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Forum
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RE: Green with envy TC'er needs help from Jeep crowd.
I do not have a jeep, but I do flat tow. I prefer not to add more weight to the rear axle, or mess with a trailer. If I should break, I will fix it, or rent a trailer or dolly. I am not competitive when 4wheeling, mostly just running trails and site seeing.
Before modifying my Zuki
http://usera.ImageCave.com/Reddog1/trk-zukiPotash.jpg
After modifications, still modifying.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/Reddog1/My_Zuki/wheels-tcase related 034 small.jpg
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Reddog1
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02/04/10 11:20am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Smart Car vs Honda Fit
From my original posts a long time ago.... (Kinda long)
Do you remember the magazine cover with the Toy Hauler and a Smart Car is coming out of its’ garage? Neat way to bring a vehicle to the campground! I’ve had a Smart Car on loan for the past ten days, so thought I’d write my opinion of this vehicle. It can be towed on all four wheels, but I suspect using a trailer would be a better idea.* A Smart Car (SC) ForTwo is built to only carry two people and a few bags of groceries. I’ve been loaned a Passion, which has A/C, power doors and windows, sunroof, and a few other extras. My first thought when I saw it was “there’s potholes bigger than this car!”..... The interior is actually roomy, I never felt cramped. The transmission can be used in automatic or manual, and shifting can be done by “paddles” on the steering wheel. Note that the clutch is electric, not mechanical. Gears shift by lurching, a head-forward, head back motion that I haven’t felt since teaching teenagers how to drive with a clutch. This is in automatic mode. If you manually shift, it’s a degree less, but not much. You tap the shift lever, no changing of gears. A nice feature is it downshifts by itself when you slow down. The 3 cylinder engine has a lot of pep, and I zip along at 70mph on the highway. The ride is very rough, every little pebble you run over is felt. The shape is not aerodynamic, and the car buffets over 60mph. The air burble behind the car rocks it. Any crosswinds add to the buffeting. If you have a passenger, the car notices the extra weight and has trouble handling it. The engine longs to be back in a lawnmower! The radio is very tinny. Heat works very well, it’s been very cold here. Gas mileage is advertised at around 36-40, not impressive for its’ size. People always asked if it got 70 mpg. There’s no spare tire, they give you an air pump and a can of “Fix-A-Flat”. The price for the SC I have is $14,235. I was informed they’ve increased the price by $2,400 in 2009. For that kind of money I’d look for a used car with better mpg. I like the SC, but I suspect for the same reasons I used to own a Volkswagen Beetle. I’ll be turning this SC back in and getting a Toyota Yaris. *If you intend to tow this vehicle, I think the short distances between the wheels will give you a headache. I'd expect tracking problems on turns. A dolly or trailer would work better, if you can't park it inside your Toy Hauler!
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I hear your comments about fuel economy! And the SC only takes high test!! Double whammy! That's why it's going back and I'm getting a Toyota Yaris, mpg of around 44 with the manual transmission, and a real clutch. And the radio doesn't sound like your child poked his finger through the speaker.....
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jauguston I don't know where you're coming from, I just looked on line and CR seems to not only hammer the SC, but they're stating the same things I did, and I never looked at this before writing what I thought of the car. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/first-drives/smart-for-two-first-drive/overview/smart-fortwo-first-drive.htm “A car like this should be fun and zippy. Sadly, the Smart is neither. The ride is harsh, and broken urban pavement, this car's natural habitat, pummels occupants mercilessly. The transmission shifts strangely, with pauses and heaves between gears. Handling is not so responsive, and it takes a lot of wheel winding to coax the Smart through corners. The slow, noisy engine makes it necessary to plan ahead when merging into traffic, although once on the highway it can keep up the pace. CR's take: Despite its many quirks, the Smart can be rather endearing. But from a strictly practical standpoint, the Smart ForTwo is not so smart. Premium fuel eats up a good part of the savings from its excellent fuel economy. The car seats only two and provides modest cargo space. Although it won't gather a crowd of gawkers, we think a far smarter choice is the Honda Fit (due to be redesigned for 2009). The current Fit costs about the same amount, gets 32 mpg (34 with a stick shift), and has none of the Smart's drawbacks.” It sounds like the car they test drove is the same one I have on loan. I stand by my opinion.
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Great comments, you're cracking me up!! I failed to mention that the SC also has terrible road noise. It's like the door is ajar or a window is cracked open. So you crank up the volume on the crappy radio. No one commented on the price increase of $2,400 for a 2009....I don't think it's worth the current price for what you get. Hope my Yaris is ready tomorrow.....
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JudoJeff
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01/30/10 07:07pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Tire problems with tow dolly
I towed many thousands of miles with my Master Tow dolly since 2000 and have replaced the tires once. The original tires were very wear sensitive to pressure. I ran them a little low (about 36#) one trip and they wore the outside edges very quickly. Caught it in time and was able to use the tires for many more miles. Obviously I never let the pressures get down again. Our frequent traveling partners did the same thing and had the same experience.
Replacement tires were a bias ply, light trailer tire and have done well.
We have just setup our new Silverado to flat tow and will be leaving for Daytona Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm looking forward to not messing with a dolly.
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hipower
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01/30/10 03:34pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Towing a small car behind a 5th Wheel
I tow a Jeep Wrangler behind my 38 foot fifth wheel and a F-450. No problems. I would rather flat tow but I have never used a dolly. Don't know. I would think with a 29 foot trailer , depending on the weight, you would be ok with a 1 ton truck, but you should stay as close to GVWR as possible. If you have towed a boat before then you know the laws. I am somewhere around 73 foot and have never had a problem in a state that allowed it regardless of their "length" laws. Don't try it in states that don't allow it. I tried to cut across about 100 miles of Pennsylvania one night and got busted. No fine but had to disconnect, thats easier with a car than a boat!
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fullautodave
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01/29/10 06:53pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Chrysler 300 Towing
RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND
MOTORHOME, ETC.)
TOWING THIS VEHICLE BEHIND ANOTHER
VEHICLE (Flat towing with all four wheels on the
ground)
Recreational towing for this vehicle is not recommended.
NOTE: If the vehicle requires towing, make sure all four
wheels are off the ground.
Can't tow it as is. If it's AWD it cannot be towed at all. If it's FWD a Remco lube pump may help....
The Chrysler 300 is a RWD or AWD not a FWD would think you could rear load it on a car dolly as long as it wasn't AWD. You can't tow it with drive wheels down for more then 50 miles if I remember. Look in your owners manual it will have a section on towing it. You can always put it on a trailer.
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Perrysburg Dodgeboy
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01/17/10 05:29pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Tow Dolly Questions ????
1. When you tow unloaded you will see, feel, and hear the dolly hopping on the road. Safe speed is below this bouncing point. With my old dolly 45 to 50 was max.
2.Tires are not my specialty, however, I have purchased tires for my dolly before and have always been told to purchase trailer specific tires. These are hard to find on the road, so a spare, even unmounted is a good idea.
3. I pigtailed my trailer lights to magnetic mount lights, so that everything lit up.
4. You can order nice straps from Demco. I think you can purchase straps from U-haul.
5. I have always used safety chains to the frame of the car from the dolly. More than once my straps became loose. Never lost both straps, but then I always had safety chains.
6. Spare parts? A repair kit for the light wires...if they unplug and drag the wire breaks. Extra hitch pins. If you unhook at a campground to move the dolly out of the way, and your tired, you may forget where you put the pin. (I have)
A spare tire. I once had a flat and by luck found a tire shop still open at 5pm that had one tire on hand to match my trailer.
I enjoyed my Demco dolly for over 25 years. Never really had a problem, other than flats and loose screws, all part of life. I only went to 4 down now that I don't change out cars, and my back and knees complain.
Happy Trails
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kalynzoo
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01/03/10 11:47pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Looking for a towing dolly
Check your owners manual but I don't think you can dolly a Wrangler. You need all four down or on a trailer. A Wrangler is easy to flat tow and the baseplates are usually very cheap. I paid a little over a hundred for my Demco baseplate for my Wrangler. I didn't care for dolly towing.
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Big Katuna
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11/14/09 06:56pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Transmission problems from towing Honda's?
Earl,
This was a great post and one I was watching to see what the answers would be. It came out just about what I thought it would, NO direct problems towing a Honda.
Personally, I have talked several people in RV Parks towing Honda automatics (Ody's, 1 Civic) and not one had reported a problem. All were using the pre 05 towing procedure recommendations.You just haven't heard from the right people yet. Did the person that posted a thread about the transmission failure in his '06 Civic post? How about the two Ody owners that contacted me why both had trans failures after towing? You're getting feedback from a very small fraction of a percentage of owners.
I have posted here before about towing an 06 Honda Civic. It wasn't my car but the car of the women that bought my tow dolly. She destroyed the tranny in her 06 Civic and needed the dolly to tow. She followed Demco's advice (her words) and towed flat and killed the tranny on the drive home from getting all (RV & Car) outfitted by the dealer. The reason I know all of this we we have an 07 Civic - same car, but we used the dolly as the manual explicitly said no flat towing.
I believe that the women with the Civic did follow some kind of pre-drive prep that she was given, just don't know what it was - and obviously it did not work.
I happen to know that older Civics can be towed flat as we encountered full timers towing a 2001 Civic with the 4spd auto tranny. They showed me their pre-tow instructions. When I enquired about it.
Our Civic is leased and soon to go back (glad we leased as our other vehicle is AWD and would need a trailer). So there is a Fit, Fusion or Escape in our future.
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vfrmarc
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11/04/09 08:24pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Tow Dollies
I used a Demco towdolly for better than 25 years. My first Demco dolly did not have surge brakes, when I purchased my next coach I also purchased a new Demco dolly with brakes, as living in SoCal I usually cross mountains on every trip. During the time I used the dolly, my family grew in size, and then some grew old enough not to travel with us on every trip. We purchased and towed many different cars, even though we only used 3 MHs during that time. A drive to San Diego would see us towing a full size wagon, or even a van (sure that's overweight but it was a 120mile flat trip). A trip to Las Vegas without the kids would have us towing a smaller car. I have nothing bad to say about dolly towing, and only once did the trailer present a problem in an RV park, but we worked around that. Now it is usually just my wife and I on the road. My back is not what it used to be, neither are the knees (or anything else for that matter). Using the tow bar is much easier. I have the Demco Alumilite (or something like that) which weighs in at 25lbs.
My opinion, for what it's worth, if your going to keep the car for a long time as the toad, tow 4 down. If your going to keep the MH for a long time, but might change cars every 2 years or so, use the dolly.
Happy Trails.
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kalynzoo
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11/01/09 02:54pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Dilemma, in regards to towing the toad.
I have an alluminum flat bed trailer with an air dam. It works great for me as I can take any of my cars with me and they still look like new after 25k of travel. Storage has not been a huge problem but then everyone's situation is different eh?
I'm the same way. I have a tow dolly and an aluminum tandem-axle Featherlite trailer, in that I take various vehicles on various trips. However, If I had a vehicle like yours, and it was my only toad, I would definitely go 4-down. The trailers and dolly's can become a bit of a storage problem in a few unique situations, although I've never had a problem.
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turninghawk
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10/28/09 05:21am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Dilemma, in regards to towing the toad.
Trailers or tow dollies add a lot of weight and can be inconvenient if you end up in a crowded campground. They are another piece of equipment to maintain and another license and in some states require inspection.
Flat towing has some problems such as backing up but you learn to pick your spots ahead of time to give you clearance for turning etc. If you look at the motorhomes on the road the vast majority are towing flat. A trailer or tow dolly can be heavier then the average person can move by hand.
Some cars can't be towed flat but the toad guide will list them. If you have a 2009 Jeep you have a good toad unless there is some sort of special equipment in the driveline that prevents that. Check the guide.. and look at your owners manual.
My toad is a turbocharged VW GLX w/5 speed tranny. Kind of a wolf in sheeps clothing and weighs 3100 lbs.
This subject has been chewed over a lot on this forum and there are lots of pro and con that will help you make a decision.
My preference is flat towing and have been doing it for many years.... JMHO
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texasrvr
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10/27/09 09:46pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: So confused about towing
You need to decide whether you are going to tow four wheels on the ground (Flat Towing) or use either a Tow Dolly or a Trailer. Each increases your choices for a Toad.
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Kanata
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10/21/09 07:19am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: ignorant about towing
In all likelyhood you will need a class 3 or 4 hitch. Class three should be strong enough. Didn't your M/H come with a hitch already mounted? If so all you need is the draw bar and hitch ball (usually a 2" ball). Next you can decide whether to tow flat, with a tow dolly or with a trailer (the heaviest solution and your M/H may not be able to handle a trailer with a car on it weight wise). So probably the tow flat or tow dolly. Next questions is can your car be towed flat? You can check your owners manual for that information. If you have a front wheel drive car you can use a tow dolly. probably the least expensive way to start. However, towing flat is the easiest to do from a hooking up and unhooking standpoint.
Answer these questions and then you can start to price out the most logical choice.
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vfrmarc
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10/06/09 08:33pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: towing
4-down (Flat tow) easiest hook up, lightest tow (no trailer) and favored by many.. DISADVANTAGE.. A few cars can not be towed this way, and many need "Modification" (Either addition of lubrication pump or some way to disconnect drive shaft or one axle) Mine included. You can not back up
Dolly, Fairly easy to store, but harder to hook up and in my case would put me over hitch weight limit. You should not back up. And you have to store this thing..
Full trailer, Open) YOU CAN BACK UP, much more to store, heavier, other disadvantages simular to dolly. NEED NOT put a light kit on the car though.
Full trailer ENCLOSED.. Protects the car, kind of like towing a garage. Still more weight, I've never used one so I don't know how you get out of the car after loading it.
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wa8yxm
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10/04/09 06:05pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: towing
Depends on the vehicle you want to tow. If the vehicle can be towed with all four wheels or flat towing on the ground without having modifications made to the vehicle like a transmission lube pump or driveshaft disconnect then I belive that is the preferred method. With the dolly or trailer comes the hassle of parking the dolly or trailer when you get to the campground unless you can get a pull-through, then overall length may be a factor with a full car trailer.
I've read lot's of posts both good and bad about towing with a dolly. I was considering it but after reading about the constant checking of straps, retightening after traveling in rain, the alignment that's required for the vehicle on the dolly, the getting down on your knees in the mud to hookup, I decided the best thing for me will be to trade in one of our vehicles for a Vue, CR-V or Jeep Liberty.
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randco
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10/04/09 07:40am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Towing with a Tow Dolly for the first Time
Hi,
Be really careful when getting fuel. I struck a pole going out of a gas station the first time I fueled up with my new tow dolly.
Make sure that you end up in the center of the tow dolly. I got some scratches from the tow dolly fenders on one side of my Winstar van. And I ended up wearing the inside tire on the left front, possibly from driving on the ramp? IDK.
I also counted the number of steps, so I did not skip one once. I think it was 7 steps. One for each strap, one for the pin that allows the ramps to tilt back, one for the drivers side and passenger side safety chain to the car to trailer, one for the lights to the tow vehicle to the RV. One step was to make sure the lock was in place on the trailer hitch ball lever.
I put diodes in the rear lights of my van. Then I hooked up a wire from the RV to the van, went through the van to the back, removed both lenses, figured out a way to get the wires from the back of the van into the light housing. Then cut the wire to the brake light bulb (not the running light wire) and then inserted the diode. It has two inputs and one output that goes to the light bulb. The first input is from the van brake light, the second is from the RV brake / turn signal light wire. Then the red brake light will flash with the RV lights, and turn on with the brake lights.
I put diodes in my other tow vehicles too.
For braking, I used a cruise control motor, with it's cable pulling the brake pedal to the floor, providing brakes to the towed vehicle. I used a vacuum line from my RV engine, and used a few check valves and 12 volt vacuum switch to activate the vacuum to the cruise control motor when the RV brake pedal is pushed.
I did not like towing the van with the tow dolly. It was always a bit of a pain to store the dolly at the campsite, and backing up more than 3" is impossible. Now I tow a Ford Edge. I was thinking about the Taurus X, with the same 6 speed automatic, it can be flat towed too, but is heavier.
Good Luck!
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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10/03/09 01:16am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Tow vehicle AND trailer search refined AND revised
I have not towed with the SUV's you are looking at but I have towed the weight you are looking at with V6 powered SUV's.
1998 GMC Sonoma 4.3L V6 with 3.42 axle, Z85 and tow option.
Towed a 1000-1200lbs jetski trailer got 17mpg with it doing 70mph ( the trailer has P tires on it)
Towed a 1996 Nissan Altima on a U-haul tow dolly 4000lbs, this was the most I towed with this truck. MPG unkwon. It towed it a 65MPH just fine IMHO, it had just enough power left to speed up on a big hill, I would tow 4000+ again if I still had the truck.
1997 GMC Jimmy 4.3L V6, 3.42 axle(small one) towed the same jetski trailer as above, 17MPG at 70-75MPH. That was all it towed.
1998 GMC Safari Van 4.3L V6, 3.73 axle, towed the same jetski trailer as above, 17MPG at 70-75MPH, towed a heavy flat bed with a golf cart on it, weight unknow, MPG unknow, but it towed fine to me.
2002 Chevy Trailblazer 4.2L I6, 3.73 axle. Air bags. towed the same jetski trailer as above, 19MPG at 70-75MPH, towed a U-haul 6x12 in-closed trailer, Empty weight 1,800 lbs, per u-haul. weight inside unknow, MPG unknow, short trip to the dump, towed it fine. Towed a Carson trailer over the wheel twin axle trailer called ATV2, weights 1560lbs, it has brake's on both axles.
At 65MPH with 3500lbs on it so its 4060lbs total, 9MPG + or -. This trailer is very high off the ground, even my best friends F350 6.0L CC 4x4 DRW can feel it back there, not power wise but wind wise from under it and from the ramp gate . I think the Trailblazer needs a 4.10 and a aftermarket re-flash of it computer to get that torque management out of there, it would tow better I would think.
2003 Kia Sorento 3.5L V6, 4.67 axle.air bags. Towed the same jetski trailer as above, 18MPG at 70-75MPH. Ive towed at its limit, 3500lbs (I have a 5000lbs hitch on for over kill) towed the same Carson Trailer as above, with 3500+lbs total trailer weight with it.
65MPH, MPG was 8 to 10, it would slow down to 50MPHish on I10 out to Phoenix. Two Waverunners, one SeaDoo GTI SE 130, total wet weight (that's with gas)881LBS. One Yamaha VX, total wet weight 839LBS. Four 5gal jugs 170LBS, plus another 75+lbs on the trailer thats 1965LBS in ski's and gas. The trailer 600lbs, GVWR of 2990.
Total trailer weight of 2565LBS. Thats on top of 5 people in the car and Ice chest, chairs stuff like that in the back. 50-65MPH to Laughlin Nevada from Chandler AZ, 14MPG and about 29-31PSI in the air bags.
Both the Trailblazer and Sorento need the airbag's, they will sag with almost every trailer on them but the single jetski trailer.
I would think the only mod you need is airbags, but everything else look's good to me.
I know not what your looking for, but its the best I have.
I hope this helps
DaCarmack
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DaCarmack
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08/01/09 07:09pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Stoping at scales in B.C Canada
Ok you got me curious. Class A (and C) registered as a passenger vehicle (as all Motorhomes in BC are) does NOT need to stop. If you are towing a TT or 5ER or have a TC on your 1TON (which are registered by GVWR) and you're over 5500KG (12000#) you DO need to stop.
so us in this forum are safe, the TT and 5ER guys need to stop.
I just got off the phone with a Ministry Compliance Officer (they guy who does the inspections) and the local weight scales supervisor (Port Mann East for those local).
Speaking on behalf of BC, Canada, driveby is correct.
Here is a trailer towing FAQ that's produced by the commercial vehicle enforcementr unit (CVSE). These are the guys that run the scales and do roadside vehicle inspections etc.
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/CVSE/references_publications/trailer_towing_info_sheet.pdf
With Class A, B, and C RVs there is no requirement to pull into a scale.
If you're towing a utility trialer, tow dolly, or flat towing you are not required to pull into a scale.
If you're towing a trailer that weighs more than 5,500kg (12,100lb) you are required to pull into the scale.
This part - is for BC residents only...
For BC residents trailers that have commercial plates (instead of the smaller utility trailer plate) you are required to ensure the licensed GVW of your tow vehicle includes the weight of the tow vehicle, the trailer, and the contents of the trailer. So in my case, I have an enclosed car trailer. It has a commercial trailer plate (same size as a normal car plate - not the smaller utility trailer size). The liscensed GVW on my truck needs to be 8045kg (3500kg for the truck, 1920kg for the empty trailer, plus 2625kg for the vehicle in the trailer). If my GVW on the truck is less than that I will get an overweight ticket. An overweight ticket will set you back $115 plus $11.50 per 100kg or part thereof in excess.
Just to be clear - you cannot exceed the GVWR, the GAWR (axle weights) or other legal limits. That will also get you overweight tickets.
The ticket for bypassing a scale is $115
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JeepBus
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07/10/09 01:41pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Hond CR_V
CRV, can only be towed 4 wheels down or 4 wheels UP. like on a tow wrecker deck. It says DO Not tow on two wheels. To get a better reading on this matter, look in the owners manual index, under two headings, #1 Towing in a emergency and #2 Towing behind a Motorhome. Go to those pages and you can read it word for word.
So now your problem is how to get the dolly home and also the CRV at the same time, is that what I am reading?
So maybe you can rent a flat bed trailer that the CRV and the Tow dolly can both fit and tow the two of them home. To flat tow the CRV 4 wheels down will cost you a minimum of $500.00 to $600.00 and probably more for tow bars, lighting, ect, so the rental fee of a trailer might be in line. Good luck
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othertonka
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07/09/09 04:59pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flat tow or trailer?
When I used to flat tow, not having brakes was the issue. After nearly being pushed off a cliff by the weight of the towed vehicle, I decided to go with a trailer. No one I knew in the 4X4 community used the dollies - the advantage of a trailer to haul your junk home was already mentioned.
However, if you're not in the habit of breaking parts to the point that a dolly w/brakes wouldn't work for you, they sure take up less space than a full-on trailer.
If you tow something like a Sami that weighs what my trailer weighs empty, then plain flat is the ticket. A 3500 lb Jeep probably would be OK until you get onto curvy roads with elevation change, then I feel the need for brakes.
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DesertDave100
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06/14/09 03:52pm |
Truck Campers
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