RV Toads, Motorhomes, Tow Cars

If you are an RV enthusiast and have travel frequently with your motorhome, you’ll no doubt appreciate the convenience of having a “smaller” vehicle with you. While your motorhome is setup at camp, a toad-car allows you to run errands, and do some sightseeing without having to pack up your motorhome. Having a toad will save fuel and allow you to park anywhere without the inconvenience of finding a parking spot for a motorhome.

There are a few methods available for towing your personal vehicle :

TOAD / DINGHY

A toad (or dinghy) is a term used to refer to a vehicle that is being towed behind another vehicle while all four wheels are on the ground. There are several things to consider when selecting a toad and getting a vehicle equipped to become a toad.

• Weight – The lighter the tow vehicle, the better. This will help decrease the stopping distance as the added weight will make it more difficult to stop as the vehicle gets heavier.
• Reverse – It is very difficult to back-up a motorhome with a toad attached. You may get into situations where you’ll need to back-up however, I would recommend detaching the toad prior to going backwards.
• Modifications and Equipment – Most vehicles on the road today will require some modifications before they can be towed “4 wheels down”. Expect to add an additional $2,000 – $3,000 to equip your vehicle. Consider the following :
  • Braking system : A braking system is a device that allows the towed vehicle to apply the brakes when the motorhome’s brakes have been applied. Without a braking system, any sudden stop could cause the tow vehicle to jackknife and cause significant damage to both vehicles and the towing system.
  • Deflector shield : The shield will protect your towed vehicle from rock chips or any other debris that your motorhome may kick up.
  • Drive shaft disconnect : A drive shaft disconnect is a device that allows your wheels to spin freely while the transmission is “in park”. On automatic transmissions cars, this is an alternative to using a lube pump.
  • Lube pump : If your tow car has an automatic transmission, significant damage can occur if the moving parts in the transmission aren’t lubricated. The lube pump typically mounts to the firewall of the tow car and circulates the transmission fluid while the vehicle is in tow (and in neutral).
  • Tow bar : The tow bar is mounted to the tow vehicle and connects to the motorhome via a standard 2″ trailer hitch. There are several tow bars on the market, and some that will bolt onto the frame of your car without having to cut / modify your tow vehicle.
  • Wiring harness : All lights on your tow vehicle will need to be connected to the motorhome. Signal lights, brake lights and tail lights will need to be connected via a wiring harness from the motorhome to the towed vehicle.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Four wheels down, Towing Methods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.