How Often do you Have to Reverse your Rig with a TOAD ??

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Another thing about backing a motorhome with a toad attached, is that the type of vehicle and the geometry of the tow bar can make a difference on how well you'll be able to back up. We used to tow an '06 Acura MDX, and as long as I was backing straight, I could back up just fine. The Acura's front wheels stayed straight. We now tow an '06 Jeep, and if I even start to back up, the Jeep's front wheels instantly fully deflect - using the same tow bar.

I think the difference is because of the different caster/camber between the two vehicles, the Jeep's modified off-road suspension and the "levelness" of the tow bar. It was almost perfectly flat with the Acura, but it's about one inch higher at the Jeep's bumper than at the receiver.

Kev
 
I had to do it on my second trip(in the motorhome).
I encountered a river where there was supposed to be the road to the campground and had to backup about 200 feet the lights from my car provided a good aiming point.

I have also had to bypass a pilot truck stop that only had back in spots this has been 2 trips in 18 months of motorhome ownership I rarely had a problem with trailers for the last 20+ years.

We went to the motorhome for pretty much the same reason as you.
 
glen54737 said:
I had to do it on my second trip(in the motorhome).
I encountered a river where there was supposed to be the road to the campground and had to backup about 200 feet the lights from my car provided a good aiming point.

I have also had to bypass a pilot truck stop that only had back in spots this has been 2 trips in 18 months of motorhome ownership I rarely had a problem with trailers for the last 20+ years.

We went to the motorhome for pretty much the same reason as you.
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Our Saturn works very well. The steering stays straight unless I cause it to deflect. the tow-bar is fairly level, too. That may help. Still, I don't plan to test my backing "skill" often, if at all. More than a couple feet, I'll unhitch.



 
I find myself driving differently when I flat-tow vs. my trailer.  I anticipate things that could take place and avoid if possible.  You will find yourself looking at fuel stations, rest areas and even the occasional grocery store a bit differently but nothing really worth stressing over.

In the 25+ years and 150k+ miles that the wife and I have been RV'ing there have only been two instances where I had to disconnect the Jeep and both were very quick and pain free.  Once was a dead end road from a wrong turn but the campground was the next street so the wife just drove the Jeep to the campground and the other was at a fuel stop where I had the exit planned but while I was fueling the fuel delivery tanker pulled in to deliver fuel blocking my exit so I had to disconnect and back the Jeep out and the coach.  I could have just waited but opted the few minutes to disconnect, back out, drive down the street and reconnect were well worth it vs. waiting for half hour for the fuel delivery driver to leave.

Again, nothing worth stressing over, you will just find yourself looking at stops and turns a bit differently.

Mike
 
[quote author=Arch Hoagland]Seems like twice is the average.[/quote]

On average, we're slow learners  ;D
 
This is all very good feedback. I do heavy planning anyways. I always scout out my fuel stops, walmart stops, rest stops, campsites, etc..  So I should be ok. You have all made me feel more confident. And even if I do have to unhitch to get out of a jam ........ no big deal.
 
One caveat - if you're 'stuck' on a slope with the toad and coach at an angle to each other, it might be tough to unhitch. One thing that can help in these situations is the use of an 'all terrain' tow bar, but it's not guaranteed that you'll be able to unhitch.
 
Tom said:
One caveat - if you're 'stuck' on a slope with the toad and coach at an angle to each other, it might be tough to unhitch. One thing that can help in these situations is the use of an 'all terrain' tow bar, but it's not guaranteed that you'll be able to unhitch.
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Amen to that. 

However I have an "All Terrain Towbar" and guess what...it's still a bear to undo on less than level ground.
 
We stayed at a campground in Elkhart, IN and on our way out of town I pulled into a gas station and pulled too close to the pump island. When I got out to pump gas I could see I couldn't get passed the island when leaving. :-[ Instead of unhooking, my DW stood by the toad and patiently :) directed me how to get past the island. Picture, backup-turn-stop-go forward-turn-stop...for about ten minutes. Unhooking and re-hooking up would have been five minutes tops and a lot less work. So, now there are cars parked in front of the gas station and I have to wait for a couple of cars to move so I can get by. :-\ As I'm waiting I see there is a motel directly behind the gas station. Great, I'll just pull into the motel driveway and make a left at the entrance and then exit to the street. Once I made the left to pass the entrance and get to the street there was a dead end!! Of course, not enough room to turn around. ::) Got out unhooked the toad, made a 19 point turn, re-hooked the toad and exited the gas station the way we came in. DW was very thoughtful and only LOL for about 15 minutes and then giggled the rest of the day!
 
raybbj said:
If it were up to me, I would choose 5er, however my DW is disabled and would have trouble sitting in an F350 4 and 5 hours at a time. A class a would allow her to get up, move around, sit in a recliner, take a nap in the bed, use the bathroom, etc.. Not that I'm advocating travelling in an RV without a seatbelt.
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We had 5ers for decades, and as my wife's degenerative disease started catching up to her we also jumped to the comforts and ease of a Class A.  It has been a wonderful move for us and I believe she has found much solace in her ability to travel with all of the conveniences within grasp.

We drive the longest Winnebago made in 2013, and I must be the worst driver in the world or something, but I had to disconnect probably half a dozen times the first season! :)  All of them my own misjudgment I guess, but I have found myself in a pickle or two.  Mostly fuel stops not designed for big rigs, dead ends, cul-de-sacs, stupid stuff.  It is the ultimate "hassle", but far offset by the convenience of towing 4 down.
 
One thing I started to do when I was going someplace I hadn't been before was looking at it on Google Earth the day before we went there. Google Earth is your friend.

You can also map your route on Google Maps and then view it in satellite view to see if there are any "gotchas".
 
1 mile into my first day with my new RV.  Since then never.
 
On the first day of my current trip, I had to back up about 50 feet in a dealer's lot because they blocked my egress and refused to move the TT in the way. I made sure the toad was perfectly in line with the coach and the wheels were straight, and backed up very slowly. It can be done as long as you watch both of your mirrors like a hawk to make sure your toad isn't swinging one way or the other. But as others have said, if you are watchful for your ingress and egress wherever you pull in to any spot, you shouldn't have a problem. If there is any question in my mind about egress after pulling up to a fuel pump, my wife gets out and walks the entire lot, front and back, to find the best path to take while I am pumping the gas. We've come close a couple of times, but we have never had to unhitch except when involved in an accident.

With a little experience, you won't have any problems.
 
Never backed the rig up with the Toad ON IT    ~~ BUT  did drop the Toad  ~~ then reverse the MH down a narrow street to the Main street.  Construction company had stacked their supplies 8'+ high in front of the sign saying "BRIDGE OUT". Quite a surprise when got to the end of mapped street and found nothing but water.  Could see the campground BUT couldn't get there from where we were.  Turned the rig around ~ reattached  ~~ got to camp no further delays.


JM2?  ~~  YMMV
 
Yep, it's happened a few times in 35+ years.  We back up a few feet if the car is going straight to begin with, but if it starts to turn, best to unhook.  Probably our worst situation was going to an Alabama campground.  The GPS (older model) was taking us beautifully until we rounded a bend.  Ooops!  An old ten-foot high railroad bridge was in front of us.  We went down to it where there seemed to be a large enough area to turn around.  And it would have been fine if the ground wasn't saturated from a lot of rain.  Of course the rear wheels sank into the mud.  Fortunately a lot of locals use that road and apparently had seen the same thing happen previously so they knew exactly what tow truck driver to call.  He came and lifted us back onto pavement.  His advice was to back out and not try to turn around again.  (He wanted to go home for dinner.).

Now that was an adventure!  Backed about 1/4-mile on the well-packed dirt road, 45-degree turn onto paved road with narrow bridge and then up the hill for about a half-mile until a cross-street turnaround.  Jerry was the one who got all the backing experience while I directed.  We were glad we had disconnected the car before trying the turnaround!  But, look at it this way - everyone needs an occasional adventure!

ArdraF
 
Tom said:
One caveat - if you're 'stuck' on a slope with the toad and coach at an angle to each other, it might be tough to unhitch. One thing that can help in these situations is the use of an 'all terrain' tow bar, but it's not guaranteed that you'll be able to unhitch.
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Had to unhitch once since 2016.

We have an all-terrain towbar (Roadmaster Sterling All-Terrain Tow Bar) and when we are a little uphill I start the car and drive forward an inch or so to create a little tension on the towbar, it then releases easy, however, this is a rare occasion. 
 
[quote author=DutchEagle]... when we are a little uphill I start the car and drive forward an inch or so to create a little tension on the towbar, it then releases easy...[/quote]

Another trick to relieve strain is to rotate front wheels of the toad a little left or right (depends on the situation).
 
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