Would you or do you tow anything behind your Class B RV?

[AZ ADVenturist]

We are fairly new to this forum, so have certainly missed a lot.
Has a Poll been done about Towing behind a class 'B'?
I'm sure most of us don't because of the nature & drive-ability of our 'Bs"... But I have considered & am researching towing a Jeep or small car for short trips Only - with our Chev. RoadTrek 190V. I'd also like to know the best/efficient/cost effective tow system? :
Tow bar w/4 wheels on ground or Tow Dolly? Thanks, any info. is appreciated, Ric.

Admin edit: New poll created. Thanks for the good idea.
You can choose two options in this poll.

[markopolo]

I'm interested in see the results of this poll.
With my Class C I towed my small SUV across Canada. We bought that '09 Ford Escape because it could be towed four wheels on the ground. Towing was pretty easy. I'd check the rear-view camera monitor every so often to make sure everything back there looked ok.

I haven't heard of or seen many Class B's towing a car. I do see them towing trailers occasionally. It is an interesting topic for me because I have everything needed to tow my Escape behind my van but I've been wondering if I ever would.

I chose to tow my Escape with four wheels on the road because I thought that storing, maneuvering, and securing a dolly at campgrounds could be problematic.

[AZ ADVenturist]

Marko - Thanks for starting this Poll! I can't vote yet, 'cause I'm still undecided.
But, anxious to hear some feed back from posters... Ric.

[LesM]

I have a very small polyethylene clamshell trailer trailer made a few hers ago by Reese (Hitches). It's called a Backpacker; very light, easy to roll around by hand; cost me $400 used. I put a small flag on a whip pole on the trailer so I can see in my rear view mirror that it's still there. The B doesn't notice it at all. I pull it when I want to take along a pile of extra gear (e.g. for canoe/camping trips or to carry camping gear for friends travelling separately by car). It actually can carry a LOT of gear.

[Davydd]

Towing to me defeats the main purpose for having a B in that it is a go anywhere everyday use RV. Once you decide to tow why punish yourself with a small RV?

[booster]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Towing to me defeats the main purpose for having a B in that it is a go anywhere everyday use RV. Once you decide to tow why punish yourself with a small RV?

To me, the answer to that question would be very easy. Tow extra stuff to a place you are going to stay a while without moving. When you are going to tour, and use the advantages of a "B", leave the trailer home. Get the best of both worlds that way. If you go up in size, you lose the option.

[LesM]

I agree with you, Booster. Well said. Nothing like flexibility to accommodate differing needs for the variety of different type trips we take. Some people prefer hitch mounted boxes. I find the little trailer more flexible, although it stays at home for the "touring" ventures.

[Davydd]

That's the argument people with trailers use. Like I said, if your method is to pull and park which limits your travel options while underway, then it is better to have a bigger RV and a more convenient travel around vehicle. If the time came that I ever felt a need to tow, be it a trailer or especially a car, then it would be the time to abandon the concept of having a B. I even went through the idea of a hitch cargo carrier and realized that having an extra 3 feet on the back end was changing where I could drive and park to the point I did not enjoy it.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Davydd

That's the argument people with trailers use. Like I said, if your method is to pull and park which limits your travel options while underway, then it is better to have a bigger RV and a more convenient travel around vehicle. If the time came that I ever felt a need to tow, be it a trailer or especially a car, then it would be the time to abandon the concept of having a B. I even went through the idea of a hitch cargo carrier and realized that having an extra 3 feet on the back end was changing where I could drive and park to the point I did not enjoy it.

I guess if you feel you can only use a "B" as a tourer, that would be true, but many folks have the need for a variety of trips, some touring, some stationary. The "B" will do both pretty well, definitely better than a bigger rig will do both. I just don't see the need to give up one for the other.

[AZ ADVenturist]

Davyyd & Booster; This is a great discussion!
My .02c is that because of the 'Bs" versatility it can 'BE' a lot of different things to different people. We have owned ours nearly 2 years (bought used w/low miles). Have logged nearly 25k miles. We've covered All Western States twice & mid-west (Chicago & back) last year.
We have used a hitch mount cargo carrier to carry bicycles & superfluous gear. It's not a hassle to use except rear door access is restricted. And the addt'l length wasn't to bad except when I backed into a pillar in a tight parking garage in Chicago. Only broke a small marker light! But I am "Backup" challenged anyway, so it wasn't necessarily the carriers fault (maybe the spotter?).
My interest Now is to figure/decide if I want to tow our Jeep (not to Alaska!!)! But closer destinations - boondocking in Ariz. New Mexico, Utah. I'm sure we are going to try it - this spring; To the "Overland Expo." at Flagstaff. Best Regards, All. Ric.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by booster

I guess if you feel you can only use a "B" as a tourer, that would be true, but many folks have the need for a variety of trips, some touring, some stationary. The "B" will do both pretty well, definitely better than a bigger rig will do both. I just don't see the need to give up one for the other.

Yes as a tourer. What I am trying to say is use the right RV for the right purpose. If you are not a tourer maybe you should be looking at a more optimum solution rather than a compromise with a B. I'm not saying no towing whatsoever but if you are going to do it all the time a B is not optimum since you sacrifice most of the advantages of a B when towing and unnecessarily accept all the disadvantages.

When and if the day comes that I decide I have had enough travel around the country and decide to spend most of my summer in northern Minnesota on a lake then I might go back to an Airstream trailer and pickup truck. But right now I average 15,000+ miles on the road every year and have no desire to tow anything nor do I desire to be confined to private campgrounds or have to carefully plan, route and search for campsites and parking spots.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Yes as a tourer. What I am trying to say is use the right RV for the right purpose. If you are not a tourer maybe you should be looking at a more optimum solution rather than a compromise with a B. I'm not saying no towing whatsoever but if you are going to do it all the time a B is not optimum since you sacrifice most of the advantages of a B when towing and unnecessarily accept all the disadvantages.

When and if the day comes that I decide I have had enough travel around the country and decide to spend most of my summer in northern Minnesota on a lake then I might go back to an Airstream trailer and pickup truck. But right now I average 15,000+ miles on the road every year and have no desire to tow anything nor do I desire to be confined to private campgrounds or have to carefully plan, route and search for campsites and parking spots.

Davydd, I think you are totally missing the point of what we have said.

Yes, a B is best for touring.

Yes, a bigger rig is better for staying in one place.

NO, NO, I don't want to be limited to only one of the above, even if the other isn't optimal.

Say we want to spend a week at a time, a couple of times a year, at the inlaws county property. We would bring the bikes, the tandem, maybe a canoe, maybe a 4 wheeler or dirt bike and enough supplies for the entire time for us and to share. We couldn't haul that without a trailer. The rest of the year, we want to tour with the B by itself.

It appears what you are saying is we need to chose, and either buy a bigger rig for longer stays, or forego them for the sake of touring or extended stay, "purity" and optimization of use.

As I said earlier, the B works well for extended stays, with a trailer for added stuff that you may want at that stay, and is it still available for touring by leaving the trailer home at other times. The other way (bigger rig) doesn't come close to working as well, as it can't really tour well at all, and there really is no good reason to have to give up one or the other way of camping, IMO.

Of course, you can use yours as you wish, as can everyone else.

[Davydd]

Going back to the OP's original post about pulling a Jeep. There seems to be a lot of Jeep rallies as we have passed by quite a few over the years. Then when you get out to Arches NP the urge to have one and head out where no sane person would drive a B is powerful.

So, towing some specialty vehicle like a Jeep, motorcycles, four-wheeler or snowmobile might make sense. I'm not sure about pulling a boat mainly because of the launching requirements would dip our generator and house batteries in the water. I'd leave that to truck campers.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Davydd

................................. I even went through the idea of a hitch cargo carrier and realized that having an extra 3 feet on the back end was changing where I could drive and park to the point I did not enjoy it.......................

I understand that well. I took the bikes and box all on a hitch on a short trip last summer. We thought we'd spend more than one night in the same campground, The trip turned into touring around. Never used the bikes........ I would have preferred to have nothing on back the way the trip evolved. That's what I prefer - nothing on back.

It really does depend on the particular trip though. Other trips have been memorable because of the bikes. Fantastic memories. So I can understand needing the cargo carrier or trailer etc. Bikes, canoes, kayaks etc. - all fun stuff. You can do it all with a Class B.

Davydd - looks like you could carry a lot of extra stuff with no problem in your Great West:



With the Class C - I would have easily been 50 feet in total with the car. It wasn't a problem.

[Photog]

We will tow a 4X4 behind our "B", when I get all the towing stuff figured out. There is a limit to how much weight can be towed, so it limits our towed vehicle choices. Our 4Runner weighs over 4000 pounds. I would prefer something closer to 3000 pounds. Maybe a Jeep Cherokee or a CJ or YJ. The older KIA Sportage is supposed to be a dependable little 4X4 (mostly Mazda drive train and running gear).

We really love to drive the back roads of our destinations (mostly in the western USA). These are places our "B" is not prepared for (yet). Most of Death Valley NP can't be seen from the paved roads. You can see a lot, but most travel in Death Valley is by horrible dirt roads (and some Jeep trails). The same for Capitol Reef NP, Utah, and many other areas. We would do this around our own state also. Head out on a Friday evening, camp near our destination, and take the 4x4 out for a day of back road touring.

We will travel to these areas for photographic purposes; being on location before sunrise and well after sunset.

When our "B" is ready for these roads, it will be nice to drive it in, and just stay right there for the night. Until then, we need a way to get from the campground to the photo location and back.

Most of the traveling we do in the "B" would not require a second vehicle, and a "C" would be too big. We will stick with the "B", and figure out how to tow something.

[Mike]

There's always this option.

Someday, maybe?

[booster]

Originally Posted by Mike

There's always this option.

Someday, maybe?

I particularly like the satellite on each of them, and we don't even have one!

This one actually sold from the dealer that sold davydd his Great West.

[Mike]

Yeah, talk about decadent. Some people just can't get along without their TV (yours truly included )
We have a completely manual dish setup for on the road TV, but we have to be at a paid site campground
to use it, as I'd never try setting it up while boondocking. When we stay at the WallyWorld Campground, we
just watch whatever the built in OTA pulls in, if we aren't already falling asleep when we stop.
Interesting to note, there seems to be a lot more channels and variety available now, than there was when
the USA cut over to all digital OTA a couple of years ago.
The class A with Roadtrek toad, was a couple from Tennessee on their way west last October. I asked if they
had a house back home, and they said they sold up their sticks and bricks, but kept a piece of land with a
concrete pad (and some hookups, I presume, I forgot to ask). They just park it all there as their home-base.

I like that combo you posted. It looks light, mobile, and streamlined. You probably wouldn't even
notice the weight of a trailer like that, like Les' Backpacker. Unless you were lugging cinder blocks with it.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by markopolo

I understand that well. I took the bikes and box all on a hitch on a short trip last summer. We thought we'd spend more than one night in the same campground, The trip turned into touring around. Never used the bikes........ I would have preferred to have nothing on back the way the trip evolved. That's what I prefer - nothing on back.

It really does depend on the particular trip though. Other trips have been memorable because of the bikes. Fantastic memories. So I can understand needing the cargo carrier or trailer etc. Bikes, canoes, kayaks etc. - all fun stuff. You can do it all with a Class B.

Davydd - looks like you could carry a lot of extra stuff with no problem in your Great West:

Marko, Those two gray bags are our inflatable kayaks that used to go in the hitch cargo carrier. That was one of the primary reasons we chose the Great West Van Legend. The tan bag is a 14 foot square screen porch.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by LesM

I have a very small polyethylene clamshell trailer trailer made a few hers ago by Reese (Hitches). It's called a Backpacker; very light, easy to roll around by hand; cost me $400 used. I put a small flag on a whip pole on the trailer so I can see in my rear view mirror that it's still there. The B doesn't notice it at all. I pull it when I want to take along a pile of extra gear (e.g. for canoe/camping trips or to carry camping gear for friends travelling separately by car). It actually can carry a LOT of gear.

I just bought one of the small clam shell type used. It has small tires which I am concerned about. I added buddy bearings and bought a spare tire and wrench to fit. Plan on towing it behind my class B from Maryland to Florida and back. Any advice or problems?