Class A RV Hitch

We flat tow. We have the Road master Sterling and air brake for towed.
The things are looser fitted than I like but do well. The Blue Ox is favored by some. It seems simpler but is not as ruggedly connected to the towed. Several have pulled loose from their attachment. A flat trailer with brakes would save wear on the toweds. Just towing with the front wheels on a dolly just seems not as good. Just my two cents.
Anybody else's view is just as good or better than mine. :)

I'm a Winnebago owner we have been RVing since 1976 and this is our 3rd Winnebago coach. Winnebago just about makes every part in there coach, they have been a leader in the RV Industry and have been building RV's longer than any other manufactor! There also financially sound they made it through the 2007 to date depression and will be there for you later down the road. My last Winnebago I bought new 10 years ago and I took it back to the Dealer for repairs 3 times no cost and back on the road! Your choice of a Honda is excellent best tow vehicles IMHO! Lastly, I know nothing about tow bars so I went to a trusted Welding Shop in my area and they recommended Roadmaster Tow Bar! This is my 14th year using this tow bar, that speaks for itself about it's quality and durability! Good Luck & Happy Trails

Fleetwood has more RVs on the road that any other mfg. I personally like them and I am currently looking for a RV with the same criteria.

Personally I don't think you can go wrong with any of the 3. Towing 4 down is preferable but depends on if the Honda is able.

The Southwind hands down, I had a 32 Pace arrow on an F-53 chassis and that was a great RV. Test drive them. How's the floor plans? 5000lb may be max tow limit. Find a good RV hitch place and let them help you. I would totally avoid the dolly to the extent of buying another TV for four wheels down towing and convenience.

I would steer toward the Tiffin or Winnebago. I would also tow 4 down if there was a choice. As stated, make sure your toad can be towed 4 down.

odds are the hitch is a 5000-lb Class III. before you spend $ on a dolly you would be well advised to weigh the dolly, the toad and your MH as you load and configure it for travel. this would include fuel, water, LP, food, clothing, supplies, pets, people and other "stuff". get individual axle weights to ensure that neither axle weighs more than it's associated rating.

once you know the weight of your MH, your toad and your dolly you can determine if the combined weight of the toad/dolly combo is safe to tow. in general, the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

• the GCWR (gross combination weight rating) of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded for travel (includes fuel, fresh water, food, clothing, people, pets, supplies, eyc)

• the weight rating of your tow bar

• the weight rating of your hitch

good luck to you.

Fleetwood is kind of sketchy.

Winnebago or Allegro. Pass t on the FW products.

A dolly is more work hooking up and dolly storage at camp site.

We owned an '04 Southwind 36E for 8 years and 110,000 miles. Loved it, interior was getting pretty shabby towards the end. On a diesel chassis I would have redone the interior instead traded up to Tiffin Phaeton, major difference in factory responsiveness to any issues (and there will be issues). Second choice was Winnebago and the only reason I didn't was the salesman failed to show it to us on a timely basis. So from my perspective you cannot go wrong with any of the manufacturers.

Towing - we have towed 4 down for 14 years and about 200,000 miles. Have watched people setting up tow dollies in many campgrounds, I might do that in an emergency, but I really like having the tow'd vehicle solidly connected to the coach with a towbar. Your towing capacity is 3,500 lbs and the the dolly reduces the weight of the car you can tow by its weight! We towed an '05 RAV4 which came in at just about 3,400 lbs on the scales.

Looking at the 2011 Towing Guide I don't see the Element listed as towable 4 down without modifications. A dolly may be your only alternative until you are ready to change cars.

For your tow question it comes down to a few things. 4 down is preferred and easier than a dolly. But it depends if the vehicle you want to tow can be towed 4 down. Check the manufacturer. Then you need to check the towing capacity of the motorhome you are looking at. There is hitch rating - which should be 5000 on the gassers you listed. Then there is the weight ratings of the coach itself. EVERY coach is different with respect it's weight and the weight it can tow. Weigh the coach like it's ready for travel (fully loaded)- this is your GVW (it's good to weigh because the stickers are not always accurate with respect to what it actually weighs - not to mention loaded) . Find your motorhome's GCWR or gross combined weight rating. This is the total amount of weight that your motorhome can transport. Subtract your GVW from your GCVW. The LESSER of this number or the hitch rating is what you can tow. Compare it to the weight of your tow vehicle. Since you are shopping and likely can't load it, you can get a general idea using the sticker GVW and add what you think will be the weight of your water, food, people lp, etc.