What to tow?

GaeTim · 10-11-2013, 04:10 PM

Hello everyone, I haven't posted anything for a while but have been checking in to read posts here and there. We love our 2011 Georgetown and are ready for the next step....

After much research we have come to the conclusion that a tow dolly instead of a tow bar would be best for us. So I started out by hunting down a used Kar Kaddy SS and purchased it for about 1/2 the cost of new...it's really cool and will do the job perfectly

Anyway

... we're now looking at what size car or small suv to get as a daily driver and tow vehicle so if anyone has a story, good or bad please share your experience and hopefully it'll help us decide.

Thanks and happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians

Tim

Iggy · 10-11-2013, 04:28 PM

Fiat Pop 500 2 door with 5 speed transmission.
Weight 2,363 lbs.

Great local commuter car and very easy to low.
You can buy them for about $10,000-$13,000

GaeTim · 10-11-2013, 05:01 PM

Cute car! I'm going to need something a bit bigger as I will be using it to commute to and from work, about 1 hr drive on the 416. I would love a small 4x4 but I'd have to disconnect the drive shaft every time I tow...not going to happen! lol I did find a product that will disengage the rear driveshaft when towing but it was really expensive. There are also lube pumps for the transmission as well...hmmm

Thanks for the pics though Iggy, I love those cars

Iggy · 10-11-2013, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaeTim

Cute car! I'm going to need something a bit bigger as I will be using it to commute to and from work, about 1 hr drive on the 416. I would love a small 4x4 but I'd have to disconnect the drive shaft every time I tow...not going to happen! lol I did find a product that will disengage the rear driveshaft when towing but it was really expensive. There are also lube pumps for the transmission as well...hmmm

Thanks for the pics though Iggy, I love those cars

If you want any large car you will have issues hooking up and towing.
You do know you only have a 5,000 lb max and that includes a full tank of gas and whatever you have inside.
Also in Canada you MUST have remote brakes in the car if it is over 3,000 lbs I think

coupevillefish · 10-11-2013, 05:22 PM

Like you, we found a used SS, in our area at a great price. We tow an older PT Cruiser, my old comuter car. We would love to take the Ridgeline but that is not an option. This setup works well for us and eliminated the need for a newer car.

Iggie's solution shortens the overall length by a lot. The SS is pretry long. I have not cheked our total lenght.

With the SS, you have many options. It's capacity is high. It should tow anything that your GT is capable of.

Dr. Moreau · 10-11-2013, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaeTim

Hello everyone, I haven't posted anything for a while but have been checking in to read posts here and there. We love our 2011 Georgetown and are ready for the next step....

After much research we have come to the conclusion that a tow dolly instead of a tow bar would be best for us. So I started out by hunting down a used Kar Kaddy SS and purchased it for about 1/2 the cost of new...it's really cool and will do the job perfectly

Anyway

... we're now looking at what size car or small suv to get as a daily driver and tow vehicle so if anyone has a story, good or bad please share your experience and hopefully it'll help us decide.

Thanks and happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians

Tim

We're towing a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (Four Door) behind our 2007 Georgetown 350DS. The jeep weighs in at 4100 pounds so to be careful we added a braking system, just incase (and we're from California where they apparently are required).

I don't think you can tow a Jeep on a dolly, but towing something as heavy as the Jeep is painless for the Georgetown.

Maybe a Honda CRV 2WD?

abjb · 10-11-2013, 06:08 PM

Iggy
He should have some kind of brake, surge or electric on his tow dolly.

GaeTim
We towed my Mini CooperS last yr on a tow dolly with elec brakes, learned A LOT.

We only had 2 problems.
I tend to drive off center to the right which put the right dolly tire on the edge of the highway (or the shoulder for miles) It pretty much wore that tire out in 1 yr, the car was ok.
The Cooper has a short but LOW front overhang, I would have to make the ramps on the dolly longer to load/unload.
I used 3' 2X6's stacked in front of the ramps.

Do you get much snow? Most Jeeps with a transfer case can be towed on a dolly. 2 down

Honda and Toyota make front wheel drive crossovers.
Here's a Honda it's in the US but pretty close to you.
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=13601&endYear=2014&modelC ode1=CRV&driveCode=FWD&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear =1981&makeCode1=HONDA&driveCodes=FWD&searchRadius= 200&showcaseListingId=0&mmt=%5BHONDA%5BCRV%5BCRV%2 57CEX-L%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=355474323&Log=0

Here's a Toyota RAV4 front wheel dr also in the US.
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=13601&endYear=2014&modelC ode1=RAV4&driveCode=FWD&showcaseOwnerId=100047696& startYear=1981&makeCode1=TOYOTA&driveCodes=FWD&sea rchRadius=200&mmt=%5BTOYOTA%5BRAV4%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D% 5D&listingId=348373561&Log=0

Networx · 10-11-2013, 06:27 PM

JEEP. You will love it, fun when you are camping and fun when you are not. We love our 4 door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. We tow it behind our '13 351DS, don't know it's there. We tow it four down - you would have to check the specs for a dolly (there's a link here somewhere to the Motorhome Magazine towing guide)

Jim Sullivan · 10-11-2013, 06:38 PM

We are still relatively new to this, but here is my recent experience with towing. We too use a dolly for towing. Our toad vehicle has been a Nissan Altima. I decided to get a newer smaller vehicle to replace the Altima and checked out the Dodge Dart. I checked on line and found a Chrysler Corp. technical manual that said it was towable with a dolly. I checked with the sales person, sales manager and service manager and they all said if it was front wheel drive it was towable with a dolly. The first day I had the car I read the owners manual and it said it was NOT towable, even with a dolly! I looked into this and found that there were at least 3 other front wheel drive vehicles that the manufacturer said were not to be towed, even on a dolly. (The dealer was gracious in taking the Dodge back.)

After checking out other possibilities I found that Ford has a larger than expected fleet of towable products (with or without dolly) and their position on each vehicle is clearly stated.

We ended up torn between the Focus and the Fiesta.

Falcon35 · 10-11-2013, 06:41 PM

Honda Fit works for us 4 wheels down but would also work with a dolly. It is low at the front so would need to check out how it will go up the ramp.

Networx · 10-11-2013, 06:47 PM

Found the link to the towing guide. It should at least make it easy to narrow down. But ALWAYS check the manual - you can usually download the owners manuals online before going to a dealer.

Shoot, now that I look at it, this might only be for four down towing. I know you want a tow dolly but FYI don't be intimidated by four down, it's easy!

Downloadable Dinghy Guides | MotorHome Magazine

Cornelius · 10-11-2013, 10:33 PM

We were towing a 2009 Toyota Yaris with a manual transmission wheels down. It worked well, except that I prefer an automatic transmission, and there were too many places we wanted to visit that were marked "unimproved road - high clearance vehicle required".

So... We just purchased a 2013 Jeep wrangler. They can be towed wheels down. There is even a specific section in the owner's manual about it. I'm currently in the process of getting it equipped for towing. The Blue Ox base plate arrived today.

A couple thoughts on things in this thread: A current model (jk) Jeep Wrangler must be towed either four wheels down, or completely on a trailer. A tow dolly with two wheels up can not be used with this model Jeep. Other vehicles may have similar requirements, so some homework is necessary before buying.

The other important thing is that most manufacturers of tow bars require that there be no more than 2" of height difference between the hitch receiver and the attachment point of the towed vehicle. The tow bar needs to be as horizontal as possible. Iggy's photos show it done correctly, using a drop hitch adapter. In one photo he's even measuring the receiver height. I'm a little concerned about Dr. Moreau's photos, as it appears the tow bar is high on the motorhome end.

Iggy · 10-11-2013, 11:54 PM

Here is a better picture with the drop hitch at proper level.

petey · 10-12-2013, 12:49 AM

howdy: I have a 2012 jeep Rubicon 2 door that weights 4150 lbs.towes real nice with all 4 down.readybrute tow bar with ready brake.dont even know its there. Its behind 2012 378ts.

GaeTim · 10-12-2013, 06:17 AM

Wow! Thanks for all the tips everyone

We decided on the dolly cause we are chronic car swappers and this way we can load almost anything on the dolly.

We have been Toyota fans for many years now and currently have a 2009 Camry SE, it loads okay and sits well on the dolly however there isn't much clearance with the skirt while loading and after its on the dolly. I just loaded it but didn't do a drive test as I'm worried that I'm going to damage my car

Bottom line is I've been looking into the laws here in Ontario and find it somewhat confusing with the total weight laws for an RV & towed vehicle. Here's what the MTO website says....

A motor home towing a trailer and/or a motor vehicle:
Class "G" if the combination weighs 11,000 kgs (24,250 lbs) or less,
Class "D" if the combination weighs more than 11,000 kgs.

We both drive the RV with a class "G" and just don't want to go over the 24,250 ids limit, I guess we could always get our class "D" but to tell you the truth we don't really want to tow a heavy vehicle.

Thanks again everyone, hearing others experiences makes towing for the first time a little less stressful

Tim

Lostdog · 10-12-2013, 07:47 AM

Jeep Wrangler...all the way. It just does not get any simpler! No key, no pumps, no disconnects, no fuse pulling, no nuthin....Even the ReadyBrake is so simple.

Andysabruin · 10-12-2013, 10:55 AM

Hey Lostdog... What exactly did you buy to set it up. The wife has a 2009 rubicon she wants me to set up. Just to see what you used.

Dr. Moreau · 10-12-2013, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cornelius

I'm a little concerned about Dr. Moreau's photos, as it appears the tow bar is high on the motorhome end.

Thanks for the concern Cornelius. I shouldn't have posted those pics, those were from the first day we had the baseplate and towbar. I was a bit excited getting the Jeep hooked up to the RV and as it turns out I haven't taken any pictures since!

A few days later we received a extension which lowered our Jeep towbar lower. Iggy's pictures are showing what is 'right'.

I still stand by that the Jeep Wrangler is a awesome tow vehicle; we recently enjoyed a few hours on the Bonneville Salt Flat and have climbed dirt roads with ruts. These are things a compact car could not do.

CSMRetired · 10-12-2013, 11:26 AM

You can't beat it, don't even know it's back there

Cornelius · 10-12-2013, 12:04 PM

You guys have me really looking forward to using the Jeep Wrangler this year. The Toyota Yaris at 2300 pounds was very easy to tow, but it has so little ground clearance I could not even get a pan under it to change the oil. It had to get the oil changed at a shop. Forget about going anywhere off pavement. My wife is into Geocaching, so she will be happy to hit the Jeep trails too.

Dr. Moreau, I can understand the excitement of wanting to try and get everything hooked up. I've done the same sometimes. Good to hear you got everything done properly. I saw an RV with a toad a few months ago, and I swear the tow bar was at a 45 degree angle! That's an accident waiting to happen...

Off into the Florida heat to install the base plate on the new Jeep...

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