TOAD or Dolly as a single RVer

[duane124]

recently got a 40 foot MH and i obtained a dolly to tow my front wheel car home from where i purchased the unit almost 700 miles from home

being just me and 3 dogs, i need to know real world experience in hooking and unhooking a toad by yourself...i personally would like to forgo the dolly if realistically possible however all my experience to date has been hooking up my 5th wheel which is quite easy as a solo RVer

experiences? and i dont need opinions...i would really like to read real world experiences

[duane124]

rk911 wrote:

duane124 wrote:

rk911 wrote:

duane124 wrote:
recently got a 40 foot MH and i obtained a dolly to tow my front wheel car home from where i purchased the unit almost 700 miles from home

being just me and 3 dogs, i need to know real world experience in hooking and unhooking a toad by yourself...i personally would like to forgo the dolly if realistically possible however all my experience to date has been hooking up my 5th wheel which is quite easy as a solo RVer

experiences? and i dont need opinions...i would really like to read real world experiences

it honestly takes me no more than 10-min to hook-up or unhook...and I do it alone. I actually prefer doing it alone as I have a mental checklist and routine. it's really no big deal. if you're competent enough to drive a 40' MH then you're more than competent to flat tow.

what is your procedure? i have towed and drove just about everything there is.... except this scenerio.... im pretty certain if io had a grasp of the procedure as a solo operation, it would make more sense

- well, the towbar is already attached to the hitch on the back of the MH so I unfold it, expand each leg and then and spread the legs out at an angle consistent with the hook-up points on the toad. I, or my wife, then maneuvers the toad to the rear of the MH so it's within the reach of the towbar arms. with a little practice you can do it so you hit the right mark every time.

- I then attach each arm of the towbar to the toad's base plate. if it's gonna be a short day, and most of them are these days, I use the regular locking pins otherwise if we're planning to overnight somewhere like Wal-Mart or Flying J i'll use the locking pins. the locking pins are just that, pins with locks. if we're parked in a public spot overnite it prevents someone, usually kids, from stealing the towbar pins. I carry two sets of pins.

- next is the break-away cable. the break-away cable is a thin strand of steel cable with a plastic plug on one end and a loop on the other. I pass the cable through the loop and around the bumper on the RV and insert the plug into the receptacle on the toad. should the towbar fail or if the vehicle should accidentally disconnect from the RV the plug will pull out of the receptacle causing the toad's brakes to activate.

- next are a pair of safety chains. each chain connects one side of the toad to the RV and will, in theory, keep the toad connected to the RV in the event of a towbar failure. the chains run between the RV and toad under the towbar. and to create a 'basket' of sorts that will catch the towbar in the event of a failure the chains are crossed. that is the chain from the right side of the toad is connected to the left side of the RV hitch plate and vice-versa. I use coiled chains, others use straight chains. either is fine.

- the last connection is the electrical umbilical cord. this cord plugs into identical sockets on the RV and toad and rides above the towbar next to the break-away cable. the umbilical connects the MH lights and brake pedal to the toad's turn signals, tail lights and brake lights.

all of that has taken maybe 5-minutes. when this is done then we must prepare the toad for flat towing. we tow Jeeps (a 2003 wrangler or a 2010 liberty) so there's not much to do. I sit in the driver's seat of the toad while my wife reads the step-by-step checklist. each vehicle is different so the number of steps will vary. it takes about a minute to set up each vehicle for flat towing. other vehicles may have additional steps like connecting a charging line to keep the toad's battery from draining or pulling one or more fuses for the same reason. when we're towing neither of our jeeps has anything on that draws power except the aux. braking system which, in our case, is permanently mounted in each Jeep. in our case there is no extra connection to make between the MH and toad as we used one unused wire in the umbilical cord.

the last step is to double check everything and to test the umbilical connection by completing what we call a "light check". while I sit in the driver's seat of the MH my wife stands behind the toad where I can see her in the MH's sideview mirror. in sequence I activate the left turn signal, right turn signal, tail lights, 4-way flashers and brake lights. using hand signals she tells me if the lights on the MH and toad are working together. this part is easier with two people but I have done it myself. working together it takes 30-seconds, alone about a minute.

all told about 10-minutes. everyone's routine will vary but the end result is the same.

thanks... between the links and and your narrative i have a real world idea of the deal... though i love the vehicles i have, i think for what i have planned, im gonna ditch the tow dolly and focus on a TOAD set up...

i know every nuance of my fiver... this MH experience is as new to me as another language

[rk911]

duane124 wrote:

rk911 wrote:

duane124 wrote:
recently got a 40 foot MH and i obtained a dolly to tow my front wheel car home from where i purchased the unit almost 700 miles from home

being just me and 3 dogs, i need to know real world experience in hooking and unhooking a toad by yourself...i personally would like to forgo the dolly if realistically possible however all my experience to date has been hooking up my 5th wheel which is quite easy as a solo RVer

experiences? and i dont need opinions...i would really like to read real world experiences

it honestly takes me no more than 10-min to hook-up or unhook...and I do it alone. I actually prefer doing it alone as I have a mental checklist and routine. it's really no big deal. if you're competent enough to drive a 40' MH then you're more than competent to flat tow.

what is your procedure? i have towed and drove just about everything there is.... except this scenerio.... im pretty certain if io had a grasp of the procedure as a solo operation, it would make more sense

- well, the towbar is already attached to the hitch on the back of the MH so I unfold it, expand each leg and then and spread the legs out at an angle consistent with the hook-up points on the toad. I, or my wife, then maneuvers the toad to the rear of the MH so it's within the reach of the towbar arms. with a little practice you can do it so you hit the right mark every time.

- I then attach each arm of the towbar to the toad's base plate. if it's gonna be a short day, and most of them are these days, I use the regular locking pins otherwise if we're planning to overnight somewhere like Wal-Mart or Flying J i'll use the locking pins. the locking pins are just that, pins with locks. if we're parked in a public spot overnite it prevents someone, usually kids, from stealing the towbar pins. I carry two sets of pins.

- next is the break-away cable. the break-away cable is a thin strand of steel cable with a plastic plug on one end and a loop on the other. I pass the cable through the loop and around the bumper on the RV and insert the plug into the receptacle on the toad. should the towbar fail or if the vehicle should accidentally disconnect from the RV the plug will pull out of the receptacle causing the toad's brakes to activate.

- next are a pair of safety chains. each chain connects one side of the toad to the RV and will, in theory, keep the toad connected to the RV in the event of a towbar failure. the chains run between the RV and toad under the towbar. and to create a 'basket' of sorts that will catch the towbar in the event of a failure the chains are crossed. that is the chain from the right side of the toad is connected to the left side of the RV hitch plate and vice-versa. I use coiled chains, others use straight chains. either is fine.

- the last connection is the electrical umbilical cord. this cord plugs into identical sockets on the RV and toad and rides above the towbar next to the break-away cable. the umbilical connects the MH lights and brake pedal to the toad's turn signals, tail lights and brake lights.

all of that has taken maybe 5-minutes. when this is done then we must prepare the toad for flat towing. we tow Jeeps (a 2003 wrangler or a 2010 liberty) so there's not much to do. I sit in the driver's seat of the toad while my wife reads the step-by-step checklist. each vehicle is different so the number of steps will vary. it takes about a minute to set up each vehicle for flat towing. other vehicles may have additional steps like connecting a charging line to keep the toad's battery from draining or pulling one or more fuses for the same reason. when we're towing neither of our jeeps has anything on that draws power except the aux. braking system which, in our case, is permanently mounted in each Jeep. in our case there is no extra connection to make between the MH and toad as we used one unused wire in the umbilical cord.

the last step is to double check everything and to test the umbilical connection by completing what we call a "light check". while I sit in the driver's seat of the MH my wife stands behind the toad where I can see her in the MH's sideview mirror. in sequence I activate the left turn signal, right turn signal, tail lights, 4-way flashers and brake lights. using hand signals she tells me if the lights on the MH and toad are working together. this part is easier with two people but I have done it myself. working together it takes 30-seconds, alone about a minute.

all told about 10-minutes. everyone's routine will vary but the end result is the same.

[duane124]

CA Traveler wrote:
What's good is that you're asking questions and acknowledging responders - some just disappear...

You'll be able to make the right choice. Errr at least the first right choice.

i dont care the topic, others peoples experiences can make your life a WHOLE lot easier... it is only fair to acknowledge someones willingness to share actual experience.. that aint kissing ass.. its fact.. no one has to share anything

im just grateful no one told me to use the search feature

[duane124]

Popsie wrote:
It looks to me like there is a lot of info about towing 4-down, but not about towing with a dolly.

I've hooked up my car on a dolly in the past when using a rental truck and dolly by myself.

Basically, you hook the dolly up first then drive onto it carefully, then secure the car. When you are by yourself, you have to get in and out of the car making sure everything lines up, and making very small movements to get everything right.

This Penske page has a video about loading a car onto a dolly with two people. But you can see how to do it alone. Also, most places you would be loading your car onto the dolly, you will probably find someone willing to help guide you.

i know i can dolly a car by myself.. done it many times.... i really appreciate everyone sharing their experience and insight.. got about a 3 yr road trip in front of me...id rather get as much as i can right before me and doggies pull out the drivweway

[CA_Traveler]

What's good is that you're asking questions and acknowledging responders - some just disappear into nowhere...

You'll be able to make the right choice. Errr at least the first right choice. :B

[duane124]

thanks guys and gals... i have dealt with static a frame type hookups in my past... part of learning is UNlearning

errr would that be DE learning?

[Popsie]

It looks to me like there is a lot of info about towing 4-down, but not about towing with a dolly.

I've hooked up my car on a dolly in the past when using a rental truck and dolly by myself.

Basically, you hook the dolly up first then drive onto it carefully, then secure the car. When you are by yourself, you have to get in and out of the car making sure everything lines up, and making very small movements to get everything right.

This Penske page has a video about loading a car onto a dolly with two people. But you can see how to do it alone. Also, most places you would be loading your car onto the dolly, you will probably find someone willing to help guide you.

[duane124]

bocanut50 wrote:
There are more videos on the right hand side of the page. I hope this helps you out. If not, just ask!

watching em now

[CA_Traveler]

Static tow bars can be a pain to hook up because of the alignment. A car unlike a trailer doesn't move side to side. They can also bind and be difficult to unhook.

Many like the inexpensive Ready Brake with a cable to the toad brake.

Motorhome mounted tow bars remove most of the weight from the toad when unhitched.

[duane124]

CA Traveler wrote:
This may also help:
In 04 I started with a fixed length tow bar, box brake, 4 wire cable for the lights and a light on the toad dash connected to the brake lights. With the camera I knew when the brakes were on. Both the tow bar and box brake got old...

In my future life I want to push the remote button and the toad will drive itself behind the MH and magnetically connect itself. :C

Or voice command and then the MH will head towards the next destination. :C

i already have a thought control helmet lol

[duane124]

duane124 wrote:

bocanut50 wrote:
Here is a link to a video I found. Blue Ox hookup & towing systems - Stoltzfus RVs &…: http://youtu.be/DwjWpcoz5v0 You may have to cut and paste the actual link if this doesn't work.

i copy pasted and it works... watching now

thanks bunches... the video gave me the visual i needed... i have worked with old static tow bars in the past.... i can do this on my own

[CA_Traveler]

This may also help:
In 04 I started with a fixed length tow bar, box brake, 4 wire cable for the lights and a light on the toad dash connected to the brake lights. With the camera I knew when the brakes were on. Both the tow bar and box brake got old... I changed to 6 wire cable and added charge line and toad brake light line to the dash.

In my future life I want to push the remote button and the toad will drive itself behind the MH and magnetically connect itself. :C

Or voice command and then the MH will head towards the next destination. :C

[bocanut50]

There are more videos on the right hand side of the page. I hope this helps you out. If not, just ask!

[duane124]

bocanut50 wrote:
Here is a link to a video I found. Blue Ox hookup & towing systems - Stoltzfus RVs &…: http://youtu.be/DwjWpcoz5v0 You may have to cut and paste the actual link if this doesn't work.

i copy pasted and it works... watching now