Backing a tow vehicle

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tjmezzan

tjmezzan

Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Posts
15
Location
Folsom, CA
I've been searching the blogs here and can't seem to find anything about backing up a tow vehicle.  I am considering towing my 2008 Canyon, but if I can't back it up, I will probably stick with just carrying our bikes instead.  I don't want to unhook it every time I have to back up the RV.

 
    No you can't backup with a toad attached, but with three motor homes and at least 35000 miles of towing a car and I have only had to unhook the toad three times.  Certainly a lot of luck involved but I also plan ahead and am always aware of where I am and where I'm going.  I'm sure I'll have to do it again but I'm not about to lose the convenience of having a toad.
    Hook up the toad, be aware of where your going and enjoy your travels.    And have a Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Backing a flat towed vehicle is not something you would want to try unless it is for just a few inches. I have backed ours on the tow dolly for maybe 10 feet but very carefully and only if the dolly and car was straight behind the RV  and not at an angle.Backing while flat towing ,have never tried it but have no plans to try it  anytime soon. Best plan is to look ahead before you go into a place to see if there is a way out before entering...Alan
 
We can't, can't can't back up our MH. In fact bringing it home from the dealers we hit one of the worst situations we could have. We have a very narrow area in our neighborhood. One car moves over to let the other go by. Here we are driving up the road and a FIRE ENGINE was coming. Luckily it didn't have its lights on because we couldn't back up and he couldn't get by. He directed us but that was the start of our scratches.
 
You can back up with a tow attached, BUT only if you're lined up straight or nearly so, and you DO NOT turn the motorhome steering wheel while backing very slowly.  Have someone watch the front wheels of the towed and signal an immediate stop when they start to caster.  We've done this numerous times, backing up as much as a motorhome length.  We also have a Canyon but did this with our previous Honda Accord as well.

Of course, it's best to avoid situations where you would have to back up, but sometimes we find out too late that we can't pull out forward.
 
I managed about 75 feet once at an accident that completely closed the highway. My choices were to wait for the accident to be cleaned up so the emergency vehicles could be moved (I was on the right shoulder and the highway was wide enough I could have probably manged the turn), unhook / backup / rehook and take the exit that was literally "right there", or give it a go.


I know several firemen were watching and were probably amazed at my skill backing up a toad on a dolly... But I also know I could probably never get that lucky again in my life.


If possible, I would suggest flat towing. Using a dolly adds an additional piece of equipment to the mix. I've never had the pleasure of flat towing, but it seems to me one less piece to unhook would make those few occasions where it's required easier. When the DW and I drop the brick and mortar we plan on having a trailer so we can "just go" whenever or wherever we want and still be able to back up.
 
Basic plan is  NEVER, NEVER, N E V E R back up with a toad or a tow dolly under any circumstances unless you are going to be stuck there until the end of days.  If you are towing a car trailer that would be O.K.  I did once and it cose me $475 in tow dolly repair and I only backed 15 feet.
 
Thank you to everyone for your quick and most definite responses!  I appreciate it very much!  I think I will just stick with the bicycles for now and if we get somewhere that requires a vehicle, we will rent one.

Happy Thanksgiving and happy travels!
 
Some few toads may back up moderately well, but they are few. And all the caveats that Ned stated still apply. Whether yours can be backed just a few inches or several feet depends on both the design and the adjustment of its front end & steering mechanism, so even two vehicles of the same make and model may differ. The type of towbar and amount of rear overhang on the coach also affects it.

You can experiment (carefully!) if you have someone to watch the toad front wheels as you attempt to back, but your basic plan should be the one that Blakduke prescribed: NEVER back up!
 
Just a question because I've never tried it, but has anyone had someone else sit in the toad and try modest steering corrections while being backed?
 
Molaker said:
Just a question because I've never tried it, but has anyone had someone else sit in the toad and try modest steering corrections while being backed?
Click to expand...

Yep, did that once and it was a disaster.  It might work but only if you have power steering and you DON'T turn the wheels on the towed.  And you need to be in constant communication with the motorhome driver as they won't see the wheels caster on the towed vehicle.
 
Had similar experience to Ned's when attempting to do that. Not quite a disaster, but not very helpful either. We gained a few extra feet straight back by holding the wheel straight (engine running to have power steering), but an attempt to turn the toad was not at all successful. I think it could be done if you practiced it enough, but gaining the experience to make the subtle wheel movements would surely be frustrating. Your chance of being able to hop into the car and steer it without prior practice is slim, I think.
 
I have a Ford F53 chassis and it's limited front wheel cut combined with a long wheelbase, means the motorhome's turning radius is just slightly larger than some cul-de-sacs.  So a couple of times I've reached a cul-de-sac and had to unhook the toad to make a 3-point turn.  Unhooking the toad just isn't that big of a deal.  It would be even less if I traveled with a second person to drive the toad to a convenient re-hitching place.

I tow 4-down so it's quick and easy to uncouple the toad.  My safety cables have ball ends that mate to sockets on the toad baseplates, so to disconnect the toad it's just a matter of setting the toad's parking brake, popping the balls out of their sockets, pulling two pins and unplugging the electrical cord.  Fold the tow bar against the motorhome and I'm ready to go.  30 seconds.

Park the toad out of the way, turn the motorhome around.  Position the toad behind the motorhome and re-hitch, another 30 seconds to a minute.
 
The problem is the geometry of the toad's front end.  Next time you're in a supermarket take a shopping cart and try moving it backwards without having the front caster wheels swivel around.  You can't do it.  The same thing happens when you try to back a toad - the caster on the toad's front wheels makes them diverge from the line of travel imposed by the rigid towbar and they quickly move to full lock.

It doesn't matter if the motive force comes from the motorhome pushing on the toad or the tow vehicle pulling on the motorhome - you still have the rigid connection of the towbar and the path of the motorhome plus towbar is diverging from the path of the toad's front end.
 
My wife and I once backed out of difficult truck accident scene by unhooking just one of the tow bar legs. She guided the running toad in reverse while I backed the coach about 500 feet. Once we were clear of the debris field, it only took a minute to rehook the one leg, and we were ready to roll with only a minimal delay to the traffic around us.
 
If the two vehicles are lined up, you can back fairly successfully.  The problem comes in (already mentioned) that without being able to see, or having someone back there watching, you never know when the front wheels of the toad are going to become "possessed"!  With my camera, I can watch the steering wheel and know immediately when it starts to go bad.  So, by backing veeerrry slowly and carefully, I can watch the steering wheel as well as where I'm going.  If I couldn't watch the steering wheel while backing, I wouldn't do it at all........
 
We find it takes so little time to unhook the toad that there is little point in attempting to maneuver it. Foresight mostly keeps us out of trouble, but if things go awry we just hop out and unhook. It takes less time to "just do it" than to moan & groan, make vain attempts, and then end up unhooking anyway.  I think we are talking maybe 45 seconds, tops. Same to hook up again. Pull two pins, disconnect safety cables and wiring plugs, and done.
 
IIRC we've been "stuck" exactly twice in 20+ years of RVing, and I mean really stuck. One time I was driving and the other time my better half was driving, and the two episodes were approx 15 years apart. In both cases we'd entered a relatively narrow fuel aisle at an angle and on very uneven ground (virtually on a hill). By the time we'd committed and found someone ahead of us unable to move, it was too late.

Both times occurred before I'd switched to an all-terrain tow bar. Removing the pins was nigh impossible, and I had to resort to a hammer and punch, with someone in (the) toad with the engine running and in reverse, taking pressure off the pins. The second time it happened, I first tried having another forum member hold the steering wheel in the toad, both with and without the engine running (and power steering on); It was hopeless, for all the reasons stated by various folks.

I carried a hammer and punch until I eventually switched to an all-terrain tow bar. Another trick (learned from forum members) that has helped to free the pins on 'standard terrain' tow bars, but not in extreme situations, is to rotate the steering on the toad side to side; It doesn't take a lot of movement.
 
I have backed from a few to 20 or 30  feet up on many occasions. My toad has "jackknifed" on some of those attempts. 
I watch the toad like a hawk and when it starts to jacknife, I stop backing and unhook.  It can be done, but only carefully.
 
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