cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

Towing... what is the cost????

mgfiest
Explorer
Explorer
I read about some disadvantage with towing but they don't really go into the cost of this disadvantage.

So what disadvantage I would like to know is the fuel consumption lost. Either gas or diesel. If you can go 600 miles on a tank without a toad... will you only get 300 miles on a tank with a toad. If you use a toad, do you need to upgrade your transmission to accommodate, if so then that is an added cost. Then there is the brake system.. I assume that is an added cost.

So I am thinking there is a major add on.. if you do tow a vehicle.

If it gets that much... it maybe better to rent a car, when you get to your destination.
22 REPLIES 22

Rick_Jay
Explorer II
Explorer II
We have the rig in our signature. Fully loaded the rig weighs about 21,000-21,500 lbs. and our Honda Odyssey weighs in at just under 4,500 lbs.

Roughly speaking, we probably see a 0.5 mpg decrease in fuel efficiency, and we average about 7.0 mpg-8.5 mpg depending upon generator/AC use, terrain and speed.

We use a brake system and don't notice any difference in stopping ability. However, I can tell feel the Odyssey back there when trying to accelerate. The RV is feels peppier (if you can use that word with a motorhome) when the Odyssey is not connected. But as I said, with the Silent Partner Braking System, I really don't notice any difference in stopping ability when towing.

The cost while travelling is probably a non-issue. The major expense is the initial set-up. If you're handy and can do that on your own, then you can save some $$$.

~Rick
2005 Georgie Boy Cruise Master 3625 DS on a Workhorse W-22
Rick, Gail, 1 girl (27-Angel since 2008), 1 girl (22), 2 boys (23 & 20).
2001 Honda Odyssey, Demco Aluminator tow bar & tow plate, SMI Silent Partner brake controller.

bluwtr49
Explorer II
Explorer II
I set up our Jeep for ~1,200 including a Ready Brake but buying a used tow bar assy.

The cost of towing over a 4,000 mile trip is an extra 10 to 20 gallons of fuel or there-a-bouts. Insignificant in the overall picture. On level ground the rolling resistance of a toad is hardly noticeable and it's tucked in so closely to the MH that wind drag is minimal.

IMHO, cost of towing is a non-issue.
Dick

2002 43' DP Beaver Marquis Emerald Cat C-12 505 HP, 1600 Tq
2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland ---toad

Trackrig
Explorer II
Explorer II
I had forgotten about this thread.

Heavy toad clicky

Bill
Nodwell RN110 out moose hunting. 4-53 Detroit, Clark 5 spd, 40" wide tracks, 10:00x20 tires, 16,000# capacity, 22,000# weight. You know the mud is getting deep when it's coming in the doors.

JackMS
Explorer
Explorer
When I started towing my Chevrolet 2500, which weighs close to 6000lbs, my mileage went up about 1/2 mpg. Why? Because when I am towing I slow down from about 72 to 65. So as others have said, there are much bigger factors in fuel mileage than the toad. Although I would recommend something less than 6000 lbs as it pushed my little motorhome around a bit.

As for cost, it looks like most of the estimates given are to have it done. You could save a good bit if you can do some of the install yourself
2005 Holiday Rambler Neptune 34pdd, Cummins ISB 300, Allison 2500MH, Onan 8.0QD
Prior Toad-2001 Chevy 2500 CC 4WD
Toad-2012 Honda CRV, Blue Ox Aventa II

topflite51
Explorer
Explorer
Fuel cost differential of towing a toad or not, I believe is insignificant. Can't say that that is the case with setup costs to tow.
:CDavid
Just rolling along enjoying life
w/F53 Southwind towing a 87 Samurai or 01 Grand Vitara looking to fish
Simply Despicable ๐Ÿ˜›
Any errors are a result of CRS.:s

MSHappyCampers
Explorer
Explorer
I don't think my MH even knows the toad is back there! I've never checked the fuel mileage with and without the toad, but I don't think it could be making much difference.

We went with the ReadyBrute towbars with built-in ReadyBrake and saved hundreds of dollars over other products I looked at.

My total cost to get set up for towing was $2032. That included the tow bars, supplemental braking, base plate, toad wiring kit, and complete installation.

I would definitely recommend getting set up for towing instead of renting a car. If you do much traveling the cost of car rental would soon pay for the towing setup and I would NOT want to have the hassle of car rental!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless! :B
Joe & Annette

2002 Monaco Windsor 40PBT

fourmat
Explorer
Explorer
Your expense will be getting the toad set up or buying a dolly Once that is spent the cost while towing is pretty insignificant.Renting at destination can be a pain and expensive as well, depending on your destination and duration
2009 Challenger

rk911
Explorer
Explorer
mgfiest wrote:
I read about some disadvantage with towing but they don't really go into the cost of this disadvantage.

So what disadvantage I would like to know is the fuel consumption lost. Either gas or diesel. If you can go 600 miles on a tank without a toad... will you only get 300 miles on a tank with a toad. If you use a toad, do you need to upgrade your transmission to accommodate, if so then that is an added cost. Then there is the brake system.. I assume that is an added cost.

So I am thinking there is a major add on.. if you do tow a vehicle.

If it gets that much... it maybe better to rent a car, when you get to your destination.


whoever is telling you that you'll suffer a 50% decrease in MPG if you tow is flat out wrong. we tow either a 2003 jeep wrangler or a 2010 jeep liberty and the decrease in overall MPG is significantly less than 1-mpg. how do I know? I keep precise records.

we tow with a Blue Ox towbar and baseplate and the Unified Tow Brake from US Gear. we had everything installed so the cost was higher than if I had done it myself but I wanted it done right.

the advantages of having a toad far, far outweigh the disadvantages. and about the only disadvantage I can think of is the cost of the towbar, baseplate and aux. braking system.
Rich
Ham Radio, Sport Pilot, Retired 9-1-1 Call Center Administrator
_________________________________
2016 Itasca Suncruiser 38Q
'46 Willys CJ2A
'23 Jeep Wrangler JL
'10 Jeep Liberty KK

& MaggieThe Wonder Beagle

Effy
Explorer
Explorer
Towing a car behind ours has no noticeable impact to mpg. Your only real cost impact is the initial purchase to set it up to tow. After that, it's really nominal. Conversely it saves you from renting a car, you have a dinghy in case your rig would break down, you can load a few items in it, and it offers complete freedom and self sufficiency. I wouldn't be without it.
2013 ACE 29.2

michelb
Explorer
Explorer
I haven't towed enough with our gasser to really tell the affect on mileage but my initial observation was that we lost a good 0.5 to 1 mpg when we were pulling a toad in our 98 PA 36B with a Chev 454.

mgfiest
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for the all the feedback... guess I will do some research on all the addons before I purchased a used one and I better see about a smaller toad... lol.

wny_pat1
Explorer
Explorer
I was able to purchase everything I needed, new baseplate (including installation), new BlueOx towbar, used Readybrake, and wiring pigtail for under $1000.00. Was very thrifty about where I purchased the equipment. There are RV stores which sell on Ebay and that is were I purchased the new baseplate and new towbar. The ReadyBrake I found on a RV forum classified page. I wired my own pigtail for lights and brakes. My neighbor owns a body shop and installed the baseplate for a great price.

Started towing with my first Class A, 454 gas engine on a P32 chassis. Did not notice any extra gas consumption when towing. 7 to 8 mpg overall.

I currently tow with a 1994 Diesel Pusher powered by a little Cummins 5.9 and a Allison 4 speed. Get a solid 10+ mpg average overall when towing. Have never gone on a trip without the toad!
โ€œAll journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.โ€

beave
Explorer
Explorer
The impact of towing a car is probably far less than other variables such as wind or grades.

Judging from what I have observed, you could probably tow a car without any wheels and hardly notice the drag if you have a diesel. Last year we came across a toad that had blown both front tires and ground the brake disks to the axle and part of the front cross member. The driver never noticed, but the highway patrol officer sure did.

chuckftboy
Explorer
Explorer
I really see no difference in mileage if I tow or not. Maybe 1/2 MPG loss in the worst case. Poor mileage is just part of Class A life.
2019 Horizon 42Q Maxum Chassis w/tag
Cummins L-9 450 HP / Allison 3000
2006 Jeep TJ and 2011 Chevy Traverse Tows