic I drew up after I wired our last toad, an '11 Honda CRV EX-L. The job was actually really simple. If you'd like to know more, PM me and I'd be glad to help. I really like the way the lights operate when towing. It looks just like it does when we were driving it, amber turn signals, third brake light and all.
Scott

[njs42]

There is a numeric code for your radio to make it operate. I think you can get it from a dealer. The error means your car has probably been disconnected from the battery for a short time. The radio automatically goes to error when that happens. Anti theft.

[HHg]

We bought our 2010CRV specifically for use as our toad. It's a great choice !

Hhg

[Barbara S.]

When I bought my motorhome this year the former owner said he wanted to sell the car with it as a "package deal". It is a 2005 CR-V and follows behind nicely. I sold my Suzuki Sidekick and Falcon2 tow bar (Roadmaster) and use the Blue Ox tow bar that came with the Honda. I think the Blue Ox is easier to use. My CR-V just turned 75,000 miles and is in great shape. Love it!

[efstewart]

About the wiring, it appears to run along the drivers side down through the transmission drive shaft (AWD). I haven't followed it all the way back yet, but I can look at it tomorrow, it is in the shop today for fluid changes and a slow leak on the timing chain cover gasket.

I plan to look at a new, in the box, Blue Ox Aventa LX towbar, someone is asking $600 for. I wanted to get Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain, but the Aventa LX might be a better deal! Any thoughts about either would be appreciated.

I would also like to get a simple and inexpensive braking system, that is only used on hard stops. The braking systems I have seen all seem expensive and a little complicated for what I need.

[Rocky Larson]

The crv 6 changer cd player does not like DIY made cd's. There is a good possibility you have one stuck.
Check for a sticker inside the glove box for the radio code. May be on the out side or on the rear back. (not to hard to remove and you can check the cabin air filters at the same time.

[efstewart]

The radio is now working, I got the "code" from Honda and followed their procedure!

[rvtime2]

I think you will appreciate you CRV as a toad. We use a falcon 2 with brake buddy for towing ours. We added a fuse switch to eliminate battery drain while towing. Also, remember to release the emergency brake, and of course follow the transmission shift sequence before towing. its the only thing I dont like about our CRV is the emergency brake design that you push down on the brake with your foot to lock in place. We have a bad story to tell on ours, I bet we never forget to release it again, expensive mistake, thats our bad though. regardless, i prefer a handle release, just a preference. The CRV is a great toad at about 3450 lbs.
enjoy

[Muddypaws]

The CRV is probably the number one toad. Sure see a lot of them pushing coaches down the road.

I've installed a few base plates & wiring on CRVs and I prefer to route the wires through the inner & outer fender panels. I use a fish tape to go from about where the battery is to the door hinges. A small notch cut gets the flat cable around the door frame (under the door seal) and into the interior of the car under the driver side kick plate.

The plastic panels are easy to remove & replace and you can run the wires under the carpet all the way to the back really easily. You just remove the panels/kick plates, lift up the carpet, and push the wire in under it. Honda makes a plastic tool for removing the kick panels but I use a nail puller very carefully.

Getting the wires into the tail light assemblies is even easier. No drilling other than the holes for the

I prefer to add extra bulbs over using diodes. Very easy to do on the CRV.

Good luck and happy travels!

[JFXG]

Sounds like you have good advice here. One cautionary word: if your CRV has a history of toad use, it might be prudent to have someone specifically check the wheel bearings and drive line, as they may have 10k - 20k miles more motion than the odometer shows.

[PapaBobby]

I'm looking into the possible purchase of a CR-V for a toad. Any special set up/ procedure for 4 down towing? What about the need for braking system. Also, any recommendations on tow bar/base plate?