Forum Discussion
wbwood
May 01, 2016Explorer
Let's see.... I was quoted over $4300 (by two different RV dealers) to set up our 2016 Ford Focus for flat towing. That included tow bar, base plate, braking system, wiring, labor, shipping and etc. I did get my local CW to do it for the labor costs (roughly $800) if I purchased the items on my own tried to save money. Was still gonna spend over $2000 for those same exact parts, but was going to save over $1000. Still was gonna cost around $3000 or so.
We can get a ACME tow dolly with surge brakes for $1800. One with electric even cheaper. Other dollies similarly priced. The ACME is the lightest on the market and can be stored upright. We had one before but sold it when we no longer had a toad. We never had an issue with storing it on site. Matter of fact, we could easily roll it to the end of the site and back up the RV over most of it. Only really needed a site that was a few feet longer than the RV. Hooking up or disconnecting never took more than 10 minutes or so once you got used to dealing with it. Would flat towing go any quicker? Maybe. I don't know, I've never done it. But it's not a race for me. Saving a couple thousand dollars will go a lot longer than saving 5 minutes every time I hook up or disconnect. But we are not full timers and are not doing it every day.
We can get a ACME tow dolly with surge brakes for $1800. One with electric even cheaper. Other dollies similarly priced. The ACME is the lightest on the market and can be stored upright. We had one before but sold it when we no longer had a toad. We never had an issue with storing it on site. Matter of fact, we could easily roll it to the end of the site and back up the RV over most of it. Only really needed a site that was a few feet longer than the RV. Hooking up or disconnecting never took more than 10 minutes or so once you got used to dealing with it. Would flat towing go any quicker? Maybe. I don't know, I've never done it. But it's not a race for me. Saving a couple thousand dollars will go a lot longer than saving 5 minutes every time I hook up or disconnect. But we are not full timers and are not doing it every day.
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