Recommendations for Toad towing setups?

gmacklem · 05-19-2015, 07:34 AM

I am quite possibly trading my travel trailer on a Sunseeker today and I need to learn what it takes to tow my Honda CRV. Can someone recommend a towbar setup? Do I need any kind of breaking system to flat tow a car? Is there such thing as a breaking system for Toads?

RSchleder · 05-19-2015, 08:04 AM

The CRV will tow great behind your MH. We towed ours for several years without any issues, just hook it up, put it in neutral, key in accessory, parking brake off, and GO ( be sure steering wheel is indeed unlocked).
Now, as far as towing equipment goes--Several companies sell fine products to cover all your towing needs. You will need the following:
1) Tow plate attached to the CRV
2) light kit installed into the CRV so lights all work in conjunction with the MH
3) Tow bar--(we always used Blue Ox towing equipment and it was great)
4) Braking system for CRV--(again, we used a Blue Ox "Patriot system"
5) safety chains
6) power cord from MH to CRV

Your going to be looking at close to $2,000 for all this equipment, slightly more if you include labor for professional installation of tow plate.

hockeytownmom · 05-19-2015, 08:28 AM

That's a pretty good price! I paid more for a tow dolly.

jaxfl · 05-19-2015, 08:41 AM

Your going to be looking at close to $2,000 for all this equipment, slightly more if you include labor for professional installation of tow plate.

Be smart and let a professional do this. Keep the receipts just in case. I let a professional do it that had done many and I stood there and watch him do it, very happy I let him do it and not me. It still took him 4 hours of work and he took no brakes the whole time.

gmacklem · 05-19-2015, 08:49 AM

Ouch, I knew it would cost a little money but that is double what I expected. I will definitely get a professional to do the install.

LittlePM · 05-19-2015, 09:59 AM

We tow a CRV behind our Georgetown with the Blue Ox and the Invisibrake system, its easy hook up and tows great.

Keep in mind if you have a 2015 CRV it can NOT be flat towed

bubbles · 05-19-2015, 10:05 AM

Can't get around a base plate (Blue Ox/Tow Master, etc.) but take a look at Ready Brake/Ready Brute for tow bar and brake systems.

Boso · 05-19-2015, 11:29 AM

Buy your baseplates new everything else buy used my total install and new base plates wireing blue Ox tow bar 1200 $

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edcronin01 · 05-19-2015, 11:41 AM

You didn't mention what year of CRV I believe the 2015 models cannot be towed.

gmacklem · 05-19-2015, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edcronin01

You didn't mention what year of CRV I believe the 2015 models cannot be towed.

I have a 2013 model. I have read that the new CRV has a CVT transmission and can't be flat towed anymore.

conceptumator · 05-19-2015, 02:51 PM

I just finished getting set up for flat towing my 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Bought all the parts and pieces at Amazon and saved quite a bit. I went really nice and bought some things that were a bit more than what I could have done with but felt it was worth the investment. Here are the exact costs of what I bought, including sales tax and free shipping through Amazon Prime:

1. Blue Ox base plate: $ 330.68
2. Blue Ox tow bar (Aventa LX): $ 699.00
3. Blue Ox EZ Light Wiring Harness: $ 193.56
4. Invisibrake: $ 899.00
5. Blue Ox Aventa Accessory Kit: $ 225.41
Total Materials: $ 2,3437.65

I have a good friend who builds race cars and owns a garage; he did the install for me as I trust him 100% and Camping World about 5%. Took him about 6 hours to install everything and cost about $450. I could have saved some money and gone with a less expensive tow bar than the Aventa but I liked the features it had and it was good for 10,000# in case I ever decide to tow something larger in the future. The accessory kit also came with diodes, wire and sockets to do the lights but I purchased the EZ Wiring Harness as it didn't require cutting into the existing wiring harness. You just pop out the taillight assembly, unplug the factory harness and plug in the new harness between the taillight and the original connector. It has a small controller that replaces all the diodes and tucks up under the back bumper or ? Highly recommend spending the extra cash.

Hope this helps some - recent, first hand hard costs. I know you have a different vehicle and will be a bit different in price, but this should be pretty close.

vasnipe · 05-19-2015, 03:45 PM

We bought the Blue Ox baseplate and safety gear from Camping World and got them to do the installation on our Smart Car. They had a $39 installation promo going so labor was zip. I did shell out about $1300 for the baseplate and kits. The Blue Ox Aventa tow bar I found with the help of a camping club buddy on Craigs List. $275 for a bar that had been used 4 times... to tow a CRV. A bit of overkill on the tow bar capacity, but I can move up in toad without getting a new tow bar. Happy travels!

Chris in Virginia

gmacklem · 05-19-2015, 08:09 PM

Thanks for all the info, will digest it and get some prices.

Vince and Charlette · 05-20-2015, 10:12 AM

If you have DIY skills, some of these items are not too tough. Keep in mind that many RV dealers are going to charge by the hour - the going rate is around $110-120 per hour. Regarding the Patriot, I too bought that system. However, I had a four-wheel lockup with the Patriot. After getting the company on the line, they said the codes indicated a hard drive failure. So, they sent a new one to the campsite we were headed for. That also failed, so I sent it back and purchased a permanently installed system. In this case the SMI Stay-In-Play. Yes, it takes a while to install it yourself as I did, but it may be less time if you pay to have it done. What a joy it is. One flip of the on/off switch and we're on the road! Other problems with the Patriot: Must be installed and aligned each time you use it; in operation, the unit pushes against the driver's seat as a backstop (soft seats are a real problem as they allow the unit to sink into the seat cushion before reacting forward - an extra $52 cushion plate improves the problem some); the actuator arm is very slow and does not keep up with MH braking; on my 2010 Jeep Liberty (#1 towed vehicle), there is a hump in the floor at the driver's heel...this allows the Patriot to almost tip over when activated even if the leveling legs are used. The systems cost roughly the same, (Stay-In-Play is actually about $100 less). There are several other permanently mounted systems. Some may use a different methods for the actuation device. Of course, there are many who will scream over what I've said about the Patriot, but this is what has been my experience.

conceptumator · 05-20-2015, 10:24 AM

I would agree with Vince and Charlette on the DIY statement. I watched my buddy installing everything and in my younger days, I would have gone DIY. Having the trained mechanic do it, though, probably saved a lot of time. For example, he pulled the door off the Jeep and the driver's seat completely out, which I would have never thought of doing but which made the brake system install much easier. I went with the Invisibrake mainly due to the recommendation of some family members who have had one for several years now. Also, it was $100 cheaper and included a built in system to keep the toad battery charged. It really is the way to go - nothing to haul around when not towing, nothing to set up, just plug into the umbilical and all is go. Just so happened there was a video on the Roadmaster website of them doing the install on the same model of Jeep I had, so their didn't need to be a lot of debate about how to route things, etc. Installing the base plate was mainly just muscle power (that thing is pretty healthy). Four bolts got the existing bumper off, drilled two new holes for mounting (the instructions said 17/32" holes, but I had read online that someone used 1/2" holes and they worked fine, so the bit with a turned down shank was not needed). The light kit was a breeze. If you're used to working on vehicles, I would say go for it. Air tools will make your life a lot easier, too. Good luck!

JimOneil43 · 05-20-2015, 11:18 AM

Well, we have a PT Cruiser that you cannot tow flat, so our only option when we get our 3050S Sunseeker, is to use a tow dolly. I know evryone says that towing flat is the way to go. I guess we could modify the PT Cruiser with a transmission lube pump, etc and install a braking system, but that limits us to only using that vehicle. It seems much simpler, for us anyway, to use a tow dolly. Does anyone have any negative reasons not to use the tow dolly?

rsscully · 05-20-2015, 12:36 PM

Blue Ox alpha
Blue Ox baseplate, light kit, and patriot braking system for around $1800. I did all the labor myself. If you can drill a few holes, remove some screws and plastic push connectors you can save yourself a lot of labor cost. The Patriot system has been flawless for me. I do use a 2x10 board between my system and the drivers seat to prevent the soft seat scenario. Clip the claw onto the brake pedal, plug it into the car and hit the setup button, takes about a minute.

KennyGolub · 05-20-2015, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimOneil43

Well, we have a PT Cruiser that you cannot tow flat, so our only option when we get our 3050S Sunseeker, is to use a tow dolly. I know evryone says that towing flat is the way to go. I guess we could modify the PT Cruiser with a transmission lube pump, etc and install a braking system, but that limits us to only using that vehicle. It seems much simpler, for us anyway, to use a tow dolly. Does anyone have any negative reasons not to use the tow dolly?

I use the Acme Tow Dolly and like it a lot. Doesn't take long to load up. Not as fast as four down, but you're only talking about a couple of minutes. But it is very easy to set up and use.

JimOneil43 · 05-20-2015, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KennyGolub

I use the Acme Tow Dolly and like it a lot. Doesn't take long to load up. Not as fast as four down, but you're only talking about a couple of minutes. But it is very easy to set up and use.

Yes, we have also kind of decided on the Acme Tow Dolly. Have done a lot of research into the other models and think the Acme would be best. The only concern I have is the smaller wheels/tires than the other brands. Has that been any problem for you? The only other thing is you have to remove and stow the ramps. Glad to hear you like it.
Thanks

Wandering · 05-20-2015, 05:10 PM

I went the BlueOx route and installed it myself. Little unnerving taking front of my Mini Cooper off and cutting/drilling to mount baseplate but all went back together. Got the Alpha Towbar and Kargard II.

Really like the quick hookup and disconnect. Baseplate is hardly noticeable when not towing.

First trip was 800 miles and went great! MPG dropped to 6.5 but nice have the car.

.

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