Looking for dinghy kits for my 2003 Honda CR-V

Get the installation instructions for the baseplate (BlueOx, Demco) or towing bracket system (Roadmaster) that fits your CR-V. See how much work is involved, what changes are made to the structure and appearance of your car. This will help you choose a brand, and determine whether or not you want to do the work yourself.

If you are thinking ReadyBrute, a baseplate is needed (Demco, BlueOx) but if you like how Roadmaster does things, BlueOx has adapter plates that convert some of the Roadmaster bracket systems into an external baseplate.

What the installation does to the car might be important to you. For my Honda Fit, I chose the BlueOx solution because it leaves the original bumper bar intact. The Roadmaster solution mounted in place of the bumper, and would not have comparable behavior in a collision. For a different car, that situation might be reversed.

Buying everything as a package from a dealer, having it installed, could be $2000 to $3000, depending on labor rates. That would not necessarily include the braking solution, prices for that vary greatly, from low cost surge brake systems like ReadyBrake ($300-450 plus installation cost) through $1200-1800 "box on the floor" solutions, to proportional "unified" systems with a similar price but requiring installation on both motorhome and towed vehicle.

F1bNorm wrote:
FWIW- A couple years ago we had our '09 CRV set up with a ReadyBrute system by Echarts Welding (ReadyBrute dealer) in Reseda. About $2300 out the door. Baseplate was matched to the MH (level), a nice clean install. For us, it was worth the extra $ for the labor and experience.

- Norm

I actually go to the Eckhart in Van Nuys, yet it does seem the boss hangs out at the Reseda store, I must say Eckhart is expensive, but they do good work.

The bummer about buying a trailer is that the whole reason I got the CR-V .
( Seen here in front of my Camper/Tow rig )


Was so that I could tow with out a full trailer.
Maybe I'll try to do have the work myself & have a shop or friends with shops help just do what I cant?
My rig should be small enough to tow the trailer to most camp grounds I think?
If it comes down to that.

FWIW- A couple years ago we had our '09 CRV set up with a ReadyBrute system by Echarts Welding (ReadyBrute dealer) in Reseda. About $2300 out the door. Baseplate was matched to the MH (level), a nice clean install. For us, it was worth the extra $ for the labor and experience.

- Norm

Dutch brings up a good point - If you go with the ReadyBrute tow bar with integrated Readybrake braking system and do all the installation work (base plates, tail light wiring, and Readybrake cables) yourself...You could indeed set up your CRV for flat towing for right at $1600.

Thats a lot of work on your CRV that you'd be taking on to do yourself, though. Some of which may not be easy to do without having access to a lift and other tools a professional mechanic would have. If you can do it, though, more power to you. If not, that $1600 will quickly become more like 2-3k. Regardless, I think that (flat towing) is your best bet. Like I said before, you already have half the battle won, since you already have a vehicle made for flat towing with that CRV.

Thanks for the clarification, about what you'll be towing with. Did not realize you'd be towing with your pickup, was thinking you were fixing to get a MH of some kind. Sounds lke towing a car on a flatbed trailer would not be a problem in your case, if you chose to go that route.

Will

Willard: just to clarify, I've got a '97 diesel dodge dually ( hot rodded ) with a Lance 900 camper on its back, & I went that route so I can tow more than most MH's, I'm gonna get me the torklift super hitch with a 43" extension & with out the WDS it will be good for 6000 lbs of trailer weight & with the proper WDS suppose to go up 12,000 lbs..

Of course flat towing wold not require the WDS.

Dutch: thanks for the links, I'll look at them when I get home to my computer.

A ReadyBrute Elite combination towbar and brake system runs about $1200, including a break-away system. A Blue Ox base plate for your '03 CR-V runs about $380 with free shipping at the link below. The only thing you would need in addition, would be the tail/brake light wiring, Another $50-$80 will cover that item, bringing the total to $1660 or less. That assumes you'll do your own installation though, saving any labor charges.

Blue Ox base plate

ReadyBrute Elite Tow Bar

ReadyStop Breakaway Kit and Lighting Harness

...It will not be easy to purchase all the hardware necessary and do all the setup to tow ANY dinghy for less than $1500. Most likely, it will cost significantly more than that. 'Tis the price you pay for the convenience and luxury of owning a MH and flat towing a vehicle behind it.

A tow bar alone can cost you close to $1000. Then, another $400 for base plates you have to install on the toad (plus 'bout 4 hours installation labor unless you do that yourself). Then, you have to install tail light wiring. Thats before we even talk about a braking system, which can be another $1000 or so depending on what you go with.

If you're willing to live with a fixed tow bar setup (more cumbersome and difficult to hitch up, most folks do not like them), and are willing to do the base plate and wiring installation on the CRV yourself, you could save a bunch of $$, and get it done for well under $1000 total. But, that would not include a braking system. As to whether or not you could do without a braking system: Depends on what states you travel in and their laws, and other factors. Fact is, you probably will want one, eventually.

If you can get a trailer for your CRV for $1500, that will almost certainly be cheaper. However, using a trailer brings its own set of issues, too. Where, what are you going to do with the trailer when you get to your destination? Also, the heavy tongue weight a loaded car trailer puts on the back of a MH, frequently will create a dangerous situation - You'll be either over your hitch receiver's tongue weight limit, or overloading the rear axle of the MH (or both).

If you don't want to spend more than $1500, a dolly or flatbed trailer may be a better idea. However, as I noted above, make sure you consider all factors with the trailer as well. Even though flat towing is the most expensive method, most people end up going that route just because of its ease and convenience.

Way I see it, you already have over half the battle won - you already have a car that is flat-towable from the factory. Many of us did not have that luxury when we got our first MH. Might as well just set it up to tow and be done with it. You'll be glad you did later.