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TireSpin · 06-09-2015, 04:53 AM

Hi There,

I am towing a toad 4 down behind the coach but I have a question that perhaps someone can shed some light on?

This is my current setup,

Off the back of the coach, 2" receiver + 6" drop receiver + a duel 2" adapter (Bike Rack & Tow-bar) then connected to a Blue Ox Alpha Tow-bar. The car itself is about 6 feet from the back of the coach in total.

Question: Is this a legal, acceptable configuration and distance to the car?

Any help would be great.

Thanks So Much

bgsc · 06-09-2015, 05:20 AM

Winnebago suggested that there be no more than 24 in. from the point were your hitch is pinned to the motor home to the swivel point on your tow bar, I had a similar set up to what you describe. What happened was the 6 bolts holding the factory mounted hitch on the motor home 4 broke and the hitch was only held on with 2 bolts I was towing a Jeep Liberty and my coach was a Winnebago Adventurer. My suggestion to you would be keep checking the bolts holding your hitch to your motor home, the further your towed vehicle is from the hitch point to your coach the more stress you put on the hitch

ahicks · 06-09-2015, 05:40 AM

I need to carry bikes as well. A carrier for the back of the toad solved our problem.

speed racer · 06-09-2015, 06:34 AM

Six feet is a good clearance for when you make a good sharp turn.

dpinvidic · 06-09-2015, 07:07 AM

You are increasing tail swing for the toad...which is undesirable.

I don't know if there is a hard limit, but the longer your hitch extension is, the harder it is on the towbar and the TOAD.

If we look at tail swing, it is related to how much coach body extension there is past the read axle (your pivot point).
So in making a 90 deg turn, the very end of your coach will swing out a fixed amount (say 24"). This is mainly a sideways motion.
If your tail stuck out further, your tail swing would increase.

Now lets think about the toad...the problem is that it has 4 wheels down.
So your tail swing is trying to drag your toad sideways during a turn.
Yes, your front wheels are free to turn, but they are not a perfect swivel castor. So just like a tag axle, you will get some sideway tire drag.

Extending the hitch, increases the tail swing

Bottom line, the longer your extension, the more wear on your tires, and the more stress on the towbar.

Regards,

Dan

NITEHAWK · 06-09-2015, 07:11 AM

Added to what has been stated above--the farther back your toad is the more you will feel it "trying to wag the dog". If your RV is short or light in comparison to the toad you will really experience tailwagging!

Gary RVRoamer · 06-09-2015, 07:24 AM

There is no "legal" that applies, as far as I know. In any state.

6 feet is longer than typical but still not likely to be a notable problem in maneuvering or normal driving. As Dan described, the longer the distance the greater the effect, but yours is probably within acceptable parameters. Nothing is guaranteed, though, because different coaches and different toads will have different combined effects.
Best I can say is to try it and watch closely the first few times for things like front tire wear (scrubbing) or a tendency for the toad to swing side-to-side as you drive.

FIRE UP · 06-09-2015, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

There is no "legal" that applies, as far as I know. In any state.

6 feet is longer than typical but still not likely to be a notable problem in maneuvering or normal driving. As Dan described, the longer the distance the greater the effect, but yours is probably within acceptable parameters. Nothing is guaranteed, though, because different coaches and different toads will have different combined effects.
Best I can say is to try it and watch closely the first few times for things like front tire wear (scrubbing) or a tendency for the toad to swing side-to-side as you drive.

Outstanding answer! We've been in your (OPs) operational characteristics for years. We have and '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT and, for over 8,000 miles, we had a Hydralift on the back which carried our '08 Honda GL 1800 Goldwing, and, pinned to that system was a 8" riser which brought the tow bar to a level towing height and, pinned to that was a Ready Brake assembly/actuator which, then coupled the tow bar from our '04 Jeep Rubicon.

So, yes, ours too was hovering right at or, over 6' from the back of the coach to the front of the Jeep, maybe even 6' 6". It could be that the back f that coach was a tad heavier than normal but, I never did feel any adverse effects of having the Jeep back that far. And later on, we sold the Jeep and then towed a '11 Honda CRV-EXL and, the same thing, never had any effects. We've since removed and sold the lift and, now tow an '11 GMC Sierra 1500 Extended Cab 4x4 which, carries the Goldwing in the back, on a Rampage lift. The distance has been shortened by quite a bit between the back of the coach and the front the toad but, again, no handling differences detected.

I'm about to shorten it even more. I'm ridding myself of the Ready Brake system and going with the M&G system. That will bring the GMC even closer to the coach. I expect no issues as I watch closely my camera when turning sharp anyways.
Scott

ctpres · 06-09-2015, 02:41 PM

I welded a receiver tube on top of drop hitch just for bike carrier. Worked nicely on our old Damon. But on new Challenger bikes so close to rear cap create a problem when fueling with THE NEW IMPROVED rear end gas fill.

TireSpin · 06-10-2015, 05:53 AM

Great Replies,

Thanks to all who contributed.

I think the answer for me will be to buy a trunk mount 3- bike rack for the car. Now I just need to figure which one will work best for our use.

Again Thanks Everybody.

GG1 · 06-10-2015, 06:23 AM

put a hitch on the back of the toad, slide the bike rack into the hitch, don't mount the bikes on the trunk, there is a lot of bouncing around your trunk may not support the weight of a long trip

allegro1x · 06-10-2015, 06:53 AM

might also look at roof top bike carriers. Dave

ahicks · 06-10-2015, 07:53 PM

We use a hitch mounted bike rack, and knowing we were going to be bouncing all over the country for the next few years, we searched out the sturdiest we could find. It supports the bikes under the wheels, but due to it's folding nature (allowing access to the back of the CRV) it's still pretty wobbly. To help in that respect, we use a tie down strap from the rack, to up around the forward side of the spare and back to the rack to keep it snug. Works great.

2 other thoughts. If you go this way, realize the bikes are not helping people in back of you see your stop and turn signals at all. You need to pay attention to how the bikes are loaded, and if you have racks mounted to the bikes, unload them.

Last, if you're 7' tall, or you have a fairly low roof line, a roof mounted bike carrier does work well. Otherwise, loading and unloading them can be a complete pain... far outweighing the advantages of having them up out of the way - been there...