No Toad!

[1SGPETE]

Originally Posted by mt1314

We got our two Rads last month...one mini and one mini step-thru. I'm 5'7" and my husband is 6'4" and they are fine for us - don't let the word "mini" fool you. They're fine for us, and we love riding them!

How do you store them when traveling? Do they both fold up?

[bababooey]

100% out of shape here.. Day after putting it together I put 20 miles on it and went up a mountain on a mountain bike trail.

[mt1314]

Originally Posted by 1SGPETE

How do you store them when traveling? Do they both fold up?

Yes, they both fold up and can fit - snuggly - in the Ford Focus we tow. They don't ride in the Focus when we are traveling, just if we want to take them to a bike trail when traveling. We also got a bike rack to carry them on the back of the RV if we aren't towing. The issue with our Melbourne 24k is that the bed slide extends out the back, and would hit the handlebars of regular bikes. With the Rad minis' handlebars folded down, there's enough room for the bed slide out to clear the bikes,so we can leave them on the bike rack if we want to.

[Baldfacemt]

We did this in year one and had few problems. We are AARP and AAA members and used their discounts when renting for longer trips. For weekends we chose campground that offered hiking, boating or were in walking or biking distance to towns or stores,movies etc. If you like there are campgrounds that do Halloween, lobster bakes, have rec rooms and fitness centers, pools you name it. Plenty to do! It just means a bit more investigation when reserving.

Now that we have a Tow I sometimes miss hanging out and relaxing, instead hubby wants to go and see everything..

[berwin]

Our first trip from Virginia to Texas, we rented from Enterprise while staying at a KOA at our destination. There was no Uber or Lyft. We decided to get a toad but the added drag made the already iffy handling of our Alante even worse. We are now waiting to get the Alante into a suspension shop to install a trac-bar and steering stabilizer. Lots of folks feel these mods are needed in any case but you really need them towing 4500 lbs of toad behind you. Just something to consider.

[viking42]

I wouldn’t want to be without a toad. Where do you park the MH when you go into a town or some place with little room also some of the places I’ve been to you couldn’t get a MH in.
Berwin, Cindy and Bill. I have a Jayco Alante 31 AV and put a trac bar and steering stabilizer on and next week will install Sumo Springs. If you’d like I could let you know how they work. I tow a Kia Soul stick shift, love it, tons of room great mileage and warranty and only 2700 pounds. My email is ph3355@aol.com if you’d like more info.

[Patchesrv]

We are in the same boat with our 2019 Greyhawk with few extra challenges. We have rented car but being Canadian Insurance is costly. To turn our Equinox into a toad cost is $6400 plus if issues, and as it’s our only vehicle we are hesitant. The main reason for having a toad is if we break down. So far love them or hate them KOA has or is close to transportation

[RWK]

We too came from a travel trailer and we always had our truck. After we bought our Alante we lasted 7 months before setting up our existing Jeep Wrangler as a toad. It was perfect timing as we broke down on the freeway the first trip out towing the Jeep. We were able to load the dogs and all the essentials into the Jeep and the RV went to service for a week.
We always take the Jeep no matter how close to home we are camping. It carries much of our emergency gear and we always have it to transport the dogs in an emergency........
Good luck with your decision.

[Florida Ranger]

We have a 2018 Greyhawk and we take out bikes .We also use Enterprise for a car most everywhere we go. In Las Vegas they even have Lamborghini’s for rent, that was awesome to drive...

[RobShanVegas]

We use both of the options you listed. Enterprise is great (they pick you up!). Recently went to Flathead Lake, MT and stopped in Missoula and picked up a car at the airport (1 hour prior to Flathead). Kept it 9 days and put 734 miles on it driving all around the lake and all through Glacier Nat'l Park. Total cost was $450. Also use ride share where available.


We will do a toad for our Greyhawk someday, too. Hoping the car guys start making some better options again--light weight, transfer case, nicer interior and options.

[Johnynorthland]

I guess it depends on every different situation. I was first going to do a rental for 2 months from enterprise but that was way to much. So we decided to buy a tow dolly and a used Kia Soul. It payed for itself in 2 years. But I can no longer deal with the weight of the tow dolly on my back. I’ve had to pay someone to hook everything up. So we are switching to a flat tow but have not decided on one yet.

As far as UBER, we’ve gotten stuck without a ride in some CG’s with no availability. (Not to mention if you have no cell service), And once while dodging a hurricane on the east coast we could not get out for food and supplies. We had to disconnect and drive the RV to the store!

[MD3]

I wouldn't want to be without a toad...
-convenience to jump in and go
-getting out to explore
-break downs of RV
-RV being serviced

I really like flat towing a Jeep Wrangler (I have a 2005).
-jeep can go anywhere I am brave enough to point it when exploring.
-super easy to flat tow.
-parts everywhere if I have any problem.
-small and lightweight for easy towing.

I prefer to trailer the Jeep but we are finding a lot of places are more convenient with a flat tow.


-

[Fishstick8]

We use enterprise. They come pick you up and the coat isn’t bad. When you look at cost of equipment to tow, wear/damage potential to tow vehicle, and how much we want a car when we camp, it made sense to us. Depends on how often you would be renting so think about your situation to see what makes sense.

[Techwoman57]

I opted for an e-bike and it has been great so far!

[norty1]

Try and find one that is already equipped to be flat towed. It can save you some time and trouble.

[rkschul1]

Originally Posted by RWK

We too came from a travel trailer and we always had our truck. After we bought our Alante we lasted 7 months before setting up our existing Jeep Wrangler as a toad. It was perfect timing as we broke down on the freeway the first trip out towing the Jeep. We were able to load the dogs and all the essentials into the Jeep and the RV went to service for a week.
We always take the Jeep no matter how close to home we are camping. It carries much of our emergency gear and we always have it to transport the dogs in an emergency........
Good luck with your decision.

We are new to this and have a 2018 Alante 26x. thinking about towing. Did you need to add anything for stabilization (sway bar etc...)? I added a Roadmaster steering stabilizer, first trip with it next week. Wondering if that is enough to support towing. Another expense to figure in when pricing towing?

[cherv]

we have a 2019 jayco class c e450 which was a terrible driver until we replaced steering stabilizer, both front and back sway control bars all by road master from etraile. what a difference it made. dw now drives it great. for us we can't see spending $20,000 to purchase a toad and all the modifications needed. if have a problem on road use roadside assist. enterprise is for us the way to go. we spend about $2,000 orly on rental..

[berwin]

rkschul1, the guy who did my suspension work on my Alante 32N said a steering stabilizer would probably do the trick as it was worked for other customers. I have such a long tail that I get lots of wagging from passing trucks even without towing. I went ahead and got the Super Steer track bar and am very happy with the results. I thought about trying it with just the Safe-T-Plus but several folks advised me to just bite the bullet and get it all done at once. I'm glad I did.

[Springhook]

Originally Posted by 1SGPETE

Since I am 76, I have a bit of a problem renting a car. They cut you off at 70. But, I can ride a bike.

What rental company prevents you from renting after 70? I doubt it is Enterprise cuz I am 72 and still rent from them.

[Camper_bob]

My toad is my daily driver, so that "additional cost" is moot. Yes, I chose this specific model with specific options so I could tow it, but I also REALLY like it. I would likely have purchased this vehicle as my daily driver anyway. The cost to purchase the tow equipment was a little over $2,000, all in, and I installed it my self.

We do EXTENSIVE exploring most of the time we go some place, so having a vehicle is almost always a necessity. I figure in many places I could probably rent, but I'd be even money pretty quick on rental costs. Plus there's the convenience factor of always having MY vehicle with me. I can use it whenever I want, don't have to worry about returning it with a full tank of fuel by a certain time, all that associated stuff.

Plus, with the fairly low CCC on my rig and limited storage for large items, I can use my toad to carry heavy or bulky stuff like our canopy, tools, coolers ... whatever.

All that being said, we've gone on short jaunts without the toad. Boondocking on the beach, we sometimes won't bring it. We went to a state park a while back and didn't bring it. We forgot something when we were packing and it would have been nice to just hop in the Jeep and run into town and get it, but we didn't have that option. So we just made due without.

My parents in law don't tow a vehicle and never will. They don't explore surrounding areas much when they travel. They will use public transportation if available, or they'll choose a CG within walking distance of what they want to see. Their rig is much smaller, no slides, no jacks, simple. So if they really want to go somewhere, they just unplug and go. Our rig is much larger, with 2 slides and leveling jacks. So while it's not the end of the world if we need to "pack up" and go somewhere in the MH, it's not as convenient. Plus it's a big rig, so I don't get enthused about maneuvering it around places.

Everyone's needs are different, that's just how we roll...