Tow Bar Question

[Ponygail]

Does anyone have a recommendation on which tow bar I should use to pull my CRV toad (3500 lbs) with my Mountain Aire? Thank you.

[Unplanned Tourist]

You will get loads of suggestions on this topic.

I personally am happier with my ReadyBrake system after using a Brake Buddy for over 10 years. So much simpler to hook up and unhook, and also gives proportional braking in all situations.

BTW, mine is set up so that if I come to a slow stop, it doesn't apply the brakes at all. If there's much traffic, I try to stop fast enough to apply the brakes so my factory brake lights come on as well as the extra towing lights. More light, more safety IMHO.

[Newmar2856]

We’ve towed two CRV’s with a Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar and it’s been problem free. We used a Brake Buddy while towing the CRV’s. Now we use a Invisibrake with our Ranger.

I’ll probably take a few barbs and arrows for this one, but I’ve read of far too many failures with Blue Ox tow bars on this forum and would stay away from them myself.

[Dutch Star Don]

A few to choose from....but we've been using Roadmaster tow bars (3 of them) and base plates (6 of them) since 2010.

[Ponygail]

I just read my automatic all-wheel drive 2019 Honda CRV owner’s manual and it says that the vehicle is not designed to be towed behind a motor home. Does that mean I have to put it on a trailer?

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by Ponygail

I just read my automatic all-wheel drive 2019 Honda CRV owner’s manual and it says that the vehicle is not designed to be towed behind a motor home. Does that mean I have to put it on a trailer?

That or remove the driveshaft and use a dolly. I do not know whether the 2019 transmission cares whether the driveshaft is installed for driving the car. Earlier (non-CVT) ones worked fine with or without the driveshaft, which let us tow them on a dolly until we went 4-down with a tow bar. I took out the driveshaft in the spring and reinstalled it in the fall. To me, removing and reinstalling the driveshaft on the road would be way too much trouble.

We bought our CR-V specifically to use as a toad for $6K. We have since towed it more miles than we've driven it.

[theroc]

Right, I have heard of people removing the driveshaft on newer CR-Vs. It essentially makes the car front-wheel-drive (FWD) but I'm not sure which years you're able to do that. As n2zon has said, I think that you'd still have to use a tow dolly and can't flat tow it no matter. I'm sure others here on the forum would know much more about doing that than I do so hopefully you'll get some more input.

At least you should research it a bit before buying a new car or a trailer. A dolly would most likely be easier to stow at a campsite anyway and would definitely be cheaper than having to buy a trailer.

Can You Drive a Honda CR-V Without a Driveshaft?

[Newmar2856]

Didn’t realize it was a 2019. If you read the manual, it needs to be trailered to tow.

[Ponygail]

Thanks for all your responses. New plan is to trade cars with my daughter (2015 Chevy Equinox, flat towable). Dealer sells Blue Ox, which he will set up for the toad.