Towing Honda Pilot with Jayco Melbourne Class C

[margaretmahlum]

We are senior travelers and plan on traveling for months at a time to various parts of the US and Canada. In the past we owned a Jayco pop-up and a Rockwood Travel Trailer and recently purchased a class c. Debating the pros and cons of towing our Honda Pilot behind our Jayco Melbourne 2008 Class C. Plans are to have a base camp in very mountainous parts of the country and use the car for some sight seeing and general touring around. We feel that having an automobile to use in and around larger cities would be an advantage. Having the extra room to store picnic table and chairs, etc. would be nice as well. The Jayco Melbourne has very little storage capacity.

I wonder what others have actually experienced: Is the cost of towing worth the convenience? Are the hassles of towing and SUV worth the benefits?

Opinions and experiences would be appreciated.

[OLYLEN]

I tow a 4runner with the C and the hassle is down to 5 minutes with a little practice. It's a small part of a picture when you want the smaller rig to investigate the country side. I do run at times without the towed but thats short term getaways, not for extended trips where sight seeing, hunting, hiking, biking or fishing. One miss's so much without the towed and when the wife is walking because of the goat trail the MH is not an option.

LEN

[ncrowley]

It looks like the GCWR is 19,500. The GVWR is 14,500. It looks like there is not a lot of CCC so you will probably be close to the GVWR when you a re loaded for a trip. This leaves you about 5000 to 5500 for the toad.

[tatest]

I've towed a regular cab Ranger pickup and a Honda Fit behind my 12,000 pound 30-foot C, have not been able to measure a difference in fuel consumption, as it varies quite a bit (6 mpg to 11mpg) with other factors when not towing. But extra mass (2500 or 3200 pounds, Pilot will be more) doesn't mean much when I seldom have to accelerate and drive mostly flatlands when towing.

I do feel the difference on acceleration, towing or not towing, lighter car s heavier truck.

I tow when I am going someplace to stay, and I need the transportation. I don't tow when road tripping, with mostly overnight stops, because the C gets around much better, and it is easier finding parking, when I don't have the extra length and handling restrictions (no backing) associated with a flat-towed vehicle.

So far, I've not even towed for snowbirding, the few times I've done that I've found public transportation serves my needs, but that is partly cultural. I've lived six years in urban environments where I did not use a car, someone without that experience might find not having their own car to get around uncomfortable.

[margaretmahlum]

Thank you for your response. Again, I appreciate thoughts/opinions from everyone. I should have added more information in my original post. Our Honda Pilot is a 2003 and has 75,000 miles on the clock. We plan on being very cautious with any cargo we carry in order to comply with the weight recommendations. We will be towing with the wheels down and are having a Blue Ox system installed with the brake buddy and we do plan to make a couple of very short trips close to home before venturing too far.

[ncrowley]

Yes, it is very worth having a vehicle to drive around once you get there. However, you need to check the following:

Can your vehicle (model and year) be towed 4 down?
Is the hitch rated for the weight of the toad?
Is the weight of the RV, vehicle and all the contents of both greater than the GCWR?

We had an issue with a class C we were looking at with the GCWR. The hitch was rated at 5000 pounds so we could pull a 4500 pound Rubicon, but if we pulled the Rubicon, we would be at least 500 pounds over the GCWR. Not good.

[Nomadac]

If your Honda Pilot is newer than 2004, Honda does not recommend towing any Pilot beyond 2004 four down. Suggest you check your Owners manual.

[DrewE]

What is the two rating of the class C? Some class C's are limited to 3500 pounds, which the Pilot exceeds (at a somewhat over 4000 pounds empty). If you have a 5000 pound tow rating, this pretty much means you must tow it four-down, which is no great limitation as most people find this to be the most convenient way to tow a vehicle behind a motorhome. You cannot back up with the tow vehicle attached, which does impose some limitations on maneuvering around gas stations and so forth.

Lots of people do tow a vehicle behind their motorhomes and find it very handy and not well worth any hassle. I have never done so, and thus far never felt greatly limited thereby, but a lot depends on how one uses one's RV and how long one stays at a particular campsite. I tend to be on the go a fair bit, so it's not too often extra work to break camp to drive somewhere when I'll be doing so anyhow.

I would suggest trying a trip or two without towing and seeing how things work out. You can always get set up to tow afterwards, but you may find that you're perfectly happy without. You might also find that it's obvious you want the Pilot or some other vehicle to tow; either way, you'll have a better idea of your actual needs and wants.