Why not a light trailer for a dinghy vehicle?

Recently retired presently shopping for a Class A.

Plan is for touring with 1-2 weeks stays at out of state friends and interesting places.  Plan includes towing a small car.

Wondering why I don't see RV'ers using a light trailer for small cars.  Seems like putting all the miles on a trailer would be preferable to putting all the miles on the towed vehicle.  The right trailer/car set up could easily be a single axle trailer that would pull very easily.  I do see this set up sometimes with 2 big motorcycles which might weigh 2000 lbs vs. 2500 lbs for a small car like a Honda Fit.

I'm no doubt missing something here since that's not what is done so ...

What am I missing?

Thx in advance to anyone taking the time to educate a rookie.

Mark in MN

You will have to store the trailer at your destination and when not in use.

The trailer can put you over the max tow weight for your tow vehicle.

Greg Barker said:

You will have to store the trailer at your destination and when not in use.

The trailer can put you over the max tow weight for your tow vehicle.

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Those are my thoughts too.
but you can back up a trailer not so much a toad or dolly.

Our Toad does not rack up miles when being pulled

Ranger smith said:

Our Toad does not rack up miles when being pulled

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They may not rack up mileage on the odometer, but wear is still occurring. Another disadvantage to a trailer is the motorhome is actually carrying a lot more weight, rather than just pulling it. I haven't seen too many cars on light trailers, but I do see many enclosed trailers.

Trailers have a few pluses, especially the protection of an enclosed type, but inconvience is the big downside for most people. Finding a place for the trailer at both destinations and at home is the #1 drawback. Extra weight too, a consideration for some rigs.

Tire and wheel bearing wear is a very minor tradeoff.

thx for replies.  Storage at home is no issue as I'm rural but I would be interested in where someone might typically park a trailer in a campground.

If people are using enclosed trailers then finding a place to park it must at least be manageable most of the time ... I think.

Again, thx for advice.

Mark in MN

oldryder said:

If people are using enclosed trailers then finding a place to park it must at least be manageable most of the time ... I think.

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They generally go to campgrounds that are big rig friendly, and use pull through sites. Or boondock in the middle of nowhere.

You (the OP) mentioned a single axle trailer.  I wouldn't think of using a single axle trailer unless it was for maybe a garden tractor.
Singles carry half the weight of a double and even though you think your car is light many people pack things in the car which raises the weight.

With a single axle if you get a flat (or blow out) it could do a lot of damage to the trailer wheel and vehicle on the trailer and maybe the MH too.
If your lucky and it's a slow leak and it slowly goes flat you are stuck there until it's fix if you don't have a spare.

With a double axle and a flat you can limp along if you have to - to get out of traffic etc and maybe get to a tire place for an exchange etc.

Depending on what size Class A you get - that will determine how much you can tow. A small steel trailer will weigh around 1500 - 2500lbs
(depending on the length and if it was enclosed or not) empty if it can hold a car.

I would think it would be somewhat similar costs to setup a car to tow vs. a trailer depending on make and models of each.

But I'll echo the others and say it's a storage issue at a campground or possibly at home too.

Now with that said, if you have a pristine car and want to keep it that way, an enclosed trailer will do that better than any other way of towing.
And you can put other stuff in an enclosed trailer, all protected from the weather, stone chips, and prying eyes etc.
However with an enclosed trailer for a car you need an 8 or 8.5 foot wide one in most cases.  Not a problem for most good size Class A DP's
But if your thinking a Gas Class A - well then maybe an enclosed wouldn't be such a good choice IMO.


As far as parking - I went to 3 different campgrounds this Summer and not one time did I have to unhook and I'm 65ft with trailer attached.

I'm going to a campground in Dec and even though they advertise "long pull through's" they are telling me I will have to park my trailer
in their storage section.  Time will tell if their long pull through's are really that or they just say that to get people to come in.

Since you say for only 1- 2 weeks at a time, maybe renting a trailer would be an alternative. Then again it may cost more than I think. But, you wouldn't have the $2 -4 grand expense of the tow bar system & brake sytem for the toad.

5 to 6 weeks of renting a U-Haul car trailer will pay for a new budget priced car hauler.

oldryder said:

Recently retired presently shopping for a Class A.

Plan is for touring with 1-2 weeks stays at out of state friends and interesting places.  Plan includes towing a small car.

Wondering why I don't see RV'ers using a light trailer for small cars.  Seems like putting all the miles on a trailer would be preferable to putting all the miles on the towed vehicle.  The right trailer/car set up could easily be a single axle trailer that would pull very easily.  I do see this set up sometimes with 2 big motorcycles which might weigh 2000 lbs vs. 2500 lbs for a small car like a Honda Fit.

I'm no doubt missing something here since that's not what is done so ...

What am I missing?

Thx in advance to anyone taking the time to educate a rookie.

Mark in MN

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4 Wheel down towing is the way I recommend. The trailer just complicates things. The added where to your tires on the toad is minor compared to the price of the trailer. I was in about 36 campgrounds this year so far and there are some that you can park your trailer in a pull through but most don't have room. Some campgrounds require you park the trailer in a different parking area in unsecured and unmonitored or watched areas. How good are you at backing a trailer down a crooked narrow path because the "trailer" parking lot is to small to turn around in?
Hay people love their trailers but the majority tow 4 down.
Bill



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In our RV park in Arizona, they do not allow trailer parking, so those people have to park their trailers in storage facilities while they are there. Some people stay for 3-6 months and paid the storage for their trailers the whole time. Towing just the car for us was no big deal at all. We towed a Honda CRV and did not even feel it behind the motorhome.


Bill

In many way's a car towed 4 down IS a trailer,,the mileage racked up on the car is no problem other than the tires. You would be adding mileage to the tires on the trailer anyway,,in my view it's a push..(117K miles on the D/P,,60K miles towing the jeep and 25K miles towing the ACVW baja) all 4 down).>>>Dan  ( 7K mile towing with a dolly and hated it)

I am going to jump in here with my two cents worth. When we purchased our first MH (ClassC) we rented a car at our destination. This was mostly convenient, however not always available (especially during peak travel times). Adding up what we spent on car rental and the hassle involved, we decided to pull something. Since neither of out two vehicles can be be towed (either 4 down or on a dolly) I opted for an aluminum flat bed car hauler trailer. The trailer weighs 1900 lbs and the pickup weighs 4000 lbs, for a total of 6000 lbs, well under the 10,000 lb towing capacity of our Class A. The trailer is 20 ft and the MH is 36 ft. I have had no problem towing, and find most campgrounds will accommodate when they know in advance. With the tamdem axle backing is easier than a single axle, and the weight is evenly distributed.. If you decide to go this route, make sure the trailer has electric brakes on ALL wheels. Also the cost of the trailer was less than the cost of a car that we could pull, and insurance is a lot less as well.
I am currently pulling the trailer with the pickup on it with a 36 ft DP (340 Cummins), and have had no problems. Milage is about 1.5 to 2 mile per gal less with the trailer than without. Performance has not been affected. Sorry this has gotten so long,good luck and happy rving.

If people are using enclosed trailers then finding a place to park it must at least be manageable most of the time ... I think.

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There are a wide variety of scenarios and whether you find them reasonable or impractical is very much a personal viewpoint thing.

Some parks do not allow any trailer at the site, others provide alternate parking that can be anywhere from 50 ft away to a mile away in a dedicated trailer storage area.  Some may have sites that are big enough to accommodate coach, car and trailer, e.g. the long (90+ ft) pull through type of site. In our 20+ years of camping we've seen all those variations and everything in between, and I would not say that any one is more prevalent than the other. Sometimes the terrain dictates the solution, sometimes it is owner/manager policy, and sometimes it is simply whether the campground was originally designed to handle larger or multi-vehicle rigs or not. Older campgrounds tend to have less space per site simply because they were built when rigs were mostly smaller.

AM I missing something?  You are just wearing your trailer tires out now instead of your car tires.  Now you have another "thing" to maintain and driving into an enclosed trailer and opening the door to get out?  Better be agile. 

Got a Ferrari?  Absolutely!!  Honda Fit - stick on a low dolly (assuming front wheel drive) or if you know how to set it up and it can be towed 4 down that is even better.

I am not a car guy so knicks and chips are welcome to me so I can forget worrying about it.  Don't care what people think of my car.

In many campgrounds you park your car cross-wise in front or behind the motorhome.  There usually isn't room for a trailer unless the site is unusually long.  Getting a trailer to/from the storage area can be a hassle.  How to you get it there and maneuver it into place?  A friend had one and at home got a little fork-lift style vehicle (without the fork lift) to maneuver the trailer into and out of the garage because he said the trailer was too heavy to manhandle.  After a couple of years he gave up on the trailer and bought a new car that could be towed four-down.

We always recommend four-down towing if possible.

Seriously thinking about an aluminum trailer to take my 15 Impala along. Found a couple last years model new trailers at a very attractive price. The trailer can be bought for about what a tow bar and brake system cost. The trailer can be moved around with the car after it is unloaded, no problem. The aluminum trailer only weighs a little more than a steel dolly and you can back a trailer no problem. Still be under the tow rating of my coach with the car and trailer combination. With the trailer I can take either my Impala or the Corvette which ever I prefer, but the Vette don't have a hitch, so the trailer would have to be maneuvered with the coach. I've pulled a trailer with my previous coachs for about 10 years so that won't be a problem.

One of the reasons I went to a MH is to put trailers with those junk ST tires way out of my life.  With 4 down I can drive the speed limits and not worry so much about any "maypop's" in the back holding up my car.