For those gassers, show me what you tow....

[CWO USN]

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Sorry, but this is backwards. You can look up all the towing guides for the last 10 years, and that's what everyone is towing. All of it.


Starting over, what do you want to tow?
Jeep?
SUV?
Sedan?
Pickup?


What is your limit...5000lbs....10000lbs?
I assume since you have a gasser, it's 4-5000lbs.
The Grand Cherokee might be pushing it.


Give us a starting point and we can chime in on what we think.

Originally Posted by CWO USN

Allegro Open Road 34TGA. 24K chassis Ford F-53. Triton V-10. Looking to tow our Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Edition. Approximately 4900 lbs. curb weight. What other gassers are towing (TOAD)? Appreciate the inputs.

What concerns me is towing a TOAD pretty darn close to my rated 5,000 lbs towing capacity. Although my research has shown some do tow close to their coaches' limit with no problems.....for years.

[Rolling Ragu]

2011 34TGA here. Just did 5k mile trip through the mountains with a 4500 pound Rubicon 4 door.

Not sure where you will fall on paper? But, I can tell you that it will do a good enough job with it that you will forget it is there if you aren't careful. You feel it some on acceleration, and we unhook if it will be a full day of steep grades (probably don't have to, but why not). With supplemental braking, you won't hardly feel it then.

I do drive like a grandpa. That goes a long ways towards being safe.

[Mike8253]

Originally Posted by CWO USN

What concerns me is towing a TOAD pretty darn close to my rated 5,000 lbs towing capacity. Although my research has shown some do tow close to their coaches' limit with no problems.....for years.

Just to be clear, the 5K rating is for maintaining the structural integrity of your hitch, it's not a reflection of what your MH is capable of pulling. If you had a 26K chassis vs.the 24K (with the only difference between the two being the deflection rate of the rear leaf springs) you'd be capable of driving a combined 30,000 lbs. down the highway vs the 29,000 lbs limit with your MH. So you're fully capable of pulling your Jeep, but you need to assure it doesn't exceed the 5000 lb rating of the hitch.

[dezolen]

Originally Posted by Mike8253

Just to be clear, the 5K rating is for maintaining the structural integrity of your hitch, it's not a reflection of what your MH is capable of pulling. If you had a 26K chassis vs.the 24K (with the only difference between the two being the deflection rate of the rear leaf springs) you'd be capable of driving a combined 30,000 lbs. down the highway vs the 29,000 lbs limit with your MH. So you're fully capable of pulling your Jeep, but you need to assure it doesn't exceed the 5000 lb rating of the hitch.

I will be towing a Grand Cherokee Summit and see no issues. Former toad was a CRVwhich was fine but just too boring and not very comfortable. The Honda was amazingly reliable and easy to tow but life is short and wanted comfort for the foreseeable future.
I towed the CRV with Seadoo attached and you still could not feel it behind. I will be close to limits and if over I will change to a higher rated hitch. Everything is over engineered anyway.

[flywithcoop]

I towed a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and then a '04 Saturn VUE Redline all over the US with a 2000 Winnebago that had the old V-10.
I towed a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and now a 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk with my 2014 Allegro 36LA Open Road. I switched the 2018 as it is a little less weight. Both Jeeps have been towed over the Continental Divide several times. Usually topping out at about 20 mph at the 11,000 foot passes. It ain't fast but it does the job.

[CWO USN]

Originally Posted by harleyjt

I’m towing a 2017 Grand Cherokee Limited with my Workhorse W24. As best I recall curb wt is 4600 lb. I leave the fuel tank at 1/4 tank or less and there is little extra weight in the vehicle. The coach is equipped with a 5000 lb hitch. Chassis is rated for 30k GCWR. To be honest, it’s hard to tell it’s even back there. The 8.1 pulls it like a champ.
jt

Originally Posted by Rolling Ragu

2011 34TGA here. Just did 5k mile trip through the mountains with a 4500 pound Rubicon 4 door.

Not sure where you will fall on paper? But, I can tell you that it will do a good enough job with it that you will forget it is there if you aren't careful. You feel it some on acceleration, and we unhook if it will be a full day of steep grades (probably don't have to, but why not). With supplemental braking, you won't hardly feel it then.

I do drive like a grandpa. That goes a long ways towards being safe.

Originally Posted by flywithcoop

I towed a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and then a '04 Saturn VUE Redline all over the US with a 2000 Winnebago that had the old V-10.
I towed a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and now a 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk with my 2014 Allegro 36LA Open Road. I switched the 2018 as it is a little less weight. Both Jeeps have been towed over the Continental Divide several times. Usually topping out at about 20 mph at the 11,000 foot passes. It ain't fast but it does the job.

Thanks to you all for the excellent feedback.

Since we're all pretty much same model class/weight rating motor coach owners and towing almost identical weight TOAD. What braking and towing systems do you use for your TOAD?

[harleyjt]

I’m using a Blue Ox Aventa tow bar and an RVi3 braking system. I like them both.
jt

[Ddjay]

2016 Subaru Crosstrek, manny tranny. Listed as 3109 base weight. Hardly know it’s there.

Yes, Subaru says you can’t flat tow their stuff. Yes, they are full of it. Not sure how many manny trannys they’re building anymore though. Had a 2007 manny tranny Forester before the Crosstrek.

Put the key to ACC, stick in neutral, hand brake off and go, go, go.

Brake Buddy Classic and a Blue Ox tow bar and base plate put on at the factory which isnt far from Omaha in Pender, NE. They do NOT cut you a deal and in fact it costs more there (don’t want to compete with their dealer network) but I didn’t care. I want it done right by the people who build the things if I can vs dealerships. I just don’t trust dealers much further than I can throw them.

[Newmar2856]

We are towing a 2019 Ford Ranger. Scaled weight is 4850 with a full tank of fuel and all the junk we load in the truck for a trip.

We use a Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain tow bar and a Roadmaster Invisibrake.

We have similar rigs, 24K chassis with the V10, 30,000lb GCWR, but limited to 5K because of the hitch.

We have had no issues pulling the truck and that includes lots of mountain passes as we live in Oregon and you can’t go anywhere here without climbing some type of mountain.

As a toad, the truck is great. Lots of pep with the turbo charged Ecoboost motor and nicely equipped. I also average 22mpg, the same as our previous toad which was a 2010 CRV. We liked the Honda, but love the room and zip of the Ranger.

[flywithcoop]

I prefer Blue Ox tow and braking equipment. I had Roadmaster base plate and tow bar for my Saturn VUE Redline because they were the only supplier for the Redline. Had problems unhooking several times when not on level ground.
Now use Blue Ox products and have never had a problem when unhooking even on unlevel ground.
I installed the base plates on all four vehicles I have flat towed. If you are mechanically inclined just follow the explicit instructions and it isn't that hard. It may take a couple days but you will save a lot of money and know it was done right. I have removed the front clip on the 2014 Grand Cherokee twice. The last time to replace a headlight bulb. Now I know why I see a lot of one eyed vehicles running around. Who wants to pay 4 or 5 hundred $$$ to have a light bulb replaced.

[yeloduster]

I have towed a Jeep Cherokee about 50K miles now. I use ReadyBrute tow bar with integrated ReadyBrake.

[CWO USN]

Originally Posted by yeloduster

I have towed a Jeep Cherokee about 50K miles now. I use ReadyBrute tow bar with integrated ReadyBrake.

The NSA ReadyBrute has peaked my interest and I've been looking at their product line. All mechanical is a plus provided it works and problem-free.

I take it you've used the ReadyBrute for a while logging 50K with the tow and brake systems. Can you provided more user information? Thanks.

[yeloduster]

Originally Posted by CWO USN

The NSA ReadyBrute has peaked my interest and I've been looking at their product line. All mechanical is a plus provided it works and problem-free.

I take it you've used the ReadyBrute for a while logging 50K with the tow and brake systems. Can you provided more user information? Thanks.

I'm unsure what information you want.

The tow bar is very sturdy although with the integrated ReadyBrake it is a little heavy to insert into the receiver hitch on the motorhome. I still manage it without difficulty and I am 74. After towing for 50K miles the tow bar was getting a little loose. NSA provided repair parts free. The ReadyBrake does not seem affected by wear.

• The integrated ReadyBrake adds about 10" to the length of the tow bar.
  
  
• The ReadyBrute tow bar is a good tow bar but probably not superior to others you can buy. The integration of the tow bar and brake make it attractive.
  
  
• Running the cables for the ReadyBrake and breakaway device is fairly easy on my Jeep. It might be more difficult on other vehicles.
  
  
• The only adjustment is the length of the cable from the ReadyBrake to the cable on the toad. Once set it doesn't need to be reset.
  
  
• You can tow this vehicle behind any vehicle with a receiver hitch provided you match the hitch height so the tow bar is parallel to the ground.
  
  
• The braking seems to be perfect. Never too much so that the toad is trying to stop the towing vehicle, never too little. It acts like a closed loop circuit that is self adjusting. It is a surge brake and works like those often installed on trailers.
  
  
• Base plate installation, lights, etc. are no different than other tow bars and brake systems.
  
  
• Hooking up is identical to any other tow bar except for clipping the brake actuating cable and breakaway cable to the cables installed on the toad. I hookup my Jeep by myself in less than 5 minutes. The DW occasionally helps just because she wants to! I do it faster without her help...she is just in the way...but I wouldn't tell her that!
  
  
• With a little extra work you can install a light in your towing vehicle that will let you know anytime the brakes on the toad are engaged.

I've not used proportional brake systems for towed cars but I presume that they work just like those used for electric brakes on trailer. I have towed quite a bit using Tekonsha and other controllers. They worked OK...but I was never comfortable that the adjustment gave the optimal braking. I have no such reserve with the ReadyBrake because of the physics of its design it can't do it wrong!

I live in Colorado and drive long steep grades anytime I go anywhere. I think I tax my braking systems more than most Motorhome drivers. I've never seen any evidence that the brakes on the toad were over heated and the brake wear seems very normal.

I'm am an engineer by profession. In my professional opinion the closed loop nature of surge brakes is superior because if its simplicity and ease of adjustment and use. Could the implementation be better than the ReadyBrake by NSA...maybe...but it is the only game in town that I know of and they do it quite well.

[Rolling Ragu]

I commented above, but wanted to add. I've used the ReadyBrute with surge brake for about 15k miles total now. Two loops around the country.

I'm very much pleased, however. It is difficult to know exactly what sort of a job it's doing. I have never felt weak on brakes, so I assume it's doing it's job. I keep meaning to put a camera on the Jeep brake pedal to see exactly what's happening. My wife has ridden in the Jeep in a parking lot and knows that it applies. Apparently we have it adjusted so that there is no application under light braking, but once it gets to moderate and above, she saw the brake pedal pull in.

I have no expertise to make a recommendation, but we've been satisfied.