Thursday, May 26, 2011

3rd trip......the toad dilemma or to tow or not to tow

We are leaving tomorrow for our first 3 nighter of the year.  Kim's dad is in from Kansas and will be going with us,  along with his 2 dogs.  That means my best 2 camping buddies,  Rebel and Zeus,  won't be going with us.  I hate pulling out of the driveway with Reb and Zeus not with us.
Anyway,  we usually don't tow on shorter trips,  but we plan on going to Quiet Vally Farm, so we will be taking the toad.   I thought I'd throw this post in,  just to give an ideal on what is required for towing a car behind a motorhome.
We tow 4 flat,  so my comments do not relate to towing with a dolly at all.
Our toad,   which is short for towable car,  is a 2010 Jeep Compass.  We ended up with the Jeep,  because the price couldn't be beat.   To tow,  we needed the 5 speed manual,  front wheel drive version.   Toad selection is very important and requires research.
it can be very expensive to set a car up for towing.   Tow bars and brackets,  brake controller,  toad lighting,  mud and stone flaps,  all stuff to consider when towing.  The price can add up,  but there is a way around the high cost.
We got our tow bar on Craigslist,  about a year before we got our toad.   We paid $100 for it,   compared to $596 new.  That leads us to the tow brackets.
We had to get brackets for our tow bar and also that would fit our car.   These were found on Ebay for just over $200,  compared to $350 to $500 new.
Brake controller.  we didn't go used here,  although we could have.  we went new on sale and paid $1100.
Mud flap was $80,  and I made an easily removable bracket myself from parts I had laying around.
Lights for toad.  From research,  the safest,  easiest,  and cheapest way is to get the kit which adds a bulb to your light housing.  This kit was only $56.
I was short on time when we needed the toad,   so I had our mechanic do the light wiring and bracket installation.   The cost for that was around $300.   I installed the plug for the lights,  the breakaway switch,  and the cigarette lighter on it's own fuse.  i would have done the complete wiring,  but I had 1 weekend before our Disney trip.
That's a basic outline of what is needed.  Kim and i can hook the toad up in minutes and be on our way.
We have had our Class C for 3 years now,  and it is nice to be able to have a way to get around if needed.
There is no reason to be intimidated on towing a car behind a motorhome.   Just remember it's back there,  and make sure you follow all your car's requirements to towing.
I'll add pics and maybe a video on setting up a toad.
Another post coming soon after our trip,  until then check out the forums on Camping Pa

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