How a Car becomes a Toad or Dinghy (tow vehicle)
I’ve been wanting to do a video for you guys on this topic for a while. But since my motorhome isn’t with me at the moment, it’s a little hard to do. And I want to share this information with you now. So here it goes, how a car can be transformed into a toad.
It’s quite a magical thing for an RV nerd. Like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly, simply beautiful. Okay, maybe that’s a little bit too poetic! But the fact that you can take a car and transform it into something that will follow behind your motorhome with very little fuss (after it’s become a butterfly of course) is pretty amazing.
When I decided to RV it was clear that I was going to need to bring along a car. There was no way that I could drive the motorhome to a campground and not explore the surrounding area.
If you’ve been following for a bit, you know that my first intent was to pull my Honda Pilot on a tow dolly with two wheels up. I found a used Demco Kar Kaddy SS on Craigslist and headed out to seal the deal. I towed it back and parked it in the yard.
And that is where it sat until I sold it just recently! After our spring trek out, things changed and I realized a tow dolly wasn’t going to work out. Soooooo, cars were swapped out and a flat towable vehicle was purchased for ease of transportation. If you’re contemplating flat towing or using a dolly, this article may help you make a decision.
I’m writing this post for those who are as clueless as I was about what is involved in towing a vehicle behind a motorhome. Or for those who are just curious. There is equipment that needs to be purchased and necessary steps taken before you can head on down the road with the toad following. The process took me about a month. I purchased nearly everything I needed on Amazon and what I didn’t have, my local RV dealership, Safford RV, took care of for me. So here it goes.
- Step one: Make sure you have a vehicle that can be flat-towed. The list is ever-changing so it’s best to check with a reliable source AND to always make sure you verify tow-ability by referencing the owner’s manual. I used the downloadable ‘Dinghy Guides’ from Motorhome Magazine.
Now let me just put in a tidbit of information. There are claims out there that you can flat tow just about any vehicle as long as the proper modifications are done. Even if the owner’s manual or dealership claims you cannot. My Honda Pilot was not authorized as flat-towable by Honda. Therefore, I was not taking any chances as this voids any warranties you may still have. I will leave the risks up to you.
We decided on a 2014 Honda CR-V. FYI, this is the LAST model year of CR-V that can be flat towed. I verified this with Honda, apparently the 2015’s forward have a different type of transmission. Once we had the toad, it was time to coordinate with my local RV shop to purchase the right equipment.
- Step Two: Purchase a baseplate that will work with your chosen vehicle. My RV repair shop prefers to work with Blue OX baseplates. I didn’t have any objections as I know they’re a fairly reputable company. You may be asking what a baseplate is? A baseplate is a heavy hunk of metal that has to be installed underneath your tow vehicle. It’s labor intensive and a crucial piece to the towing dynamic so it’s recommended to leave it to the experts.
This comes with cables and brackets for tow bar to pin to.
I have no problem doing this (wink, wink). The baseplate needs to be mounted underneath the front of the vehicle by drilling holes and securely fastening it. I purchased the Blue Ox BX2258 Baseplate for Honda CR-V.
Once the baseplate is installed, receivers need to be attached in the front. These allow you to attach the brackets of the tow bar to the baseplate with a metal rod/pin holding it all in place.
The wiring plugs into this
Step Three: All of the wiring needs to be done. Again, I let my repair shop handle this. When connected via a cable, this allows other drivers to see the brake lights on the toad as well as the motorhome. It also provides power to the supplemental braking system (we’ll discuss later in this post).
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Step Four: Purchase a tow bar of your choosing. I initially purchased the Blue Ox BX4330 Acclaim Class III Tow Bar for my make/model. My set up required an 10″ drop hitch with a 2″ ball. For me, the drop hitch is required so that my car can be at the same height as the hitch. I would not be able to connect the two together any other way as my motorhome is pretty tall in the back and the hitch sits up high.
My 10″ drop hitch w/out 2″ ball.
<Please note that not all set-ups are the same! You may require different things.> After one trip out, I returned my tow bar that required a ball hitch set up. The Acclaim tow bar required me to remove it off the motorhome (heavy, heavy, heavy) each and every time I connected and disconnected the car. I wanted one that would stay attached to the motorhome hitch and swing out of the way. I ended up with the Blue Ox BX7365 Alpha Tow Bar.
The Blue Ox Alpha Tow Bar on Perl
- Step Five: Purchase a supplemental braking system of your choosing. What is a supplemental braking system, you may ask? It helps to slow down the tow vehicle
Patriot braking system
when the motorhome brakes are applied. It sits on the floor of the tow vehicle and attaches to the brake pedal. Why do you need it? This article sums it up very nicely. I again went with Blue Ox and purchased the Patriot braking system. I’m working out some kinks with it right now. Not sure if it’s the braking system, wiring or the car battery. So far, all signs point to wiring.
Whew, that’a a lot of stuff!! Are you still with me? I hope so :-). Now that you have all the proper equipment installed on the motorhome and the tow vehicle, it’s time to attach all the cables and wires. Here’s several diagrams to give you a good visual:
First line the tow bar brackets up with the receivers on the front end of the car. Once properly adjusted and aligned, insert the bolt and pin.
Next, attach the break away cables. I was personally taught to clip them on in a criss-cross pattern. Clip one on the left side of the baseplate bracket and then clip the other end on the right side of the motorhome bracket. Do the same with the other cable.
Attach the wiring from the car to the motorhome. My cord is blue and I call it the umbilical cord. One end plugs into the front of the car. The other end is inserted into the motorhome plug shown in step three above.
Now that you have everything connected, turn on the flashers in the motorhome. If the brake lights are flashing on the back of the car, you’re good to go.
The final step is to set up your supplemental braking system in the toad. The procedure is based on your particular unit so follow the manufacturers instructions.
Everything attached and ready to tow. This is the old tow bar.
We did it, we made it to the end of the post. I hope this will help you visualize the towing process and be aware of what you may need to get started towing your car. Always consult with a professional for advice on your particular situation. In addition, consulting the owners manuals for proper operation of your equipment is a good idea. Safe travels my friends!
{HUGS} from the Crew!
Ready to roll!
Thank you for any and all purchases you make by clicking on my Amazon link! I really do appreciate it.
Some Amazon items recently purchased by readers:
Bell Hitchbiker 450 4-Bike Hitch Rack with Stability
13′ x 9′ Charcoal Vista Shade w/Zipper
