What "toad" to buy

Executive wrote:
We currently have an Equinox LTZ and it's almost as good as the HHR.

I'm glad to hear this as my HHR was totalled 2 weeks ago getting smashed from behind by a kid with his license a year. Replaced it with a new Equinox I picked up yesterday,

The jeep wrangler has light removable doors that provide essentially no protection in a side impact. Death or broken hips of occupants on one side should not surprise people. Forget the horrible ride, etc

Jeep Grand Cherokee has side impact beams in the doors like all the options from GM and Ford and is a much SAFER and better over all choice. Many of the cars on the dinghy towing guide are good options.

The Wrangler is excellent off road, but not a SAFE or comfortable vehicle.

The answer is usually "what I am towing is the best." Best for them, but maybe not for you.

1. The toad should meet your transportation needs when RVing. It is real nice if the toad can meet your transportation needs otherwise. You need to consider how many people you want to carry, what other kind of stuff you want to carry, and whether or not you have off-road traveling needs.

2. For towing, smaller is better. Particularly for a gasser that might have a limited tow rating (a lot of smaller Workhorse chassis were arbitrarily limited to 3500 pounds).

I've had two.

I used a regular-cab manual transmission Ford Ranger for six years. I bought it at three years old, used it for hauling stuff to maintain rental houses when I wasn't towing it, hauling stuff to and from camp when towing it, and I needed to carry only two people.

When my wife died and I gave the family car to one of my children, I bought a Honda Fit and outfitted it for towing. It met my day to day transportation needs, could carry the occasional extra 2-4 people, yet I kept the Ranger for hauling stuff. I found that I was making my long distance trips in the truck because I found the Fit to be kind of buzzy after 10-15 hours running 60-80 MPH, and my back prefers to sit in a high seat, rather than legs stretched out in front. Keep that in mind when considering subcompacts and compact sedans.

When I started contracting out the house maintenance tasks, I traded the Ranger on a full-size 12 passenger van, which I converted to 8-passenger, because I had started traveling with kids and grandkids and the numbers added up to something bigger than 2 or 4. The Fit hangs in there as my towed vehicle, and around-town runabout.

All kinds of things work: Certain Jeeps, particularly the real off-road models, as Jeep is now just a brand put on a lot of different Fiat-Chrysler vehicles; until recently, Honda CRV and Fit; most GM compacts and subcompacts going back a long ways, some Ford compacts more recently; some GM and Ford compact to mid-size SUVs, Ford more recently than GM, although many of these SUVs are on the heavy side of Workhorse towing limits. There are a whole bunch of Saturn models, over the years, but really you are just talking about another GM brand, mechanically similar at first, badge engineering later.

A particularly popular 4x4 towed vehicle, not made for a long time, is the GEO/Chevrolet Tracker, and the rarer Suzuki branded models. This one is so popular that it is hard to find and carries quite high asking prices for a rather old subcompact utility even with quite high mileage.

If you need to carry more than five people, or more than four comfortably, finding something to tow four down gets harder. Finding something small and light that carries 6-7 people even harder, coming down to Suzuki's XL-7 Grand Vitara for a few years, and the Mazda MPV or Mazda 5, if you can find that one with a manual transmission.

Then there is the manual transmission option. Not all manual transmission vehicles tow well four down, but the choice opens up a lot of possibilities: Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru etc subcompacts and compacts (even Pontiac Vibe if you can find it manual), and the current Honda Fit. But check carefully, there are manual transmission trucks and cars, even some front drive models, that do not lubricate properly while being flat towed.

dahkota wrote:

lanerd wrote:


We don't use our toad for off roading; however, it is AWD, and providing there's sufficient ground clearance, it will go just about anywhere. I'm not sure how much your Jeep weighs, but our Terrain is only 4000 (right on the money, by the way) as we have weighed it several times.

I use to have a beefed up 1st gen Bronco and we DID do a lot of 4-wheeling in our day. While it WOULD go anywhere and was fun to drive off road, driving it OTR was something else all together. We now enjoy the comfort, ease of driving, super stereo system, AC, NAV, leather...... Getting older does have its pleasures.

Ron

Before the mods, 3770 lbs. With a custom bumper and winch, 3943 without passengers (this also includes about 50 lbs. of gear/tools). We also have a super stereo system and A/C but did without the NAV because we have custom off road maps in our portable. We also went without leather - top down, sudden rain, mud flying, stream crossings - just too much work. With the interior we have, we can hose it out when it gets muddy.

But, the highway ride can be rougher in the jeep - the mudder tires are loud, as is the convertible top. I just turn the stereo up louder...

My original point was that the Terrain and the Wrangler are not comparable, regardless of price or weight. They are made for two different types of driving experiences. Well, typically. More and more jeeps have never been off road. Which is really, really, sad; that is where they prove themselves.

The comparison here is that they are both 4-down towable. What you do with them after they are disconnected from the mh is another story altogether. The original poster (OP) asked:

We believe the toad should be capable of 4 wheels down - so we are asking for feedback on vehicle type, towing system and why.

Both the Jeep and Terrain are indeed 4 wheels down towable. You got the jeep to use it off-roading when not a toad....we got the terrain to use as a normal car when not a toad. As a toad, both are very capable of being a toad...therefore, they are comparable.

Ron

2cAmerica wrote:
We just purchased our new future full time home. Fleetwood Bounder 35E, Workhorse, gas powered. We realize the need to have a toad; however we are not experienced enough, at this time, to make the purchase. We believe the toad should be capable of 4 wheels down - so we are asking for feedback on vehicle type, towing system and why.

Thank-you.
Dick and Kathy

A 4x4 Jeep JK Wrangler of course. Ready for all terrain and there's nothing much easier to tow, especially with an auto transmission.
Transfer case in neutral and the tranny in park and you're good to go. Also with the later model JK, there is no steering lock to contend with. Couple this with a READYBRUTE/ELITE tow bar set and a Demco base plate and you should have it all. One thing more and a COOLTECH plug and play wiring harness for making your lighting needs as simple as possible.
This is a tried and true combination that's hard to beat. Also for cost effectiveness and simplicity of operation, as well.

Personally, I would only purchase something that is listed as towable in the FMCA guide book or the Motorhome Magazine guide, both published around January and very similar in content. Many 2015 Ford cars are towable without modification or effort, most GM cars are towable by pulling a fuse. Ford may have placed restrictions on the 2016 cars (noted in other threads). Again both the FMCA magazine and Motorhome Magazine offer numerous articles on what you need or want for fun towing. Basics are a towbar, baseplate for car, lights or lighting connection, and an auxiliary brake system. Each of these have many choices, and probably every choice is a good one. You will find that most people will post that what they have is best...but you must think of budget, convenience, and preference. Again, personally, I chose the Demco Aluminum tow bar, because it weighs in at about 25lbs, and I can handle it easily. Some tow bar weigh 50lbs, not for me. I had my lights in the car tied into the lights on the motorhome, some people prefer a light bar which can be removed and stored.
All up to you.
There is an article in Nov 2015 Motorhome Magazine.
Happy Trails.

I think choosing a tow vehicle has a lot to do with how and where you camp and what do you want to do with the vehicle when your not camping. Do you want to use the vehicle as your daily driver? Do you have a long commute to work and mpg are important to you? What is your tow limit? On a gas MH lighter is better. This is a very individual choice. For me I wanted mine to be a DD that got good gas mileage. I don't go off road just dirt roads so I chose a small 5 speed manual sedan that gets 40 mps and weights 2600 lbs. It's been towed 80,000 miles and driven another 165,000. If you full time or travel a lot off road your choice might be different.

mowermech wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
I vote Jeep Wangler. most any year.

Me,too; IMO,however, if I were to buy one, it would be a 2003-2006 Rubicon, probably an '06 Unlimited.

I agree, the new electronic shifting is an unknown, hasn't been out long enough to prove reliability

Goldencrazy wrote:
I also have talked to three people who were towing the new Fiat. They are smaller but fun car to drive and make great toads in the mannual tranny models.

This is what we are towing. Very easy hook up and definitely fun to drive. Ours is the Abarth version - lots of power and noise! Seats in back go down allowing for taking extra stuff on day outings. Tons of leg room in front as well. Cute little car with great gas mileage and light weight.

Tom/Barb wrote:
I vote Jeep Wangler. most any year.

Me,too; IMO,however, if I were to buy one, it would be a 2003-2006 Rubicon, probably an '06 Unlimited.