To Tow or Not to Tow, That is the Question

[MsBHaven]

Having downsized from a 40' diesel pusher to a 24' 10" Class C Mercedes diesel, we took two trips thus far. Florida to Tennessee and Central Florida to the Keys. Both times we towed the car. When I owned Ms B Haven (a 22' Class B) I never towed a car on either short trips or long trips and never missed having a car.

I've noticed that a lot of you who own small motorhomes are towing. I'd really like to know why you tow rather than go towless. Roger originally thought we needed to tow, but I think I have convinced him there isn't any reason to tow. When I wanted to go somewhere in MsBHaven, I just put my electric cord back inside. I usually kept my fresh water tank full so my water hose just stayed at the campsite until I returned.

Here are my thoughts. A tow vehicle makes it more difficult to get in and out of a gas station. Having a tow vehicle doesn't allow us to park in a regular parking space. Without a tow vehicle we can easily make a u-turn if we miss something we want to see.

See you at Hillsborough River SP. Heading to the Tampa RV Show later this week.

[retiredhappy]

I agree that towing is a pain and that's one of the reasons I wanted a 19' Roadtrek. Its so easy to just drop the water hose (I have a quick connect on it) and unplug the electric. Actually the harder thing is to be sure everything inside is secured cause when you're parked, stuff just kinda gets left all over the place.

If my rig was longer, like 24', I might think about towing as driving and parking would be harder. I think the gals that are workamping don't want to use their rigs for daily jaunts. If you're going to a GTG there is more than likely someone with a car anyway.

[Nasoosie]

Anxiously awaiting to read all your thoughts on this, as if I switch to a van or Class B camper, I might get away with parking it here in this homeowner's driveway. The one big thing would be, as somebody mentioned, to keep all the stuff secured inside whether parked, or not, so using it for a regular car would be an easy thing.

[Bethers]

I decided to tow because of my workamping jobs, staying months in one location. I much preferred not towing and would rethink this if and when I'm ready to change again. I'm in the process now of trying to figure where to leave the car for trips I don't want it. I was happier not towing. I say leave the car at home.

[Liz]

The jury is still out for me on towing, but so far it is working well for me as I am sitting more or less in one place for several months.

When I had the class Bs, 18 ', 20', and 22', I never felt a need to tow anything. However when I got the 22' Roadtrek, I did notice parking in some places was more of a challenge, and there where some NF cgs where I would no longer fit. When I had my appt. at Moffitt in Tampa, I had to borrow a friend's car, as there was no place to park the RT.

With my 25' Class C, I quickly found there are a lot of places I can't park. When I returned to FL for my round of Dr. Appts., I knew I would have to rent a car. Dr. Offices are not RV friendly. That was my first clue I might want a car. The cost of gas for my not diesel gas guzzling RV was another factor. I would not be doing frequent excursions for hiking and sightseeing with the RV as I could do with a gas efficient car.

The only trip I have taken with a tow was to the panhandle at Christmas with Nan, and that worked very well. We stayed about a week at each of two cgs and took turns using our cars to tour the area. The RV could stay set up with hookups, mat and chairs out, without having to stow everything for a day's outing.

Towing is undoubtably going to change the way I travel, but I think it will work out for the best. Ask me again after my trip to the NE and Maritime provinces this summer.

[BarbaraRose]

Just wondering...is it easier to tow a TT with a vehicle, or to tow a vehicle with an RV? What are the differences/similarities?

[BirdbyBird]

I do think that driving the mid-length RV make towing and not-towing a really interesting discussion. Like Beth mentioned, sometimes it makes sense and sometimes it does not. I didn't try to take my toad to Alaska but I also knew that I would not be spending days and days in the same spot. My 22 foot rig took me places I wanted to go when I wanted to go places. Once I moved the dog beds from the passenger seat, Nan could ride along as well. But traveling to FL for the winter is another topic. I have been to FL twice without a toad and am looking forward to being able to explore and sight see a bit more than I have in the past. At different points I expect to be parked for days at a time and sightseeing multiple venues not to mention grocery runs, etc. When in Alaska, we just scheduled groceries and laundry on the travel days..... The car will also support more kayaking in different places. I can either drop off and pick up myself if needed or drive to and get close to different bodies of water without hauling the larger rig with me. I think it is one of those things that everyone will have to think about and experience in their own way and make peace with the trade offs both styles of travel present.

Barbie, not having experiences towing a TT I can't represent all the differences. I know that if one is towing a TT there is only one engine to maintain. In my case my toad gets really good gas mileage and is a daily driver any other time. Depending upon what size TT you are towing will determine what size tow vehicle you need and what sort of mileage you will need to accept. Mitch is a wonder with her set up. She can hook and unhook her petite Fun Finder quickly, uses her van readily and has learned to watch her weight capacity like a hawk. There is some sense of safety in a self contained RV, in that you can get in and drive away without getting out of your vehicle. (might have to repair an electrical cord... ) I also like that the dogs are traveling in the temperature that I am traveling and if I stop for a break or lunch at a est stop, I don't have to worry about how hot or cold the inside of the TT might be.

[RitaMc]

This is an interesting topic. We have our '69 Shasta towed by the Jeep Cherokee and are love traveling with it.. Our only problem is it does not have a bathroom soe are looking into a new rv. Our question is do we want a newer trailer or should we get a Class C. If we get a Class C could we use it to do our excursions and not tow a vehicle. If we stayed in an area for more than a few days would renting a vehicle work? We have no plans to full time in an RV.
Rita who wishes she was on the road.

[Sandersmr]

Barbie - already driving a truck for my daily driver made the decision easier for me, although my engine and rear end are not set up for optimal towing. That's one reason I have a smaller trailer. There are probably a few more steps to hooking and unhooking at a site than someone driving a motorhome would have - I have to drop stabilizers and we have a set of scissor jacks to stabilize the front better. There is the whole tongue and ball to hook/unhook, along with the chains, brake breakaway, and electrical systems cord. But some of that you have with the toad as well.

And my dogs ride in the truck with us although that's a whole other issue with Oscar's advanced age. I grant you the trailer may not be optimal temperature when we stop, but it's so small, it doesn't take long with either the heater or the AC.

So, again, it's personal preference. If I were fulltiming, my druthers might change. And we've talked about since Mark has the Jeep, we could go the route of a MH. But in our case, it would almost have to be a Class A. The Class C would have to be really tall to have the headspace for Mark. He doesn't fit in my little trailer very well.

[Dawn309]

For me, a toad is definitely a must have because I drive a Class A. I won't have one for a while since Mom is no longer going to be traveling with me and we towed her vehicle. Until I get one, I will have to get my grocery shopping, etc. done before I get to next site. I have been able to use Mom's car while we have been here in MS. I will be stationary for longer periods of time beginning next month, so will want an economical little car to drive around. I don't think I would want or need a toad if I drove a B or B+ or even some Class C's. It would depend on the size and how easy it was to connect and disconnect to get around.

[carold]

Our first rig was a 28 ft Holiday Rambler Atlantis Class C. We started out with a motorcycle, but after 2 years, my back said "no more" after bouncing around on a lot of gravel roads. We then bought a toad and have never regretted it. tGM is 6 ft tall and there was plenty of room for him to stand or we would have bought something else. Have fun deciding. carold

[BarbaraRose]

Dawn, just wondering why you decided not to buy your mom's Jeep to use as your toad?

[Dawn309]

Barbie, I did not like the Jeep. She also needed more for it than I wanted to spend. The only reason we got the Jeep was because of the weight of her chair lift. I am looking to get a little compact to tow. Just something to get around in for store and sight seeing, etc. Thinking about the Honda FIT or a Ford Fiesta. Leaning more toward the FIT since some of the ladies here tow one and seem to really like them.

[JudyJB]

There are some real trade-offs on towing versus not towing. (I am full-timing in a 32' Class C.) If I were spending a lot of time in one place, I would definitely tow.

However, at this point in my life, I am in the travel mode. I am moving a lot from place to place. The most I have stayed at any one place was 8 days. There have been times I have driven two or three days in a row to get somewhere. I have stayed in mostly national parks or state parks, and basically I am in sightseeing mode, rather than "relax at a resort mode."

Yes, it is sometimes very inconvenient to not have a vehicle and to have to take my whole motorhome wherever I go. I have to choose the places I go carefully, and I often call ahead or check Google maps to check on parking. I shop at large chains and often visit big malls because of the parking. I tend to relax in a campground one day and bundle my errands and sightseeing the next day. A few times, I have had to bypass something. However, I did rent a car last week. It is cheaper to rent a car for several days a month than to own one and pay insurance and such. That was the first time in 6 months I really felt I needed a car because of the busy streets and parking problems visitng my friends on Sanibel Island.

On the other hand, it is a lot easier to get into and out of a gas station without a towed vehicle. Also, because I am by myself, I don't have that vehicle to hook and unhook, nor do I have to worry about backing up. Now, I just unhook my electric and water, and go.

One thing which is do dislike about not having a tow is having to get into and out of camping sites all the time. The one I am in right now is a real pain because of small spaces and trees. I am going to choose more carefully in the future, especially when I know i will do a lot of coming and going.

So, for now, not towing makes sense for me. You have to ask yourself what kind of traveling you will be doing and what will be most convenient to you.

[Acadianmom]

I think it would be nice to have a vehicle to run around in but would really like to have one to carry some of our stuff in. I have very little storage and a weeks trip with my sister involves moving a lot of stuff morning and night. On my last trip to Jacksonville I wish I had rented a car while we were there because we did a lot of running around everyday. I didn't find out until Thursday that there was an Enterprise Rent a place right there on the base. I sure would have rented a car when we got there if I had known that.

My motorhome is only 23' long so I usually don't have trouble parking and in gas stations. But I find that when I'm in a campground I really don't want to unhook just to go somewhere. I will if I have to but it's a pain. I try to get my errands done before I get to the campground. My next long trip I might look into renting a car to see how that works out.

Martha