by Frank Gummersall
I have been getting a lot of email concerning all the options that are available to motor home operators when it comes to what type of vehicle to tow behind the coach as a dingy (toad). This article will address: (1) How to choose a safe toad, (2) How to pick a safe tow bar and bracket, and (3) some driving hints for safe towing.
HOW TO CHOOSE A TOAD
The type of vehicle to tow behind a coach is a very personal decision and represents a major investment for most of us. My firm recommendation is to choose a toad from the list of vehicles that have been approved by the manufacturers for towing with four tires on the ground. If you must choose a vehicle that is not approved, then plan on spending some real dollars to make modifications that will make it safe for towing and be prepared to defend the modifications to the manufactures when it comes time to prove a warranty claim. Federal Law requires the manufacturer to prove that the after market device under consideration actually caused the problem and they can't just assume that the device in question is the culprit. But let's take an example to show how difficult the problem might be. Suppose you choose to tow your favorite Ford Taurus (I'm not picking on Ford) and to tow it requires the installation of either a auxiliary transmission oil pump or locking hubs. Further suppose that you choose the locking hubs, which extend the actual track of the front wheels out several inches on both sides. About 10,000 miles later, the front end of the Taurus shows significant tire wear and it does not track well, even though it did before. You go to the dealer and he looks at the extra wide stance of the front wheels and says the locking hubs caused the problem and they will not fix the front end. Where do you go from there? The manufacturer of the locking hubs says it's not their problem either and offer no help, they say that the front end of the Ford has caused the problem. So where do you stand? Up a creek without a paddle. The same scenario could happen with the auxiliary transmission oil pump and a transmission failure. The cause can be very hard to prove. So why not stick with a toad that has been approved for towing four down!!!!! It will save a lot of worry and stress. Now if you are just absolutely stuck on the Ford Taurus then I guess you must take the responsibility to warranty your own vehicle.
The next thing to concern yourself with is the weight of the toad. My earlier articles tried to prove that the "lighter the toad is the better". A small toad provides all the convenience of local transportation without having to start and stop all that weight as it is being towed. Well some of you still want to tow that great big comfortable Bonneville that weighs over 4000 lbs. behind your 32 foot coach that has a towing limit of 1500 by the manufacturer of the chassis and a GCW (Gross Combined Weigh) of 14000 lbs. with a loaded coach weight of 11000 lbs. There is only one way to know what your coach actually weighs, and that is to go to a public certified scale and weigh it. The scales are listed in the Yellow Pages and are also present at most truck stops. Please be reasonable in deciding with me that this situation is not safe!!!! I know that you will say that that its fine and that everyone does it, but it is just not safe to handle all the road conditions and driving situations that you will encounter while driving your coach. If you must take that Mercedes with you, then you should purchase a motorhome with a towing capacity of 10,000 lbs. or get a bus conversion like an MCI or Prevost. Then you can put that vehicle into a specially prepared enclosed car trailer and still get there safely.
Motorhome Magazine publishes, every February, a list of approved toads stating among other things, the weight of the vehicle. When you look at a prospective toad, the owners manual will tell you whether it is approved to towing four down behind a motorhome. There are many choices available from this list of approved toads, so why not choose one of them, instead of spending all that money for after market devices and risk warranty problems.
HOW TO PICK A TOW BAR AND BRACKET
I firmly recommend using a name brand tow bar and to keep it maintained. I reported the manufacturers of tow bars in a previous article so look there for addresses and phone numbers. Tow brackets are custom for each vehicle and can be purchased from tow bar manufacturers or custom built by specialized welding shops that work extensively on motorhome, toads, trailers, and tow vehicles. Be sure to work with a reputable shop and get their warranty information before committing to have the work done. The most important thing to me is to get a safe bracket that will not come loose or get bent. The next most important thing is what shows on the toad when it is not being towed. Automatic Equipment and Duncan do the best job in my opinion is hiding the bracket and if you get a removable tow bar, the front of the toad looks fine when not being towed. Some bars attach almost permanently to the bracket and in that case this is a mute point. The self aligning tow bars that attach to the toad or the new ones that attach to the coach are the easiest to connect and disconnect, which can be done by a single person. The a-frame bars that do not fold up, typically require two people for this process. There are gadgets that will hold the bar straight out while you drive the toad up to the back of the coach and if your toad has a real low profile hood, you can see the tow ball to get it aligned. If you snow bird, that is take relatively few trips, then save the money and buy one of the less expensive bars, if you are like me and like to take many side trips while traveling then it is definitely worth investing in the folding type bar.
DRIVING TIPS FOR TOAD TOWING
The most important thing to think about is that with the toad in tow, you have a large weight pushing and pulling against the coach. Coaches are designed with a GVW Gross Vehicle Weight that tells you what the total weight of the coach can be, and a GCW Gross Combined Weight which tells what the loaded coach and the loaded toad can weigh. The GCW is not necessarily the weight that can be pulled, it is more the weight that can be stopped. If your combination is close to the GCW, then it can take a significantly increased stopping distance, sometimes twice as long. The only way to tell is to try stopping from 60 mph with the toad in tow and then from 60 mph without the toad. This should be done on a seldom used side road or on a test track. This will be the ideal situation and bad weather, bad tires, poor visibility, slow reaction time, etc. can only make it more difficult to stop.
The general rule for following distance is 4 seconds. On dry pavement that means that four seconds should lapse before you cross the same piece of roads the vehicle that you are following just passed. The easy way to test this is to pick a significant mark on the side of the road like a mile market to use as a reference. Start counting when the vehicle in front of you passes the market, and say one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand three, and one thousand and four. You should not read that marker before you reach the 4 second mark. For each environmental condition that worsens your drive, add one second. For example in the rain, make it 5 seconds, and if you are also tired, make it 6 seconds. This will give you a reasonable chance to avoid a problem or stop in time.
It is almost impossible to back up with the toad in tow, so make sure you can drive forward out of any area you decide to drive into. Truck Stops are generally easy since they are designed to allow orderly flow of truck going forward in and out. Service Stations are not so easy. In my early rving days, I found myself embarrassed when I had to get out, and disconnect the toad in order to get out of a driveway. With a toad in tow steep driveways are also a challenge since toads do not exactly track with the coach. You must plan on turning with a wider radius so as to miss all the obstacles. Side streets and dead ends are very difficult as are narrow roads that lead to some camp grounds. If you are not sure of the conditions, pause and perhaps disconnect the toad to investigate before driving the coach into an impossible situation. It is especially important to disconnect the toad before trying to negotiate most camp grounds, until you get very experienced. My overall recommendation is to take your combination to a big clear parking lot and practice a lot in judging distances, turning radius requirements, and stopping distances. Then disconnect the toad and practice backing skills using some plastic markers. Some motorhome groups sponsor rodeos and I recommend you set up your own course, because you will eventually need the skill. Who knows, maybe you will win a rodeo and be a coach driving champion.
SUMMARY
I hope these thoughts are helpful and will make your travel more safe and enjoyable. We need to keep in mind that we are out there to see the country and not endanger ourselves or others. Slow down, smell the roses, take a break, drive in the daylight, drive short days, and keep cool when the jerks cut in front of you or do some other annoying thing.