New to Class A travel and looking for dingy recommendations. I have been looking at Jeep Wrangler, Subaru Forester, and Honda CRV. Looking to tow 4 down

All of the one's you mentioned are good. You could say for towing they are pretty much equal. Assuming that you will use it for other than just towing, which one do you want to use for example as a daily driver? Answer that question and I think you have the answer to your question.

We have a Honda CRV (2003) that works great. I use the Ready Brute Elite towbar/braking system. It is high quality construction and works quite well on flat open highways, mountain driving in the west, and twisty turny roads in the east. This is coupled with a Blue Ox baseplate. The Honda is easy to tow. I just hook 'er up, run the transmission through all gears, then turn off everything inside but leave the key in the Acc position so the steering wheel stays unlocked. I start the engine every 4 hrs or so and run the gears for a few minutes to keep the tranny lubricated. I'm don't have familiarity towing your other choices, but for us the CRV works great.

Thanks for the replies, looking for something that is easy to hook up and disconnect without having to do a lot of extra things to keep gears lubed and protect the transmission.

We tow a 2013 Ford C Max hybrid. The car connects with a Blue Ox tow bar, baseplate and Patriot brake box. Gets great mileage, rides ands handles great. Easy to get in and out. Really like this car.

We went from an HHR...easy tow...remove one fuse and go....to our new Equinox...same deal...remove one fuse and go....I put a toggle switch on the fuse so I don't even have to remove it...just flip the switch and I'm off....mileage does not register while towing....HHR was 3100 pounds, the Equinox is 3777, but I haven't had it on the scales yet...lastly, look into the ReadyBrute system from Night Shift Auto...it incorporates a piston in the tow bar that works as a braking system for your towed vehicle. Nothing extra to buy......Dennis

Class A towing | Good Sam Community

J-Rooster
Explorer
Jul 04, 2014
Honda Fit or CRV
bshpilot
Explorer
Jul 04, 2014
love our wrangler - takes SECONDS to connect....i bought a 6speed manual but the automatics are just as easy to tow....drop the transfer case into neutral & put the trans in park or gear (manual), confirm the emergency/parking brake is off & pull the key / lock the door.

wranglers after 2010 have no steering column lock so there is no need to leave a key in the ignition (to keep the steering wheel unlocked).

Mopar even has a harness that connects to the factory wiring for toad-ing....the mopar harness connects to the factory harness (behind the glove box). The toad-ing harness has a plug that comes out near the grill & mopar includes the cable from the jeep to the coach (7 pin).

I modified their connections a bit - is a personal issue for me.

I found a blue-ox aventa aluminum bar & jeep base plates on craigslist ($250) - two pins & a plug connection (for the lights) and away we go.
RayChez
Explorer
Jul 04, 2014
We tow a 2013 CRV Honda. It is a great tow vehicle.
zekegb
Explorer
Jul 04, 2014
We have had our 2011 Chevy HHR for almost a year. It has worked out real well. We considered the Honda CRV, but were limited in weight and dollar value on the HHR seemed better. Wife didn't want to spend the money for the Honda.

Easy hook-up with our Roadmaster system and braking system. Flip two switches - fuse switch and turn on brake system. Easy hook-up.
boba
Explorer
Jul 03, 2014
all of the replies talk about towing 4 down. we went from 4 down towing to dolly towing. there are many more choices with a dolly(almost anything front wheel drive). we changed as needed a small station wagon and the choices for 4 down were few. we have a vw jetta wagon. really like it do not see much difference in hook up time and the gas mileage difference between the traverse and the vw is HUGE
TDInewguy
Explorer
Jul 02, 2014
2014 VW Passat TDI - 6 speed manual trans is my toad.

Love it. I regularly get over the window sticker MPG - which is 43MPG...

And to tow, put it in neutral, leave the key in, hook it up and go!
rckmtn
Explorer
Jun 29, 2014
I have a Vista 35F, blue ox tow bar /plates, and a Patriot braking system. My toad is a 2010 Subaru Forester 5 speed manual. Hook up time is about 5 minutes. I tow the unit and never know it is there except when I look in the rear view camera. One of the easiest tow set ups I have ever used. I also have a Landgrebe tow dolly that I use when I want both my bike and my wifes Honda. It tows extremely well as the wheels turn to follow the MH. The Landgrebe is fantastic when you need a dual purpose dolly but will add length and you have to watch that when fueling.
J-Rooster
Explorer
Jun 23, 2014
IMHO, go with Honda!
BobGed
Explorer
Jun 23, 2014
timmac wrote:
What year of Wrangler is that without steering lock, the reason I ask is my 04 Wrangler has steering lock, maybe the OPer is not looking for a new Wrangler if the new ones no longer lock.

Some time in late 2008 Jeep stopped installing the steering wheel lock in Wranglers. So the answer is anything 2009 and after definitely does not have a steering wheel lock.
JimM68
Explorer
Jun 23, 2014
BobGed wrote:
If you're looking at new vehicles I would like to recommend the 2014/15 Jeep Cherokee. I previously towed a 2011 Wrangler and didn't think anything could be any simpler to tow, but the Cherokee is.

Foot on brake pedal, put the ignition in the On/Run position, but do not start the engine. Shift trans into Neutral. Using a ball point pen or similar object, press and hold the recessed Neutral button until it stops blinking. Shift the transmission into Park, turn the engine Off, exit the vehicle and lock the doors.

No fuses to pull since there's no drain on the battery, and you can tow it as fast as you want as there are no manufacturer maximum limits.

I would suspect the Grand Cherokee procedures are the same, but that puts you out of the category of Wrangler and Honda CRV.

We're in the process of switching from the wrangler to the wifes '10 liberty. Procedure to shift to neutral sounds exactly like you posted. My first trial run with it will be tomorrow.