Suggestions for a used car to tow behind a Class C?  4 on the ground?

Y'all are the BEST!!!! I'll print it out and we can study it before we do anything. We have 5 weeks to get out of our sold home and into our Motorhome.

Delaine and Lindy wrote:

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Chevy HHR, can be towed 4 down and only have to remove the #8 fuse. Excellent room in the HHR, excellent fuel mileage. Happy Trails...

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 This sounds like a great car to tow.  What does the #8 fuse turn off?

Missy wrote:

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Delaine and Lindy wrote:

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Chevy HHR, can be towed 4 down and only have to remove the #8 fuse. Excellent room in the HHR, excellent fuel mileage. Happy Trails...

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 This sounds like a great car to tow.  What does the #8 fuse turn off?

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 To continue Bill's answer, you need to be sure the front wheels can "steer" as the motorhome makes a turn. That means the ignition needs to be in a position that will unlock the steering wheel.  If that position is "On" then the battery will have a continuous drain on it and could be dead by the time you get to where you're going.  I'd second the idea of a Honda Fit.  We towed one for a couple of years and you could hardly tell it was there - only about 2500 lbs.  No fuses to pull - just run the transmission through a 3-4 minute prep cycle to insure proper oiling and you're good to go.

That Jeep is made by Chrysler Corp. If it is Automatic; they have had numerous transmission troubles; ask any transmission shop. Look at Craigslist; that will give you an idea of what I am saying. Check the Toyota Rav; Honda; Suzuki; and the like. Check the classified on these RV forums and RV trader.com; some times you can buy one with the towbar hookups already installed; saves $$$$'s from getting one installed.

-- Edited by PIEERE on Thursday 28th of March 2013 09:41:11 AM

Although newer Honda CR-Vs can be flat towed, back in 2002 I got the following letter from Honda:

There is a specific procedure that has to be performed to tow 2005 and earlier Honda's.

"02/22/02
(all models except CR-V)

Dear customer:
Regarding your inquiry on towing your Honda or Acura automobile behind a motorhome:
For your vehicle, the Owner's Manual advises against towing at more than 35 m.p.h or for more than 50 miles. However, this recommendation exists primarily because Honda has not conducted formal tests at higher speeds and for greater distances.
We are not aware of any particular problems being caused by motorhome towing of Honda/Acura automobiles with either manual or automatic transmission, so long as proper pre-towing preparations are made and the vehicle is towed at legal highway speeds.

Manual Transmission

When preparing to tow your vehicle, make sure the transmission is full of fluid. Do not overfill.
• Release the parking brake.
• Shift the transmission to Neutral.
• Turn the ignition key to the ACCESSORY (1) position to release the steering wheel lock. Make sure that the radio and all accessories are turned off.

Automatic Transmission

When preparing to tow your vehicle, make sure the transmission fluid level is full. Do not overfill.
If Honda/Acura automobile with an automatic transmission is towed with the front or all four wheels on the ground, you must do the following every day immediately before towing:
• Start the engine.
• Press on the brake pedal. Shift the lever through all the positions (P,R,N,D,2,1).
• Shift to D, then to N. Let the engine run for at least three minutes, then turn off engine.
• Release the parking brake.
• Leave the ignition switch in ACCESSORY (1) so the steering wheel does not lock. Make sure the radio and any items plugged into the accessory power sockets are turned off so you do not run down the battery.
If you travel more than 8 hours in one day (including stopping time), you must stop and repeat the above procedures.
NOTICE:
The steering system can be damaged if the steering wheel is locked. Always leave the key in the ACCESSORY (1) position to prevent damage to the steering system when towing behind another vehicle.
CAUTION:
Severe automatic transmission damage will occur if the car is shifted from reverse to neutral and then towed with the drive wheels on the ground.

NOTICE:

Improper towing preparation will damage the transmission. Follow the above procedure exactly. If you cannot shift the transmission or start the engine, your vehicle must be on a flat bed truck or trailer.

If you tow a Honda/Acura vehicle with automatic transmission, the fluid must be changed every two years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Although experience has shown that the Honda/Acura transmission and powertrain are capable of being "motorhome towed", America Honda does not assume responsibility for any vehicle damage or liabilities incurred due to the towing device, towing vehicle, lighting hookup, or other towing equipment or towing procedures; any responsibility for these items is assumed by the owner/operator.
If you have additional questions, please call American Honda Motor Co. Inc. (National Consumer Affairs) at 800-999-1009."

-- Edited by Clay L on Thursday 28th of March 2013 01:53:51 PM

You have so far only mentioned it was a Class C. Somewhere in it is a weight sticker that gives you two important numbers that are legally required, your GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) and your GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating). The GVWR is the maximum weight your Class C can weigh and be safe, the GCWR is the maximum weight of your Class C plus anything you tow with it. Subtract the GVWR from the GCWR and you get the maximum weight of your toad. Since it is a legal requirement the toads will also have GVWR numbers, use those to know if you can safely tow it. Most Class C's can only tow 3,000 to 4000 lbs and I don't remember seeing a tow bar with ratings under 5,000 lbs, but also check those numbers just in case. Our gas Class A had a 4,000lb difference between its GCWR (26,000 lbs) and its GVWR (22,000 lbs). It also had a 5,000 lb hitch receiver and our tow bar was rated at 6,000 lbs. When we weighed the Class A it was 21,850 lbs, just barely legal and we were actually 200 lbs overloaded on one axle.

There is a Blueox two bar that is coming with the RV, what will we need to hook to the CR-V, or should those parts come with the Blueox?

Missy,

We have a 2012 CRV as a toad and it requires pulling a fuse for long tows. I got tired of that and purchased a product called a toad charge. No more fuse pulling. About an hour or so installing yourself and just under $100. The toad battery charges off the motorhome as you're rolling down the road. Best price I found was at rvupgrades.com.

You have all been so very helpful. Thanks again for all of your great advice. We have looked and read and just can't seem to find what we are looking for. We have a couple of weeks before we pick up our Motor Home, so we are waiting for the right thing.

I would love to not pull anything, but not sure how practical that is. My hubby would like to put a small motorcycle onto the back and only use it if we have to.

Question: Do any of you who have a small Motor Home, like the Jayco 32' that we are getting, get along without a toad? We do have a couple of bikes. We are going to be traveling to visit family and friends for 4 - 8 months until we decide if we are going to find a lake home or where we are going to end up. We should be close to shopping and not really too "out of the way" for picking up supplies before we stop for each night.

Thoughts?

My Ex and I had a 32' Gasser, and when we origionaly traveled with it, we found it a realy pain to make/break camp all the time. not just outside, but inside, putting things away, etc. We were fortunate to already have a Honda CRV, so w got the appropiate towbar and baseplate (id mounted it by myself with a few ratchets and a small sheet-rock saw). The Brake system was easy, as it was wireless. With the brake lights, we just used the magnetic ones (later I wired in diodes and ran the toad lights strait form the motor home). It was well worth it, we were already sucking down gas, so pulling the toad did not make much of a difference, except on the steep hills.
Incidentially, the previous owner of that motor home had a motorcycle lift on it (he kept the lift for his newer coach). The mounting hardware was still back there, and might be a nice option. Maybe a larger scooter instead of a motorcycle could work, some of them have storage? We thought about it back then, but as we already had the CRV, it was a natural choice for us.

Jess

Terry: Not common at all. Very few RV parks have alternate transportation and few are on bus lines.

Many have ventured out in a motorhome without a toad, but after a while most get one. You have to be on the move all the time without a toad, like Tioga Goorge, http://blog.vagabonders-supreme.net/.  

A good cheap tow vehicle is a 1997-2001 Jeep Cherokee 4X4 (NOT GRAND CHEROKEE). These are the old style boxy ones with a straight 6 cyl engine and AW4 automatic transmission. Very reliable to 250,000 miles. They are getting harder to find, but there are still a few out there with