Whats the difference

[timothy clancy]

I have to ask this question I am curious as to why? We are going to be in the market for a class a in the next two years and having seen so many coaches towing their cars/ trucks or suv behind them while hooked to a bar type system and after pricing them was just wondering other then the obvious of easy of un hooking why not a trailer ? For most cars or smaller suv wouldn't it be less ware and tare to trailer it.


Clancy vibe272bhs

[grumpy0374]

First, in addition to the car, you now have the additional weight of the trailer. A trailer sturdy enough to load and carry a car would have to be a tandum, and would probably weigh almost as much as the car.
Second, storing the trailer when not in use. If you have a large piece of property, ok, but what if you don't.
Third, you may have problems when you get to a campground. Most sights, even pull throughs, aren't long or big enough to accomidate a motor home and an 18-20 foot long trailer, and your car. Many will charge extra and you'll have to unhook it and possibly store it in an overflow area. The added hassle of unloading and loading a car isn't worth it.
A good toad setup with a good braking system will cost you upwards of 3 grand, but no need to buy a trailer. Also, you have to register, tag, and insure the trailer, another expense.
As for ware and tare, if the toad is properly set up, and rated for 4 down towing, the only ware will be the tires.
Been towing our Subi Crosstrek for the past 2 years, and it still looks as good as the day I brought it home. Takes me all of 5 minutes to either hook or unhook it from our Lexi.. Tow bars self store on the rear of the rig, and cables, ect store in a cubby or the back of the Subi.
There are many vehicles, foreign and domestic, auto and manual trannys that can be towd 4 down with no problems at all. The equipment, once set up right, is basically trouble free.
Just my opinion, but towing 4 down is the only trouble free way to go.
Grumpy

[bob caldwell]

Another thing....if m/h has alot of rear overhang past the axle, it really stresses the walls, roof and floor.

[n-e-d]

I agree with grumpy pulling a toad 4 down is really the cleanest way Your set up to tow will be faster, the right car will tow like its not there, and the cost to set up the toad for towing should be less than the cost of a trailer.

[conceptumator]

Totally agree with grumpy....and I originally bought a trailer and went that way for two years. Invested the money to get an all aluminum Featherlite car hauler; lightweight and extremely easy to tow. Just like grumpy said, storage was an issue, though we were able to swing it sideways in our drive. Same issues at campgrounds. Tires are an issue on any trailer, too. They simply don't last long. The trailer added about 1,200 lbs to our tow weight, too. If you get a steel trailer, figure about 1,600 lbs. loading was fairly simple; tying it down meant crawling on the ground to get under the vehicle and winch things down. When we got our new RV this year, I traded my Tacoma for a Jeep Wrangler, sold the trailer and went flat tow. Could not believe the difference! Hook and unhook us now a max five minute process. Don't worry about tires nearly as much (no more than if you were driving it). Now I can unhook in the roadway and back into a site - not with the trailer! Biggest issue with flat towing is to get the right toad. Do NOT trust what the dealer tells you! Most don't even know what flat tow is. If it suits your needs, I think the Jeep Wrangler (mine is the 4 door model) is the best and easiest to flat tow. It's like they designed it specifically to be flat towed. Good luck, whatever you decide. Feel free to post other questions if interested. Take care.

[waiter21]

Clancy - ^^ posters have noted the costs, logistics, associated with the different options.

However, other than the risk associated with loading / unloading (hauler, dolly, or four down all have their unique risks) using a hauler will reduce the wear/tear to zero.

4 down would have the most wear/tear, Tires, suspension, driveshaft/CV joints, etc.

Dolly would have some wear on suspension, tires.

Hauler would have very, very minor suspension (some bouncing, maybe)

NOTE - Tire wear will a wash - regardless of hauler, dolly, 4 down, you are still going to wear 4 tires.

[Rockwoodjoe]

Just wondering. No toad and simply rent a car for side trips. If I am set up for camping with a C or A and only need a car once or twice a week I will get better mpg with my RV, no auto insurance, no tag, no upkeep, no depreciation and Enterprise will bring it to me. I would love to get some feedback.

[waiter21]

Rock wood - Thats option #4 - And a viable option

[n-e-d]

I'd differ with conceptumator...Cherokee with Active II is best and easiest to tow and the sweetest jeep. I keep the rear camera on just to make sure its still there.Tracks wonderfully. I know people like Rockwoodjoe that rent cars instead of towing and are quite happy. Myself I think of it as a lifeboat on the road and MY car on a campsite

[conceptumator]

The rental route was what we did before I retired and our trips got longer. For a trip of a couple of weeks or less, rental was the cheapest in the long run. Now that our trips are in the 4-6 week range, bringing along a vehicle is much less expensive. The trailer I mentioned earlier was a $6,000 investment, then add on a few hundred dollars for a spare tire ($100), tie down straps ($250) and a gear box ($200) to fit on the trailer. Now throw in a 15% reduction in gas mileage while pulling the trailer. In our case, based on one 2-week trip per year (not counting weekend camping trips - the long trip was to see the grandkids), we could go the rental route for a cost of about $700 per year. That meant the payout on the trailer investment was longer than the anticipated life of the trailer. Flat towing, depending on the toad, could be almost the same figures except the toad would probably be replaced at some point. Now we're doing two 4-6 week trips per year, so the rental route would be costing us somewhere around $4,200 per year, not to mention the hassle since our family trip makes for stays in four different cities, thus four different rentals. Also, when just traveling, you're stuck with only the RV for transportation - no side trips, sightseeing, etc.

[conceptumator]

waiter21: You are correct that all tires involved will wear, but the tires on a dolly or a hauler will wear MUCH faster than those on the toad. As for overall wear and tear, just how many miles per year is anyone going to haul their vehicle? I think most RV'ers run less than 5,000 miles per year, if that. You'll wind up replacing a set of hauler tires (and most likely dolly tires, too) every year at that. If your car tires are wearing out from that, there's something else wrong.

[conceptumator]

n-e-d: No disagreement at all. The Cherokee is a great vehicle, just make sure you get the Active II transmission. The Wrangler is my every day car and I just didn't need the comfort afforded by the Cherokee. Also, when I went looking, the Wrangler was sitting in the used car lot, less than a year old and with only 5,100 miles on it, so it was a great deal. The Cherokee is going to be more comfortable, hands down. Just a preference.

[lowreyfarris]

The only downside of flat towing for me is not being able to back up with the toad attached; it can damage the steering on your toad.

I do flat tow a Jeep Wrangler and love it. I make sure to only gas up at truck stops, and make sure there is a easy exit if we stop at a restaurant. Most of the time before we stop to eat or gas up, I look at the satellite image on my smartphone. Fortunately I have never been in a situation where I absolutely had to back up.

I went with the readbrute tow bar with built in brake. It cost about $1K, I added a second set of bulbs in the brake light housing on my jeep and ran standard trailer wiring underneath. Took about 30 minutes and cost about $50. The tow bracket that mounts under the factory bumper is about $175. I opted to skip the bracket and buy a nice aftermarket bumper that the tow bar would hook to directly. The mpg difference for my 3170 in towing vs not is about .5mpg.

I hook up in less then 5 minutes.

[Boso]

Unhook in less than 5 min. Hookup



Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums