When does towing a car (toad) make sense?

[skyl4rk]

If you are driving a van, when does it make sense to tow a small car?

Does it depend on the number of miles of travelling you are going to do?

Or how often you will be moving?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

As I see it, big RVs pull a toad for two reasons:

So they don't have to break camp to go to town for supplies.

And so they don't have to try to maneuver a big RV around in traffic, deal with the hassle of finding parking spots in cities, and so on while out sightseeing or visiting people.

I don't see how the second reason would apply if you have a van.  I suppose the first MIGHT apply, if you want the van to just sit someplace for a month or so.

Theoretically, some people might think the toad would get better gas mileage, but you'd have to do a lot of driving to make up for the extra expense of insurance, maintenance, etc.

Finally, some people pull a jeep so they can get back into places they can't get an RV.  A van would already go a lot of places an RV couldn't.

Regards
John

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Keep in mind that it can cost anywhere from a grand to 2 or 3 grand to set a car up to be a toad - and that's IF it can be flat towed, which a lot of cars can't.

You need the tow bar and mounting plate for the car, you need a way of getting the tail and brake lights to work as if they were trailer lights, and you USUALLY have to get it so the car's BRAKES work when you step on the tow vehicles brakes.

Most cars with automatic transmissions can't be flat towed - the transmission would be damaged because the internal parts are rotated by the driveshaft,  but the transmission oil pump usually doesn't run if the engine isn't running.

Regards
John

 

[Almost There]

If you are driving a van, when does it make sense to tow a small car?

Does it depend on the number of miles of travelling you are going to do?

Or how often you will be moving?

IMO, if you're driving a van, it never makes sense to tow a small car!

The price of the toad, insurance and maintenance on 2 vehicles, depreciation, cost of setting up both vehicles for towing all add up.

And then there's the issues of length of the combination and time spent connecting and disconnecting the toad.

One of the most important reasons people choose to use a van instead of a Class C or larger RV is so that one doesn't have to tow a toad.

 

[B and C]

There is yet another reason.  The toad as a scout vehicle (and grocery getter, etc).  Drive the toad to explore new places you want to camp to see if you think you can get your living quarters there.  It would not be fun to have to back a mile or two if there is no place to turn a larger vehicle around or find a big washout that can't be driven through.  Road conditions can be checked and see if there is anything resembling a level parking spot for camp too.

I tow a GEO Tracker 4WD convertible for all the above reasons.  It is not much larger than some of the side-by-side ATV's out there and parking?  Easy peasy almost anywhere.  Visit a trailhead 5 miles away?  Why break camp to have to come back and setup again?

It may be a hassle to tow at times, but it sure makes up for it when you get to where you are going to camp.

 

[compassrose]

Keep in mind that it can cost anywhere from a grand to 2 or 3 grand to set a car up to be a toad - and that's IF it can be flat towed, which a lot of cars can't.

You need the tow bar and mounting plate for the car, you need a way of getting the tail and brake lights to work as if they were trailer lights, and you USUALLY have to get it so the car's BRAKES work when you step on the tow vehicles brakes.

Most cars with automatic transmissions can't be flat towed - the transmission would be damaged because the internal parts are rotated by the driveshaft,  but the transmission oil pump usually doesn't run if the engine isn't running.

Regards
John

www.hitchtrader.com for USED towing equipment. I bought the Stowmaster towbar and the hidden mounting brackets for my Jeep there back in 2006 so I could tow the Jeep with the Class C (now I tow with the bus). Still have them on the Jeep. Still tow the Jeep 4 down. Since my Jeep is odd about it's electrical, I bought a trailer light kit from Wal-Mart and an additional "set" of trailer wiring plugs. I made an uber long wiring harness with the plugs. It plugs into the RV/Bus connection at the ball. The harness is threaded from the rear of the RV/bus to the front of the Jeep thru two aluminum carabiner links in the grill, up over the hood, under one of the windshield wiper arms, under the two cargo racks bars on the roof, down the rear glass, under the rear wiper arm. I have a trailer light kit (with a plug on the end) mounted to the motorcycle carrier I use for the scooter. I used to have a hitchhaul mounted on the back of the Jeep with the lights on it. Both the hitchhaul and the motorcycle carrier tend to carry things that may or may not block my tail lights, I can plug the trailer light kit into either the Jeep (when not being towed) or the uber long harness which is then plugged into the RV/Bus. If the Jeep breaks down, the towbar is always on it. The light harness is always inside the Jeep. The carrier is always on the back of the Jeep (I can't get it off, some fool hit the carrier 3 times trying to get out of a parking slip) with the lights on it. I have had the Jeep towed by my daughters Jeep several times. Handy having the lights there ready to just plug in the harness.

That is the set up I use. I paid far less than $1000 for my set up, harness and lights included. I have well under $500 invested in the set up.

For anyone interested in buying a used towing set up, buy the hitch mounts first. These are vehicle specific and harder to find than just the tow bar. Next buy the tow bar. You want one that is rated to tow your vehicle and one that a single person can hook up. People will steal the safty chain right off your tow bar, use threaded links and the glue for preventing the threaded from unthreading on the permanent mounted stuff (I "store" my tow bar on the Jeep 24/7/365... it hasn't been off the Jeep since it was put on there in Spring 2007). I use threaded links on the safety cable between the Jeep and whatever is towing it. I recently misplaced the cable and had to buy a chain. I use an open box wrench to tighten the link up good. It won't be unthreaded by hand only. Research the tow bars well. The Stowmaster 5000 I bought was rated for 6000 lb vehicles. My Jeep weighs 5,500 lbs. NOW the newer Stowmaster 5000 is rated for 5000 lbs. They changed the rating a few years after I bought mine.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I notice, CR, that you didn't say anything about tying your tow vehicle and toad's  BRAKES together.  Which makes sense, as your skoolie has ample braking to handle the toad's extra weight.  But for someone who wants to pull a toad with a van, well, I think he or she is going to be in a lot of trouble if they don't go for the toad brake setup as well. IMNPHO. YMMV.

Regards
John

 

[Terry]

there is a device that sets in the floor board of the drivers seat that will actuate the brakes on a toad.It is supposed to be connected to the tow vehicle like a set of tow lights I believe. Maybe called a brake buddy I think

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

there is a device that sets in the floor board of the drivers seat that will actuate the brakes on a toad.It is supposed to be connected to the tow vehicle like a set of tow lights I believe. Maybe called a brake buddy I think

Yup.  The wire that would operate the electric brakes on a trailer hooks up to it.  Some of the better brands can cost a grand or more, new.

Here's one example:

http://blueox.com/recreational-commercial-flat-towing/braking-systems/brk2010-brk2012-patriot/

Regards
John

 

[compassrose]

I notice, CR, that you didn't say anything about tying your tow vehicle and toad's  BRAKES together.  Which makes sense, as your skoolie has ample braking to handle the toad's extra weight.  But for someone who wants to pull a toad with a van, well, I think he or she is going to be in a lot of trouble if they don't go for the toad brake setup as well. IMNPHO. YMMV.

Regards
John

I do not have a braking system on the Jeep. The bus is more than capable of stopping the Jeep. With the Class C.... it is a 2 ton vehicle. It has no problem stopping the Jeep. Since I do not have any experience in using a braking system, I do not mention them.

 

[compassrose]

Towing Laws by State/Province

And yes, based on current laws (they change all the time) I should have a braking system. But I didn't used to.

 

[highdesertranger]

I use my 4wheeler/quad for all the things people use a toad for. however I am in the rural west. this is quite common here, most of the small towns I am around have no problems with this. in fact most encourage it. in fact in AZ you can make them street legal, with your very own license plate. so unless you are getting better than 50 MPG this makes more sense. highdesertranger

 

[BC Guy]

Effective Nov. 1, 2015, quads must be licensed in B.C.
http://www.abbynews.com/news/337270021.html

 

[DannyB1954]

It cost me about $3k to setup my Dodge Dakota brakes to work behind my 30' Class A, (including the tow bar). There is a vacuum pump and a compressor. The vacuum pump supplies the break booster, and the compressor applies force to the break pedal. My truck is 4 wheel drive, so putting the transfer case into neutral makes it towable.

In hindsight, a tow dolly with electric brakes or a car trailer would have been a better deal. Those can be used on multiple vehicles. Want a dune buggy this trip? NP. Want a motorcycle or moped? NP. Want an ATV, heck, take two.

 

[mockturtle]

With a big RV, it's just practical, for all the reasons Optimistic Paranoid mentioned. With a small RV like mine, totally unnecessary.

 

[buckwilk]

I bought my tow bar from Harbor Freight, $65, had the tabs welded on the Jeep Cherokee, $70, wired it myself. The Jeep is an automatic and I tow it flat with no problems. The factory for some makes do not recommend towing their vehicles. Toyota, Nissan for example. Many western states allow quads and side bys to be licensed and driven on the street. They are however restricted as to which roads they can use. The nice thing about a toad is being able to set camp and still explore the area over days or weeks. Yes, it is more expensive, if your budget can handle it I and thousands of others recommend it.