Newby to dinghy towing

[23hotrodr]

We have some circumstances that are different than most and are considering towing a dinghy. I am blind and my wife drives the MH for obvious reasons. We have had a MH for about 8 years and she has done a very good job driving it. The only times it has ever gotten tense is in larger city driving with tons of traffic. She is a very conservative, defensive driver and only gets real frustrated in high traffic situations when needing to change lanes and others don't give her any room.

We have never towed a dinghy and are now considering doing so on some trips. My concern is that there will be a lot more things she will have to be paying attention to with the toad. Right now she hads to be aware of the MH extra size, height, width, acceleration ability, braking distance, etc. She has done great with all this over driving a car. With the extra length of the toad and weight, I know there will be other things she will have to add to her list of things to be aware of while driving. We will have supplemental brakes.

I am concerned about the added things she will have to keep track of. It might be a bit overwhelming for her. Don't want to get all the stuff to tow and spend the money just to find out that she is miserable, or can't handle the extras.

We would appreciate any observations, suggestions, and thoughts on all this. Thanks-- Mick

[rk911]

23hotrodr wrote:
Wife is unsure about towing a toad. It would be nice if she could give it a try without going to all the expense of all that goes into setting up a toad. Thought about renting a dolly and giving it a try in our local area. This might be the best thing to do to see how she does. Thanks-- Mick

I suspect that your wife would not be able to tell if she was towing or not. there's really no change in how the MH 'feels' going down the road. the only issue are turns and situational awareness so you don't end up having to disconnect to get out of a spot.

and if you do end up getting a toad it's important that you understand weights and weight ratings. in general, the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

• the GCWR (gross combination weight rating) of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded for travel (includes fuel, fresh water, food, clothing, people, pets, supplies, etc.)

• the weight rating of your tow bar

• the weight rating of your hitch

this is why it's vital to know what your MH weighs as it is loaded and configure for travel before choosing a toad. Your MH will not collapse if it is overloaded but you will experience handling issues as well as longer braking distances and accelerated wear on suspension, brakes, steering, etc. it's best to at least get weights for each axle and compare the actual weight to the axle's weight rating.

[Hank85713]

23hotrodr see if there are any other folks who tow near you that you might know. See if they would let ya tow their veh with your rig as a short test so that you would see how it all goes. You have the rv they have everything else that would be required. Are there not some uhauls nearby? Rent a dolly from them use your DD as another subject to see what it is like.

[Sooboy]

23hotrodr wrote:


I am concerned about the added things she will have to keep track of. It might be a bit overwhelming for her. Don't want to get all the stuff to tow and spend the money just to find out that she is miserable, or can't handle the extras.

We would appreciate any observations, suggestions, and thoughts on all this. Thanks-- Mick

I would encourage you to consider creating and then closely following a set of checklists - Particuarly a robust one to be completed prior to departure. This would include often overlooked items like lowering your TV antenna, but also a step-by-step of what's needed to connect the toad, set the brake system up, etc. Even experienced pilots use checklists on every single flight to ensure that no task is missed.

[23hotrodr]

Our MH is a 2007 Itasca Suncruiser on the 24,000 lb. chassis. It would have no problems towing a vehicle. We have always just used the MH to go places we needed, or rented a car at times.

I do all the maintenance and repairs to the MH. I will be the one doing all the connecting and disconnecting the toad. No problems.

Wife is unsure about towing a toad. It would be nice if she could give it a try without going to all the expense of all that goes into setting up a toad. Thought about renting a dolly and giving it a try in our local area. This might be the best thing to do to see how she does. Thanks-- Mick

[navegator]

I found that most motor-homes have the turn signals only on the rear and none on the side of the unit, making the turn signals all but invisible to the drivers next to you, I installed amber turn signals just in front of the rear wheel well and high enough so that they are visible to the person driving just behind and to the side, now they clearly see that I intend to merge into the lane.

I am also going to add amber turn signals under the mirror arms, that way they are more visible and indicate my intentions to the other drivers.

As stated before, wider turns, no baking up, do not enter a place that you can not get out off, look for gas stations that have ample space to maneuver in and out and around the pump islands.

Check the tow systems of your camp neighbors with her and see witch one is easier for her rather than one that is too complicated, one that you can also help her connect and disconnect.

navegator

[Janss]

Great points so far. I probably drive exactly like your wife....very conservative and extra cautious.

We started with small Class C's which I was afraid to drive (although I did a little). Somehow when we got our first Class A, which I thought was so huge (only 28'), I started driving. I actually thought it was easier to drive than the Class C due to the whole side of the MH being even (i.e. behind the driver not wider than the cab). Then I was scared of getting a tow car. But we did. And I've lived to tell about it. Now I do all the driving. The main things that concern me are merging into traffic, and pulling in and out of gas stations. Like others, I try to avoid traffic as much as possible. But I've driven through Seattle, parts of L.A., etc. Yes, I'm still nervous, but it will pass. For gas stops, I try to look up the stations on Google maps satellite/street view ahead of time. That helps alot to choose one that is easy in/out.

On another note.....How much traveling/camping do you do? Maybe you could just rent a car sometimes at your destinations? Some people prefer to do that.

The more miles driven, the more comfortable she will be. Probably the same that happened when she started driving the MH.

[Dutch_12078]

I think once she gets some miles under her belt with a car in tow, she'll find she's adapted to it. A good rear view camera on continuously can be a big help.

An "all-terrain" style tow bar, such as the ReadyBrute models and others, can make hooking up and unhooking a much simpler process where the terrain and angle are less of a factor. A one-armed friend of ours made a lightweight support out of PVC tubing that he uses to hold his tow bar arms in position while he connects the pins. Something like that would likely be helpful to your wife as well. Or you could assist her with hooking up by supporting the arms while she aligns and pins them.

[tkcas01]

rk911 wrote:
most dingys will turn INSIDE the turning radius of the MH so making turns is usually not a problem. if the rear wheels of the MH don't run up over the curb during a turn then the dinghy won't either.

Ditto. For me, the earlier comment on wider turns does not apply, but it may depend on how the rig is designed.

The inability to backup is something that takes some awareness - you have to be careful not to get into a situation where you need to back up. In 9+ years of full-timing, I have failed to do so just twice.

Something I did not see mentioned are the physical requirements for connecting and disconnecting the tow bar, safety cables, aux braking, etc. Sometimes if the toad and rig are not perfectly lined up when you stop it can be difficult to remove the tow bar. Perhaps getting a demo of the various types of setups would be a good idea - see if she can handle it, or maybe you can handle that even with limited vision. Good luck!

[lanerd]

I think a lot of your concerns may be irrelevant. It all depends upon what size and type of mh you have (which you didn't indicate). The smaller the mh, the more a toad will affect the driving characteristics of it. With most DPs (36 and above), you won't even know the toad is back there and as mentioned above, it will follow within the tracks of the mh. With smaller motor homes, the toad can become more prevalent and may require more input from the driver. Be aware that smaller motor homes do have a towing limit that can require only the very smallest of toads to be towed.

Having the toad equipped with brakes will take care of your concern with stopping. Actually, a mh towing a toad with supplemental brakes, will stop quicker and in a shorter distance than a mh without a toad.

IMO, the only negative aspects of a toad is one, you can't back up with it attached and two, you have more overall length to your rig and you need to be aware of this when merging, changing lanes, etc.

I think she will do just fine. There will be an adjustment period, but won't take her long to get the hang of it.

Good luck

Ron

[tenbear]

On the positive side, you won't have to use the MH for sightseeing, only for getting from campground to campground. We usually avoid cities and when we can't, we take the route around them. Even when we didn't have a choice, my wife drove thru Denver and did just fine.

What does your wife think?

[rk911]

23hotrodr wrote:
We have some circumstances that are different than most and are considering towing a dinghy. I am blind and my wife drives the MH for obvious reasons. We have had a MH for about 8 years and she has done a very good job driving it. The only times it has ever gotten tense is in larger city driving with tons of traffic. She is a very conservative, defensive driver and only gets real frustrated in high traffic situations when needing to change lanes and others don't give her any room.

We have never towed a dinghy and are now considering doing so on some trips. My concern is that there will be a lot more things she will have to be paying attention to with the toad. Right now she hads to be aware of the MH extra size, height, width, acceleration ability, braking distance, etc. She has done great with all this over driving a car. With the extra length of the toad and weight, I know there will be other things she will have to add to her list of things to be aware of while driving. We will have supplemental brakes.

I am concerned about the added things she will have to keep track of. It might be a bit overwhelming for her. Don't want to get all the stuff to tow and spend the money just to find out that she is miserable, or can't handle the extras.

We would appreciate any observations, suggestions, and thoughts on all this. Thanks-- Mick

most dingys will turn INSIDE the turning radius of the MH so making turns is usually not a problem. if the rear wheels of the MH don't run up over the curb during a turn then the dinghy won't either.

[Jack_Diane_Free]

You will also need a larger 'space' to change lanes in heavy traffic.

[rvten]

Wider turns.
NO backing up with toad.
Finding fuel stops you can get in/out easly.
Type of toad braking system to use.
Toad towing lights set up.