Unfounded fears when towing behind a MH?

[Retired Coog]

Wife and I are semi-retired and shopping for our first MH.  Looking at something around 34-35'.  Some of our trips will put us along the coast in New England.  I have no concerns about driving the main highways, but do when I have to get off and navigate some of the narrow, winding roads of that region.  Some of the city streets in these little towns are just as narrow.  I understand making wide turns with the motorhome, but is it more difficult when pulling a car on a tow dolly?  (Can't go 4 down.  Will be pulling a Camry.)  Does your turn radius have to increase even more?  Is there an app that tells you which roads to take to the rv park/camp ground that online looks like only a mountain goat can get into?  Of course, I'll practice in a parking lot, but that won't help me if I go down a street that leaves no room to maneuver. 

Any suggestions from those of you with experience in towing would be helpful.  Please, no horror stories.  They won't help.  Thanks.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Rarely will the dolly & toad be a problem, since it almost always tracks close behind the motorhome. Especially on a gas chassis, where the long rear overhand tends to swing the toad wide. On my 40 ft diesel pusher, I do watch closely on tight turns, especially any greater than 90 degrees. I doubt if that will be much of a concern at 34-35 ft and a gas chassis. We driven through dozens of New England towns, coastal and VT/NH mountains, and caution is all that is required.  That said, I always look for truck routes and bypasses when possible. I like it easy when I can!

 

[Cant Wait]

As to routing into a campground from the nearest major highway, I've yet to not find a campground that did not had directions into their facility. Some of them coming from different directions as needed, also some will even include a warning not to take so and so road, etc as needed.

 

[driftless shifter]

Gas stations are more of a problem than roads.

Bill

 

[JDOnTheGo]

Howdy Retired Coog, I stay west of the Mississippi and have no issues.  My Jeep wheels are on pretty much the same track as my rear  coach wheels (so it doesn't take any more room). 

Risk mitigation is usually the answer for fear.  A GPS that is set to avoid bad situations, researching the roads/route in advance (Google Earth/Maps), not turning down a road that looks iffy (even when the guy behind you is honking for you to hurry up), and avoiding night driving (at least in places with tight confines).  If the worst does happen (which, in my tiny little brain, is blocking a road and jamming up traffic), take your time, wave apologetically to folks, unhook, and get yourself turned around.  Things seem to get broken when people are in a rush.  You may annoy some people but most of them will have no ill-effect to the 5 minutes that they lost.

EDIT:  Sorry - My Jeep wheels are on pretty much the same track as my rear coach wheels when turning sharply.

 

[Retired Coog]

All good points and advice.  Thanks!

 

[OLDRACER]

Big problem when you mistakenly get on a road which does not go through and does not have a turnaround. Been there, done that, no fun.

 

[Wasoki]

I  might suggest a GPS set up specifically for motorhomes, such as the Garmin RV 760.  It will ask for info on the size of the motorhome and then issue warnings where there is a low overhead, insufficient turn around area, narrow roads/bridges, etc.  Naturally you shouldn't rely totally on any device, but this gives the wife a sense of security...

 

[Retired Coog]

Wow!  A GPS for motorhomes!  Very smart.  I need to check into that.  Thanks.

 

[spacenorman]

I worried about that when we first had our Jeep liberty prepped to tow behind what was then our "new to us" motor coach.  The coach is 44' ... and I was concerned about the extra length the Jeep would add.  The guy who prepped the Jeep just chuckled when I asked about it - and then explained that the tail swing of the coach offsets the track of the toad such where the coach goes - so goes the toad.  As it turns out, he's right.  If I can make a given turn in the coach - the toad follows without any noticeable issues of infringing on the "inside" of the turn.    Use your camera and mirrors to watch how your toad tracks the first few turns you make with it - I expect that you'll see that even with 90 degree right turns - your toad won't come anywhere near the curb.  You'll realize pretty quickly that you won't have to change the path that you currently take to get around corners with the coach alone. 

 

[Retired Coog]

Thanks, spacenorman.  Glad to hear pulling the toad won't be an issue. 

 

[Stephen S.]

When crossing Rail Road tracks keep going! Make DAMN sure your toad is off the tracks. :-\

 

[John90XJ]

We're dragging a 27' trailer behind a 39' coach and the only recommendation I would have is be patient. If you don't think you can make the turn, wait for the next opportunity. Otherwise, you have the right idea to practice and do it in areas where you already know your way around and feel comfortable. After that it's a simple matter of matching new situations to what knowledge you've stored.

 

[WILDEBILL308]

Wife and I are semi-retired and shopping for our first MH.  Looking at something around 34-35'.  Some of our trips will put us along the coast in New England.  I have no concerns about driving the main highways, but do when I have to get off and navigate some of the narrow, winding roads of that region.  Some of the city streets in these little towns are just as narrow.  I understand making wide turns with the motorhome, but is it more difficult when pulling a car on a tow dolly?  (Can't go 4 down.  Will be pulling a Camry.)  Does your turn radius have to increase even more?  Is there an app that tells you which roads to take to the rv park/camp ground that online looks like only a mountain goat can get into?  Of course, I'll practice in a parking lot, but that won't help me if I go down a street that leaves no room to maneuver. 

Any suggestions from those of you with experience in towing would be helpful.  Please, no horror stories.  They won't help.  Thanks.

I have use a tow dolly and now tow 4 down. The tow dolly does tend to track outside the track of the rear duals. This is because it is wider to accommodate the width of the car. You can see just how far you need to allow for by watching in your mirror for where the dolly tracks behind you. One other thing is to watch on roads that have reflectors or rumble strips. You can miss them in the coach and run over them with the dolly.
Sight seeing is why you have a toad. you don't want to try driving in a lot of the small towns in new england. You shouldn't have a problem on the main roads and streets. Last summer I drove from Boston to Eastport Maine on highway 1 and didn't have a problem.
Bill