How do you decide what is towable?

[Richbald]

We are considering switching from a travel trailer to a Class A motorized coach and towing a vehicle behind it. We'd love to be able to use our currently owned vehicles for a "toad", but don't even know what considerations we should have. We have no RV in mind yet. Our first question is what should we consider, and are either of our vehicles "toad-able"?

Vehicle 1 is a 2011 Kia Sportage, Front Wheel Drive, estimated at max 3,500 lbs.
Vehicle 2 is a 2015 F-150 Ford Lariat SuperCrew Cab, estimated weight Max 5000 lbs.

Could either of these be towable by a motor-coach? What other questions should we ask and consider?

[2Evil4U]

All I can offer is that many trucks today cannot be towed with wheels on the ground unless they are 4wd. Transfer case neutral is used in that case.

[Richbald]

So, since the F-150 has 4WD, it could be OK, at least for that consideration? I would like to row it with wheels on the ground, if it was right for the vehicles to do so. Thanks for your reply.

[Herowe]

A 4WD 2015 F-150 is towable with all 4 on the ground. Your owners manual has steps that you go through to put the transfer case in neutral.

Not sure about the Kia.

When you shop for the RV, you need to verify how much it will tow. Many of the gassers are limited to less than 5000 lbs.

[Richbald]

Thanks. That's great information. I'm learning

[RudysWorld]

Originally Posted by Richbald

We are considering switching from a travel trailer to a Class A motorized coach and towing a vehicle behind it. We'd love to be able to use our currently owned vehicles for a "toad", but don't even know what considerations we should have. We have no RV in mind yet. Our first question is what should we consider, and are either of our vehicles "toad-able"?

Vehicle 1 is a 2011 Kia Sportage, Front Wheel Drive, estimated at max 3,500 lbs.
Vehicle 2 is a 2015 F-150 Ford Lariat SuperCrew Cab, estimated weight Max 5000 lbs.

Could either of these be towable by a motor-coach? What other questions should we ask and consider?

According to Motorhome Magazine Kia Sportage only if it is manual transmission. The F150 with 4 wheel drive is flat towable. They are a great resource to check initially if a vehicle is flat towable but always check owners manual to be sure. Most owners manuals are available online to check. Normally there is a Tow category that is in the index. Below is link to dinghy guides:

Downloadable Dinghy Guides | MotorHome Magazine

We tow a Chevy Equinox with our Georgetown and love the setup! Good Luck!

[PenJoe]

Your veh 2 can be flat towed if it is FWD , but make sure your future RV tow veh is capable. The F150 super crew is a minimum 6,350 lbs and may go over 7,000. http://gas2.org/2014/10/08/2015-ford...ghts-revealed/ If towing the Ford, you should be looking for a TV with a minimum 7,500 lb hitch. Veh 1 would probably need a tow dolly.

[extxn]

Vehicle #1 is towable but since it's front wheel drive, would need a tow dolly with the rear wheels on the ground. Have seen many towing a car hauler trailer with the toad completely off the ground. Either way would be workable, just need to review the expense of how you'd like to go.
Vehicle #2, I'd definitely worry about 'short sheeting' when making tight turns even if it is towable with the transfer case in neutral.

[mnoland30]

I towed a 1969 F-150 to CA behind my U-Haul truck. I found out that if the towed vehicle is higher than the hitch, the towed vehicle wheels tended to turn to 90 degrees and stay there when I turned a corner. It would pretty much stop that U-haul in its tracks. The tow bar was attached with bolts through the bumper with big washers behind the bumper. One side almost tore through the bumper by the time we reached Berkeley. I had to replace the bumper.

It worked fine on the highway, but when I got to the city, I had to have my son steer the towed vehicle. On the way home, we towed the passenger car and my wife drove the F-150. No problems at all.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by mnoland30

I towed a 1969 F-150 to CA behind my U-Haul truck. I found out that if the towed vehicle is higher than the hitch, the towed vehicle wheels tended to turn to 90 degrees and stay there when I turned a corner. It would pretty much stop that U-haul in its tracks. The tow bar was attached with bolts through the bumper with big washers behind the bumper. One side almost tore through the bumper by the time we reached Berkeley. I had to replace the bumper.

It worked fine on the highway, but when I got to the city, I had to have my son steer the towed vehicle. On the way home, we towed the passenger car and my wife drove the F-150. No problems at all.

Really!! U Haul let you leave the Lot with that set up? Even More surprising is YOU drove it that way! Youroo!!

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Herowe

A 4WD 2015 F-150 is towable with all 4 on the ground. Your owners manual has steps that you go through to put the transfer case in neutral.

Not sure about the Kia.

When you shop for the RV, you need to verify how much it will tow. Many of the gassers are limited to less than 5000 lbs.

Our Sunseeker 2500TS is on a Ford E450 chassis. The tow capacity is listed as 7,500 lbs. We have a Silverado extended cab that would fall into those limits. Even though the TV has the tow capacity, we would be very reluctant to tow a full size 4-door pickup. In a perfect world, it would be okay. But in an emergency situation, not so much. We don't live in a perfect world.

There are a lot of the larger Class As out there pulling super cabs. The extra weight of a larger TV may help. Our toad is a 2012 Jeep Liberty. The E450 with V10 lopes along at 2600 rpms driving at 65 mph towing the Jeep. That is our comfort zone-and our safety zone. The Jeep was on the maximum threshhold by a few pounds for a 5000 lb tow bar that we had. We stepped up to a 7500 lb Blue Ox Aladdin to be safe. The decisions made in the planning are crucial. You can't go back once you are in a "if only" situation.

[Chrisc40]

I've got a Sunseeker 3050s with the E450 and tow a Mini Cooper that's 3500 lbs. Better to have overkill on towing rather than killing the MH.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Chrisc40

I've got a Sunseeker 3050s with the E450 and tow a Mini Cooper that's 3500 lbs. Better to have overkill on towing rather than killing the MH.

Not to mention the people in it or the people around us. Besides, the Mini is really fun to drive.

We chose the Jeep because it was available, fell easily within the weight limits, was extremely easy to set up, and we use it to tow a boat. And, the 2012 Liberty has added safety features such as side air bags front and rear. Not quite as much fun as the Mini though.

[Chrisc40]

We were looking at the Jeeps but around here they're scarce and expensive for a toad. But the Mini is a tricky deal because the base plates are hard to match up. As an example we got a 2006 Mini and the Roadmaster base that's available will only fit the convertibles in that year. They might be able to make it work by chopping up the front bumper. We thought we did the research by checking the dinghy guide and making sure the owners manual said it could be towed flat but never thought about the possibility a manufacturer wasn't making base plates for convertibles only in the 2006 Mini. A Mini is a fun ride but Jeeps are so much easier to get the tow package for.