Tow Vehicle?

[GNCHolt]

Ok all. We've been considering a small trailer for the motorcycle and stuff. But recently thought, Hmm a small car would do both even in bad weather. So my question is, What small car do you tow, or would tow? How does it effect fuel
mileage , or performance? The reason we bought our Pleasureway Ascent was I didn't want to tow anything. But is a small car all that bad?
TIA

 

[phlhorse]

Were in the same thought process, first a motorcycle then thoughts of a small car. We have seen a vehicle simular to yours flat towing a jeep wrangler, not sure I would try that, we have a 2007 RoadTrek 210. Waiting to see other people response to this!

 

[jrobe-ClassB]

I have a 2017 Sprinter Sportsmobile Class B. As I recall, the towing capacity of the vehicle is 5000 lbs. I occasionally tow my smaller utility trailer with my ATV which is well below the maximal towing capacity. It seems to tow pretty well but the engine definitely works pretty hard especially on hills and with stronger headwinds. I have never measured my mileage but it definitely goes down significantly. I am always nervous towing with it because the RV is already very close to the maximal GVWR of the van. It definitely doesn't tow as well as my pickup. Personally, I would not be comfortable towing a car long term although I certainly see others doing this.

This would also completely eliminate the primary advantage of a Class B RV which is the maneuverability and small size. I could no longer fit into a single parking space or access many of the places we travel. I have chosen to live with the disadvantages of the Class B (small living space, small bathroom, etc.), just so I can drive a smaller vehicle. I would have bought an entirely different RV if I wanted to tow a car.

 

[jjrbus]

First step, find the RT, GCWR. Gross combined weight rating. Next load up ready for a trip, dog's, tank's gas tank kids ever thing and weight the van. Subtract this total weight from GCWR, that figure is how much the van is rated to tow. You cannot tow what is stamped on the receiver, it must be less. Find a vehicle that weighs under that with tow bar, aux brake set up and what ever you plan on putting in there. This is the way to do it so your insurance company does not unfriend you if you have an accident.

Flat towing can be a pain, no backing up. Car dolly or trailer and you have to find a place to store it. I bought an RT to not tow anything!

Next look up state towing weight laws for auxiliary brakes, the brakes must meet the requirements of every state you plan on driving in, not just your home state!

https://www.brakebuddy.com/towing-laws.html

 

[phantomjock]

I have been searching the relationships between the GM G/H vans and the Chevy Express.
(link to other thread: https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f23/body-builders-14706.html#post155265 )

In that effort I came across this chart that may be useful:

It won't help in answering the challenges of towing and camping and is focused on Chevy Express Vans, but may be of some use. Although it does not represent other factors and should be taken with the proverbial "grain of salt." YMMV

Cheers - Jim

 

[booster]

One thing that needs to be remembered is that you are dealing an already nearly at, at, or over rated gross weight rating. As mentioned by others, you have to also check the combined weight rating before getting a trailer or car to tow.


With any of the class b vans, you are more likely to get into limiting issues with the tongue weight putting the rear axle over rated capacity. This is particularly applicable to the Chevy Roadtrek 210s with the 6080# rated rear axle as the 210s have been stated on the forum by owners as being very close to or over the rating. If the van has the trailer towing package with the full floating rear axle, it is still rated at 6080# because of the tires even though the axle would handle quite a bit more. If towing near max on the rear axle I would definitely consider going to the 265-70-16 tires and Silverado wider steel rims with the correct offset for the Chevies.


Flat towing will reduce the increase in rear axle weight, as would a weight distributing hitch.


Having trailer brakes or using the car brakes is essential IMO.

 

[SteveJ-ClassB]

I have/had two brothers that flat tow/towed early to mid 90's Chevy Trackers or Suzuki Sidekicks. These vehicles have increased in value as they make excellent toads and come in well under 3,000 lbs even in the 4wd versions. They also come in under the weight numbers for early 90's and '98 Dodge RTs.

 

[mloganusda]

On my 2017 WGO Trend 23D, max towing is 2K pounds. So, tow car is a Smart Car, which holds two people with some small storage behind seats. The car only weights about 1800 pounds. I towed my 2014 Smart for over 30K miles with no problems. The Smart Car is towed flat down. Go to this URL for more info. https://www.smartcarofamerica.com/

 

[GeorgeKG]

Forget about towing a car and go back to your original concept of taking a motorcycle along. A small enclosed trailer for the motorcycle and other toys is the better approach in my opinion. If the Weather is really bad, you can drive the van. When the weather is good, the motorcycle or kayak or paddleboard or whatever toys fit in the enclosed trailer is available for fun.

I suspect a small aluminum enclosed trailer is within the tow capacity of the van.

 

[engnrsrule]

Jeep Cherokee Toad

I am probably unusual amongst Class B owners. We have a Roadtrek Adventurous RS (Diesel Sprinter) and we pull a Jeep Cherokee. Selecting a Toad is a series of tradeoffs, but this is near optimum for us. If you just want a small run around car almost any manual transmission vehicle will work. We once used a Subaru Forester manual and it was great; just make sure you check manufacturer's requirements. If you want automatic the choices get much narrower.

We wanted automatic, and a vehicle that could haul my music gear, and pull a band trailer when it wasn't being a toad. The Trailhawk has a automatic with a transfer case that can be put in neutral.

My diesel gets 22+ mpg by itself, and 17-19 mpg pulling the jeep. Went cross country last summer, VA to WA, and across Canada, PEI NS and New England - 9000 miles in 46 days. Pulling it is no big deal. It managed the mountains pretty well, but behaves a lot like the trucks...use climbing lane, etc. I found that just leaving it on cruise control did best.

Lost of threads out there about equipping Toads, and especially brakes. (I have one for setting up Jeep). I will say regardless of size, put a decent progressive braking system on your toad. I have the Demco Stay n Play and it's performance is outstanding.