Community Forums

Tim R · 06-09-2015, 06:24 PM

I have a few questions about towing a car behind a coach?

1. I have a Fleetwood Discovery with
a 330 Cat

2 Want to tow a car on the ground no
Dolly or trailer.

3. Do you need to put a breaking
System in the car ?

4. What is the best type vehicle to
tow ? What about Transmission ?

Mr_D · 06-09-2015, 06:25 PM

3. YES! Some states require it, others do not and others go by weight and some, like CA, OR and WA go by a performance standard. The problem is that you must be legal in EVERY state you go into or through. There is no reciprocity on braking requirements like there is on insurance and drivers licenses.
4. The Honda CR-V used to be a good choice, but the 2015's are no longer towable four down. All Jeeps with the right transmission are as are a lot of Ford and Chevy products.

CampingCajun · 06-09-2015, 06:28 PM

You will need the brakes to function. A lot of folks tow a Jeep Wrangler (including myself). They are very easy to tow, a couple of steps & your ready to go, nothing special needed for the auto or manual transmission.

Arch Hoagland · 06-09-2015, 06:31 PM

You should put a braking system on your car.

It's best to tow a car that was originally designed to be towable rather than modifying the vehicle although many people have added pumps or driveline disconnects to make a car towable.

Remco will tell you if a car is towable or is able to be modified to tow.

Store : Remco

normandlegra · 06-09-2015, 06:31 PM

Here is a list of 2006 cars that can be towed on 4 wheels...
There is a list for every year needed from the same source

youyou_2006.pdf

B52Guy · 06-09-2015, 06:43 PM

I had a 275 CAT on my previous motorhome. It did a great job pushing me around....until I hooked up my CRV and started towing it. Suddenly my "nimble" 36' motorhome was lethargic and it downshifted at even a hint of a slight upgrade. If I was in your position I would search high and low for the lightest toad I could live with. I really think such an effort would pay great dividends over the long haul. Good luck!

Bigd9 · 06-09-2015, 07:59 PM

Good evening Tim, we have a Discovery with the 330 Cat engine and we tow a 09 Honda CRV. I use the M&G Engineering brake system. There are many brake systems and and everyone here probably have their favorites. Personally I would not want to drive the highways and byways without a toad braking system.

What year and model is your 40 foot Discovery? How long have you had it? What part of the country are you from?

TMan59 · 06-09-2015, 08:16 PM

In response to the braking issue.
My first thought when we were in the same spot as you are, getting a toad for 4 down was my coach will stop just fine without one.
Which it will.
But in the case of a break away, it is not anything that can be cured without a breaking system on the toad. I could not handle it if something did happen and I had not made the effort to avoid that situation.
Get a braking system.

**TonyDi** · 06-09-2015, 09:00 PM

This is a good article that sums up why you should have a supplemental braking system on a towed vehicle.

Why Supplemental Brakes? - RV Information (RV Maintenance)

ShapeShifter · 06-10-2015, 09:48 AM

The laws regarding toad braking systems vary widely. However, there is one law that does not vary - the law of physics. You can't get away from it: if you add a significant amount of weight (a toad) to your vehicle, it WILL take longer to stop. Under normal conditions, it may not matter. But what really matters is that unusual situation where you have to stop right NOW! Will you stop in time? Maybe, maybe not. But with a toad braking system you will stop sooner than if you don't have one, and that shorter stopping distance could make a huge difference when it really counts.

There are a lot of different braking systems, but they boil down to two main types: those that need to be installed/removed every time you drive, and those that don't. The removable ones are easy to install the first time, but you have to install and remove them EVERY time you hook up and disconnect. The non-removable ones take much more effort in their initial installation, and are harder (but not impossible) to move to a new vehicle, but once that's done, you're done, and you don't have to struggle with the unit every time you hook/unhook.

I see friends spend five minutes with the braking system every time they hook/unhook, and they have to lug this heavy box and store it somewhere. On the other hand, all I have to do is snap on the break-away cable and I'm done in seconds. I think spending the time to install it once is well worth the effort, and something I strongly recommend.

Tim R · 06-10-2015, 05:25 PM

I have a 2004 Fleetwood Discovery 39 L 33 Cat

Snomas1 · 06-10-2015, 07:29 PM

I have towed about 60K miles on my Dutch Star and always use a brake system. I towed a Honda Odyssey 4400# and now a Explorer 4800#. It's safer and gives me piece of mind.

flynnwalter · 06-10-2015, 08:33 PM

Tim R
While there may be some states that do not require a supplemental braking system, most do--as does Canada. Get one. Liability can be an issue with big motorhomes as folks assume anyone with a coach has big bucks=fair game, and there have been suits against owners even when the accident was not the motorhome driver. Not having a supplemental braking system has been construed as some form of gross negligence by ambulance chasing lawyers and their ilk. Family Motor Coach Assoc. has a monthly magazine that annually lists the 4 wheel down tow cars for the year. Great resource and you should join FMCA if for no other reason than your membership qualifies you for FMCAssist, which means they will get your coach back home if you are unable to drive. FMCA is for motor coach and motorhome owners. Motorcoach articles, motor home blogs, motor coach advice and motorhome videos. You might also want to join Monacoers@yahoogroups.com for good technical info sharing. Good luck!