Re: Toads? Reply #25 – January 06, 2018, 11:19:51 pm PaulNo, you will need to change out the four pin connectors and the umbilical cord for a six connector arrangement. Likewise on the toad and the LD. You can pick up an 'always on' 12v source from the wiring loom midway of the under side of the coach. Don't forget a fuse just prior to the toad battery. It might be wise to have an RV shop do the work. The six wire umbilical will offer you one wire for the 12v charge line, four wires for lights and a spare for future needs.
Re: Toads? Reply #26 – January 07, 2018, 12:53:13 am In your search for flat towable vehicles, Motorhome Magazine publishes an annual list of toads.Here is a link to past 14 years recommendations.Towing Guide | Serving the Seattle Everett Washington areaKnowing what kinds of roads that you intend driving on should determine the type of toad.If the roughest road you might drive on is paved or a good, maintained gravel road, a small car, fit the Fit, it's a good choice.If the unknown dirt road is enticing, a higher clearance vehicle, like the CRV or a Subaru, should be considered.For true off road conditions, a two-door Wrangler will just make the 4000-lb cutoff.Think it over before committing to a toad. Besides the purchase price, figure around $3000 for a complete towing setup.If you have not towed before, be prepared for a very different experience. Having a toad opens up a world of exploration that isn't practical in a motorhome. We have done it both ways and would never go back to being toad-less.Larry 4 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #27 – January 07, 2018, 08:17:59 am A couple points to add to the great comments so far.I tow a 2007 Jeep Liberty 4x4 automatic, had an 05 a few years ago. Both tow great and are almost as offroad capable as a Wrangler. Recently had the current Liberty weighed and it came in at 4060# with full gas tank and some other stuff in the back.Also if someone is mechanically handy they can cut the price of the towing equipment down a bit by installing it themselves. I've installed both the Liberty and a Z71 Silverado. 1 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #28 – January 07, 2018, 10:07:03 am Quote from: Larry W - January 07, 2018, 12:53:13 amThink it over before committing to a toad. Besides the purchase price, figure around $3000 for a complete towing setup.LarryLarry I saw this in my area and thought it would help keep the high costs down. RV Tow Kit - general for sale - by ownerAlthough my Xterra is a little over 4000 lbs I sure would like to figure out how to tow it. From what I have read I would have to disconnect the rear driveline to tow flat. Remco doesn't make a disconnect for it anymore. I don't think unhooking the driveline would be that big of deal only being 4 bolts. But the wife doesn't like the idea at all.
Re: Toads? Reply #29 – January 07, 2018, 11:40:54 am If you think Larry's 3K is off, this is what I paid for a Falcon All Terrain, Stay-N-Play brake system in 2014:Falcon Base Plate $429.00 Install $49.00Falcon All Terrain $799.00Faclcon Acc. Kit $289.00 Install $49.00Labor $58.00Shipping $45.00Tax $117.00Stay N Play $887.00 Install $569.00Total $3,291.00Tow bar was purchased and installed at Camping World when they had a $49 installation sale which avoided another $479 labor. Stay-N-Play installed at Idle Wheels RV in Placerville, CAThe mothership installed a 7 pin connector instead of the 4 pin. I had to provide the connector but they did the install when building. Might be something to think about if you are getting a new one. 2 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #30 – January 07, 2018, 12:39:42 pm Quote from: Duro - January 07, 2018, 10:07:03 amlthough my Xterra is a little over 4000 lbs I sure would like to figure out how to tow it. From what I have read I would have to disconnect the rear driveline to tow flat. Remco doesn't make a disconnect for it anymore. I don't think unhooking the driveline would be that big of deal only being 4 bolts. But the wife doesn't like the idea at all. Here's the rub... You cannot back up with the toad attached. Eventually, you will encounter a situation where you need to go back and will need to disconnect to continue. I doubt you will want to include sliding under the toad to re-attach the driveline, then again to detach after re-hitched, added to the hassle of the whole process. Perhaps you can find the discontinued remote disconnect as a used item...Steve
Re: Toads? Reply #31 – January 07, 2018, 12:56:40 pm Quote from: Steve - January 07, 2018, 12:39:42 pmHere's the rub... You cannot back up with the toad attached. Eventually, you will encounter a situation where you need to go back and will need to disconnect to continue. I doubt you will want to include sliding under the toad to re-attach the driveline, then again to detach after re-hitched, added to the hassle of the whole process. Perhaps you can find the discontinued remote disconnect as a used item...Steve Yea Steve I just crawled under the Xterra (tight fit lol) and unhooking the driveline isn't something I want to do on a regular basis. Getting to all the bolts is almost impossible without jacking up the rearend so the wheels will spin freely.
Re: Toads? Reply #32 – January 07, 2018, 01:08:50 pm Quote from: Steve - January 07, 2018, 12:39:42 pmHere's the rub... You cannot back up with the toad attached. Eventually, you will encounter a situation where you need to go back and will need to disconnect to continue. I doubt you will want to include sliding under the toad to re-attach the driveline, then again to detach after re-hitched, Yep, it's going to happen, probably more than once, most likely on a rainy day. Been there a few times.The towing kit shown doesn't include an Xterra baseplate but does include a portable brake unit, the type known to to sometimes shift, unknowingly engaging the toad's brakes.I have seen two toads burned to the ground when this has happened and not noticed until it's too late.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #33 – January 07, 2018, 01:43:22 pm Quote from: Larry W - January 07, 2018, 01:08:50 pmThe towing kit shown doesn't include an Xterra baseplate but does include a portable brake unit, the type known to to sometimes shift, unknowingly engaging the toad's brakes.I have seen two toads burned to the ground when this has happened and not noticed until it's too late.LarryThanks for that info Larry on the brake unit. Is this a better choice? STERLING TOW BAR by ROADMASTER - general for sale - by owner
Re: Toads? Reply #34 – January 07, 2018, 03:17:10 pm Quote from: Duro - January 07, 2018, 01:43:22 pmThanks for that info Larry on the brake unit. Is this a better choice? STERLING TOW BAR by ROADMASTER - general for sale - by ownerThe Brakemaster 9000 is for DPs, with air brakes. It will not work with your LD.The tow bar is fine.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #35 – January 08, 2018, 07:19:23 pm With the comments about not being able to backup. Just how big of job is it to hookup and unhook the toads? I’m use to my little boat which is very simple.
Re: Toads? Reply #36 – January 08, 2018, 09:05:10 pm Quote from: Duro - January 08, 2018, 07:19:23 pmWith the comments about not being able to backup. Just how big of job is it to hookup and unhook the toads? I’m use to my little boat which is very simple. I'm on my first trip w/toad, and I've got it down to about 5 minutes. The first few times took maybe 10...primarily out of a healthy dose of paranoia. I still have the paranoia, but I'm down to double-checking everything instead of triple-checking. I'm sure the seasoned professionals here will offer up more and/or better wisdom, but I'd highly recommend a checklist.
Re: Toads? Reply #37 – January 08, 2018, 09:36:52 pm We tow a 2017 Chevy Sonic, 4-door, automatic. It's large enough to carry the grandkids when we are visiting them and when we're not, the trunk is large enough to keep our satellite dish, grill and other odds and ends. The only thing that has to be done is bypass one fuse when towing. We took it on the road last summer with us and put 9,000 towing miles on her. We don't off-road, so it works great and it is easy on gas. 1 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #38 – January 08, 2018, 09:52:41 pm It will depend on the towing equipment. Ours is very simple....we use the Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar and Blue Ox base plate as well. The Aladdin is great because each bar adjusts outward, up and down and side to side with no problems (it sold me because it is great on not so even terrain). You simply park the toad behind, pull the bars up from the storage position, loosen the levers and each arm then attaches to the toad using a pin and lynchpin. When you need to remove, simply reverse. We have very rarely had to adjust the position of the car to remove. I have also removed simple boat trailers and find this much quicker and easier without the cranking up and down to adjust the trailer!! 2 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #39 – January 10, 2018, 12:10:14 pm We have not towed anything with our LD but have towed all sorts of items with other vehicles. I have looked for information on the LDO about towing with a two wheeled Dolly but could not find anything. A friend has been talked into towing a Toyota corolla behind an SOB with a two wheeled Dolly. I am sure there has been discussions about dolly towing vs flat tow. Our friend has the corolla as their toad and don't want to change the car and they were told that the corolla will not flat tow so they will have to tow it with the two wheeled dolly. Karen~Liam 26 ~ MB
Re: Toads? Reply #40 – January 10, 2018, 12:29:44 pm Quote from: Duro - January 08, 2018, 07:19:23 pmWith the comments about not being able to backup. Just how big of job is it to hookup and unhook the toads? I’m use to my little boat which is very simple.While most of the time, hooking and unhooking are simple, there are time where most tow bars get jammed up and will not release without moving the toad. Some of the better tow bars have stronger release mechanisms that will release under heavy pressure .Our tow bar uses a conventional ball hitch and does not have easy to release arms. The hitch can be hard to pop off, so I keep a pry bar close by when unhooking, storing it in the Jeep's back seat, for quick access.Beyond this, it is very easy to hook or unhook, taking only a minute or so. When running into a dead end, where I cannot turn around without unhooking, it only take five minutes to spin things around...I still hate it and will go great distance to avoid doing so. Larry 2 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #41 – January 10, 2018, 02:00:17 pm With the Falcon All Terrain tow bar I need to disconnect 6 things: 2 locking pins which secures the tow bars to the RV, 2 safety cables, electrical cable, breakaway switch wire. Usually fairly easy, with exceptions. One of them was Feb 16 in 2' of snow in Tonopah NV gas station. Lost traction exiting and had to back out. Tow bar release, locking pins, safety cables all iced over in snow country. Took a bit of convincing to get them to move. I think that's where Orwan developed an allergy to snow chains 1 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #42 – January 10, 2018, 04:54:59 pm Just need a big enough toad to tow the LD backwards. My Suburban 2500 is an easy flat-tow, since the transfer case has a push-button Neutral. A svelte 6800 lbs. or so; only twice the OEM LD tow rating... Chip
Re: Toads? Reply #43 – January 10, 2018, 09:03:10 pm I forgot to mention.....I would suggest the Blue Ox Aladdin aluminum tow bar. It is much lighter if you remove for storage. We looked at both the aluminum and steel and preferred the aluminum ten fold. Paul 1 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #44 – January 11, 2018, 11:23:21 am Quote from: pjh4064 - January 10, 2018, 09:03:10 pmI forgot to mention.....I would suggest the Blue Ox Aladdin aluminum tow bar. It is much lighter if you remove for storage. We looked at both the aluminum and steel and preferred the aluminum ten fold. Paul Only a 10 lb difference between, but about $175 more for the aluminum. Removing a well-secured tow bar from the LD is a real chore - in our case we have a locking pin and U-clamp for rigidity and security, and cover it when not in use. If you absolutely need to pull it off frequently, then the lighter bar might be a slight advantage, but the best solution is to find away around that so you can leave it attached. In use, the models are equivalent, with a similar design.Steve
Re: Toads? Reply #45 – January 11, 2018, 11:38:05 am We towed a Subaru Forester 2001 for 7 years and and now the same in a 2016 for the last 2 years. Works flawlessly. No modifications (except towbar baseplate, of course). Manual transmission. Ted 1 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #46 – January 11, 2018, 07:50:10 pm Towed a 2007 Subaru Forester for years. Went to replace it and the newer Foresters are substantially heavier so dropped down to a Crosstrek which weights 3109 pounds; about the same as the old Forester. That makes sense since both were built on the Impreza chassis.Recollection of curb weight of newer Forester was something like 3,600 pounds. Fill it up with fluids plus towed goodies got me closer to the 4,000 limit than I was comfortable with.Yes, manual tranny. Getting harder and harder to find manny tranny’s!Went to the Blue Ox factory since it’s only a few hours away to get the base plate attached. They charge more but I want the experts installing my safety equipment more than I want an extra $100 in my checking account. Turned out my old tow bar was shot. I authorized replacement with a higher end bar (the brown one, 10,000 weight limit). However, I hadn’t removed that bar in years and it was stuck in there good and tight. They couldn’t even winch it out with a power winch. This was late in the season and it was chilly which they believed was the reason it wouldn’t budge with a winch. We agreed to leave Ruby there. They stored her indoors and then warmed the metal further. They tried winching it out again. In talking to the guy who helped us (can’t remember his name now, good guy) he said it wasn’t coming free then all of a sudden it just popped out with a sound like a gunshot through their factory. Startled everyone in the place. We had a good chuckle over that!Moral of the story; I remove my tow bar after each use. Yes, it weighs nearly 40 pounds and is a PITA to take on and off but I don’t want to have that happen again. 3 Likes
Re: Toads? Reply #47 – January 11, 2018, 09:58:45 pm Quote from: Steve - January 11, 2018, 11:23:21 amOnly a 10 lb difference between, but about $175 more for the aluminum. Removing a well-secured tow bar from the LD is a real chore - in our case we have a locking pin and U-clamp for rigidity and security, and cover it when not in use. If you absolutely need to pull it off frequently, then the lighter bar might be a slight advantage, but the best solution is to find away around that so you can leave it attached. In use, the models are equivalent, with a similar design.SteveWe have never had an issue with ours. Ours is very simple to install and remove and we use a locking pin as well. Unfortunately, I need to remove when we are at home because for one I believe it would drag on our drive because of grade when parking for storage and two, I prefer to store either in our garage when home or in of the LD compartments when traveling. I don't want to take any chances.Paul
Re: Toads? Reply #48 – January 12, 2018, 11:08:17 am After looking at the Dingy guide posted earlier. I am finding it hard to find something that I like that meets our needs lol. Not many choices with a automatic transmission and lightweight.
Re: Toads? Reply #49 – January 12, 2018, 11:18:34 am I always thought a classic would be fun....mgb or convertible vw beetle. Maybe someday!
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