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Started By
Message
Towing a vehicle with a class B/C motor home....
Posted on 4/22/24 at 7:28 pm
Posted on 4/22/24 at 7:28 pm
Will start looking this week, any info/experience would be appreciated.
Have you?
Can I?
What motorhome?
What vehicle?
Should the vehicle be the determining factor on motorhome?
Or should the motorhome drive what vehicle I buy?
I have a feeling it will be the motorhome that is the driving factor.
Travel alone and don't plan excepting a region thus B/C smaller is good.
Just got back from two weeks in and around Rapid City S. Dakota and it was great but wanted to extend past two weeks but needed a break. Felt like in a Motor Home or Camper could have had this break and extended the trip.
I do not know anything about Motorhomes so please take it slow as if I"m five.
5,928 miles...
Have you?
Can I?
What motorhome?
What vehicle?
Should the vehicle be the determining factor on motorhome?
Or should the motorhome drive what vehicle I buy?
I have a feeling it will be the motorhome that is the driving factor.
Travel alone and don't plan excepting a region thus B/C smaller is good.
Just got back from two weeks in and around Rapid City S. Dakota and it was great but wanted to extend past two weeks but needed a break. Felt like in a Motor Home or Camper could have had this break and extended the trip.
I do not know anything about Motorhomes so please take it slow as if I"m five.
5,928 miles...
6
Posted on 4/22/24 at 7:33 pm to bengalfan50
I see it all the time, usually a smaller car , suv or jeep being towed
Posted on 4/22/24 at 7:47 pm to bengalfan50
Not all vehicles can be flat towed, do your research and then go shopping. In order to tow legally you also have to set up a braking system in the towed car.
We have towed a Jeep Cherokee before and you really do need the braking system
We have towed a Jeep Cherokee before and you really do need the braking system
Posted on 4/23/24 at 9:45 am to Barneyrb
The wife and I live in a Super C motorhome full time. It has a 15k tow rating so we tow a 2022 4X4 F150.
I haven't seen anyone pull a separate vehicle with a B, I think it's too small to tow anything.
You will notice small class C's only tow the smallest of cars so I'm guessing they have a 5k rating.
Class A's usually have a 7-10K tow rating.
Whatever motorhome your interested in look at the tow rating then get a vehicle that fits. Look at the paper work not what a salesman says. As was mentioned only certain vehicles can be flat towed and it can cost upwards of $5,000 to outfit a vehicle to be towed. Somewhere on the internet there is a list of what can be towed.
I haven't seen anyone pull a separate vehicle with a B, I think it's too small to tow anything.
You will notice small class C's only tow the smallest of cars so I'm guessing they have a 5k rating.
Class A's usually have a 7-10K tow rating.
Whatever motorhome your interested in look at the tow rating then get a vehicle that fits. Look at the paper work not what a salesman says. As was mentioned only certain vehicles can be flat towed and it can cost upwards of $5,000 to outfit a vehicle to be towed. Somewhere on the internet there is a list of what can be towed.
Posted on 4/23/24 at 11:07 am to bengalfan50
We have a class C (32 foot V-10 Gas) and it has about a 10,000 pound towing capacity, if memory serves. That is based on the camper itself being dry...which means empty. It never is...its always full of shite as most are. We have flat towed 2 different vehicles behind it...a 2014 Honda CRV and a 2006 Mini Cooper Convertible. The Honda weighed around 3500 pounds and the Mini weighs less than 3000. I have also pulled a 8.5X20X10 enclosed decoy trailer behind the RV as well as a 7.5X16 dual axle flat bed trailer with a 26 foot Bass Tracker aluminum bass boat on its trailer on the flat bed. All of this has been in the rockies, the cascades and the smokies. It basically towed all of this without any difficulty...could not really tell there was a trailer behind it. Again, the camper was loaded WAY past its capacity...the camper itself is close to the chasis capacity, add a bunch of folks, water, gas, food etc and it doesn't take long to overload one. I drive it slow, almost never exceeding 70 (my wife will wind the bastard up and let it loose but I have a brain). It has never gave us a minutes problem...never heating up, brakes never heating up...you just have to keep in mind that it is a heavy assed vehicle and not a sports car.
The biggest thing with towing is buying something to tow which can be flat towed without a dolly...the dolly adds a lot of weight and makes having a 'toad" (as the towed vehicle is called) more trouble than its worth. Our tow bar has an integral braking system that basically pulls the brake pedal in the vehicle. This means we can hook it up, tow it, and when we are ready to drive it we simply unhook it and drive away. Other systems require a box inside the toad which must be removed to use the toad. That is also a pain in the arse...making it more trouble than its worth.
Relatively few modern vehicles can be flat towed without disconnecting the drive shaft. There are various reasons for this but it makes most vehicles unsuitable for flat towing. I may be wrong but just about any 4WD with a transfer case with a neutral position can be flat towed (think full and midsize US 4WD pickups and full sized SUVs). These tend to be very heavy though. Most Jeep Wranglers can be flat towed, if not all. Most vehicles with a manual transmission CAN'T be flat towed...I know that is crazy but simply knocking it ouf of gear is fine for a few miles at 30 MPH but 250 at 65 will destroy most transmissions without disconnecting the drive shaft. This a pretty good site to determine if a vehicle can be flat towed but it is not comprehensive...some on the list have specific requirements...its best to check the owners manual of the vehicle...if it has a "recreational towing" section odds are it can be flat towed...
Toad Guide
The absolute all time best toad, other than a Jeep Wrangler...which is surprisingly heavy...is a 2014 or older Honda CRV. They are lightweight and can be flat towed by simply hooking them up, knocking them out of gear (neutral) and driving away. It took us about 5 minutes to hook up and unhook after some practice. They are getting hard to find and low mileage ones are highly sought by folks wanting to flat tow them but if you can find one it is hands down the best Toad ever built...any research will back that up and asking folks who have had one and had tried to flat tow anything else will agree. They ain't sexy but the are hands down the best toad ever. Honda changed the transmission in the 2015 year model and they are no longer suitable for flat towing.
Finally, even though we have a toad (mini) and the towing equipment we seldom do it any more. It is far more convenient to simply park the camper, Uber to a car rental agency or drive the camper to the rental agency and rent a car. There are a bunch of reasons why towing a vehicle behind a motorhome is a pain in the arse...its convenient, especially if you do not have to disconnect a drive shaft or a brake box etc. but we found renting a car was far more convenient. Keep in mind that towing a car 3 feet behind a giant box at 70 MPH will sling all manner of shite into the car from the road....our mini and our CRV looked like it had been beat with a ball pean hammer and sand blasted....and we have mud flaps that drag the ground across the entire back of the camper. All Toads eventually get some damage from towing....or at least everyone I ever knew had issues with it. Its a pain in the arse....
The biggest thing with towing is buying something to tow which can be flat towed without a dolly...the dolly adds a lot of weight and makes having a 'toad" (as the towed vehicle is called) more trouble than its worth. Our tow bar has an integral braking system that basically pulls the brake pedal in the vehicle. This means we can hook it up, tow it, and when we are ready to drive it we simply unhook it and drive away. Other systems require a box inside the toad which must be removed to use the toad. That is also a pain in the arse...making it more trouble than its worth.
Relatively few modern vehicles can be flat towed without disconnecting the drive shaft. There are various reasons for this but it makes most vehicles unsuitable for flat towing. I may be wrong but just about any 4WD with a transfer case with a neutral position can be flat towed (think full and midsize US 4WD pickups and full sized SUVs). These tend to be very heavy though. Most Jeep Wranglers can be flat towed, if not all. Most vehicles with a manual transmission CAN'T be flat towed...I know that is crazy but simply knocking it ouf of gear is fine for a few miles at 30 MPH but 250 at 65 will destroy most transmissions without disconnecting the drive shaft. This a pretty good site to determine if a vehicle can be flat towed but it is not comprehensive...some on the list have specific requirements...its best to check the owners manual of the vehicle...if it has a "recreational towing" section odds are it can be flat towed...
Toad Guide
The absolute all time best toad, other than a Jeep Wrangler...which is surprisingly heavy...is a 2014 or older Honda CRV. They are lightweight and can be flat towed by simply hooking them up, knocking them out of gear (neutral) and driving away. It took us about 5 minutes to hook up and unhook after some practice. They are getting hard to find and low mileage ones are highly sought by folks wanting to flat tow them but if you can find one it is hands down the best Toad ever built...any research will back that up and asking folks who have had one and had tried to flat tow anything else will agree. They ain't sexy but the are hands down the best toad ever. Honda changed the transmission in the 2015 year model and they are no longer suitable for flat towing.
Finally, even though we have a toad (mini) and the towing equipment we seldom do it any more. It is far more convenient to simply park the camper, Uber to a car rental agency or drive the camper to the rental agency and rent a car. There are a bunch of reasons why towing a vehicle behind a motorhome is a pain in the arse...its convenient, especially if you do not have to disconnect a drive shaft or a brake box etc. but we found renting a car was far more convenient. Keep in mind that towing a car 3 feet behind a giant box at 70 MPH will sling all manner of shite into the car from the road....our mini and our CRV looked like it had been beat with a ball pean hammer and sand blasted....and we have mud flaps that drag the ground across the entire back of the camper. All Toads eventually get some damage from towing....or at least everyone I ever knew had issues with it. Its a pain in the arse....
Posted on 4/23/24 at 8:03 pm to AwgustaDawg
Thanks man that is great info!
Posted on 4/23/24 at 9:06 pm to bengalfan50
If it’s just you then get a welder to build a motorcycle rack for the hitch. My Dad had two mopeds on the back of his camper he would bring tailgating.
Posted on 4/24/24 at 9:16 am to Dickaroos
quote:
If it’s just you then get a welder to build a motorcycle rack for the hitch. My Dad had two mopeds on the back of his camper he would bring tailgating.
This is SOUND advice. Mopeds or even electric bicycles would be ideal for most RV owners. I may be biased about the bikes though 'cause I want one BAD LOL....but it seems like a viable alternative.
Posted on 4/24/24 at 9:25 am to Barneyrb
quote:
Not all vehicles can be flat towed, do your research and then go shopping. In order to tow legally you also have to set up a braking system in the towed car.
We have towed a Jeep Cherokee before and you really do need the braking system
If memory serves Arkansas is the only state which does not require a braking system for ANY vehicle towed. Our Mini Cooper is lighter than my boat, decoy trailer, utility trailer with the tractor...I can pull them without brakes (they all have electric brakes though) but can't pull the Mini. Our towbar has a cable to the brake pedal....with the Honda or the Mini I never knew if the brakes were working or not....I know they don't work when they ain't connected LOL...I have done that a few times. I tried to pull a 1996 Tahoe once without brakes hooked up and it did it but it was dodgy. As light as the Mini is the brakes don't make much if any difference. The Honda CRV was the same. I suspect on a big diesel pusher class a even a full sized truck or SUV is unoticeable.
Posted on 4/24/24 at 9:42 am to bengalfan50
Unless you have a need for something different, save all kinds of headache and plan on towing a Wrangler. There's no steering wheel lock and they take 60 seconds to put the transfer case in neutral. You almost can't screw it up.
4 door Jeep is over 5K lbs so if you are a stickler for the rules, you would probably need to drop to a 2 door if you were trying to town it behind a class B. I suspect any Class C would be fine pulling a 4 door.
As someone else pointed out, you're probably going to be overweight regardless on any Class B/C if you load it up. Heck half the Class A's without tag axles are running overweight too...
My Class A stops just fine without supplemental braking on but it's a jerk move to run without a safety mechanism if the towed vehicle separated so to me this isn't optional. Legally it's required pretty much everywhere anyway.
4 door Jeep is over 5K lbs so if you are a stickler for the rules, you would probably need to drop to a 2 door if you were trying to town it behind a class B. I suspect any Class C would be fine pulling a 4 door.
As someone else pointed out, you're probably going to be overweight regardless on any Class B/C if you load it up. Heck half the Class A's without tag axles are running overweight too...
My Class A stops just fine without supplemental braking on but it's a jerk move to run without a safety mechanism if the towed vehicle separated so to me this isn't optional. Legally it's required pretty much everywhere anyway.
Posted on 4/24/24 at 9:42 am to bengalfan50
I didn't read the part about you being alone most if not all the time.
Class Cs are bigger and surprisingly cheaper than class Bs for some reason. Class Bs are probably more economical....our motor home gets 6 mpg and only has a 40 gallon gas tank. With the generator running we usually have to stop every 150 miles or so....which makes getting anywhere damn near impossible LOL. The generator will run out of gas somewhere between 1/4 and 3/8s of a tank so we have to fill up at a half a tank...thus the 150 mile range. I do not know but I would bet that most class bs will push 10 or more MPG. They are more expensive though....late model low mileage class c motorhomes are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.
Its probably also easier to find parking for most class Bs. We have one in our neighborhood and the HOA has never said a word about it being in their driveway because it looks like a big van. I can't drive ours past the entrance to our neighborhood without getting a nasty letter in the mail from the HOA (which I completely ignore). We spend a lot of nights in parking lots....which is getting more and more regulated. We have never been run off but we have had the police tell us we had to leave a few times...we did not leave but they told us we had to. It would probably be possible to spend the night on the side of a street in a city in most class Bs without too much trouble. Many of them just look like a big van. If it were just the 2 of us we would probably go that route...we bought our class c when our kids still liked us so we needed the room but now that they are nearly grown and hate us a station wagon with some blankets in the back would serve our purposes.
I do not know that I have ever seen a class B with a toad behind it. Most are built on one ton chasis where most class cs are built on 1.5 to 2 ton chasis. The smaller class Bs are probably about maxed out with the camper addition...most class Cs are nearly maxed out. I do not know that for certain though,
If I were buying just for me and the wife I would go Class B....depending of course on what kind of fuel mileage it got....6 MPG in our Class C certainly makes you think when planning a trip.
My sister and BIL have asked me about traveling in a MH in retirement and my advice is to buy a small. fuel efficient car or SUV, join all of the hotel chain loyalty programs, get a credit card with good cash back terms for travel and forget about the camper. It is great to have your stuff with you and there is nothing like waking up in the middle of nowhere with a lake right at your feet BUT it is a pretty expensive way to travel and if seeing the sights is the goal a car and a hotel room adjacent to or in a national park works about as well.
Class Cs are bigger and surprisingly cheaper than class Bs for some reason. Class Bs are probably more economical....our motor home gets 6 mpg and only has a 40 gallon gas tank. With the generator running we usually have to stop every 150 miles or so....which makes getting anywhere damn near impossible LOL. The generator will run out of gas somewhere between 1/4 and 3/8s of a tank so we have to fill up at a half a tank...thus the 150 mile range. I do not know but I would bet that most class bs will push 10 or more MPG. They are more expensive though....late model low mileage class c motorhomes are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.
Its probably also easier to find parking for most class Bs. We have one in our neighborhood and the HOA has never said a word about it being in their driveway because it looks like a big van. I can't drive ours past the entrance to our neighborhood without getting a nasty letter in the mail from the HOA (which I completely ignore). We spend a lot of nights in parking lots....which is getting more and more regulated. We have never been run off but we have had the police tell us we had to leave a few times...we did not leave but they told us we had to. It would probably be possible to spend the night on the side of a street in a city in most class Bs without too much trouble. Many of them just look like a big van. If it were just the 2 of us we would probably go that route...we bought our class c when our kids still liked us so we needed the room but now that they are nearly grown and hate us a station wagon with some blankets in the back would serve our purposes.
I do not know that I have ever seen a class B with a toad behind it. Most are built on one ton chasis where most class cs are built on 1.5 to 2 ton chasis. The smaller class Bs are probably about maxed out with the camper addition...most class Cs are nearly maxed out. I do not know that for certain though,
If I were buying just for me and the wife I would go Class B....depending of course on what kind of fuel mileage it got....6 MPG in our Class C certainly makes you think when planning a trip.
My sister and BIL have asked me about traveling in a MH in retirement and my advice is to buy a small. fuel efficient car or SUV, join all of the hotel chain loyalty programs, get a credit card with good cash back terms for travel and forget about the camper. It is great to have your stuff with you and there is nothing like waking up in the middle of nowhere with a lake right at your feet BUT it is a pretty expensive way to travel and if seeing the sights is the goal a car and a hotel room adjacent to or in a national park works about as well.
Posted on 4/24/24 at 9:23 pm to AwgustaDawg
I have toad vehicles for about 65 thousand miles and watched thousands of folks hitch and unhitch.
Your best location for toad information is the Forest River rv blog, vehicle tow threads. Many years of experience there and all of it is fervently discussed.
My first toad was a 2001 s-10 auto transmission. I had a drive shaft disconnect installed to tow 4 down. Really bad solution.Disconnect was stuck 75 per cent of time The ignition had to be in the on position to allow the steering to track. Ran down the battery if left on more than 6 hours. I failed to put the ignition on one time and drug the tread off the front tires in 1.4 miles.
My second toad was a 2012 Colorado 4 wheel drive. Ignition key did not lock the steering. Push two buttons to get the transfer case in neutral. The 4000 pound weight was within the class A specs for weight. I did no auxiliary or breakaway systems, not required in texas within the motor home specs. Avoided a bunch of sensor, tuning, calibration issues. Trailer hitch was backed up by frame to frame redundant safety cables. I wired the toad with a boat trailer harness and added tail lite assemblies to the rear bumper.
I could do a complete hook up/disconnect in about 5 minutes depending on my accuracy in positioning the two vehicles.
A couple parameters.... When traveling in other states, your home state law determines the towing requirements. East of the Mississippi, most states will specify braking equipment that must be in stalled. West of the Mississippi there is a tendency to use a performance standard for stopping.
distance.
Flat towing or dolly towing is a poor choice. At each camp ground you will have disconnect, unload because the pad length will not allow the combined length of mh and trailer. Typically takes 25-30 minutes. If you are traveling, that takes an hour out of each day.
Aux brakes or not, is a very heated issue beware of die hards. But remember that breakaway emergency brakes, may stop the toad in your lane, on coming lane or the school yard. ya don't know.
Federal campgrounds in the west are dated in the 50-60's period and are generally sized for a 30-35 foot rig. Plan accordingly.
Traveled the west for 10 years, twice driving to anchorage. Been over the high rockies, and my limitation was air for the engine at 13000 feet. Ford v-10, 6 miles per gallon.
I would do it all over again if I were 10 years younger
Your best location for toad information is the Forest River rv blog, vehicle tow threads. Many years of experience there and all of it is fervently discussed.
My first toad was a 2001 s-10 auto transmission. I had a drive shaft disconnect installed to tow 4 down. Really bad solution.Disconnect was stuck 75 per cent of time The ignition had to be in the on position to allow the steering to track. Ran down the battery if left on more than 6 hours. I failed to put the ignition on one time and drug the tread off the front tires in 1.4 miles.
My second toad was a 2012 Colorado 4 wheel drive. Ignition key did not lock the steering. Push two buttons to get the transfer case in neutral. The 4000 pound weight was within the class A specs for weight. I did no auxiliary or breakaway systems, not required in texas within the motor home specs. Avoided a bunch of sensor, tuning, calibration issues. Trailer hitch was backed up by frame to frame redundant safety cables. I wired the toad with a boat trailer harness and added tail lite assemblies to the rear bumper.
I could do a complete hook up/disconnect in about 5 minutes depending on my accuracy in positioning the two vehicles.
A couple parameters.... When traveling in other states, your home state law determines the towing requirements. East of the Mississippi, most states will specify braking equipment that must be in stalled. West of the Mississippi there is a tendency to use a performance standard for stopping.
distance.
Flat towing or dolly towing is a poor choice. At each camp ground you will have disconnect, unload because the pad length will not allow the combined length of mh and trailer. Typically takes 25-30 minutes. If you are traveling, that takes an hour out of each day.
Aux brakes or not, is a very heated issue beware of die hards. But remember that breakaway emergency brakes, may stop the toad in your lane, on coming lane or the school yard. ya don't know.
Federal campgrounds in the west are dated in the 50-60's period and are generally sized for a 30-35 foot rig. Plan accordingly.
Traveled the west for 10 years, twice driving to anchorage. Been over the high rockies, and my limitation was air for the engine at 13000 feet. Ford v-10, 6 miles per gallon.
I would do it all over again if I were 10 years younger
Posted on 4/24/24 at 9:33 pm to clschwartz
All of this
Easiest/simplest toad is a Jeep Wrangler.
Although be warned, if you own a Jeep you're gay as per the OT.
I'll add, a Super C is the best-towing and safest RV going.
Easiest/simplest toad is a Jeep Wrangler.
Although be warned, if you own a Jeep you're gay as per the OT.
I'll add, a Super C is the best-towing and safest RV going.
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