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Solo RVer: Better to tow on a trailer or on all four tires?


PrescillaM

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I am a single woman, mid-50’s, and am planning on buying a 30’ Class A motorhome.

For me, is it best to use a trailer to tow a vehicle or to go with the four tires on the road to tow the vehicle? I have chosen to go with a Ford Edge suv, which is towable on the tires. I’m curious about wear and tear on the vehicle towing it on the ground versus towing it on a trailer.

Thoughts?

If choosing to go four on the road, what is the best tow bar setup for a single person to hook and unhook?

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Towing 4-down is much less trouble than using a trailer. The main issue is what to do with the trailer in an RV park, very few back-in sites have room for the RV, car, and a trailer. Using a trailer, you have 4 more tires and wheel bearings, to maintain.

The drawback to towing 4-down is you cannot back up while attached. Yes, towing a car places more stress on it, but some folks have been towing the same car for many years.

Drawbars/towing frames; all of them have a solid reputation, Roadmaster, Blue Ox,Sterling, Demco, seem to be the most popular, but don't rule out any of them. One even has a built-in braking system for the towed/car. I would advise you to buy a strong, trouble-free towed braking system; once again, there are many brands which have made the user happy. Air Force One and G &M Engineering are out of sight under the hood, there are a couple others that are also under the hood instead of occupying the floorboard and push on the brake pedal.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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We've pulled the same car for over 10 years. Only difference is that she needs new tires/batteries more frequently than her 'mileage' would seem to indicate - - but not when you add in the miles pulled.

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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This is not even a close decision. Four down is the way to go if at all possible. It is preferable to either a trailer or a tow dolly.

2000 Volvo 770, 500HP/1650FP Cummins N14 and 10 Speed Autoshift 3.58 Rear 202" WB, 2002 Teton Aspen Royal 43 Foot, Burgman 650 Scooter

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Putting a car on a dolly is for harder for a single person. If you can't handle a four-down hook-up, you probably should not taking a car.

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Four down is absolutely the best! Any tow bar is good as long as it says something like All-Terrain. You don't want one where you have to be straight and level to hitch or unhitch. If your RV has an air system then I recommend the Air Force One braking system--easy peasy to plug/unplug.

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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I'll reinterate: Get an All Terrain tow bar, and if necessary, a drop hitch so that your car runs level when hitched. We have Road Masters, other will have Blue Ox, both are good and sometimes it which one you get is determined by who makes a base plate for your car. BTW - we know several women who fulltime as solos in Class A and Class Cs.

 

Barb

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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I'm a solo full-timer, also in my 50's. While a trailer certainly gives you more toad options, especially when it comes to cars with automatic transmissions, if you can limit yourself to a car that can be towed 4-wheel flat, you'll have a much easier time. Here's a post I did a few years ago with step-by-step photos of how I hitch up my Chevy Tracker SUV. http://winnieviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/girls-guide-to-rving-with-toad.html I guarantee it takes twice as long to read that post as it actually does to hitch up and go! Since my RV is only 24', I rarely find myself in places where I can't turn around and must unhook the car momentarily, but it can happen, such as when Google Maps navigation sends you off a nice paved road and onto a narrow gravel road. In those situations, I'd much rather be unhooking just a car, then have to unhitch and re-hitch BOTH a car and a trailer! The other benefit is being able to stay at more campsites due to not having an added trailer to stow-- you'd almost have to think of your rig now being 40' long rather than just 30'-- in other words, it just about negates all the benefits of choosing a smaller RV over a larger one.

 

Lynne

2007 Winnebago View 23J

2003 Chevy Tracker ZR2

Blog: WinnieViews

Facebook Page : WinnieViews

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I would guess that a Trailer plus a Ford Edge would exceed your 30FT class A's towing rating, which can add to legal issues if you are involved in an accident!

Frank
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