toad or no toad

[mussfly]

planning a major trip across country. and i have a 28' class c, and the toad consists of a dolly and a vibe to be put on the dolly.
in traveling so far mainly for extended stays at one spot the toad works great and i have restricted my travel so far to a tank of gas there and back sense i purchased it last yr. and i have been watching my travels for gas stops that would have enough room to pull in for gas with the toad. and so far i have noticed very few places i would pull into with the toad because of the turning radius of the rig and the cars which have no consideration for a longer rig and their turning rad and i wouldn't be able to back the rig.
the trip i am planning goes from the east coast through mt rushmore , yellowstone, glacier national park , mt riener,glacier lake,and then south to hit Yosemite national park,las vagas, hover dam, grand canyon,Bryce canyon, flagstaff and then back to the east coast.
so with all thee traveling i am wondering if a toad would work ok with the gas stops and also the gas mileage, because we plan to do this in 10 weeks. so any advice would be helpful !
plan to spend 1 week in yellowstone and 2-3 days around mt rushmore plus 2 nites near vagas and maybe some other out trips to tour.


help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kidsgone]

We took a 3month trip this year from Fl to Wyoming, Montana, Dakotas, Nebraska, well you get the idea.
We have a 30' class C and a Honda CRV…wouldn't leave home without the CRV!! We used to have a 27' Lexington that we didn't tow a vehicle and it was a pain…we did rent a couple cars, but logistics always put us backtracking to take the rental back. Never had a problem in those three months on finding places to pull into to get gas…never. Having said that, we have WalMart,Sams,FlyingJ/Pilot apps on our phones that tell us nearest locations. We don't allow the tank to go too much past the half mark before we start looking.
And I agree with the previous poster about safety…in the event of a breakdown, we can throw stuff in the car, including the pups, and we're off.
In our opinion, having both travelled with and without a toad, its a necessity not a luxury.
Enjoy your trip and safe travels.
Andi

[Coach-man]

With a 26' class C you could always unhook and break camp everytime you wanted to go somewhere! But I think you will find that it ismuch easier with a toad. AS someone said if you go toadless, you will miss out on many experiances. IMHO, you need to take the toad.

[Dakzuki]

We did a month long trip of the western national parks pulling a toad last year and getting fuel was a non issue. We used the Gas Buddy app to plan our fuel stops based on price and access. Nancy (navigator) would use Google maps to get the lay of the land before we committed to a particular station. If I could do it with diesel it would be a piece of cake for a gasser.

We pulled our toad over the hog's back of Utah 12. It did have my undivided attention but it was no problem.

We put a hundred miles on the toad in Yellowstone in one day alone.

Make your reservations early. Arches is awesome but the camping area is small and sells out early.

[gotsmart]

I drag my smart car everywhere. I can't see it behind me (no camera). The bugger weighs 1,800 lbs (US). I can't feel it behind me - except when driving over a park's speed bumps at 5 MPH.

[jauguston]

Take the toad. If you don't you will regret it. By the time you get home you will probably regret not towing 4 down.

[BTPO1]

I always tow my Corolla on a dolly everywhere we go even locally. I would be lost without a way to go places where I am staying. As far as fueling I look ahead at where I can get fuel and have never had a problem getting it. Sometimes I may need to get it sooner than I need too, but we do have a long range for fuel. I also have a V-10 in my 27 foot and I have always been able to pull the car and dolly up the mountain passes even in Colorado. I might be going slower, but by going slower I am getting to see more also. JMT

[DUNEBUGGYDOUG]

Your V-10 will tow your toad up any mountain that you come across.

[rockhillmanor]

As mentioned you have to retrain your fueling mantra. You have to look ahead and see if you can fit and more importantly can you get out BEFORE you pull in.

As far as really steep grades or tight turns you might be apprehensive about? If you are traveling with family etc. I have seen quite a few RV'ers unhook at the bottom and a family member drives the toad up and to your destination.

I've traveled with and without a toad and I now would not leave home with out one. Traveling with dogs and the few occasions I have broke down having the toad completely illuminates the 'crisis mode' an RV break down can put you in.

You break down, call a tow truck, unhook the toad load the dogs, toss the keys to the MH to the tow truck driver and tell them to call you when it's fixed....and drive off in your toad, I love it!! :B

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

You will find truck stop gas stations, Walmart, Costco, Sams club - sufficient for your rig.

It's important to know how your vehicle turns, and exactly how much room you need.

Another tip - start looking for a good refuel place when you hit 1/2 tank. Never get below 1/4 tank in the rig. That gives you the flexibility to pull past a place if it seems too tight without having to stop.

When I'm traveling on smaller roads/ towns - I always look for a station with pumps parallel to the road - and no one at the outside pumps. I can always find one even though I have to pull inside of the outside pumps so that the fill is on the correct side of the TV.

[rvten]

You will find a need for your toad.

[D_E_Bishop]

Two years ago we did a ten week, 13K mile trip back East covering much of what you plan on doing. We took our 1995 Sidekick and would not have had nearly the fun we had without it. If you have no problem with the dolly, I say go for it, you won't be sorry.

As for gas stops, we have been COSTCO members for years and my brother included us in his Sam's Club membership. There was one COSTCO station that was tight but all were doable. We didn't buy gas for the rig anywhere else so don't know about regular station other than the one on Blue Diamond near the Oasis RV Resort in Vegas and that is really tight except on the end pumps.

Our mileage suffered, but, I still take the towed and have upgraded to a 2006 Grand Vitara which is a little heavier.

[OpenRangePullen]

I had a 28' V-10 Four Winds C-class and it seamed a little unhappy pulling a 3,500 trailer around on a trip to Oregon form Texas. Depends on where your coming from, If you have to cross the Rockies Id suggest maybe buying a scooter of small MC, and trailering it behind your RVHeres a pic of my father C With MC lift on the back.

[Cloud_9]

We flat tow a 2007 Vibe (stick shift) and have been on some long trips towing it behind our 31 ft class c.
Regarding fuel stops, it can be managed, as previously said, always look ahead for an exit before pulling in. When pumps are at right angle to the ever present convenience store, try for the end pumps, sometimes its best to pull all the way around to the opposite end so you are facing out .

[sch911]

I wouldn't go anywhere without the Toad. As far as getting gas is concerned it's really not that hard. Sometimes you have to piss a few people off. Make sure you have an escape route before you pull in. I haven't encountered many regular stations that I couldn't work out a plan for getting gas with our 38 Ft class A and toad.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

The one thing I missed most on our Alaska trip in our B+ vs making the same trip in our Class A was the lack of our toad. Kind of a pain tearing down to go explore, when you are in an area more than one night. We have towed a vehicle four down since getting our 1st Class C in 1981, and prefer it that way. If a dolly was my only choice, I probably would go without a toad, because to me loading and un-loading the toad would be worse than unhooking and then resetting the RV on our return..