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Cmfranz1953's avatar
Cmfranz1953
Explorer
Apr 04, 2018

Towing using a tow bar behind a class C

I have a class C 2016 Thor 28’ Four Winds, and I would like to tow a car. I currently have a 2013 Prius, so I am going to trade that vehicle in on a car that I can tow. Any suggestions on what type of vehicle I should purchase? I would like to use a tow bar because of the ease of it, so I need something that has a front bumper, so the tow plate can be mounted on it. Can anyone help me out?

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  • Cmfranz1953 wrote:
    I would like to use a tow bar because of the ease of it, so I need something that has a front bumper, so the tow plate can be mounted on it.


    The baseplate does not attach onto the bumper. It attaches to the frame underneath.
    Chevy Sonic, pre 2017 is an excellent, lightweight tow car, that is towable 4 down.
  • A good used Tow is a Chevy HHR at around 3,300 lb.
    Put a switch on a 2AMP fuse. Then Put it in "N" and go.
  • what ever you buy, be sure there is a "towing behind a motorhome" or "recreational towing" section/advice in the owners manual. do not just go on rumor or third party "OKs".
    bumpy
  • We bought a Honda Fit with manual transmission. Good mileage, four-down towable, and light enough that it does not require a supplemental braking system in many states.
    Lynn
  • If you like a hybrid like the Prius (which isn't towable), take a look at the Ford C-Max or Fusion hybrid. Both tow well and get good fuel economy (but not as good as the Prius). I towed a Ford Fusion hybrid for four years and loved it - - now tow a Lincoln MKZ hybrid. also, many other Ford vehicles are towable 4 wheels down including most models of the Fiesta, Focus, Edge and Taurus.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    There are three major vendors of Tow Bars and the same three are the major vendors of Base Plates. A fourth vendor, NSA, only does Tow Bars.

    Tow Bar, of course, connects RV to towed vehicle. A few have unique features. NSA's Ready Brute tow bar incorporates braking. Blue Ox has a model with braking too. But basically they're more alike than different.

    Base Plate provides a secure attachment for the Tow bar without compromising the integrity of today's unit body, plastic faced, vehicles. Again, same functionality, but they often differ widely in how they attach, how invasive they are, the coupling height.

    Good news, is the base plates and tow bars from different manufacturers (Blue Ox, Roadmaster, Demco, NSA) can be adapted among those brands.

    So I suggest: Become familiar with the Brands, Models, User Guides AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. You may find that one Brand will meet your needs across the board. Or, you may find that you get a better setup by mixing brands.
  • Honda CR-V with automatics are flat towable up thru the 2014 model year. 2015 and later have a CVT. We tow a 2014 behind our Class C Thor Citation Sprinter and hardly know it's there. Honda does not recommend towing the CR-V faster than 65 mph, but we don't mind as we're not in that big a hurry. The Sprinter 3500 diesel tows it great even thru the mountains. Mileage on the MH doesn't seem to be impacted much at all. I keep the rear camera on all the time just to know that it's still there.

    Blue-Ox base plate was already on the CR-V when we bought it Cert Pre-Owned from Dealer.
    Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow-bar with Blue-Ox ears
    SMI Stay-N-Play auxiliary braking system.