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Old 11-23-2014, 10:55 PM   #1
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Towing Tips

In a few days I'm going to FL and towing for the first time my toad. Today I took it around the block with my nephew in the toad so he could report what happened during that short stint. He did note two things: 1) on some corners I wound up clipping them with the rear tires of the toad and 2) the Hydralift came extremely close to the hood of the vehicle on some turns.

What I'd like to hear from others is if they've towed with a Hydralift before and what their experiences are and also any other helpful tips for first timers like myself.

I read some previous threads about tips but none mentioned the Hydralift but I do know not to back up!

My setup includes a Blue Ox baseplate, Blue Ox tow bar and the RVI2 braking system. I'm towing a 2015 Chevy Equinox.
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Old 11-24-2014, 02:14 AM   #2
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I have never driven a Diesel Pusher (like in your avatar), but, I have driven Long Digger/Derrick powerline trucks towing long trailers(some with 75' utility poles), and 10 yard dump trucks towing backhoe trailers.

The only tip I can suggest is to take your turns around corners wider.

On a side note, I would rather be driving a Diesel Pusher with a Toad, then, driving work trucks. LOL

Safe travels to you,

Rich
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Old 11-24-2014, 11:30 AM   #3
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Yep, have to swing out wider on the turns. Remember each axle back from the front will take a smaller radius. So to make turns, you need to pull out straight more first, then turn the wheel more to pull the front end over.

For the clearance, the only way to make that better is to get a longer from the vehicle to the MH. Longer tow bar or an extension for the hitch mount.
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Old 11-25-2014, 07:51 AM   #4
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If your going to be near Tampa, I suggest you try to go to the free RV Drivers Confidence Course put on by Lazydays.

Learn from the RV Authority | RV Training at Lazydays Tampa

My wife and I took the course in Tucson last year. Very informative, lots of good specific details about driving an RV including how to set up your MH with markers used to judge distances when making tight turns and while backing. We were invited to take the course when we were shopping for a motor home in 2012. We did not buy our motor home from Lazydays but took the course anyhow. There was no sales pitch, or salesmen present when we took the course. It was well worth the time.
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Old 11-25-2014, 08:16 AM   #5
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I must be a little different having a hydrolift on the back. I tow a CRV and found the if the rear coach tires clear so will the toad tires. Sounds like you just need to compensate a little.
You mentioned that the lift comes "close" to the hood. Be sure to check that out during a full lock U turn and account for an uneven surface.
As mentioned before, the Lazy Days confidence course is nice and really helps. Especially if you are new.
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Old 11-25-2014, 08:40 AM   #6
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I'm towing a smaller Chevy car behind the Hydralift without any clearance issue, but I am using a 4" drop reciever, which moves the car back about another foot.
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Old 11-25-2014, 08:23 PM   #7
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Thanks for all those replies. I'm fairly confident driving the coach and I did purchase a video about driving an RV like a pro (it was quite helpful). I've driven it around 8,000 miles so far, just not towing. Guess I'll have to make sure my swings are wider.

I could get a hitch extension perhaps, saw some at Walmart the other day. They have lots of drop hitches as well but I'm quite level, maybe an inch down to the baseplate from the RV.
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Old 11-27-2014, 08:11 AM   #8
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I'm rather surprised you clip the corners - that is not a typical problem because the toad normally follows the coach track quite closely. The only thing I can think of that would cause that is an excessively long tow bar, i.e. a long distance between the pivot point of the hitch and toad itself (that lets the toad swing more). I do not thnk a long, straight, rigid extension will change that, but it will get it away from the Hydralift.

What kind of towbar are you using? An A-frame with a ball mount (e.g. the Blue Ox Aclaim), or one of the motorhome mounted towbars (Aventa, Falcon, Blackhawk, etc).
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Old 11-27-2014, 06:23 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer View Post
I'm rather surprised you clip the corners - that is not a typical problem because the toad normally follows the coach track quite closely. The only thing I can think of that would cause that is an excessively long tow bar, i.e. a long distance between the pivot point of the hitch and toad itself (that lets the toad swing more). I do not thnk a long, straight, rigid extension will change that, but it will get it away from the Hydralift.

What kind of towbar are you using? An A-frame with a ball mount (e.g. the Blue Ox Aclaim), or one of the motorhome mounted towbars (Aventa, Falcon, Blackhawk, etc).
It's a motorhome mounted one, the Blue Ox Alpha. I don't think I clipped all the corners I took, but I probably clipped one and that's what my nephew told me who was riding in the car. In looking at the car in the rear view camera, it looked like it was tracking fine. It may be a little further back than usual as the Hydralift causes the receiver to stick further out than without it. I'm doing another test Friday during the day to check out the braking system which is finally all hooked up now (put in the break-away cable today, and tested it of course ).
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Old 11-27-2014, 07:35 PM   #10
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I think you need one more test. Try a right hand sharp turn into a driveway with a steep incline. Have someone watching a AND be Ready to stop. When the front wheels go up. The hydralift will lower, and could contact the hood.

Dan
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Old 11-28-2014, 03:06 PM   #11
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OK, did another test today and things checked out well. The receiver for the Blue Ox has two holes in it, this time I went with the setup that pushes it out another couple inches. Seemed to help with clearance and the notion is just to be careful. e.g., no attempts at u-turns! The RVibrake 2 also checked out well so things are good to go!
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Old 12-04-2014, 02:47 PM   #12
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Just a note on extensions . The farther the toad is from the motor home, the farther from the corner when you turn. The back of the MH swings left at the rear axle when you turn right, taking the front of the toad left away from the curb.
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Old 12-04-2014, 07:09 PM   #13
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Thanks again to all for their replies. My trip went well without any bad issues.
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