What do you tow behind your Motorhome?

07 Jeep JK 4 door or 87 Jeep J10. Warrior tow bar that connects to D ring hooks built into Warn bumper. I use an MX hitch rack to carry motorcycles on the back of the JK when it is the toad. Of course they go in the bed of the J10.

We have towed our CRV for 11,000 miles this past year with no problem and easy set up. We also saw many CRV's behind MH's and in Campgrounds so they must be popular.

No, its not caused by any tongue weight. Of course those tow bars can be pretty heavy, especially when dropped on a toe or banged into a shin :E I can see how my post may suggest that though. What I figured out was happening is that the toad wants to continue in a straight line when the motorhome enters a turn, thus pushing the tail end of the MH out and forcing the front end further into the turn, resulting in oversteer.

It was kind unnerving at first, not understanding what was happening. The previous owner installed, anti sway bars, koni shocks, steering stabilizer, and the tires are still in good shape.

It didn't figure it out until the toad's battery went dead and the DW drove it for an hour or so to get it charged. This was through the "mountains" on I-5 between Medford, OR and Redding, CA. I realized as soon as I got on the road this drives almost as good as car without the toad behind it!

So, now that that's straightened out (so to speak), any suggestions for lessening the effects of the toad?

Thanks,
Tom

Anybody have advice for fixing or lessening oversteer caused by a heavy toad and long overhang aft of the MH rear wheels?

The best piece of equipment for stopping "tail wagging the dog" problems is a trac (panhard) bar on both front and rear axles. The trac bars eliminate lateral movement between the coach box and the chassis, and get rid of the need to use a lot of corrective steering input to keep the MH heading straight down the road.

really ? you've got tongue weight from the toad ?

Ive got zero tongue weight using our blue-ox aventa bar (and my wrangler is about the same weight as the pilot).

Your Road Master tow bar should eliminate the tongue weight, even if the ball is not level with the toad.

We just bought a new to us 2010 Fleetwood Encounter 32bh and the following week bought a 2005 Honda Pilot. Talk about a lot of research to figure out how to find a vehicle that will hold 2 adults, 4 kids, and not break the bank after just buying a MH.

Were Using a Roadmaster Falcon 2, Even Brake System, and magnetic tow lights. Looking at adding a charge line from the MH (woke one AM to find the Honda's battery dead) and running the wires to add the extra bulbs for the turn signals so I can ditch the magnetic lights.

Just got back from a 1600+ mile trip and everything worked pretty good. Anybody have advice for fixing or lessening oversteer caused by a heavy toad and long overhang aft of the MH rear wheels? It wasnt too bad a problem, just unexpected and took a little while figure out the cause.

Tom

rondeb wrote:

... I think one of the screens that go under the tow bar from under the RV to under the Miata would have stopped that.

The screen is called Protect-a-Tow. I have used one now for 3 years with my Jeep toad with nary a rock chip. I have now rigged it so I can use it on the new Miata. I hope it works just a well.

Bob in Houston

Ron,

Thanks for the kudos and sorry about the knees. I've got one acting up after a 1968 torn meniscus removal.

I keep telling people, Miatas are GREAT to tow.

Stay Safe....

Tim

2010 Scion XB No mods required (Manual tranny)

Healeyman wrote:

rondeb wrote:
Our first tow was a 2006 Mazda Miata 6 speed - Put in neutral and go-

But Ron, did you know that Mazda says not to tow that car with the driving wheels on the ground because the transmission will be under splash lubricated and it and the whole car will catch fire and burn to the ground within the first 200 miles? :B

I towed my 2000 Miata for 35,000 miles and have now pulled my 2010 and 2012 over 20,000 miles and it hasn't happened yet.

I wonder if Mazda's lawyers are saying not to tow, not their engineers who know better? Hmmm...

Tim

We put over 20,000 miles towing this car. We went 1000 miles many times without unhooking it. Your help got us going with the setup to tow the Miata. If my knees hadn't finally just quit LOL, we would still be towing the car. We put it on Craigs with the information that is was ready to tow and a couple came the same day. They were wanting a Sports car to tow and daily driver, so it will continue on as a towed for many more miles. The only issue we had was the the bottom of the front got quite a bit of road rash. I think one of the screens that go under the tow bar from under the RV to under the Miata would have stopped that.