Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Thor Forums > Thor Tech Forums > Towing | Hitches and Toads
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-24-2020, 04:28 AM   #21
Senior Member
 
Badmanrick's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34J
State: Florida
Posts: 159
THOR #15745
Flat towing Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit

As I said before we are towing a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit.
With a Roadmaster Nighthawk non binding 8000 lb tow bar, Roadmaster vehicle base plates, roadmaster Invisibrake breaking system. Full roadmaster wiring system and roadmaster remote break monitor. Total cost was $4100.00 installed with added warranties at Gander Rv of Bartow Florida. Very happy with the Jeep installation. Can hardly tell it is set up to tow. Tow bar ports are flush with grill and blend in with the bars removed and the covers on.
Tows very well behind our new 2019 Thor Hurricane 34J who’s hitch is rated at 8000 lbs.
like I said we are very happy with this setup.

__________________
BadmanRick
Good Sam Life Member
Good Sam Elite Member
FMCA Member
Badmanrick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2020, 12:09 PM   #22
Site Team
 
EA37TS's Avatar
 
Brand: Entegra
Model: Accolade 37TS
State: South Dakota
Posts: 8,726
THOR #1469
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badmanrick View Post
As I said before we are towing a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit.
With a Roadmaster Nighthawk non binding 8000 lb tow bar, Roadmaster vehicle base plates, roadmaster Invisibrake breaking system. Full roadmaster wiring system and roadmaster remote break monitor. Total cost was $4100.00 installed with added warranties at Gander Rv of Bartow Florida. Very happy with the Jeep installation. Can hardly tell it is set up to tow. Tow bar ports are flush with grill and blend in with the bars removed and the covers on.
Tows very well behind our new 2019 Thor Hurricane 34J who’s hitch is rated at 8000 lbs.
like I said we are very happy with this setup.
Thor Hurricane 34j GCWR (26,000) - GVWR (22,000) = 4000 lbs. Just because you have a 8K hitch doesn't mean you can tow 8K. The Jeep Grand Cherokee with the V6 weights in with a curb weight of over 4,500 pounds empty and if you have the V8 it weights in at over 5,000 lbs.

I highly recommend you take your rig across a CAT Scale for safety purposes because you may be overweight towing a WK2.
__________________
Dave
US Army (Ret)
2020 Entegra Accolade 37TS
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk (Toad)
FMCA - F432054
EA37TS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2020, 12:48 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
Badmanrick's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34J
State: Florida
Posts: 159
THOR #15745
Quote:
Originally Posted by EA37TS View Post
Thor Hurricane 34j GCWR (26,000) - GVWR (22,000) = 4000 lbs. Just because you have a 8K hitch doesn't mean you can tow 8K. The Jeep Grand Cherokee with the V6 weights in with a curb weight of over 4,500 pounds empty and if you have the V8 it weights in at over 5,000 lbs.

I highly recommend you take your rig across a CAT Scale for safety purposes because you may be overweight towing a WK2.
I called Thor prior to purchasing the Jeep Grand Cherokee and they advised it was OK to tow behind the Hurricane 34j. Base weight of the Hurricane 34j is 18000 lbs. I carry about 500 lbs extras plus two adults and a 13 lb dog. I will run it by the Cat scales and get a true weight. Thanks.
__________________
BadmanRick
Good Sam Life Member
Good Sam Elite Member
FMCA Member
Badmanrick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2020, 01:10 PM   #24
gmc
Senior Member
 
gmc's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 32A
State: Florida
Posts: 1,873
THOR #2829
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badmanrick View Post
I called Thor prior to purchasing the Jeep Grand Cherokee and they advised it was OK to tow behind the Hurricane 34j. Base weight of the Hurricane 34j is 18000 lbs. I carry about 500 lbs extras plus two adults and a 13 lb dog. I will run it by the Cat scales and get a true weight. Thanks.
Wow... you travel very light...
75 gallons of gas is over 450 pounds (plus gas in Jeep)
40 gallons of water is over 300 pounds
20 gallons of propane is over 80 pounds
And haven’t added any tools, spare parts, food, dishes, pots, etc... or any cargo/stuff in Jeep.
You may well be underweight still, but might be surprised how much you are carrying.
__________________
Greg
Not yet retired...
Florida (Michigan transplant)
2014 Hurricane 32A
2000 Infinity (previous)
gmc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2020, 02:47 PM   #25
Senior Member
 
Badmanrick's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34J
State: Florida
Posts: 159
THOR #15745
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmc View Post
Wow... you travel very light...
75 gallons of gas is over 450 pounds (plus gas in Jeep)
40 gallons of water is over 300 pounds
20 gallons of propane is over 80 pounds
And haven’t added any tools, spare parts, food, dishes, pots, etc... or any cargo/stuff in Jeep.
You may well be underweight still, but might be surprised how much you are carrying.
The 500 lbs is the extras in cargo bays on top of the water gas and propane. If I’m over it is only a couple of hundred lbs. I’ll weight it soon.
__________________
BadmanRick
Good Sam Life Member
Good Sam Elite Member
FMCA Member
Badmanrick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2020, 03:58 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Forest River Forester 235
State: Indiana
Posts: 4,883
THOR #6826
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badmanrick View Post
The 500 lbs is the extras in cargo bays on top of the water gas and propane. If I’m over it is only a couple of hundred lbs. I’ll weight it soon.


Don’t forget your own weight and any passengers you travel with! First time I weighed my rig I was astonished that I had over 2000 lbs of CCC. I was only 17 lbs over weight but still surprised. I made sure my next unit had at least another thousand pounds of available capacity.
__________________
Pete'sMH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2020, 04:53 PM   #27
Senior Member
 
MJC62's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: A.C.E. 27.2
State: Indiana
Posts: 1,842
THOR #14698
Just as a reminder the original poster has a Thor Synergy which if I believe is on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis.Which, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think he is limited to a toad in the ballpark of 3500 lbs.
All of us with 4000lb+ toads though the information we are providing is inciteful it isn't compatible with the OP's coach.
Anybody out there with a toad that this gentlemen can pull?
__________________
2018 ACE 27.2
Toad 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Towbar
Roadmaster Invisibrake
MJC62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2020, 04:32 AM   #28
Member
 
Brand: Still Looking
Model: Newmar Ventana LE
State: Tennessee
Posts: 77
THOR #16834
Thor Synergy is like Citation. Hitch weight limit is 5000 lbs. A 2014 or earlier Honda CR-V is about 4,250. We have been flat-towing ours for 3 years.
__________________
Mr.Good is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2020, 05:45 AM   #29
Senior Member
 
MJC62's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: A.C.E. 27.2
State: Indiana
Posts: 1,842
THOR #14698
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Goodbar View Post
Thor Synergy is like Citation. Hitch weight limit is 5000 lbs. A 2014 or earlier Honda CR-V is about 4,250. We have been flat-towing ours for 3 years.
Hitch weight is not the limiting factor in what can be towed. It is the gross combined weight of loaded motor home and the toad, (the gcwr on the sticker located near the driver or on the driver door on your coach.)
My ACE has gross weight rating of 16000 lbs and a gross combined weight rating of 23000. My hitch is rated to tow 8000 lbs. Does that mean I can tow 8000lbs? Short answer is maybe . If my coach is fully loaded and weighs in at 16000 lbs and I tow an 8000 lb vehicle I am over the gcwr by 1000 lbs. I would have get the weight of my coach down to 15000 to haul that heavy a toad. Meaning less water, food, grill , charcoal, adult beverages maybe even the DW. Hitch weight rating only tells you what the HITCH can safely haul. The weight of your loaded coach actually determines how much weight you can haul.

Edit: 2020 Synergy is listed as GVWR at 11030 lbs.
GCWR is listed at 15250 lbs
If everything is right at the numbers on loading the coach a 4200 lb toad leaves very little margin
__________________
2018 ACE 27.2
Toad 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Towbar
Roadmaster Invisibrake
MJC62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2020, 12:25 AM   #30
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Windsor 29M
State: Arkansas
Posts: 21
THOR #17511
I tow a 2007 Mini Cooper with a 6 speed manual trans. I use a Roadmaster Falcon towbar. Tows just fine at 2600 lbs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HWilson View Post
Hello,
Any help or advice would be appreciated, we own a 2018 Thor synergy and was considering getting a Mini Cooper or small car to use as a toad with four wheels down, I know only the manual transmission styles can be flat towed.
My question is any body towing a small car like the Mini Cooper or similar car with four wheels down and what kind of hook do you have.

We have been renting cars when we go, but that’s getting to be a hassle at some places.

Thanks in advance for any info
__________________
emallett1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2020, 08:17 AM   #31
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2019 Freedom Traveler A30
State: Oregon
Posts: 23
THOR #15824
Shout-out to Roadmaster! We just picked up our 2020 Honda Civic Sedan Sport MT (6 speed manual) after a custom baseplate installation (first for this vehicle) at Roadmaster HQ. We were looking for a (fairly) lightweight toad to pull behind our 2019 Thor Freedom Traveler A30 and came across this Civic, which isn't (currently) listed in the Toad guides I reviewed. The Civic's Owner's Guide specifies that the manual transmission version of this vehicle is indeed towable behind an RV, but our local CW and a small hitch shop weren't sure there was a baseplate that would fit. Fortunately, Roadmaster is just a two hour drive from our home so after communicating with them they were happy to create and install a baseplate for us...for free! This means they can now outfit any such Civic with an identical baseplate or one can be ordered by your installer. They also installed (at our cost, of course) the Invisibrake 8700 with remote monitor (module under the driver's seat), hooked us up with a Falcon All Terrain tow bar, and sent us on our way. Plug-N-Play! The customer service at Roadmaster was second to none. They answered the phone and responded to emails right away and were just very friendly and helpful. So if you're looking for a 4 wheel down toad and a very nice Roadmaster setup I recommend the 2020 Honda Civic Sedan Sport MT and Roadmaster without reservation.
__________________
Frankomd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2020, 12:23 PM   #32
Senior Member
 
Badmanrick's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34J
State: Florida
Posts: 159
THOR #15745
Quote:
Originally Posted by Badmanrick View Post
The 500 lbs is the extras in cargo bays on top of the water gas and propane. If I’m over it is only a couple of hundred lbs. I’ll weight it soon.
Here are the weights I calculated.
Curb weight 16908 lbs
GVWR - 22000 lbs
GCWR - 26000 lbs
Jeep - 5192 lbs
Carrying capacity
26000 - 16908 = 9092 - 5192 = 3900 lbs
__________________
BadmanRick
Good Sam Life Member
Good Sam Elite Member
FMCA Member
Badmanrick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2020, 03:47 PM   #33
Senior Member
 
saddlesore's Avatar
 
Brand: Still Looking
Model: SOB
State: South Dakota
Posts: 941
THOR #3916
Quote:
Originally Posted by MJC62 View Post
Just as a reminder the original poster has a Thor Synergy which if I believe is on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis.Which, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think he is limited to a toad in the ballpark of 3500 lbs.
All of us with 4000lb+ toads though the information we are providing is inciteful it isn't compatible with the OP's coach.
Anybody out there with a toad that this gentlemen can pull?
We pull a Scion xB (1st generation '06, manual) 2400 lbs.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_20180506_125452.jpg
Views:	104
Size:	155.7 KB
ID:	23049  
__________________
current coach
An SOB Shack called Foretravel...This will Do.
former coach
Thor Infinity
saddlesore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-25-2020, 04:01 PM   #34
Site Team
 
16ACE27's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: Florida
Posts: 14,116
THOR #7035
Quote:
Originally Posted by MJC62 View Post
Just as a reminder the original poster has a Thor Synergy which if I believe is on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis.Which, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think he is limited to a toad in the ballpark of 3500 lbs.
All of us with 4000lb+ toads though the information we are providing is inciteful it isn't compatible with the OP's coach.
Anybody out there with a toad that this gentlemen can pull?
2700 lb Sonic with automatic transmission.

But since the OP hasn't been on this site in almost a month is this info any good to him?
__________________
Ted & Melinda
2016 ACE 27.1
2016 Chevy Sonic Toad - Selling
2020 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Runner Toad
2024 Chevrolet Trax 2RS - Soon 2B TOAD
16ACE27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2020, 06:28 PM   #35
Senior Member
 
galOnTheGo's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: vegas 24.1
State: Nevada
Posts: 228
THOR #17346
as we are just starting out, we haven't decided to tow or not. one factor is fuel mileage effect. can anyone comment on their experience with fuel mileage effect. I understand there are many factors to consider, I am just looking for your experience with it. eg - 2 mpg decrease,....
thanks
__________________
galOnTheGo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2020, 07:32 PM   #36
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Georgia
Posts: 2,585
THOR #4735
over 100,000 miles towing either a 2014 Ford Fiesta automatic or a 2014 Ford Focus automatic translates to about 11.4mpg while towing either vehicle, both in the 2,400 to 2,600 lbs range, and about 12.4mpg when not towing...

as to 'whether' you should, or should not, tow 4-down versus the common tow dolly method is more of a personal decision - some will dolly simply because they already have a vehicle they own, they like to drive, and is paid for, especially if it is front-wheel drive. You can even take a trial run or two by simply renting a small UHaul dolly and give it a few tries.
Most of us that now tow 4-down probably have had some experience with tow dollying, and have decided that it's just not the most comfortable or easiest way to tow your vehicle, especially if you really travel a lot, or full-time with your vehicle in tow, but it doesn't mean that the simply tow dolly method can't still suffice - many do it every day.

4-down means that your vehicle is being towed, in neutral, with the steering wheel unlocked, and it 'follows' your path. There's no 'ramps' to have to drive up onto, or the fear of 'overdriving' over them, and there's no 'straps' and 'chains' to have to struggle with or even get down on your hands and knees to connect. There's also little way to backup with a tow dolly, though backing up with 4-down is slightly more possible, and at least a lot easier to 'disconnect' if backing becomes a necessity.
Tow dollies must be disconnected every time you back into an rv park or campground site, as well, and sometimes must even be stored somewhere else since the site may not have room. Those who tow cars on trailers know this well.

While a 4-down vehicle must have a tow plate installed up front, the overall cost of a tow dolly versus towing 4-down is negligible... as either is bound to cost between $1,000 to $1,500.00. The advantage of the dolly is that it is usable for many vehicles, but the tow bar is only usable for the vehicle you have a tow plate for, usually your 'dedicated' tow vehicle. If you trade, sell, or upgrade, you then have to add another tow plate on the new tow vehicle, if there is one. Tow bar manufacturers don't necessarily make a tow plate for every conceivable towable vehicle, so check this out before you 'dive into' a vehicle you are contemplating towing... and make sure the vehicle manufacturer actually ALLOWS it, and the procedure involved in making it happen.
Some cars require you to pull a fuse after hooking up, while others don't require anything, like my Fords, though if you add a 12v disconnect near the battery, it means that you can rest assured that the vehicle's battery won't be dead when you arrive. A few vehicles actually require that you only drive 'less than' a certain mph, and even a few others require that you STOP every hundred miles or so to 'crank her up and let her run for a while'...crazy. You don't really want that.

You don't have to stick with 'manual transmissions' only, as a real majority of 4-down RV towed vehicles are actually AUTOMATIC and require nothing more than putting the vehicle into Neutral. Simple.
__________________
the Turners...
two Campers, two Electric cars
former diesel pusher traveler
TurnerFam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2020, 07:44 PM   #37
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 31S
State: Texas
Posts: 4,157
THOR #6411
Quote:
Originally Posted by galOnTheGo View Post
as we are just starting out, we haven't decided to tow or not. one factor is fuel mileage effect. can anyone comment on their experience with fuel mileage effect. I understand there are many factors to consider, I am just looking for your experience with it. eg - 2 mpg decrease,....
thanks
We have a 18,000 lb coach. Not towing it gets 7.8 mpg based on 19,500 miles. We tow three different vehicles all in the 2,900 lbs to 3,300 lbs range on a 450 lb dolly. Generally we cruise at 60 mph on Interstates and 55 mph on state highways. Towing we get 6.1 mpg based on 8,000 miles.
__________________
Jim & Roy Davis
2016 Hurricane 31S
1961 Rampside in tow
Beau388 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2020, 08:11 PM   #38
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Forest River Forester 235
State: Indiana
Posts: 4,883
THOR #6826
Quote:
Originally Posted by galOnTheGo View Post
as we are just starting out, we haven't decided to tow or not. one factor is fuel mileage effect. can anyone comment on their experience with fuel mileage effect. I understand there are many factors to consider, I am just looking for your experience with it. eg - 2 mpg decrease,....

thanks


When we started we were a bit overwhelmed and didn’t want to add towing to the picture. We sometimes rented a car at our destination or brought bicycles or mopeds. But when we decided to snowbird for a month or more at a time we decided that we needed to bring a car. After all if all those other people can do it we should be able to as well! We completely ruled out using a dolly because it was just one more thing to hook up and to store. After careful review we decided to buy a Jeep Wrangler - ours is a 2004 - and I installed all of the tow equipment myself. Blue Ox baseplate and tow bar, Stay In Play brake system (because I didn’t want to fuss with a portable unit) and a Hopkins plug in light kit. Not counting the Jeep it cost just over $2,500 which isn’t peanuts but it is a one time expense. On our last trip without the car we averaged 6.8 MPG over 6500 miles. On our first trip towing we averaged 6.71 over 1800 miles. To be sure, the longer trip was out west with lots of wind, mountains and twisty west coast roads. Nevertheless I consider the mpg difference to be of little consequence. Enjoy your learning curve and all of your adventures!
__________________
Pete'sMH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2020, 01:44 AM   #39
Senior Member
 
galOnTheGo's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: vegas 24.1
State: Nevada
Posts: 228
THOR #17346
thanks for your responses, good to hear, know. summary appears that loss of less than 2mpg. again, lots of factors, but nice to know. if we tow, I have decided to go 4 down.
__________________
galOnTheGo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2020, 01:12 PM   #40
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Four Winds 31W
State: Michigan
Posts: 542
THOR #9522
Foul! Don't you know that big a.. class A motorhomes tow a Tahoe at minimum preferably an Escalade ( Escalate is we used to call them at GM Research since they are a Suburban with an escalated price)!
Quote:
Originally Posted by saddlesore View Post
We pull a Scion xB (1st generation '06, manual) 2400 lbs.
__________________
Pete and Carolynn Foss from Oxford, MI
2018 Four Winds 31W
1999 Aero Cub F-21 trailer
1977 Tioga 24 foot RV
petefoss is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thor Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.




All times are GMT. The time now is 10:42 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2