TOADS for Ventana LE

[danddclydes]

I just purchased a 2014 Newmar Ventana LE and I really thought I wanted to tow an enclosed trailer with a car inside rather than 4 down but all advice I am seeing suggests I might be wrong. My question is do all toads accrue mileage when you are towing 4 down? It would seem like you would seriously depreciate the car if it does. Would it just be best to find a small used vehicle that I wouldn't care about the mileage on?

Thanks
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DandDclydes - Pennsylvania - 2014 Newmar Ventana LE 3845 , lots of dogs and horses and lots of places to see

[Goldencrazy]

I tow a Smart Car 4 down. Very easy and light weight. I also tow a 2004 Grand Cherokee when we want something larger and it tows well and our Winnebago 30T handles both well.

[Snomas]

We tow a 2012 Ford Explorer 4 down. No ODO reading. Like the bigger vehicle for travel when away for several months.

[danddclydes]

I was actually considering the Dynamax DX3 but it was taking so long to even get a possible delivery date that I opted to buy the Newmar, I know that it has a much lower towing capacity. Two horses and trailer should come in just at the capacity of the coach.

[wny_pat1]

danddclydes wrote:
Has anyone on here towed a horse trailer with their coach? If you have do you know if it is possible to have a double-duty trailer that I could use to move a small car when not being used for horses? I know it is a strange question but several times a year I will use my coach to move horses to out of state shows

No, its not a strange question! On your coach, the UVW (empty weight) is 26,100 lb. Once you load up your cargo, you could get up to your GVWR of 31,000 lb, althought I doubt it. Your GCWR is 33,000 lb. If you were to fill up your coach with almost 5000 lbs of cargo, and we all know that some RVers get carried away, you could only haul a trailer weighting 2000 lbs. When you spec'ed, you should have considered this. You would have been far better off spec'ing a Dynamax DynaQuest. Just what does one Clydesdale weight - and two in one horse trailer? Bet you'll be up around 5000 lbs or higher.

[dubdub07]

traveylin wrote:
When you tow on a trailer or dolly you add 1000 to 1500 lbs to the GVW. Which adds breaking isssues and miles per gallon issues. Besides you have to find a place to store the trailer in the camp ground space

The heaviest dolly I have seen is 614lbs and most have brakes. Trailers would need a spot at the CG and some charge. It is situational; I do love to tow my JK 4 down but it is heavy, about 4400lbs with the aftermarket stuff. With my Dart on a dolly I am looking at 3400lbs, maybe? So that is why I tow the Dart when I can, 1000lbs means about .6 MPG, and on 100 gallons, that makes a big difference.

WW

[danddclydes]

Has anyone on here towed a horse trailer with their coach? If you have do you know if it is possible to have a double-duty trailer that I could use to move a small car when not being used for horses? I know it is a strange question but several times a year I will use my coach to move horses to out of state shows
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Doug - DandDClydes - PA 2014 Newmar Ventana LE 3845 BH

[wny_pat1]

The Fiat rated at the bottom of the bunch in the lastest CR ratings. The Honda Fit was at the top of the bunch, and you can tow both the auto or the manual four down. My 2013 Honda Fit gets 37 to 40 mpg, rides nice, and has more room that one can believe in it! You can put a 8 foot 2 x 4 in it and still close the back hatch.

[John___Angela]

traveylin wrote:
When you tow on a trailer or dolly you add 1000 to 1500 lbs to the GVW. Which adds breaking isssues and miles per gallon issues. Besides you have to find a place to store the trailer in the camp ground space

True, and make sure your hitch is properly rated to the trailer you tow. In our case the hitch weight only goes up about 500 pounds and the trailer mostly stores under the rear of the motorhome but all good things to consider.

[traveylin]

When you tow on a trailer or dolly you add 1000 to 1500 lbs to the GVW. Which adds breaking isssues and miles per gallon issues. Besides you have to find a place to store the trailer in the camp ground space

[John___Angela]

Smart cars tow 4 down great. You can also tow on a trailer. Every way has its pros and cons. Being able to back up is an advantage of a trailer. A disadvantage would be more tires to maintain. 🙂

[rr2254545]

danddclydes wrote:
Thank you for all of the good advice. I am thinking something small, I kind of like the Fiat 500 or smart car. I wasn't aware of the odometer thing. I am new to the idea of towing a car and to driving the DP. I think I am going to like this...!
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Doug - DandDClydes - PA, 2014 Newmar Ventana LE 3845

I towed a Honda Fit for years, just upgraded to the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, better ride, more power and with the added ground clearance I can not go on high profile gravel roads.

Highly Highly recommend a Jeep and not the small matchboxes

[2gypsies1]

Here's a list of 2013 vehicles that are towable:

Towable Vehicles

[danddclydes]

Thank you for all of the good advice. I am thinking something small, I kind of like the Fiat 500 or smart car. I wasn't aware of the odometer thing. I am new to the idea of towing a car and to driving the DP. I think I am going to like this...!
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Doug - DandDClydes - PA, 2014 Newmar Ventana LE 3845

[wny_pat1]

I don't think towing a car four down would seriously depreciate a vehicle. There are people out there looking of used toads already set up for towing. And there are web sites where people advertise such vehicles all set up for towing (http://www.hitchtrader.com/). Seems to me that it would make the used toad more attractive.