Community Forums

jastinjr · 02-25-2013, 08:30 AM

I'm a first timer for MH. Have a 2004 tiffin allegro. 6.8L V10 on ford base, towing is 4000-5500lbs. We are looking for a suv to tow behind. Nothing new, just a good old suv what will work. We know how much we want spend for the suv, but what is the est. cost to set up a suv to be towed and what all do you need and who should you get to fix it up?

Oscar Mike · 02-25-2013, 08:33 AM

I have been getting quotes in the Southern Nevada area around $3,550.00, which includes the Blue Ox base plate, Blue Ox tow bar, wiring for the toad, and the SMI Play-IN-Stay Duo Braking System,

beenthere · 02-25-2013, 08:41 AM

i bought my stuff from ebay and cost was...blue ox bx4325 tow bar for $250 and brakbuddy for $300 and base plate for $100.. i havent bought the light kit yet....jeff

Darwin · 02-25-2013, 08:41 AM

You should find everything online with a price. I bought everything from etrailer.com and found them very good to deal with. They also have videos with step by step instructions. I used Roadmaster products on a Chevy Equinox which has been a very good tow vehicle and easy to hook up. I installed everything myself with with the use of the video instructions.

dupedtwo · 02-25-2013, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jastinjr

I'm a first timer for MH. Have a 2004 tiffin allegro. 6.8L V10 on ford base, towing is 4000-5500lbs. We are looking for a suv to tow behind. Nothing new, just a good old suv what will work. We know how much we want spend for the suv, but what is the est. cost to set up a suv to be towed and what all do you need and who should you get to fix it up?

We just started looking at towing and the bigger question is can the VEHICLE be reliably towed without damaging your transmission. I know folks that bought a new car where the manufacturer went from saying yes you can to no you can't the following year. My Acura SUV says IF I tow, stop every so many hours, start the engine, and run it through the gears to circulate some fluid. That didn't make me very comfortable so not towing it.

Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376 · 02-25-2013, 02:26 PM

To hook the 07 Wrangler to the Dolphin, I bought my Roadmaster 1428 brackets on Ebay for $150.0. My Ready Brute / Ready Brake was $990.00. The Demco Adapter $110.00, Cooltech Light harness $100.00, Roadmaster umbilical cord $70.00. A set of coiled Safety Cables for $20.00. One day of Self provided labor . It wasn't a hard days works, just busy.

srh · 02-25-2013, 02:50 PM

I bought a 7,500 lb Blue Ox Tow bar on Craigslist for $250, Brake Buddy $350, both from the same person included shipping. It had storage bag, safety cables adapters, you name it. Bought Tow Plate for Honda CRV $125 + shipping, new wiring kit $75 + $300 for installation. There are a lot of tow plates on eBay and Craigslist especially for popular toads like CRVs, Jeeps, etc. My whole set up cost me around $1,200.
Good luck!

vsheetz · 02-25-2013, 03:12 PM

Another option is to but a vehicle already setup as a toad. The classified here have a toad section. Checking Craigslist for tow bar will also reveal vehicles with tow bars included and/or setup with baseplate already.

BTW, there are adapters to allow one vendors tow bar to connect to another vendors base plate.

I bought Blue Ox tow and Brake Buddy via Craigslist for $450.00. Blue Ox brackets bolted to the front bumper of my Jeep, $70 I think. Plus lighting, misc hardware, safety cables, etc. I probably have $600-$700 invested.

amanda_h · 02-25-2013, 04:13 PM

You're getting some great advice from everybody here, jastinjr.

As has been said, it will really depend on a lot of things. If you are a good DIYer, and can shop for and install everything yourself, it can be under $1,000.

If you don't want to bother with doing it yourself, it will be about $3,000-4,000. A good hitch shop or many RV shops can install baseplates, do the wiring, and set up the supplemental brake system. Let us know if you need a list of places in your area that do installations.

And remember, you'll want to research the type of supplemental brake system you'll want to use too so if you do have somebody else do the installation of the baseplate and wiring, you'll know if they should also do something like one of the integrated braking systems. If you use a BrakeBuddy-type of set up, you can do that yourself easily.

-harry

stonekeepers · 02-25-2013, 04:18 PM

We just bought a 2013 Ford C-Max to be our toad. We are also new to towing vehicles and are not very mechanically inclined. I have been talking to e-trailer.com and they will install all the equipment at no charge. The catch is they are in Missouri. That works for us since we have family nearby.

We are probably going with all Blue Ox equipment...baseplate, Patriot Brake, Aventa LX tow bar. They will also install additional lights so that we don't have to tap into the vehicle wiring harness (and void the warranty). The cost for all is about $2200, but the equipment will be new and they will do everything. The brake alone is $999, so I think their prices are pretty fair.

I know that we could find used equipment for less, but I would feel much safer with folks who know what they are doing install the base plate and additional lights. I don't mind paying a little more for that. Those folks have to make a living, too.

BTW, Nikki at etrailer.com is exceptionally nice and very helpful. I spent about an hour on the phone with her just discussing what all the different things did, how they worked and possible options. Seems to be a great company.

mikelm48 · 02-25-2013, 04:28 PM

Take a look at ReadyBrake. No equipment in the tow vehicle to be installed before each hookup.

stonekeepers · 02-25-2013, 04:35 PM

Thanks, Mike. We did look at the Ready Brake, but the car is a hybrid and even though the Patriot costs more, it has settings geared specifically for hybrid vehicles.