looking for a light weight toad

[jubymae]

I have a 2012, 23 foot, gas, ford chassis, class c, chateau by thor rv.
I am looking for the lightest weight car to tow. Does anyone know my options?

[isa]

This is for Road Princess. I suggest you re-check the California DMV statutes with respect to a towed vehicle, viz:


California Vehicle Code Division 12 - Equipment of Vehicles
Chapter 3. Brakes
Article 2. Operation of Brakes
Control and Stopping Requirements
26454. (a) The service brakes of every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold such vehicle or combination of vehicles under all conditions of loading on any grade on which it is operated.
(b) Every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles, at any time and under all conditions of loading, shall, upon application of the service brake, be capable of stopping from an initial speed of 20 miles per hour according to the following requirements:

Maximum Stopping Distance (feet)
(1) Any passenger vehicle 25
(2) Any single motor vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 10,000 lbs. 30
(3) Any combination of vehicles consisting of a passenger vehicle or any motor vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of less than 10,000 lbs. in combination with any trailer, semitrailer or trailer coach 40
(4) Any single motor vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 lbs. or more or any bus 40
(5) All other combinations of vehicles 50
* The bracketed information has been added editorially to meet accessibility requirements and is not part of statute.
Amended Ch. 443, Stats. 1965. Effective September 17, 1965.
Braking System: Towing Vehicles
26458. (a) The braking system on every motor vehicle used to tow another vehicle shall be so arranged that one control on the towing vehicle shall, when applied, operate all the service brakes on the power unit and combination of vehicles when either or both of the following conditions exist:
(1) The towing vehicle is required to be equipped with power brakes.
(2) The towed vehicle is required to be equipped with brakes and is equipped with power brakes.
(b) Subdivision (a) shall not be construed to prohibit motor vehicles from being equipped with an additional control to be used to operate the brakes on the trailer or trailers.
(c) Subdivision (a) does not apply to any of the following combinations of vehicles, if the combination of vehicles meets the stopping distance requirements of Section 26454:
(1) Vehicles engaged in driveaway-towaway operations.
(2) Disabled vehicles, while being towed.
(3) Towed motor vehicles.
(4) Trailers equipped with inertially controlled brakes which are designed to be applied automatically upon breakaway from the towing vehicle and which are capable of stopping and holding the trailer stationary for not less than 15 minutes.
Amended Ch. 121, Stats. 1991. Effective January 1, 1992.

[jubymae]

Sounds like a good option...and the breaks news is great!

[Road_Princess]

We have a 2011 23' Coachmen Freelander on the Chevy chassis. We just bought a 2013 Chevy Spark with standard transmission for our toad. It's a pleasure to tow. Light enough to not effect mileage (maybe 1 mpg) and is legal without a supplemental braking system everywhere but California. I did check each state.

The car is a four-seater and is very roomy and comfortable for a Smart. It gets an amazing 36 mpg driving around town.

We went with a Blue Ox RV mounted tow bar and base plate. Very simple system and easy to use.

Best part was the price of around $12,000.

I don't know how to post a photo here or I would.

[John_Joey]

EsoxLucius wrote:
You should probably go to a public scale and weigh your complete rig. You may be surprised it weighs quite a bit more than you thought. The 2002 Saturn SC2 has a dry curb weight of over 2400 lbs.

That's interesting, when I was looking for a toad somewhere I read it was in the lower weight range. Made sense to me since it is a "plastic" car. Now you got me wondering, not that it matters after all these miles, but would be nice to know.

[rondeb]

Look at the Mazda Miata Manual Transmission. We towed one for 2 years all over the US Fun Car. We are going to sell ours but not because we don't LOVE it. Just too hard to get in and out with bad knees and hips. About 2,000 pounds. Don't even know it is back there. We first towed in with a 25 foot class C with a V10 Ford engine. Truly did not know it was back there
Flat tows with no modifications

[wny_pat1]

John M wrote:

Or one of these:
http://www.eliomotors.com/my-strengths/

In many states that would require a motorcycle license.

[EsoxLucius]

You should probably go to a public scale and weigh your complete rig. You may be surprised it weighs quite a bit more than you thought. The 2002 Saturn SC2 has a dry curb weight of over 2400 lbs.

[John_Joey]

I pull a 02 Saturn SC2. Somewhere between 1900-2100 lbs. I wanted a light car also to pull behind my gasser. Been a good toad for the last five years. A brake buddy helped in the stopping.

[my996duc1]

Here is an example on craigslist for $3500.
I don't know anything about this rig but just found it for sale on a quick search. According to online a Samurai weighs in at close to 2000lbs in stock form.


Mine was light enough and small enough I put it inside our toyhauler.
_

[DailyDriver]

When I bought a toad, I had a list of requirements:
- Lowest weight possible, but for sure <3000 lb.
- Must be towable 4 wheels down
- At least 2 seater with adequate room for 2 ~20 lb. dogs
- Multi-function vehicle
- Low price and good mileage a plus

I settled on an extended cab, 2WD Toyota Tacoma with the 4 cyl engine. Some people may require a SUV for their purposes, but my pickup is much more usable for me. I love the little pickup so much it's about all I drive, and it's a 1995. After 2 years, I am convinced I couldn't have made a better choice..!

[Francesca_Knowl]

Suzuki Samurais are sorta rare- they've turned into a popular "desert rat" vehicle. But the next-gen version, the Suzuki Sidekick, is a little more common and identical to the Chevy Tracker. (I think they were made by the same company.)

And here's a thumbs-up for a lesser known early similar CUV:

I can very highly recommend the first-generation Kia Sportage. (1997-2002) No personal experience with it behind a moho because my own '97 is the vehicle doing the towing!

It's a four-cyl manual tranny 4x4 that's pushing 200,000 miles, about a quarter of that towing a small TT. I've owned it since fifty thousand miles, and it's been the most trouble-free vehicle I've ever had.

[jubymae]

I prefer a "used" vehicle, thar way I will be able to spend more $$ on my trips 😉 I know a tracker would be good, but alas, they are few and far between anymore. I will look up the samuri, thanks so much for your help.

[my996duc1]

If you don't mind something that isn't new.... Suzuki Samurai.
Cheap, light weight, go anywhere vehicle.

_

[427435]

The lightest weight toad will likely end up having poor resale, poor ride, and poor safety. There are a lot of good cars (resale, ride, and safety) that weigh between 2500-3000 lbs. Your MH hardly know that a 2500-3000 lb toad is back there, but you will be glad when you are actually driving the toad around.

I tow a 5000 lb toad (I had it and it was towable when I bought the MH). I once made the climb up the east bound 10,000+ ft. Wolf Creek(?) pass 2 consecutive days (long story). The 2nd time, I unhooked the toad and had the DW follow me. I still ended up in 1st gear at times. If I ever climb that grade again, I won't be unhooking.