I’m So Confused About TOADS! HELP!

[GrandpaJoe]

I’m about to get my first motor home and the more I read the worse it gets.

- is a manual transmission necessary in the towed vehicle?
- is 4wd required in the towed vehicle?
- is there one central place that lists all vehicle for towing 4 down (dinghy)?
- is more equipment needed than the towing bar(s)?
- is there one location where toads are sold/marketed (auction or otherwise)?
- are there other things I need to know?

[Old-Biscuit]

RV Magazine --- Toads
https://www.rv.com/archive/easiest-v...3500%204WD.%20

Dinghy Toad Downloads
https://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/


IRV2 Post about Dinghy Toads
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/poss...nt-558220.html

[OuttaMyWay]

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/poss...nt-558220.html

[amosnandy]

Originally Posted by GrandpaJoe

I’m about to get my first motor home and the more I read the worse it gets.

- is a manual transmission necessary in the towed vehicle?

No, many vehicles with automatics are safe to tow. Many of the GM products from 2006 to 2014 are safe, so are many Honda's and My favorite was my old 2001 Saturn

- is 4wd required in the towed vehicle?

No, but if it is 4WD it must have a transfer case that can be put in nuetral. Keep in mind that ALL Wheel drive and 4 Wheel drive are two different things

- is there one central place that lists all vehicle for towing 4 down (dinghy)?

No but one of the best I found is https://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/ but what you will find is not all websites or guides will always agree with on another. Once you find something in a guide check several places. If they conflict, reach out and find others experience with that model. Also some, (not all) owners manual for a vehicle will have instructions for flat towing. I was very surprised when I found the section in the Manual for my 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid with specific instruction from the factory on how to flat tow. I was under the impression that the Fusion, was not towable, but after checking many guides, the Hybrid is, the standard FWD is not.

- is more equipment needed than the towing bar(s)?

The towbar is just one small piece of the puzzle. You need a towbar, a baseplate, a wire harness wired correctly into and for your vehicle, you need safety chains or cables, you need a brake system, and in my opinion flat towing without a TPMS system is dangerous.

- is there one location where toads are sold/marketed (auction or otherwise)?

About the only way you are going to find a flat tow ready vehicle is going to be buying it with a motorhome, from someone who is getting out of it, or possibly someone upgrading to a new/different Toad and trying to sell it as a Toad. Normally, a dealer sees the baseplate and wiring they want nothing to with it as a used car. If I had a good quality nice flat tow and was going to buy a different one, I would advertise it in the some of the RV Marketplaces. A dealer is going to knock $3000 of the value of a car I spent $3,000 to set up to flat tow. That's a $6,000 difference if I'm getting a new Toad.

- are there other things I need to know?

Yeah, learn to drive your motorhome BEFORE you try to flat tow. You should have a good grip on how it handles BEFORE you hook up a Toad and adjust to the different handling of towing.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by GrandpaJoe

I’m about to get my first motor home and the more I read the worse it gets.

- is a manual transmission necessary in the towed vehicle?
- is 4wd required in the towed vehicle?
- is there one central place that lists all vehicle for towing 4 down (dinghy)?
- is more equipment needed than the towing bar(s)?
- is there one location where toads are sold/marketed (auction or otherwise)?
- are there other things I need to know?

Amosnandy pretty well covered it.

Your driving habits need to adjust to the primary difference……..YOU DON’T/CAN’T back up with a toad. The towing hardware does not support it, and your toad’s front wheels can jackknife on you.

[RealNiceTent]

Originally Posted by GrandpaJoe

I’m about to get my first motor home and the more I read the worse it gets.

- is a manual transmission necessary in the towed vehicle?
- is 4wd required in the towed vehicle?
- is there one central place that lists all vehicle for towing 4 down (dinghy)?
- is more equipment needed than the towing bar(s)?
- is there one location where toads are sold/marketed (auction or otherwise)?
- are there other things I need to know?

I like it when someone can lay out a specific set of questions, I'll answer what I can. Towds can be towed a number of ways, 4 down,on a dolly and on a trailer (my preferred). On a full trailer the only limit to the towd is the towing capability of the RV, it doesn't matter what drive system etc. because the towd is completely off the ground. Dollies are great for front wheel drive and some four wheel drive. With front wheel drives traans type is irreverent because the drive wheels are off the ground, but an auxiliary braking unit is still needed. I'll answer the questions as if the towd will be four down.


Auto or manual transmission, manual transmission is preferred, most can be towed without modification, some automatics can be towed without modification, but most will require a system to circulate fluid while towed to lubricate the rotating components.


Four wheel drive is a nicety, if you like to explore the back roads and such. It is a personal preference, however as long as there is a transfer case with a real neutral it makes towing easier. Most all wheel drives are out, because they do not have a true neutral in the t-case.


is there one central place that lists all vehicle for towing 4 down (dinghy) That I know of the closest to this is AAA,they used to produce a book annually for their contractors that listed every make/model for towing. It listed safe distances and max speeds as provided by the manufacturers. You may be able to access the info at a local AAA office, and most tow guys will give you the info for a model you are interested in.


More equipment is needed than just the tow bar, you will need a braking device for anything heavier than 1500 lbs, lighting hook ups, and I would recommend some form of rock shield.


is there one location where toads are sold/marketed (auction or otherwise)?
Any vehicle can be a towd, so there is no specific place to purchase one, however you may be able to find one that has been used as a towd before and is set up with/for a towbar and lighting hook ups.



are there other things I need to know? I am sure there are plenty of other things to know, like towed vehicles on towbars and dollies do not back up. Life is a learning process, so learn and enjoy.

[Isaac-1]

As mentioned above there are automatic transmission vehicles that can be flat towed, though it seems the selection of them that support this gets smaller each year.


In simple terms to flat tow a car you will need:


1, a Tow bar (these can often be found used and in good shape for around $350 on ebay, facebook market, etc.) though you tend to have to sort through a fair amount of worn out junk to find a good one. New good ones start around $650


2, a base plate, this will be specific to the year and model of TOAD


3, a braking system, this is legally required on TOADs over 3,000 pounds in most state, though some states (mostly the western states) require it on TOADS as light as 1,500 pounds which is pretty much all of them. The braking system can either be a drop in unit like brake buddy, patriot brake, even brake, etc. or a permanently mounted system, air force1, Stay and Play Duo, Brakemaster, etc.


4, some modification for brake / turn light functionality, this may be a plug and play diode kit for the specific model, or custom wired "universal" kit, or may even be a magnetic light bar kit which just sticks on.


As to finding used TOADs already set up, there is a classified ad section here for TOADs, though I did find my cheap 2007 Yaris TOAD last summer on facebook market where someone about 70 miles away was selling it.


Another thing to keep in mind is weight matters, even if your coach claims it will tow a 5,000 pound TOAD it may handle a lot better with a 2,500 TOAD, I know ours has a night and day handling difference between towing my wife's 2017 4,300 Jeep Cherokee vs our 2290 pound 2007 Toyota Yaris. With the Yaris I have to keep the rear camera on just to know it is back there.

[wildtoad]

All you need to know…. Get a Jeep Wrangler, 4WD, Automatic, get a NSA Ready Brute Elite tow system. Easy to setup, Easy to hookup, Easy to tow. You will sleep good at night.

[RRR]

Maybe I missed it but the one thing is a break-away system no matter the size of the towed. In other words a system that applies the brakes upon a catastrophic failure of the towing parts.

You don't want to be 100 miles down the road and discover your towed is no longer with you. Let alone finding out later you caused destruction of someone else's property.

[Isaac-1]

break away systems are part of most braking systems, I think about the only exception I can think of is the NSA ReadyBrake where I think the break away system is sold as an add on.

[RRR]

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

break away systems are part of most braking systems, I think about the only exception I can think of is the NSA ReadyBrake where I think the break away system is sold as an add on.

You could well be correct, I use a ReadyBrake so have nothing to compare to. IMO the break away should be included.