Is the pool of 4 down towable vehicles diminishing??

[John___Angela]

Maybe it’s just me but I recently had to help someone find a new 4 down towable toad. It seems the choices have diminished since we went thru the process 15 years ago. For those who have wanted to buy a NEW toad in the last year or two, was it difficult to find something you like?? What is the go to solution right now.

As well, it is obvious now that we are at the very bottom of the S curve of electric vehicle sales that will play out in the next 10 to 20 years. None of the current manufacturers of EV’s make a 4 down towable toad. (We have to tow ours on a trailer). Do you think this may be an issue in the next decade or so. Will Dolly’s become more common as a result.

The conversation is open. 🙂

[carringb]

John & Angela wrote:

Is the Ford Edge towable four down?

They are towable with either 6-cyl engine, both FWD and AWD.

The 4-cyl is not towable.

[John___Angela]

There are a bunch of people pulling smart cars as Toads. This is one example of a Toad being electrified that is no longer towable. As of 2018 there are no more gas smart cars available in North America. Only electric. As of 2020 the only smart cars that will be built by Mercedes are the electric version. We currently pull our electric smart on a small trailer but that doesn’t work for everyone...especially on bigger vehicles.

Is the Ford Edge towable four down?

[Scottiemom]

Last year we had to replace our toad which was 13 years old and had 267,000 miles on the chassis, 160,000 actual driven. WE looked long and hard for a replacement for the Sport Trac which did everything we wanted. We finally settled on a Ford Flex. Not the best looking car in the bunch but we love it. Tows easily, put in neutral, throw the ignition all the way to the left and you're good to go. DH did later add a "knife-blade switch" on the battery as we were getting drain on it even though Ford said that wouldn't happen.

We needed something that could haul a few things and yet be comfortable and be a certain weight. It does very well. There were many vehicles to choose from. . . just our specific needs are what limited us. If we didn't fulltime, we might have chosen differently, but the Flex works for us.

We don't ever buy new toads. Why buy new and throw rocks at it behind the motorhome? It's a 2014 and just like new inside and out.

Dale

[tatest]

YES

[lryrob9301]

lj2654 wrote:
The new car"the Elio" three wheeled auto with an 85 mpg fuel rate is supposed to go into production in 2019. And I have been questioning the engineers about that being four wheel down towing capable. They have now finally said it will be.

This is a scam. This "vehicle" has been going into production next year for the last 7 years. They have yet to secure any production facilities or equipment, but they still accept order deposits which are non-refundable !!!

[John___Angela]

carringb wrote:

John & Angela wrote:

My concern with the CVT setup is that it is generally found only on hybrids. Pure electrics which are outpacing hybrids so far are not 4 down tow compatible. C max is a nice car though. Took one for a drive before we bought the leaf. It wasn't right for us but great car.

Hybrid powertrains generally use a planetary CVT. These are mechanically capable of flat-towing, although not all have the software to support it.

Non-hybrid CVTs are quickly taking over transmissions in most smaller cars. These are completely different, and use belts with variable width pulleys. These cannot be flat-towed.

I really do with an OEM would enable flat-towing on an all-eletric. Even cooler would be if they allowed regen braking while being towed, instead of requiring an aftermarket brake box. A simple wireless OBD-2 dongle on both the RV and toad should be all the hardware required to enable toad braking in an electric car.

We are just not a big enough portion of the market place for that kind of development. I don’t know enough about electric drive trains but some kind of disconnect would be nice. Rumour has it a Leaf owner has pulled four down but I can’t find much info on it.

[carringb]

John & Angela wrote:

My concern with the CVT setup is that it is generally found only on hybrids. Pure electrics which are outpacing hybrids so far are not 4 down tow compatible. C max is a nice car though. Took one for a drive before we bought the leaf. It wasn't right for us but great car.

Hybrid powertrains generally use a planetary CVT. These are mechanically capable of flat-towing, although not all have the software to support it.

Non-hybrid CVTs are quickly taking over transmissions in most smaller cars. These are completely different, and use belts with variable width pulleys. These cannot be flat-towed.

I really do with an OEM would enable flat-towing on an all-eletric. Even cooler would be if they allowed regen braking while being towed, instead of requiring an aftermarket brake box. A simple wireless OBD-2 dongle on both the RV and toad should be all the hardware required to enable toad braking in an electric car.

[lj2654]

The new car"the Elio" three wheeled auto with an 85 mpg fuel rate is supposed to go into production in 2019. And I have been questioning the engineers about that being four wheel down towing capable. They have now finally said it will be.

[lj2654]

Now there is a good idea. Electric vehicle that can be charged while towing it down the road.

[wowens79]

To bad you can't to the EV's, and let them charge themselves from being towed.

[John___Angela]

Dog Trainer wrote:
I noticed the small number of small suvs that are 4 down tow-able. The exception would be if you want to drive a standard transmission as opposed to an automatic the number increase a great deal when you are ok with manual shift.

Yah but even standard tranny’s are getting scarce.

[John___Angela]

time2roll wrote:
Used EVs are getting cheap. Eventually someone needs to drag a LEAF etc. around for 5,000 miles and see what really happens.

My other thought is if EVs ever go mass market there might be a driveshaft disconnect produced by someone.

Or we need an EV Jeep but I think the drive train will change and we will be in the same boat 😞

I hear ya...but I’m too chicken to try it with mine. It’s still under warranty...and I kinda love this car. Any takers???? 🙂

[Dog_Trainer]

I noticed the small number of small suvs that are 4 down tow-able. The exception would be if you want to drive a standard transmission as opposed to an automatic the number increase a great deal when you are ok with manual shift.

[time2roll]

Used EVs are getting cheap. Eventually someone needs to drag a LEAF etc. around for 5,000 miles and see what really happens.

My other thought is if EVs ever go mass market there might be a driveshaft disconnect produced by someone.

Or we need an EV Jeep but I think the drive train will change and we will be in the same boat 😞

[John___Angela]

Dutch_12078 wrote:

DouglasC wrote:
All the Ford Motor Co. hybrids (Fusion, C-Max & Lincokn MKZ) have CVTs and are towable 4 down with no fuses to pull or battery cables that need to be disconnected. Have had 3 of them over the past 10 years and they tow great!

If more manufacturers would adopt a similar design, then we may be ok. As it is, several popular brands/models are already out of the running.

My concern with the CVT setup is that it is generally found only on hybrids. Pure electrics which are outpacing hybrids so far are not 4 down tow compatible. C max is a nice car though. Took one for a drive before we bought the leaf. It wasn't right for us but great car.