Towing the car.

[Irish Reb]

We are picking up our new 2014 Forest River Forester next week and are wondering how many people tow a vehicle vs. going solo with the RV only.
We are going to start out not towing a vehicle and see how that works. However I imagine that in some circumstances having the car available would be a real convenience. Our rig is a small class C 25 feet and should be easy to park in most places. Just wonder what the experts have to say about it..... John

[336muffin]

In our opinion we always tow the dingy (car). We've done the car trailer, dolly but we like the towbar the best.

[Elf]

We tow a car. More than finding a place to park the RV, we don't want to have to unhook every time to go anywhere. After the initial setup, towing is easy and convenient.

[JMRAZZ]

Originally Posted by Irish Reb

We are picking up our new 2014 Forest River Forester next week and are wondering how many people tow a vehicle vs. going solo with the RV only.
We are going to start out not towing a vehicle and see how that works. However I imagine that in some circumstances having the car available would be a real convenience. Our rig is a small class C 25 feet and should be easy to park in most places. Just wonder what the experts have to say about it..... John

The only problem I see is when you camp in rv campground for more than one day in the same place. Every time you leave and come back. You have to connect and diconnect hook ups...
Other wise I would think getting around with a 25 ft rv shouldn't be a problem.....

[CampDaven]

Here are a very few samples:

Pack up and go to town and come back and set up again. Repeat.

While in town, find places to park your MH near where you are going. Good luck.

While shopping, wonder if your MH is being attacked by a wild herd of shopping carts.

When you get back to camp and just finish setting up, decide you want sushi with the chow mein.

Go to Maine and look for parking in a village you have waited 6 months to see and then realize the streets are only 1.5 times as wide as your MH.

[Tim&Paula]

I have towed with a dolly and 4 wheels down. 4 wheels down is the way to go. We have a honda crv and love it. We would not go on even a short trip without our car.

[vsheetz]

The jeep almost always goes with us. Four down is the way to go. I don't want to hassle with handling a tow dolly or trailer.

[plasma800]

Agreed, I always want my car, but I have heard that some rent a car where they go

[wa8yxm]

Done it both ways... Facts

Motor home gets around 10MPG freeway more like 4 in the city if I have to run to the store for a gallon of Milk

Car, more like 20 in the city and much more freeway.. in fact the joke, sort of, is that when I had to make a trip to Savanna for my daughter's Masters program graduation. It took 1 1/2 tanks of gas (About).. It would not have mattered if I drove the motor home instead of the car it still would have taken 1 1/2 tanks of gas.. So what' the difference.

Car holds 12 1/2 gallons, Motor home 70.

NOW you know why I tow a car.

[Irish Reb]

Thanks for all the good feedback...
What requirements does the toad need in order to tow? Example, manual transmission. Are there brands of automatics that can be towed? We can tow up to 5,000 lbs with our RV, but we want the smallest type car. John

[Scarab0088]

Like the OP, we towed our old RV (Travel Trailer), so could use the truck for trips and never thought about it.

Went to a Class A toy hauler a few years ago with intension to use a motorcycle for trips...and while it is nice, we found having a car was really preferable.

Renting at a destination is an alternative...if you are near developed areas.

We dolly tow a midsized SUV because like many new cars - it is not flat tow able. And, we can switch cars, the car does not need any mods (like tow bar mounts in the bumper area/crumple zone or a supplimental brake system in the car), there are no miles added to the driveline of the car, and the car is up high and away from rock strike risk behind the RV.

I can load my dolly in less than 5 minutes, unload in less than 3 minutes, and just push the dolly under the rear overhang of the RV in tight RV Park sites. So EZE to use.

Best luck to the OP!

[Tha_Rooster]

I prefer having a car if you want to try not car rentals is always a option.

[jamesrxx951]

We have done both. For a few years we did not take a car. We didn't have any issues but if we forgot something, oh well guess we will do without. However this year I knew I needed to bring my car with me. Calculated the rental cost of a U-Haul dolly compared to an inexpensive tow dolly ( Home )and it made more sense to purchase one. This was one of my best decisions I made. We used it way more than I originally figured we would. We pretty much don't leave without a vehicle now and enjoy more than just the camp grounds due to sight seeing. We don't keep cars very long (this year I went through 4 cars) so a dolly works perfect. No issues at all with campground storage. My wife has no problems moving it around if needed. So whether you go 4 down, trailer, or dolly a toad can be a real asset for vacation fun. We also don't preshop for groceries now. We pack what we have and go to a local store. A good time to check out the local area.

The car also worked out well when my head light switch broke. Easier to go to a local autozone with my car than with a 36' class A motorhome.

[Bumps]

First thing we bought for the motorhome was a BlueOx setup for the Jeep. We have never been on a trip without a toad. There's just too many things you are gonna wanna do and places you are gonna wanna explore that will not be possible in a motorhome.

"Endless Spontaneity" is our general rule of thumb while on-the-road. At one level, the motorhome facilitates that for us. At another level, once jacks are down and we open its front door and see our new front yard, the Jeep allows us to be spontaneous in adventurous ways the motorhome alone would not allow.

\ken