New to dingy towing and have questions

[GDC]

We are looking at purchasing out first vehicle to tow 4 down be hind the motorhome. We are looking at a low mile 1999 Chevy Tracker 2 door. I have a bumper mount tow bar from many years ago and am wondering if this is suitable for this vehicle. I can't seem to find any info online regarding this setup. I also have some questions about supplimental braking systems. I have seen at least two cable operated systems and am wondering if they are worth considering.

Thanks
Greg

[Heisenberg]

The 1999+ 4X4 Tracker is a great toad.

[GDC]

Update:

We purchased a 2002 4dr Chevy Tracker andjust got back from a 4000 mile trip to Colorado and Wyoming. I wound up getting a used Brake Buddy with the wireless alert as the cable operated systems were on back order at both places I tried to order from and I was running out of time.

The Brake Buddy worked flawlessly and is very simple to install and required no modifications to the vehicle other than mounting a breakaway switch and routing the breakaway wires.

Thanks for all of the advise and information.

[427435]

Demco has a base plate for the Tracker and then get a Ready Brute combined towbar and braking system.

There'll be no problems and it will be a lot easier to hook up than a fixed A frame towbar.

[GDC]

Ok I'm getting sold on the cable surge brakes. I definitely want brakes on the dinghy. It looks like the tracker deal is falling through, 4x4 issues. My wife saw a 1997 Kia Sportage for sale and I'm wondering if it can be towed 4down. I have looked all over the internet for a manual, but they seem to not be available, not one of the 3,289 Kia Sportage manuals on ScribD is for a 1997. Does anyone have one of these that can tell me what the manual says with regard to recreational towing? The car is a 4x4 with manual trans. the earliest manual I could find was for a 2005 that says the manuals can be towed for 400 miles ( not sure if that is per tow or total over the life of the car.

Thanks in advance for your help

[lanerd]

mowermech wrote:
IMO, the surge/cable operated braking systems are the ONLY way to go. Having read several horror stories about one of the electronic boxes malfunctioning and burning up the towed vehicle brakes, I would never own one of the things!
As for braking systems in general, I recommend that you do your own research. However, do NOT believe anything stated in one of the "lists of towing laws" found on the internet. They are notoriously incorrect! Research the laws of your state, and every state you wish to enter. Reciprocity agreements do not apply to braking requirements. Many states have performance requirements, where if you can stop from XX feet from XX MPH, on a clean, hard, fairly level surface, you are legal. For Montana, you will find that in MCA 61-9-312. There is also a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) that addresses the issue.

I agree with Jon... Also, California is another state that uses a performance requirement. However, I would like to add that it's not always about what is legal or not. It's been proven (and it's just common sense) that an mh with toad that has supplemental braking will stop faster and in a shorter distance than without.

Ron

[mowermech]

IMO, the surge/cable operated braking systems are the ONLY way to go. Having read several horror stories about one of the electronic boxes malfunctioning and burning up the towed vehicle brakes, I would never own one of the things!
As for braking systems in general, I recommend that you do your own research. However, do NOT believe anything stated in one of the "lists of towing laws" found on the internet. They are notoriously incorrect! Research the laws of your state, and every state you wish to enter. Reciprocity agreements do not apply to braking requirements. Many states have performance requirements, where if you can stop from XX feet from XX MPH, on a clean, hard, fairly level surface, you are legal. For Montana, you will find that in MCA 61-9-312. There is also a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) that addresses the issue.

[GDC]

Thanks for the info regarding bumper mounting. Back in the day, My brother had a Samurai that used a bumper mounted tow bar (bumper was attached to the frame) Seeing as the Tracker is essentially the Samurai;s big brother, I thought the mount might be similar but apparently not. The frame stops prior to the front of the vehicle so I can't use the bumper mount tow bar.

By cable operated, I meant something like the autostop drawbar, I assumed there were other similar setups. My question is specific to the cable operated systems.

[lanerd]

GDC wrote:
We are looking at purchasing out first vehicle to tow 4 down be hind the motorhome. We are looking at a low mile 1999 Chevy Tracker 2 door. I have a bumper mount tow bar from many years ago and am wondering if this is suitable for this vehicle. I can't seem to find any info online regarding this setup. I also have some questions about supplimental braking systems. I have seen at least two cable operated systems and am wondering if they are worth considering.

Thanks
Greg

I think I would have my reservations about attaching only to the bumper...but, if like mentioned above, if the bumper is attached firmly to the frame, I would think it would be ok. A brand name would be helpful

As for the braking system. I'm not sure what you mean when you say "cable operated". There are several different "types" of braking systems (Readybrake?). Care to elaborate? And do you mean if the "cable operated" are worth considering or "all" supplemental braking systems?

A Tracker is very light (as far as a toad is concerned), but be aware many states require anything over 1500 lbs as a requirement to have a supplemental braking system, and a Tracker is definitely more than that. I believe ALL states require some sort of "breakaway" system....might be wrong on that, but still worth thinking about.

Hope this helps, and good luck

Ron

[Ray___June]

If you can't find manufacturer info regarding towing by the bumper, I'd have a qualified expert inspect the car and see if the bumper is attached straight to the frame. Most modern cars the bumper is designed to be more cosmetic and safety related than strength related.

All towing should be done straight to the frame of the vehicle, or in the case of unibody, to the tow points built into the "frame".

There are many different choices as to a auxiliary brakes system. You might want to do a search on these forums to see what is the choice of the majority.