Newbie Toad questions

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carini

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For a toad setup, what are the initial costs?  About how long does it take to set up?  Is it car specific?  We are trying to decide between going without at first, or using our 2002 Saturn L200.  It has 164k miles on it, no payments, and if we sold it, we'd probably only get $1,000.
 
To have a shop do it for me it was approx 3,500 + 900 for a rear drive line disconnect. You'll need to know the MH tow capacity and if the Saturn needs any mods to tow four down.
 
Motorhome Life annually publishes a list of 4 down towable vehicles. Maybe someone here can answer that question.  I  tow a 2013 Sonic with a Blue Ox tow bar and Patriot braking system.  As best I recall the total cost of everything (CW installed the tow bracket on the car) was about $2000 and the brake unit was bought used on this forum.  It takes me about 10 minutes to hook up including setting up the brake box.  I had a switch installed on the car to bypass a fuse that would have to be pulled in order to avoid draining the battery.  I also had a lighting kit installed that would allow the taillights of the motorhome to be shown in the cars taillights.  The cost cited above includes all that I have mentioned.  I do not have to disconnect any drivelines.  Just insure the car is in neutral, the fuse is either removed or bypassed and the brake unit is installed.  The car should be started for about 5 minutes a couple of times a day to circulate the oil.  One good thing is that the tow miles are not shown on the car speedometer.  So far, I have towed it about 7000 miles that don't show.  Hope this helps.  If possible, I would avoid the use of a tow dolly unless you are prepared to handle it, store it and hook up the car to it in all types of weather (read - mud and muck).
 
You will need to buy a tow bar, look in the adds, you might find one a lot cheaper then new; you'll have to get the matching baseplate installed on your Saturn and you will also need a auxiliairy braking system for your car; look at the adds again to find a second hand one.
Buying everthing new, you'll pay ? $2500. and buying the 2 items used, you'll save 1/2 price so roughly ? $1500.
Good luck
 
carini said:
For a toad setup, what are the initial costs?  About how long does it take to set up?  Is it car specific?  We are trying to decide between going without at first, or using our 2002 Saturn L200.  It has 164k miles on it, no payments, and if we sold it, we'd probably only get $1,000.
Click to expand...


IMO the most comprehensive website for determining if your vehicle can be towed is http://www.remcoindustries.com/Towing/Store.php  Not only does it identify which vehicles can be towed 4-down "as is", it also defines the mods necessary to make others capable of being towed.

The good news for you is that your 2002 Saturn "L" appears to be towable without modification regardless of whether it has an automatic or a manual transmission.

Here's a discussion of which baseplate you would need to fit to a Saturn L  Baseplates are usually in the ~$300-400 range and you can often install them yourself if you are handy.  https://www.etrailer.com/question-48380.html

 
docj took the words off my keypad!

You need a baseplate that mounts to the car and provides a connection point for the tow bar.  This then connects to a hitch ball on the RV.  The baseplate is car specific.  Other parts are not car specific, but must be compatible.

Remco will show you exactly what is needed and their price.  You may well find some components elsewhere for less.  Make sure the base plate and tow bar are compatible.

You also need brakes on the car.  My favorite is the    www.readybrake.com  This is a tow bar and brake system in one package.  I like it for its simple hookup and simple design.  It does not need a brake controller because it is essentially a surge brake.  There are other good systems out there as well.

A TPMS, or Tire Pressure Monitoring System is also a good idea.  It can monitor the toad tire pressure and temp and alarm you to problems before you do serious damage from a blowout.
 
I think the most overwhelming thing about all of this is figuring out where to start, but you all have helped to make that clear.  Thanks for all of the information.  Time to get into research mode :)
 
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