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Old 06-16-2015, 10:23 AM   #19
FW28z
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2011 Four Winds 28Z
State: Michigan
Posts: 1,273
THOR #531
For cost comparison, I installed a dinghy towing setup myself. My costs were:

Blue Ox Baseplate (2002 Pontiac Grand Am): $400
TailLight Kit: $60 (independant from the vehicle's lights).
Blue Ox Alpha Towbar: $530
Blue Ox 4" Drop Receiver: $90
Blue Ox Towbar Cover: $33
Hitch Immobilizer (2): $60
RVIBrake2: $1,200
RVIBrake Toad Battery Charger: $50
Misc Electrical, wiring, connectors: $100
Misc bolts, screws, hardware, and materials: $75
Toad/Haul switch (still installing): $100
Rewire coach for battery charger (still installing): $100

Total Cost: $2,797

Not included were a couple of tools required; torque wrench, ramps, etc. which probably added $100 more to the cost.

Still, it was under $3,000 for the entire installation.

Blue Ox estimated a 3 hour install time for the baseplate. But it took me 3 days. First, the particular baseplate for my vehicle is used on several GM vehicles, so it was not a 100% fit - meaning I had figure out how to remove the fascia (as the instructions were for a different vehicle), and I had to do some trimming around components to get it to fit.

Also, being an older vehicle, there was some corrosion issues, so I spent some time in taking care of that. It also made it harder to remove the front fascia as some bolts were rusted which I had to overcome.

And I also took my time to do a good job, which means I probably took more care than a shop would that allowed 3hours for installation.

For example: as part of the installation, I had to slightly relocate the horn bracket. When I did this, I drilled and tapped a hole for the new location. A shop with a 3 hour deadline might have simply cable-tied the horn back into place.

True, the next one (if there is going to be another installation in my future) will probably go faster as I now have more experience (an not needing to chase after tools).

I have towed the car maybe 6 or 7 times, and am thinking I also need a rear stabilizer bar as at highway speeds, I can feel a right-left motion when towing. That will probably add $600 at some point.

But now for the bad news.

A couple of weeks ago, we were on vacation and I came down with a severe case of tendonitis...

Coupled with a painful shoulder (and it's lack of mobility), along with raining like crazy, I inadvertently setup the RVIBrake2 up wrong so that the brakes were slightly dragging on the towed vehicle. I am making the excuse of not feeling well for the oversight on my part.

At any rate, I ended up dragging the toad's brakes for 80 miles. And I didn't feel it in the RV either, probably due to the extreme weight difference between the motorhome and toad.

Long story short, about $1k in damage to the brake system of the towed vehicle. I not only cooked the brakes, but warped the rotors and drums due to the heat. And I even hardened the ends of the rubber axle boots due to the heating of the brakes. It's a wonder I didn't damage/seize the bearings.

At any rate, that was a painful lesson and my wife now has a check-list that she uses to independently check my setup before we tow. Thing is - I knew better - but again, I was in pain so it didn't occur to me at the time.

Also, in my analytical mind, I am already designing a microcontroller (same thing as JamieGeek and I have been playing with for the tank monitor), that will monitor the brake pedal position on the toad, and wirelessly report it's position. That way, an alarm will go off in the cab if the brakes are on for an abnormal amount of time.

The reason I am bringing this point up is there can be a higher propensity for damaging your vehicle's brakes or transmission when dinghy towing vs. dolly towing, so that is also a consideration.
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