How hard is it to pull a toad?

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HoundyBoy

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Sep 2, 2016
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Lamy, New Mexico
So I'm an almost absolute newbie - have had my 24' class C for a few months and have only driven it a little - boyfriend usually takes the wheel, but I am planning on doing a lot of solo traveling this summer. I had originally thought I would buy a scooter, but am having second thoughts about not just having a real car to drive around for the convenience factor (I plan on spending a month or two at a time on the road, mostly in a single location or two).

Throughout my life I've towed both bumper pull and gooseneck horse trailers with a heavy duty pickup, always hated it, was always a white-knuckle driver, and swore that I'd never get a TT for that reason - the RV thing is something I'm doing because I hope to enjoy it, not be stressed out constantly. But I think what made me a nervous horse trailer driver was being able to feel the horses moving around randomly. I really don't have any experience towing anything without live cargo on board.

Here's the issue: I don't want to invest $ in getting a toad and towing set-up for it only to find that I hate it, and have to sell at what would likely be a loss. Can anyone offer any opinions or advice, or is there any such thing as rental for a tow unit so I can try it out before purchasing? (My current everyday vehicle is a Mercedes ML350, not sure if that could be a trial Toad or not). Thanks for any suggestions.
 
I pulled a horse trailer years ago, actually had one come off the ball hitch with two horses in it, but that's another story.

I'd rather pull a toad than a horse trailer just for the reason you mention, two horses moving around is great fun...NOT.

I suspect you'll find pulling a car fairly easy. Especially if you tow it 4 down.

You can't back up when pulling a car...well maybe a couple feet but that's it. 

We tried not pulling a car and trying to rent a vehicle where we went. That didn't work well at all.

http://www.remcoindustries.com/Towing/Store.php 

The Remco towing page will tell you what cars are towable 4 down. You didn't mention what year your Mercedes is so I couldn't look it up for you. It may be a little too heavy for a Class C to pull.

Do you know what your class C hitch is capable of towing? I suspect 4,000lb might be the maximum.
 
It sounds like you are an experienced driver, accustomed to hauling a trailer.  Do you have any friends that have RVs that pull a toad?  Perhaps they would let you try to drive their rig.  Are there any RV clubs near you where you might find someone to ask about trying your hand at the experience. 

My experience with towing 4 down is that it barely feels as though anything is back there.  The biggest issue is to simply remember that it is there so you don't get yourself into trouble.  Not getting yourself into a situation where you would need to back up is my biggest issue.  I once got myself into a spot where I needed to make too short of a turn and had to disconnect the toad to get our of this spot, meanwhile blocking traffic on a narrow country road.  I won't make that mistake again.
 
Darn, looks from the remco link that my Mercedes can't be towed 4 down. Unfortunately, I don't have any local friends with RV/toad I can test out. Still brainstorming...
 
Assuming you've got an RV capable of pulling a toad - and you've got a toad that's been properly set up to two  ... there's really not much to pulling one.

Hooking up and unhooking - is a simple task.  Obviously, the details of the process will vary depending on the specifics of the toad, tow bar setup and auxiliary brake system you're using.  We've got a large DP, pulling a Jeep Liberty using a Roadmaster Sterling "All Terrain" tow bar setup and an Air Force One Auxiliary Brake system.  For us - it's two pins and a two safety cables to physically attach the Jeep to the tow bars.  The act of making the physical connection takes maybe 2-3 minutes.  We then have 3 "cable connections" to make between the Jeep and the coach - (1) the multipin connector for the lights, (2) the air connection for the brakes and finally (3) the safety cable to activate the brakes if for some reason the toad were to become disconnected.  There's 45 seconds need to hook up all three connections.  Finally, it takes me 60 seconds to put the Jeep's transfer case in neutral.    Unhooking the toad is basically the same steps in reverse.  It's NOT difficult, strenuous or time consuming.    Hooking/unhooking up your toad will be similar - you'll simply have to get familiar with your specific tow bars, aux brake setup and anything you need to set in the toad itself. 

Actually driving with a toad on the back isn't a big deal.  Making left and right TURNS is effortless.  The physics of the rig basically mean you can forget about toad.  The tailswing of your coach will bring the toad around such that you won't need to change how you turn.  Basically - if you get your coach around the corner without a problem - your toad will follow. 

You DO need adjust for the extra length that your toad adds when changing lanes.  You'll get used to that pretty quick.  We use a combination of the coach's side view mirrors and backup camera for that.  Use the mirrors to ensure that your clear to the side - and then check your backup camera display to confirm that the toad has cleared the front of whatever vehicles may be close.  Again - this is something you'll master after a couple of lane changes.

The only thing that is even remotely tricky is anytime you "veer" (as opposed to distinctly turning).  You simply need to make sure you've cleared any vehicles or obstacles your moving past.  Again - not difficult, just something you need to account for. 

The ONLY thing that you CAN'T do with a toad on the back - is put your coach in reverse and back up with the toad still there.  This means you simply have to be a little more careful in terms of selecting your route, parking spaces, etc.  If you get yourself in a situation where you MUST put the coach in reverse ... you're stuck doing a "fire drill" of jumping out ... unhooking ... moving the toad off to the side ... backing up the coach and getting it where you want it ... and then hooking back up.  EVERYBODY ends up doing that every now and then.  You get better at avoiding those situations with a little experience. 

None of this is rocket surgery or brain science.  We were a little nervous about towing the toad the first couple of times ... now, it's old hat and never leave home without it! 
 
I towed a Nissan Versa for years behind a 31 ft. gasser MH. I barely knew it was there. Once lost a tire on the toad (blowout) and was unaware of it until we slowed down through a small town and heard the rim on the pavement. Got a TPMS after that.

Installing all the stuff you need to tow is way harder than the actual towing. I recommend the Ready Brute tow bar with built in surge brake. You will need a base plate on the towed car. I had that installed by a pro. As someone mentioned, you can't back up with toad attached, so you have to plan things like fueling and making sure you don't get boxed in where you can't turn around. On the road, the toad is nothing, especially compared to a horse trailer.
 
What JoelP said
My experience with towing 4 down is that it barely feels as though anything is back there.  The biggest issue is to simply remember that it is there so you don't get yourself into trouble.  Not getting yourself into a situation where you would need to back up is my biggest issue.  I once got myself into a spot where I needed to make too short of a turn and had to disconnect the toad to get our of this spot, meanwhile blocking traffic on a narrow country road.  I won't make that mistake again.

My wife does all the driving in our 30" class C.  She was a bit nervous the first time towing our Honda CRV.  We recently did a 3,200 mile trip and she got to where she didn't think about it as she drove and only when gas, turns, campgrounds, etc. and then simply paid attention to it being back there.  NEVER back up.  We were a bit lucky and found a low mileage CRV that had been towed, well taken care of and had ALL the towing equipment already installed. 
 
A 24 foot class C is not going to be able to tow very much weight. I think a scooter is a much better option. I full timed it for ten years without a toad. I would just use my RV when I wanted to go somewhere. Much less hassle.
 
His is rated to tow 5000#

https://library.rvusa.com/brochure/2003_ti_f.pdf

 
kdbgoat said:
His is rated to tow 5000#

https://library.rvusa.com/brochure/2003_ti_f.pdf
Click to expand...
But that still doesn't leave very much weight for personal stuff. It will be overloaded quickly. And it is not just the weight it call tow, it is the ability of the RV to stop safely and how well it handles in a cross wind or when a semi passes.
 
Thanks SeilerBird. If I learned anything hauling horses, it was that you always want more truck than you need for what you're pulling, and it worries me being so close to my tow capacity. Thinking maybe of trying a cheap scooter while I get more accustomed to driving my rig and revisiting the idea of a small/light toad once I have more experience.
 
His GVWR is 14,050#, his base weight is 9,186#, leaving over 4,800# for installed options, water, propane, gasoline, people, cargo, etc. His GCWR is 19,050#, giving a towing capacity of 5,000#. Being the chassis is rated for a GCWR of over 19k #, his brakes should be fine, and he  should have braking on the toad as well. I can't see where he would have a problem pulling a toad up to 5,000# with a Ford E-450 dually chassis, crosswinds or no crosswinds. My class C is rated to tow 7,500#. I have the same GCWR as a lot of class A's, but a lower GVWR and base weight, allowing me to tow more.
 
Hmm, chassis is actually an E350 not 450, need to look up specs to find that. I do know that the previous owners full-timed with a toad and felt comfortable with it. I haven't weighed this rig yet which is on my to-do list, as it's been majorly renovated, but I think as much heavy stuff got pulled out as got put back in.

(Also, I'm a "she" - probably should have chosen a better screen name - HoundyBoy is my dog ;) )
 
Sorry about the gender mistake. The worst part is I knew that (from your sig) :-[. The only info I have to go by is the brochure I linked. It says F-450 there, but that wouldn't be the first time a brochure is wrong.
 
Pulling the TOAD is pretty easy.
Not having a good view of it in your rear-view can complicate it a bit. and getting a feel for where it is, and where it will go when you turn takes a bit of practice.

Planning is everything.
Mostly just like hauling anything else, except backing up offers a new world of challenge.


 
With your experience at towing trailers, especially horse trailers, you won't even know the car is there!  Just as others have said.  We had a couple of Class Cs that were small enough that towing wasn't necessary - but we eventually tired of the hassle of hooking and unhooking every time we wanted to go somewhere.  About half way through our 22-foot Lazy Daze ownership we bought a cute little Geo Tracker and it was great.  It was light, it was respectable on easy-to-medium four-wheel-drive trails, and it held four people so we could take another couple sightseeing or out to dinner.  But, the best part was that we had so much more flexibility with the car.  On our second trip to Alaska we discovered what we had missed the first visit when we did not have a car.  Think narrow roads or lots of trees with overhanging branches that mean taking an RV is too problematic.  If you were planning to travel frequently I would say you might be able to do without a car at least for a while, but you say you will be parking for extended times.  In that case I suspect you really will want a car to avoid the constant hooking/unhooking of utilities just to go grocery shopping or whatever.  Most campgrounds are away from towns so having a car will be very useful.

You want a light weight car so you won't have to worry about overloading the hitch.  (The Mercedes sounds too heavy.)  The hookups aren't all that difficult and I'm sure easier than a horse trailer.  You do have to watch tight turns.  Someone mentioned having to unhook once and that he wouldn't make that mistake again.  Ha!  Chances are very good that he will have to unhook again at some future time.  It happens but hopefully not very often.  We just apologize to people waiting and work as quickly as we can so they know we're trying to lessen their wait.  I imagine we've had to unhook at least six times in 35+ years.  It's not that big a deal.

ArdraF
 
   
    Where are you located or did I miss that part? Just because you dont have any local friends you have a bunch of them here! If you are close we could hook up our jeep and take it for a ride, after the first two miles I forget it is even back there .
  Our RV handles better with it attached than it does without it. I think that is because the toad acts like a tag axle and helps keep the rear end in place.
 
I've got both a cycle and a toad. I can take both, but haven't yet. Which I've taken has depended on what the weather would be like.

Biggest problem I have with the VW back there is remembering to get off R/R tracks and out of intersections. The Chevy 3500 gets maybe 1mpg less with the toad.
 
Pretty easy if you can grab one of its little legs before it jumps away.  ;D ;D ;D ;D
(Sorry, couldn't pass that one up.)
 
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