Toads

Topic: Toads (Read 2991 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Toads

Reply #25 – September 14, 2018, 10:14:09 am

We have towed 4x4 Suburbans and a Tahoe and are now on our second Wrangler. The Wranglers are a piece of cake because of the non-locking column. The newer Suburbans say to unhook the battery. We love our new JL Rubicon.

Some websites indicate the Wranglers have a locking column requiring some tricks but Mike Harbordt had a good post about that on the forum. Most don't lock and all you have to do is put the transfer case in neutral, make sure that it is disengaged, kill the engine, lock the doors and tow

Re: Toads

Reply #26 – September 14, 2018, 11:35:56 am

FWIW,
Most all folks love their jeeps for toads. I have a GMC terrain and it tows 4 wheels down (it is 2wd). Haven't towed it much though. I would recommend you consider one of these as they are both good. I realize there are a lot of varied opinions on this. I also have a GX470. It is towable but I have not gotten the stuff to do it. It is a little heavier. That is one of the reasons I bought it (used) as the newer GX460 is not. Best of Travels

Re: Toads

Reply #27 – September 14, 2018, 12:22:51 pm

+1 on the JL Rubicon Rick. We love ours. The best resale value of any, were told.

Re: Toads

Reply #28 – September 14, 2018, 12:42:52 pm

Quote from: Moby – September 13, 2018, 10:21:43 pm

What is this mysterious "little button on the dash"? Is it a factory thing or was it installed by the "little button fairy"?
What does this button do? Anything or does it energize the corbonite device?
Inquiring minds.
P.S.
Don't let my sick humor turn you off, imma having fun. No harm. No foul.

Moby sorry to hear about your recent troubles... that what don't kill you makes you stronger they say....
Anyway the button is a small nub of thing, you have to depress it with a ballpoint pen or something like that, it puts the transfer case in neutral. Its a MULTI Step process and is a pain in the ass, but its what it it.
Had a guy come in to my Emergency room a little while ago with a nice subdural hematoma from getting head butted by a sheep. So yeah, that shit happens. Live and learn...

Re: Toads

Reply #29 – September 14, 2018, 02:53:55 pm

That was quite a story. "Fate" does not show mercy for those who recently suffered a loss. The day after my dad died, my mom wanted to get away for all the people coming to the house, so I took her for a ride into the nearby mountains to get her mind off things. The head gasket blew and we were on a back road waiting for a tow truck to bring us back to San Diego. That got our minds off dad for a short while.

Back to the toad issue: I attached base plates to our Grand Vitara and Liberty. The GV required some drilling and both required removal of facia. There are videos on line, possibly for every car out there. The other part is the wiring for signal and brake lights. I elected not to splice into the car wiring and drilled a hole into the tail light housings for an additional bulb. I've always used Blue Ox with the bars that fold up onto the back of the RV, rather than the front of the car (no ball hitch). Be sure that the tow bar has a rating higher than the weight of the car, with a safety factor. I use a 10,000# tow bar for a 4800# car.

Re: Toads

Reply #30 – September 14, 2018, 03:04:16 pm

Tried a wrangler the other day. Entry issues for the DW first off.
Drove a bit "skittish" for my tastes. Guessing from the short wheel base.

Re: Toads

Reply #31 – September 14, 2018, 05:02:40 pm

Moby, go back and try a Cherokee if the size of the Wrangler was OK. We looked quite a bit at SUVs of that size and liked the Cherokee. Found a really nice 3 yr old one with 21000 miles. Price was right too. MPG could be a bit better but for a 4WD that has done everything we want it to do and tows easily it has been good. The number of towable cars, trucks and SUVs is shrinking.

We liked the trim and interior better than the Grand Cherokee and it weighs 1000 lbs less.

This is always a function, towability, budget balancing act. Don't forget to budget for towing gear and setup. I hope you find a good fit.

Re: Toads

Reply #32 – September 14, 2018, 05:53:13 pm

We just traded our wrangler in for a Grand Cherokee for the same reason, wife had trouble getting in/out. Love the GC! Easy base plate install, we use Blue Ox also. Highly recommend.

Re: Toads

Reply #33 – September 14, 2018, 07:56:03 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – September 14, 2018, 05:02:40 pm

Moby, go back and try a Cherokee if the size of the Wrangler was OK. We looked quite a bit at SUVs of that size and liked the Cherokee. Found a really nice 3 yr old one with 21000 miles. Price was right too. MPG could be a bit better but for a 4WD that has done everything we want it to do and tows easily it has been good. The number of towable cars, trucks and SUVs is shrinking.

We liked the trim and interior better than the Grand Cherokee and it weighs 1000 lbs less.

This is always a function, towability, budget balancing act. Don't forget to budget for towing gear and setup. I hope you find a good fit.

Does it have one of those "fairy buttons" mentioned above?

Re: Toads

Reply #34 – September 14, 2018, 08:35:57 pm

It has an 8 or 9 speed automatic transmission. There is a rotating knob for Normal, Mud, Sand, Snow, 4WD Low. Another comes with another option for Rock Climbing. Probably actually called something else.

When you want to tow you press a small button with a pen untill it flacpshes. This electrically shifts the transfer case into neutral. You make sure it shifted properly. Put the transmission in Park and that is it. We have a checklist, one side to hook up the other side to unhook.

We added a power steering wiring harness too that enables the power steering while everything else is off. There are situations like twisty very rough roads on which the wheels can get just farr enough off center that they don't straighten up right away. In several years it has happend twice. You just stop and give the steering wheel a tug to line the wheels up. The power steering enabling is two switches. This turns on the power steering so that it actively adjusts back to straight. This may only be a 2014 thing, ask about it.

No matter how you do it with which toad, a check list helps until it is routine and thenhelps as the double check.

We drive in the snow, on the beach in Oregon, rugged Forest Service back roads, rutted roads through the woods. It just goes. Maybe not quite as brutish as our Wrangler was but much more comfortable. This is our fifth Jeep going all the way back to a 1947 CJ2, a civilianized WWII Willys.

It is a southwestern red colorlike our Chili Pepper Red '98 Wrangler and has heated and cooled leather seats. Perfect for MN in the winter and anywhere when it is hot. It has turned out to be a great choice when we went from three cars to two. We looked at a 4x4 F150 4 door short box, same year. With low miles it was twice the price of the Cherokee and much heavier. But there was a bit PU lust in my heart.

Lots of good choices out ther for every taste.

And OBTW, tough times to live through, sorry to hear about it. Life happens, stay calm, figure it out, move forward. Next year is probably going to be better.

Re: Toads

Reply #35 – September 14, 2018, 09:49:01 pm

You know, you can't beat the F150 4x4 for flat towing.
And when we aren't flat towing, we are driving it. Today we knocked off 690 mile from home on our way to Florida and will finish up with another 600 miles tomorrow.
Plus, she rides great with plenty of cargo room for road trips.
My DW says, there isn't a secret hand shake. When you are done setting it up, the dash screen shows "You are in 4 wheel towing mode".

Re: Toads

Reply #36 – September 15, 2018, 08:41:46 am

I have a 2018 Chevy Colorado z71 4x4. In the process setting it up to tow. High step up, comfortable ride, decent mileage, adequate off road for where we like to go in New Mexico, Colorado, fishing and skiing. Also does a great job towing the boat and handles car seats for grandkids. The etrailer website sells lots of tow equipment and has excellent videos showing installation of tow plates for specific vehicles. Colorado has a v6, eight speed transmission, comfortable seats, quiet ride, and an electronic transfer case with neutral. Manual includes detailed information on how to tow behind recreational vehicle. No tow for 2 wheel drive models. Will need to disconnnect battery for towing, I'm installing Roadmaster remote disconnect solenoid. Lots of discussion on IRV2 website on Colorado starting in 2016. Used BlueOx towplate, not for the faint of heart to install. Video was great on etrailer. I've used a tow dolly. I wouldn't have one unless primarily a stationary snowbird or visiting RV commercial parks with pull throughs. Same for a trailer, I almost bought Subaru Forester with manual trans but Subaru can't make up its mind if they recommend it's use as a four down tow. You will get both yes and no as an answer. Many do tow manual model and love them. Forester can't tow my boat, at least not within guidelines. Looked hard at Wrangler JL 4 door. Leary of buying new generation before bugs worked out. A year of two in the field always exposes a couple of design flaws or weaknesses that get corrected.

Re: Toads

Reply #37 – September 15, 2018, 08:54:24 am

We chose the Jeep GC for many reasons, but mainly because once you put the transfer case in neutral that's it! No fuses to pull or battery/driveshaft disconnect, lube pump whatever. Also there are no speed restrictions.

Re: Toads

Reply #38 – September 15, 2018, 11:40:23 am

First of all, thanks for all the suggestions and comments.
The search continues. Lord, I hate shopping for cars!!
But heres a more technical rather than opinion question:
Given that I am (was) towing a #3200 vehicle with a dolly (guessing #200-#250) lets call the total curb weight #3500.
And given that Alice is a '93 U225 with the 5.9 Cummins, what do you all think would be the MAX curb weight I can get away with safely?
TIA

Re: Toads

Reply #39 – September 15, 2018, 01:57:57 pm

What is the difference between Gross Combined Weight Rating and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating? For your coach it might be 5000 lb. if you a flatland traveller then that may be OK. If you are heading for the mountains then less would be better.

Re: Toads

Reply #40 – September 15, 2018, 02:00:53 pm

You have to take into consideration the total weight of the motorhome in addition to anything you would be towing. This is my understanding: Find your vehicle's GVCW (Gross Vehicle Combined Weight) rating and compare that to how much your vehicle weighs fully loaded (topped of fuel, water and everything you normally carry, including food and yourselves). Hopefully, the GCVW is higher and the difference is what you can tow.

Re: Toads

Reply #41 – September 15, 2018, 03:03:11 pm

We also have a '93 U225 and we love it. We could use a little more HP; but, we can live with what we have.

We tow my wife's Chevy Captiva at times. We have to pull a fuse so the column is free and put the transmission in neutral.

We have towed a 24' enclosed trailer in the past, with sand rail and motorcycle and misc. tools, etc. I would guesstimate that trailer weighed in the neighborhood of 6000-6500 pounds loaded; maybe. Towing was fine on the flats; pretty slow going in the mountains of Idaho, Montana, etc.

We often tow my '79 International Scout II without any problems. (The U225 is still pretty slow going up hill.) We put the transfer case in neutral, transmission in park and lock the front hubs per the owner's manual instructions. Estimated curb on my Scout is 4190 lbs.

We have had that problem where the front wheels don't straighten out; especially in soft terrain. We had to stop and turn the steering wheel; problem solved.

Re: Toads

Reply #42 – September 15, 2018, 04:57:04 pm

Quote from: rworley – September 15, 2018, 03:03:11 pm

We also have a '93 U225 and we love it. We could use a little more HP. Towing was fine on the flats; pretty slow going in the mountains of Idaho, Montana, etc.

When you say 'pretty slow', what does that mean? We only have 20 hp more than you, and we do 45 on most of the grades we climb (6-7 %) around here. Have never towed, but am considering it when we head back to the PNW for a visit.

Re: Toads

Reply #43 – September 15, 2018, 06:19:12 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – September 15, 2018, 01:57:57 pm

What is the difference between Gross Combined Weight Rating and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating?

Roger, and Sven, and Moby, and rworley:

On my '93 U280, the manufacturer plate does not list a GCWR. It only has the GAWR for each axle, and the GVWR. I am guessing it is the same situation for Moby's '93 U225. Makes it kinda difficult for an owner to calculate allowable towd weight.

If you want a good laugh, check out the numbers for '93 models on the beamalarm page. The U300 is the only one with a reasonable rating.

I question the reliability of the source for the (GCWR) numbers for the "lesser" models.

Foretravel Vehicle Weight

Re: Toads

Reply #44 – September 15, 2018, 08:41:47 pm

Mike Leary,

By slow I mean 20-25 mph when pulling the big trailer up 6-7% grade; 35-40 towing the Scout.

Re: Toads

Reply #45 – September 15, 2018, 11:43:28 pm

I seem to remember stumbling across the gcrw in my foretravel manual somewhere, but not on the data plate. It was pretty high for my coach so i did not even bookmark it. Heck i can load up my coach with 3500 lbs of stuff inside assuming either the waste tanks are empty or the water tank is full. Without exceeding my axle ratings.

Re: Toads

Reply #46 – September 16, 2018, 10:57:31 am

Quote from: Old phart phred – September 15, 2018, 11:43:28 pm

I seem to remember stumbling across the gcrw in my foretravel manual somewhere, but not on the data plate.

Phred,

Your coach GCWR is not listed on the beamalarm page linked above. I know Barry (the author of that page) did his best to assemble the pertinent data from all available sources. If he could not locate the info for your coach, it must be a closely guarded secret.

IF you have not ever had your coach 4-corner weighed, you should see about having it done. It may surprise you! Our coach is not what I would call overloaded - we are only using about 1/2 of our under coach bay space for our essential junk, and have not yet fully stuffed all the overhead inside cabinets. Even so, when we got our coach weighed at Escapees (Livingston, TX) we found out we are currently slightly over our GVWR. I can get us very close to "legal" by driving with only 1/4 tank of fresh water, so we have instituted that rule.

Re: Toads

Reply #47 – September 16, 2018, 06:22:40 pm

30,000 gcwr, 26,500 gvwr for my coach as indicated by the oshkosh spec sheet. Weighed Around 7k on the front 9k axle, 15k on rear 17.5k axle. Since has been on a diet. No toad yet.

Re: Toads

Reply #48 – September 16, 2018, 09:24:25 pm

Just tuned into this discussion. If I am understanding correctly, the OP has a 93 U225. That would indicate a 24,000 GCWR and a 22,500 GVWR. To me that pretty much indicates you can tow 1,500 lbs unless you are significantly lighter than 22,500.

Personally, we have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland which tips the scales at 4750. We love the Jeep. I can connect and disconnect in a couple of minutes. We have 45,000 on the odometer and we have another 45,000 towing. One of 5he best vehicles I have ever owned. Easy in/out and extremely comfortable seats. I always carry a couple of toothpicks in the cup holder to work the transfer case disconnect switch. My pens seemed to disappear, but no one steals my dirty toothpicks.

Re: Toads

Reply #49 – September 17, 2018, 10:11:37 pm

Boy, does this discussion bring back a few memories. Back when we were still researching all sorts of coaches, both motorhomes and towables, I finally figured out that something was going to tow something else. Once Jo Ann realized that, too, we were pretty much set on a MH. I was directed to the Beam Alarm page noted above, and very quickly the choice was made. We had to have a U300. We simply couldn't get by with such a small towed. That 6,000 pound towing capacity seemed like a bit of overkill when we had the Jeep, but now that we have the MKT I'm glad to have it.

Of course, the coach doesn't seem to know that the Lincoln is there, so I have to keep a close eye on the rear view camera.

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