How many of you guys pull a TOAD?

I think Ardra made a great point that cant be emphasized enough........
If your RV breaks down in the middle of no where (and no cell phone reception) you will still  have a vehicle to use . If your RV gets towed to a campground you will still have the flexibility to be mobile and if necessary to get you back to the stick house  (if extensive and time consuming repairs are necessary) while the RV is being repaired.  And yes..... you could rent a car but if its after hours it might be a hassle.  I'm just saying...................... 8)

Hi,
We started out with a 22' MH and a trailer with scooters; now its 32' and a Jeep Wrangler.
At the moment, the Jeep is at the dealer hostage to a part's shortage (distributor/oil pump drive) and we're driving a rental for two months! Toads are Good!!!
Ernie

We "justified" (in our own mind) just renting a car where we got where we were going using the rationalization that it was less hassle, less costly (than buying a dedicated toad, towbar, and accessories), and would use less fuel getting to and from the destination.  What we found out was that the hassle factor, as others have alluded to, was just overwhelming.  In addition, it seems that rental prices have gone up considerably in the past couple of years.  I rented a car in the Pensacola area (used priceline, name your own price) and ended up having to drive to an airport that was an hour and a half away to get one, and the taxes/fees were approximately an 80% add-on to the "price" of the car.  By the time we were done with it all, we spent over $250 for five days, drove an extra six hours (3 hours round trip, times two), and my daughter got a speeding ticket on the way to return the car, which was over $100 (I know this is not the fault of the rental car).  Adding it all up, it makes the toad issues seem much more managable by comparison (for us), especially since we found one we could use as a daily driver.

We have a 34 foot MH with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with Quadra Trak 2 gear box, couldn't do without the Toad but if we replaced it we would seriously look at the transmission. Selecting neutral electronically is a worry as I guess getting it wrong could be expensive.

We used to travel "toadless" but we usually only went out for a week at a time. We always took our bicycles along. Quite often, the bicycles were enough. We did take the Explorer along a few years ago because we were going to camp host in Death Valley and did not want to be toadless there. Since then, we have always taken the bicycles and our trusty VW beetle along. If we did not have the toad, we would probably stay in different places, nothing too far out. And the convenience of having a toad can't be over-emphasized...jump in the car to go do laundry, go buy groceries, go sightseeing. In our case, we found a nice, cheap toad and it works for us.

Wendy
Cattail Cove S.P., Lake Havasu, Arizona

When we had our first motorhome, a 30' gasser, we didn't have a toad for a couple of weekend trips and tolerated navigating through the crowds as in Yellowstone and such.  However, shortly after purchasing our first motorhome we bought a Jeep XJ Cherokee for the wife as a daily driver and started using it for off-roading a little here and there.  I set it up to tow and have never been without a toad since.  That was 17 years ago, two coaches and three Jeeps ago.

I also didn't like the hooking up and unhooking at the campsite to go sightseeing and exploring the areas. 

We have never left the driveway with our last coach or our current coach without having either the Jeep or the trailer hooked up.  My vote would be to take a toad along and enjoy the areas much more with less hassle.  Mike.

We towed a Smart car for the first year we owned our coach.  It weighs in at 1609 pounds.  Seats 2 6+ footers and a little baggage.  We used to cram in two golf bags (the Driver and Woods had go go between the seats). Easily could haul more groceries than I could pay for 

We sold it because we plan to be closer to full timers and the Smart gets a little small for your everyday driver.  I have seen them towed by class B vans.  Your 3500 tow limit isn't even close when towing a Smart.

Marcb,

When I bought my 2004 Jayco Greyhawk I had the same dilemma as you.  The Greyhawk had a tow limit of 3500 lbs & I owned a Grand Cherokee which would have been a perfect toad except it weighed about 1000 lbs over the limit.  I traded the Jeep on a 2004 Honda CRV & it has proven to be an excellent toad.  Even though I can now tow 5,000 lbs I don't think I would give up the CRV.  I also wouldn't travel without a toad for the reasons other people have mentioned in this thread.

Mike Wagner

Thanks for the input guys. We're going to begin serious looking within the next few weeks. Most likely, we'll start out TOADless and see how it goes.

The only drawback with the Coachmen 21QB on the Chevy chasis is it will only tow 3,500 lbs; however, the good point is the entry cost is only $50K for a new one. The Ford Chasis can tow 5,000 Lbs, but it's about $6- $7K more.

Thank you

The first nine years that I owned a motorhome back in the late seventies/early eighties I went without a toad. When I finally bought a Jeep Wrangler in 1987, I tried towing it with my Class C Itasca and just about ruined the transmission in the Itasca. Since then, I have owned 4 Class A's (two gas & two diesel) I would not be without my toad anywhere. It's too tough to unhook and drive to town when I want to go. Incidentally, nowadays I tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee with my Fleetwood Discovery diesel. I would never go back to a gas motorhome either.

On my first 24' class A I never used a toad, pretty much drove it like a car. Now, like others above, we use bikes. It's a fun way to get around but bikes don't get you the full advantage of having a toad. Our biggest problem is we have two dogs that we want to take with and they are having nothing to do with running along! We purchased them a MH (we call it the doghouse!) and we will be getting them a toad before too long.  ;D

With the Class A's and tghe B+ we have pulled toads. Started out in thye 70's pulling an old Bettle stick shift with a homemade tow bar. Then when we had the Pinnacle Class A we towed a Toyota on a tow dolly. Now we tow a Jeep Liberty 4wd behind the Class A. WOuld not be without a Toad but I see some who use bikes to get around but they are really limited. I go to see interesting places I have never been and travel great distances from campgrounds to accomplish our goals. I just find the Toad suits our style of camping/sightseeing.

I can see where some people in smaller coaches can get by without a toad and then some people go to a campground/recreational are and stay there for the duration. It is really boils down to what fits your needs.

I wouldn't go anywhere without the CJ7 Jeep attached to the MH. When we first got a MH I didn't have a toad and it was a pain in the  you no what. No sooner would I get all set up ready to enjoy a cold one when the wife would inform me that we needed something from the store. To far to walk so I would have to get the coach ready to travel just for some groceries. What a pain. Much easier to hop in the Jeep go to the store or site see. Just my experience.

Jay T
K6ruv

Me, too.  I've only had my MH a couple of years.  Our travels initially were nearly all one night stands so a toad didn't seem too useful, considering the extra expense.  But, having found many areas where we want to spend more than one night and what with higher gas prices making it more sensible to minimize road time, I began considering a toad.  This spring I bought a Jeep Unlimited (2 dr) and got rigged for towing.  I'm not looking back.  The freedom offered with a toad is worth the extra expense and the more I hook it up and unhook it, the easier it becomes.  For me, a toad is now a requirement - unless I'm going fishing and need to tow the boat.

NO toad, fulltimer past 18 months, 28 foot Class C Tioga.  Matter of fact my Blue Ox tow assembly  is up for sale. 

I've had my motorhome for 18 months.  I did have a car at first, but I was using it to shop for RV's!  I left on a trip, didn't have the connection to tow it, so I left it at a friend's house.  I was having so much fun with the Class C and not having the hassle of towing, that a few months later I sold the car, because it was just sitting.  That saved me a bundle in insurance, tires, maintenance and pure hassle.

I like to travel off the beaten path, and down the byways. Often I don't have a fixed plan.  If I have to turn around or backup, it's no problem, no toad. I can park anywhere including parallel parking on a NY street to go to Niagara Falls. (OK, I parked at the end of the row, so I could back out easily... LOL!!!)  I took the dog to the Falls, though it was cool enough, he could have stayed behind, but he enjoys going anywhere and everywhere.

Since I am in mine fulltime, I pretty much keep a pantry stocked and fill the fridge before settling into a remote campground.  I can pretty much break camp in 10-20 minutes to go shopping or sightseeing, but mostly I shop and sightsee along the way to where I am going.  Breaking camp to go shopping is a great excuse to tidy up the motorhome, everything looks great for a day  LOL!  I had a friend with me for a few weeks, we ate tons of fresh produce, so we could empty the fridge pretty quickly. We used to joke, well we need groceries, it's time to  move to another campground! 

Sure the Class C burns a bit more gas than a toad, but I'm not having to deal with the maintenance and insurance and cost of the toad, so I figure it probably works out cheaper. I don't have to pay extra to have pull through spots because I can just back right in.  I figure a rental car here and then would be cheaper too,overall, than a toad,  but I've never bothered with one yet, as it's more fun to just take the RV and go where ever.

I enjoy walking and hiking with the dog, so that is a bonus and good for the health.  I was in a campground for 8 weeks, last winter,  that had some assorted shopping within a half mile.  I found having a backpack a must, as I could put the heavy groceries in the backpack, and lighter stuff in two balanced bags, so my arms didn't overly stretch on the walk back. Other times, I broke camp and drove to a major store to shop.  Usually I made it a whole day outing, shopping and sightseeing before returning to camp.

Now that I am workcamping in a remote area, in a campground of one,  I just break camp to go shopping when I need to, and usually spend most of the day out.  On the other hand, recently I met someone who lives nearby, who has called me when they are going shopping to offer me a ride.  I've done that too, then cooked them a sumptuous meal as a thank you.

On a warm day I was shopping with the RV and couldn't find a shady spot to park for the doggy.  Since it wasn't humid, and I was driving with all  the screened windows open anyhow, I turned on a 12 volt fan that is really powerful, and the powerful stove exhaust fan and left the doggy inside playing with his toys, while I shopped.  The fan and the exhaust kept the air moving around, and the inside temperature was only 2 degrees warmer when I got back.  But if it's really hot and humid, then I run the generator and A/C  for the dog while I shop.

Dar said:

We didn't tow for the first year and found our biggest obstacle to be having a dog and therefore now pull a toad the majority of the time. IMO, no pet, no prob, especially with that size unit ;D!

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I am so clueless here, what does the dog have to do with the toad?

We pull a TOAD behind our 40 ft. Bluebird Wanderlodge motorhome. The TOAD is a Jeep Grand Cherokee.


Liz