General questions about motor homing.

Arniez · 12-08-2017, 06:34 PM

We have been avid travel trailer RV'ers for many years. As we are getting older (mid 70's), it's getting harder to pull the trailer, and more importantly, hook up and unhook the trailer at campgrounds. We'd like to continue RV'ing and are considering a Jayco Greyhawk Class C motor home. Couple of questions for you experienced folk. When we camp, we don't sit still. How difficult is it to get around in the motor home? Is it better to tow a car? If towing a car, is it easier than hooking up and unhooking a trailer, or is it the same difficulty? Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Robbbyr · 12-08-2017, 06:50 PM

If the rig you purchase is of any significant size you will likely need a towed car (aka "Toad") to visit local attractions since maneuvering 30+ feet of RV around parking lots is usually not practical. Hooking up a car to tow is easier than connecting a trailer with weight-distributing bars in my opinion. But towed vehicle choice is critical, to make sure it meets your needs and is towable. Many vehicles are, but many other vehicles cannot be towed 4-down. For some vehicles a tow dolly is possible, they also are usually easier to hook up to the RV than a WDH, but sometimes storage of a car and a dolly at a campsite can be an issue.

Some folk do very well in the smaller Sprinter-style based RVs, lots of choices out there in the marketplace now. Small enough to drive around town compared to a Greyhawk. While you still would have to unhook at the campsite if you don't tow a car, that may be an option if you are concerned about the physical aspects of connecting/loading a separate vehicle.

Ask away, lots of folks here who deal with these issues in their own way. Good luck!

Wertles · 12-08-2017, 06:54 PM

I have never flat towed a car but I have pulled a car trailer and used a tow dolly. Both (especially the dolly) are more involved than hooking up a trailer or 5th wheel. I would like to see how involved it is to flat tow a car but none of my vehicles are flat tow capable.

If you are just weekenders traveling from place to place, the most economical and easiest way to get around is to rent a car when you get to your destination. Long term or full timers, this really isn’t an option.

Traveling from one place to another is more enjoyable in a motorhome but it is harder once you get to your destination.

Love To Travel 2 · 12-08-2017, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arniez

We have been avid travel trailer RV'ers for many years. As we are getting older (mid 70's), it's getting harder to pull the trailer, and more importantly, hook up and unhook the trailer at campgrounds. We'd like to continue RV'ing and are considering a Jayco Greyhawk Class C motor home. Couple of questions for you experienced folk. When we camp, we don't sit still. How difficult is it to get around in the motor home? Is it better to tow a car? If towing a car, is it easier than hooking up and unhooking a trailer, or is it the same difficulty? Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Arniez,

We were in the same situation as you. We had a 24 foot travel trailer pulled by a GMC Yukon. We loved the trailer, but as with you, we were aging ever so slightly and never looking forward to all the ins and outs of hooking up the trailer to the Yukon. The positive was that after parking at a CG, we used the Yukon to see the sights (at 12-15 MPG). But last year we decided to make a change, so we did a years worth of research and are now the proud owners of a 2018 Jayco Greyhawk 29MV (9.1 MPG on our first trip), which we love. We also researched the toads, and ended up with a 2018 Chevy Equinox, which we flat tow. To us, it is much easier to connect and disconnect the toad to the 29MV than it was to connect and disconnect the trailer to the Yukon.

We are currently on the road with the Jayco and the Equinox heading south from PA to SC, where we will spend the winter (not in the Jayco). But we have plenty of 7-14 day excursions planned over the winter, many to sunny Florida. Today we drove 275 miles south on I-95 in rain, wind and sleet and I didn't know the Equinox was towing behind us, and I didn't feel nearly the amount of movement with the 29MV that we would have gotten pulling the travel trailer. Especially with the number of trucks that use the Interstate highways. Plus, in inclement weather, we don't have to step outside to get to the interior. You park, get out of the drivers seat, turn and your there. And you can hook up the utilities later.

Then there is the cost...your new motor home, the toad, the equipment needed to tow the toad, the insurance, etc. And, as Robbbyr mentioned in his post, a large number of vehicles are NOT flat towable. And I found that many car dealers don't know which of their models are and which are not.

Good luck with whatever decision you make!

koko · 12-09-2017, 10:37 AM

We transitioned from trailer to motorhome a year and a half ago for some of the same reasons you've mentioned. We flat tow a Jeep Wrangler. We definitely didn't want to have to deal with trailer or dolly; and we've seen people struggle to get their cars on them, so it's not that easy! It takes us 5 minutes to hitch up our Jeep.

We have loved having a motorhome and couldn't go back to a trailer. We get great gas mileage (well, diesel - 12 to 13, it seems always towing in the wind); and as others have mentioned, when you stop for a rest, the inside of your camper is right there - no getting out of the vehicle unless you want to. Our motorhome is small, but we still wouldn't want to go without a toad, although in some circumstances we could see renting a vehicle a good option. People have told us that the rental companies will bring the vehicle right to the campground. We've also spoken to people who think it's perfectly fine with these smaller units to unhook and take it around town - it's one of those decisions you have to make for yourself.

The only drawback for us towing a Jeep Wrangler is that we used to take our side trips in our Dodge Durango (which was our TV for our last two trailers), which was a lot more comfortable; but the advantages of our motorhome far outweigh that.

pconroy · 12-09-2017, 10:50 AM

We're in a large Class C, 32', and do not tow. It does make things challenging. There are times, I'd like a little scooter to make a grocery dash, or a car to do something bigger.

I'd say if you don't like to stay put, you'll enjoy towing something!

NC Roamer · 12-09-2017, 11:47 AM

A cousin we camp with has a large Coleman travel trailer and they are considering switching to a motorhome for easier setup. We do not pull a toad at the moment. Not yet being retired, our outings are at most 7-10 days. For now we just use our bicycles to get around the parks. Some state parks (Myrtle Beach and Huntington Beach in SC) connect to the local bike paths where we can pedal to shopping or dining if we like.

Upon longer post-retirement trips, we plan to pull our Honda Shadow on a bike trailer as long as I can handle a motorcycle. I am hoping that will be for many years. When my dad passed at 90, he was still riding his Honda VTX1300. But if need be, we will consider a toad. From what I’ve read, a Greyhawk can pull one without problem.

Arniez · 12-09-2017, 12:55 PM

Thank you all for your responses. Very insightful and helpful. We are looking at a Greyhawk 26Y which would fit us perfectly. Enough room for the wife and I, yet enough to take the grandkids. What we might do is see if not towing a car would work. We could always add a tow vehicle later

McGintys924 · 12-09-2017, 01:53 PM

We too started this with a very overwhelming and overloaded TT and a Yukon XL Denali. I hated the leveling and the hitch/unhitch routine. We went on a trip from WV to D.C. to Pittsburgh and back towing our non-4 down SUV on a uhaul trailer to trial this aspect. Now, the campgrounds we had been at accepted us with the trailer, but that very easily could have gone the other way. Trailering the car was easy enough; as it has over 100k miles, we are looking to purchase something to be a Toad. Cost of tow bar and breaks vs tow dolly is even, but a full trailer is a big difference.

Make sure your new RV can auto level.

koko · 12-09-2017, 02:10 PM

Totally agree with the auto level. We're having it installed on our motorhome in May - already have our appointment. Worth the $2,800 expense after a year-and-a-half of having to level almost everywhere we go.

leeinmt · 12-09-2017, 04:40 PM

Can you back up with a 4 down toad attached?

WinnieView · 12-09-2017, 04:54 PM

There's already been lots of great information posted.

We have had only motorhomes and prefer them for all the reasons mentioned.

We have also always had a towed 4-down. Our current is a GMC Terrain which is fairly light and only needs one fuse removed and the transmission in neutral.

The only other thing we could add is the tow bar, base plate, supplemental brakes, and lighting to purchase can really add up. Then add installation costs for the base plate onto the towed, if needed. We have installed our own on all of ours.

And the tow bar can be a heavy handful if you want to remove it from the motorhome hitch for storage or security. We have a hitch pin lock on ours but when not using it between trips prefer to remove it and store in it a basement cabinet. If not, a cover for it is a good idea.

Best of luck!

WinnieView · 12-09-2017, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeinmt

Can you back up with a 4 down toad attached?

Only a couple of feet (3-6 maybe) real straight and real carefully.

koko · 12-09-2017, 05:19 PM

Or in our case, we also had to buy the Jeep! Thank goodness we purchased used with all the tow equipment already installed except a very poor braking system. We had to change that for an additional $800.

thatsme · 12-09-2017, 08:26 PM

Well I can tell you I have had both a 5th wheel & a travel trailer. The 5th was 32 ft. trailer was 30 ft. Liked them both, but if I had to pick between the two the 5th wheel is much easier to hook up & tow, among other things. Having made the switch to a motorhome (Greyhawk 29MV 2016) was the best decision for me, for several reasons.

1) easy to drive.
2) generator on board for when you need it.
3) as others have said after long hrs. driving out of driver seat into bed.
4) can haul other friends/family and all talk have a good time.
5) take a day trip only very easy.
6) easy to tow with

you get the idea.

I also tow 4-wheel down with my greyhawk and love it very easy to hook/unhook. nice to unhook car and get 25/30 mpg for touring the area you are staying at. good luck with you're decision.

P.S. If you do tow 4-down take a look at Readybrute-Elite tow bar. I use it and it is excellent for 1200 bucks. It has a breaking system included with it which works very good.

WaltW · 12-09-2017, 09:49 PM

Backing a towed is difficult because the connection is double jointed - the tow bar swivels and the towed's wheels turn. I have heard of people having someone steer the car when they have to back up. Never tried it myself.

Re Jeeps, my owners manual says do not back up in tow mode.

t18skyguy · 12-09-2017, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pconroy

We're in a large Class C, 32', and do not tow. It does make things challenging. There are times, I'd like a little scooter to make a grocery dash, or a car to do something bigger.

I'd say if you don't like to stay put, you'll enjoy towing something!

So true PC. Once the rig is leveled and hooked up, I'm not going to undo it until we leave. We're gonna get something next summer for a toad, just don't know what yet. Another advantage to a toad, is you have a backup vehicle if you break down etc. We made it through last summer by Ubering, which worked very well, but Uber is not widely available in Oregon. What we have is sort of a black market Uber.

Jopopsy · 12-10-2017, 05:55 AM

We always just used Enterprise.

NC Roamer · 12-10-2017, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koko

Totally agree with the auto level. We're having it installed on our motorhome in May - already have our appointment. Worth the $2,800 expense after a year-and-a-half of having to level almost everywhere we go.

Would not want to do without the Bigfoot levelers on our Greyhawk. Makes setup much simpler.

The Logans · 12-10-2017, 08:19 AM

We went from a Jayco 25RKS trailer to a Rdhawk 23XM, to a Redhawk 26XD, and now to a Alante 31v.

We're in our 70s, and went from a class C to a Class A because our various aches and pains were making it too difficult to climb in and out of the Class C cab. In the A, everything is on one level, and we still have the overhead bunk.

We've never found a need to tow a vehicle. If we're going to be parked for any length of time, we call Enterprise, and they come out and get us. Also many of the commercial campgrounds offer a shuttle, or courtesy transportation.

Whatever you decide, have fun and be safe!!

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