Yet another short C running toadless question...

alliemac9 wrote:

Liltippy wrote:
I would recommend you look at the ReadyBrute Elite System. The 8,000 lb tow bar and the ReadyBrake are all together. Can be purchased for under $1k. This system can be matched to Blue OX or any other base plate. Only modification to the toad is running a cable from the front thru the firewall to the brake pedal. Depending upon toad, can be a DYI. The simplicity of the system, lack of electronics, nothing to install in the toad each time you hook up / unhook, and ease of repair sold me on this package.

Good luck on your choices.

Thanks! That's one of the ones I've narrowed it to - that or the Unified. The Unified is probably overkill given our toad is only about 2600 lbs. The challenge has been finding the time (or the place) to figure out what I need. We are DIY'ers, but that sometimes seems to inhibit things just getting done. Guess I should find a good NSA/ReadyBrute retailer in Denver and just see how much it would be for someone else to deal with it. Our toad was previously towed, so it has an electrical harness connection already in the bumper and a baseplate installed. However, the towing was essentially two owners ago, so we didn't actually get ALL the pieces to our baseplate, so figuring out what we're missing and where to obtain them is part of the hassle that has slowed the process. That and the fact that our trips haven't been toad-dependent yet... Excuses, excuses. Need to just bump it up the list! Hmmm...just checked NSA's site - no dealers listed in CO. Maybe that's one of the reasons I've been putting this off - forgot about that!

how about this one


linky


rvibrake2

Liltippy wrote:
I would recommend you look at the ReadyBrute Elite System. The 8,000 lb tow bar and the ReadyBrake are all together. Can be purchased for under $1k. This system can be matched to Blue OX or any other base plate. Only modification to the toad is running a cable from the front thru the firewall to the brake pedal. Depending upon toad, can be a DYI. The simplicity of the system, lack of electronics, nothing to install in the toad each time you hook up / unhook, and ease of repair sold me on this package.

Good luck on your choices.

Thanks! That's one of the ones I've narrowed it to - that or the Unified. The Unified is probably overkill given our toad is only about 2600 lbs. The challenge has been finding the time (or the place) to figure out what I need. We are DIY'ers, but that sometimes seems to inhibit things just getting done. Guess I should find a good NSA/ReadyBrute retailer in Denver and just see how much it would be for someone else to deal with it. Our toad was previously towed, so it has an electrical harness connection already in the bumper and a baseplate installed. However, the towing was essentially two owners ago, so we didn't actually get ALL the pieces to our baseplate, so figuring out what we're missing and where to obtain them is part of the hassle that has slowed the process. That and the fact that our trips haven't been toad-dependent yet... Excuses, excuses. Need to just bump it up the list! Hmmm...just checked NSA's site - no dealers listed in CO. Maybe that's one of the reasons I've been putting this off - forgot about that!

Hey mlts22-you've been all over the web lately-me too.

still searching perfect vehicle

now looking at thislinky


linky 2 21 pictures


rvdirect 65,000


25 feet 6 inches

alliemac9 wrote:

Liltippy wrote:
Run a 27' Born Free and it will work in all cities, parking lots etc. prefer to use my toad, due to better gas mileage and options to explore. I think a common mistake is that folks think they have to have a new car for a toad. You can get a 10 year old car and equip it for towing for under 10 k. A toad is going to take some abuse, so don't invest in an expensive car.

Good point. The car we purchased as a toad is a '96 and wasn't that expensive. While some people seemed surprised that we sought out a 15 year old car, we'll be set up for well under $10k (if I can ever get around to getting deciding on and purchasing the rest of the tow components). It's a Toyota, so we hope to get lots of life out of it and when not traveling it's fun to drive around town. :)

I would recommend you look at the ReadyBrute Elite System. The 8,000 lb tow bar and the ReadyBrake are all together. Can be purchased for under $1k. This system can be matched to Blue OX or any other base plate. Only modification to the toad is running a cable from the front thru the firewall to the brake pedal. Depending upon toad, can be a DYI. The simplicity of the system, lack of electronics, nothing to install in the toad each time you hook up / unhook, and ease of repair sold me on this package.

Good luck on your choices.

DKeppner wrote:
Outstanding blog! You've almost convinced me that I won't need a toad with my little rig but more importantly, you've given me a gazillion ideas of where to go! Thanks!

tonyandkaren wrote:
We fulltime with a 25' class C, no toad. I post RV parking information at the bottom of each blog post. Check the blog posts for Texas to get some idea of how to go about finding parking wherever you want to visit. It's very rare that we don't find a space.

Thank you. If you have any recommendations for improvements to the blog let me know!

Liltippy wrote:
Run a 27' Born Free and it will work in all cities, parking lots etc. prefer to use my toad, due to better gas mileage and options to explore. I think a common mistake is that folks think they have to have a new car for a toad. You can get a 10 year old car and equip it for towing for under 10 k. A toad is going to take some abuse, so don't invest in an expensive car.

Good point. The car we purchased as a toad is a '96 and wasn't that expensive. While some people seemed surprised that we sought out a 15 year old car, we'll be set up for well under $10k (if I can ever get around to getting deciding on and purchasing the rest of the tow components). It's a Toyota, so we hope to get lots of life out of it and when not traveling it's fun to drive around town. :)

Run a 27' Born Free and it will work in all cities, parking lots etc. prefer to use my toad, due to better gas mileage and options to explore. I think a common mistake is that folks think they have to have a new car for a toad. You can get a 10 year old car and equip it for towing for under 10 k. A toad is going to take some abuse, so don't invest in an expensive car.

Dakzuki wrote:
The only reason we will take the toad is to go places where the RV can't which often means 4 wheel drive. At Sequoia the road up the hill from our campground was too narrow and twisty for the RV so the toad was the ticket. Other times it has been convenient to have the toad but not a "must have". We take it only when we feel we'll need it. On our month long national park trip in the spring the toad was very useful.

We think alike here.

Our C is 25'9" and we take ~5000 mile loop trips each year (roughly 3 weeks each). We rented a short C for a similar trip before buying, so didn't anticipate needing a toad. On one trip, we got in a conversation with another couple with a small rig towing a Tracker and they convinced us of some of the benefits (as did our experience on a couple of our shorter trips). So, we actually stumbled across the perfect toad (for us) and bought it in 2010 or 2011 (can't remember) and still haven't bothered to set it up for towing (one of these days!).

For us, it comes down to the intent of the trip. Our typical trip is a long loop where we tend to be on the move and rarely in the same place for more than one (max three) nights. For this, having a short RV is (IMO) ideal as our house is always with us (such a luxury when you get caught hiking in a downpour and your house is waiting at the trailhead). I'm a confident parallel parker, but admit I've never needed to do that in the places we explore at the times we travel (in fall when vacation crowds are lighter). I've parked on streets in parallel spots, but there's always been space to easily roll right in. I've parked at gas stations, at malls/shopping centers (usually hanging the rear end over the grassy area or just pulling through two spots front to back in a parking lot), in neighborhoods visiting friends/family, etc. without problem.

As someone else mentioned, we bought our toad for exploring. It's a tiny AWD SUV and the intent is to be able to get places we wouldn't/couldn't take the RV. For this reason (and the fact we travel with dogs), renting when we get somewhere didn't seem like the best fit for us. We've never felt limited without a toad during our large loops (just the opposite, actually) - for us, the time for exploring is on more stationary trips where we go someplace to stay for a week+ or long weekend. Thinking of going to Glacier next trip...time to finally get the toad towable.

The only reason we will take the toad is to go places where the RV can't which often means 4 wheel drive. At Sequoia the road up the hill from our campground was too narrow and twisty for the RV so the toad was the ticket. Other times it has been convenient to have the toad but not a "must have". We take it only when we feel we'll need it. On our month long national park trip in the spring the toad was very useful.