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View Full Version : Different Types of Towable Vehicle's or Toads Behind Motor Coach?


d.castor
03-28-2008, 06:20 AM
Can anyone advise which SUV Sport Utility Vehicle is most compatible to tow behind my luxury motorcoach or motorhome?



Bluebird Wanderlodge, Prevost Conversion, Newell Coach, Class A Motor Home, Tour Bus, Motorhome Delivery, RV, MCI, Eagle Bus, Marathon Coach, Setra Bus, Foretravel, Newmar, Fleetwood etc

Dave Copeland
03-28-2008, 06:25 AM
There are many SUVs that tow well. I have a 2002 Ford Explorer that I tow behind my Newell. When ordering you have to specify that you want to tow 4 down and

they have a switch that the dealer adds. Very easy to operate. The only way you can tell that a SUV is behind a Newell is to look in the rear view camera.

Bill Burch
03-28-2008, 06:27 AM
I tow both a GM suv and a Plymouth Voyager. The GM is 4-wheel drive and requires simply putting the transfer case in neutral. There is no speed restrictions and no stopping every 200 miles. Just hook up and go.

The voyager uses a transmission pump and works very well.

I have friends with vehicles that use a drive shaft disconnect and my understanding is they all have problems.

jvclark
03-28-2008, 06:45 AM
I have had good luck with Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee 4X4's I am now pulling a Ford F150 4X4 pickup with an Ultralight trailer in the back. I recently returned from a 15,000 mile Alaska trip with no problems other than stone chips.

Tuga Gaidry
03-28-2008, 06:58 AM
I tow a GMC Yukon using a REMCO driveshaft disconnect; it has worked without any problems for 4 years. Prior to using the REMCO driveshaft disconnect on the Yukon, I used it for 5 years on a Ford Explorer with no problems. So after 9 years of use, I can say it has been trouble free!

Richard and Rhonda
03-28-2008, 01:11 PM
Motorhome magazine has a complete listing of towable vehicles on their website. Great resource to answer your question. They publish a guide once per year just on this subject.

Raul Cortez
03-29-2008, 04:23 AM
I tow a 2001 Chevy Suburban behind my 1995 w/series 60 engine. I use a Remco drive shaft disconnect and haven't had any problems. I can't even tell that I am

towing anything unless I look in the video monitor. Engaging and dis-engaging the drive shaft must be done as instructed. If not, you will have problems. Vehicle must

be on, and in Neutral, then turn off ignition and pull cable. To engage: Vehicle on, and in Neutral, turn vehicle off and engage cable, it will catch the drive shaft as it

slows to a stop. Good Luck, email me if you have any other questions.

alan messer
03-30-2008, 05:03 AM
I am considering towing a 1999 GMC Yukon and I read the owner's manual that you can tow by putting the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in park. I read in Newell Q and A that some people use a disconnect for towing. Please give info.

Richard and Rhonda
03-30-2008, 03:06 PM
Alan,

Most vehicles with manually shiftable transfer cases can be towed four down. When a vehicle has a transfer case that you can shift into a neutral position, you can effectively disconnect the driveshafts from the transmission by putting the transfer case in neutral. The driveshafts spin while you tow, but the transmission does not turn. You see a lot of Jeep toads for this reason.

Some vehicles are equipped with transmissions that will tolerate towing four down with the transmission in neutral, such as Honda and Saturn.

Most auto transmissions will not tolerate being towed in neutral, and there are two solutions. One, install a aux pump to circulate the transmission fluid while towing. Or two, install a device which manually disconnects the driveshaft from the transmission.

encantotom
04-28-2008, 03:23 AM
we are actively looking at getting a new vehicle for my wife that we can also tow 4 wheel down. we started looking at jeeps but they didnt really ring our bell. we have found that we really like the saturn vue.

do any of you have one and if so how do you like it? what braking system do you use and what tow bar? also, does anyone know if it puts miles on it when towing? ( i just saw elsewhere that it does not put miles on when towing)

Barry Rooker
05-11-2008, 10:57 PM
Behind my 2001 Newell I've been towing a 2005 Cadillac SRX with All Wheel Drive for some 20,000 miles using the Remco pump. No problems. On cold mornings it helps to run the car engine for a bit to warm up the transmission fluid, otherwise you'll get the warning low fluid pressure alert.

Since I have to leave the steering column "turned on" to allow the front wheels to turn, I use a street rod latching relay to cut off the battery so the nav screen doesn't kill the battery. Watson Streetworks makes the $100 relay that uses a waterproof touch switch that's adhesively mounted in the grille. Couldn't be easier.

express1
07-10-2009, 03:14 AM
Going monday to have tow clips install on our new Ford Flex Limited.(giant mini) Using the Roadmaster Sterling towbar. Someone said it was a good one?

fulltiming
07-10-2009, 04:14 AM
I would highly recommend the Sterling All-Terrain. It is fairly easy to get a tow bar in a bind when unhooking and the All-Terrain is MUCH easier to operate in a bind situation. I have always been able to get my Falcon 2 to release but I occasionally have to use the release bar (even stand on it in some severe cases) to get it unlocked when the car and coach are at a rakish angle to each other.

If I were doing it again (my Falcon 2 is almost 7 years old), I would go with the Sterling All-Terrain unless I thought I might be towing something over 6000 lbs some day in which case the Blackhawk All-Terrain might be a better choice as it is rated to tow vehicles up to 8000 lbs.

afrench45
07-10-2009, 03:06 PM
Would you go with the black hawk over a blue ox tow-bar for a Hummer H2? My Blackhawk is worn out, and i need a new one. I think my tow-bar currently isnt big enough for my H2.

fulltiming
07-10-2009, 03:27 PM
Although I think the Blackhawk All-Terrain is an excellent tow bar, I would recommend the Blue Ox Aventa LX (class IV-10,000 pound rating) for an H2. The Blackhawk All-Terrain at 8,000 pounds would not quite be up to the job of towing a fully loaded H2 (GVWR of 8,600 pounds). Even though most folks don't tow an H2 fully loaded, the extra capacity of the Aventa LX would give me more peace of mind.

encantotom
07-10-2009, 03:53 PM
Gee, i think you ought to get an H1 and pull the newell behind it instead. that would be quite a sight.

btw, i have a sterling all terrain and it is very easy to use.

afrench45
07-10-2009, 07:14 PM
With 4 people in our coach usually, and 2 of them being shopaholics, our H2 and the Newell are ALWAYS FULL!

express1
07-14-2009, 02:11 AM
Camping World finished the tow bar for our new Ford Flex. Everything is good to go. The rig called for a 8" rise connection to level the sterling towbar to coach hitch. Sure looks like a lot stuff going down the road!!

Richard and Rhonda
07-14-2009, 01:17 PM
You're smart to add the riser. The hitch is very low on most Newells, much lower than the attachment point on the toad. If you think about the physics of the tow bar angle during braking, it is clear why the attachment point on the toad should not be higher than the attachment point on the coach. If the car attachment point is higher, then the momentum of the car will cause it's front end to rise. It's concievable that the front end could come completely off the ground in panic stop. If the car attach is lower than the coach attach, then I doubt seriously the momentum of the car will lift the rear of the coach.

Do check your lights EVERY time you hook up. And do verify that the car is in neutral, and the steering wheel will turn. That big DD will shell the transmission in the toad in about two feet if it's not in neutral.