I was hoping to get some advice on the pros and/or cons of using a car hauler versus flat towing. I am planning on full-timing soon and can't decide on how best to take it all with me... even though I know I can't, or shouldn't.
Here is the background:
1) I have an 04 Mercedes E320, automatic, rear wheel drive.
2) I have a 96 Harley (Heritage Softail Classic) that I have owned since new.
3) I have an ATV, (2007 Can-Am Outlander Limited), owned since new.
4) I have a 97 Dodge Dakota 4X4 pickup that I have also owned since new. It is an automatic but has a transfer that I believe can be placed in neutral to be conducive for flat towing. It has over 150,000 miles on the odometer now, but is still in primo condition.
Here is my dilemma:
Option A) Should I buy a car hauler trailer (I was looking at Featherlites, flat-bed type) to haul #1 above and then decide between #'s 2 and 3 to put on the trailer in front of the car?
OR
Option B) Should I flat-tow #4 above and decide between #'s 2 and 3 to carry in the bed?
I know I'll have to sell some "stuff" but man, it's hard... especially when you worked so hard all your life for it and it's finally paid for.
BTW- I will be using my 2005 Alpine Coach, DP to move the train. It has the Cummins 8.9 ISL, 400Hp, so it shouldn't have any trouble pulling.
Any advice is appreciated from the members of this great forum. Thanks in advance.
Technomadia said
01:04 PM Apr 19, 2012
Can't answer your question for you.. but can give you some questions to consider that might help....
- Which of these are going to aid to your enjoyment and convenience the most once you are pulled in and set up?
- How often are you going to be moving around? How much setup & take down time will consume your life? If you're planning to be hyper mobile, it may be more effort than it's worth to take a bunch of stuff along. If you're planning to pull in, park for a while.. it may be worthwhile to have more toys with you.
- What type of places are you planning to stay? Many of the campgrounds we frequent don't have room to park a trailer and a get around vehicle and.. and.. and. Heck, last one we were at barely had room for our 35' narrow bus and MINI.... but by golly did it have the most amazing waterfront sunset views.
I totally concur with Ron & Joan... think of this as your NEW life. Yes, you earned and paid off the old lifestyle. But that's now in your past. How you want your new life to evolve? What's important now? And I suspect that will even change for you once you're out there on the road a while. Heck, we've drastically changed our set up 4 times in the past 6 years to keep up with how our style and priorities have evolved.
We're personally fans of as much simplicity as possible... we currently flat tow a MINI Cooper behind our bus, which has given us a great balance of flexibility.
- Cherie
-- Edited by Technomadia on Thursday 19th of April 2012 01:05:12 PM
Trabuco said
02:06 PM Apr 19, 2012
The problem you'll have with the car hauler is where to put it when pull into a campground. Not many parks will have camp sites large enough to park without unhooking. I think it will get old trying to find an area to park the trailer when it won't fit in a campsite
Based on the senarios above I suggest flat towing the Dodge and putting the bikes in the bed of the truck. Maybe you can come up with a way to get both bikes in the bed of the truck.
RVRon said
02:20 PM Apr 19, 2012
It IS a tough decision! We had 3 cars, each one that was better at something than the others. What we finally had to decide was in our NEW life, which would be most practical. Think of what you want to do once you're out there fulltiming - what kind of activities you want to pursue the most and pick something that will work best, at least for most.
Sounds like you're on the right track to narrow down to 2 vehicles among the 4. There are a lot of ways to tow any combination of your vehicles. I even saw a trailer that had a motorcycle on the front on a flatbed portion with the rear of the trailer being a tow dolly for a car. Along that line you might be able to get something that would accomodate your motorcycle and ATV and have a tow dolly at the rear as well. Just keep in mind length limits in the states you'll be driving in too.
Hobdendw said
03:47 PM Apr 20, 2012
Thanks for the advice guys... much appreciated.
I'm beginning to realize that a trailer is probably not the best option. I can see how it would take more time and effort with loading and unloading all the time. Also, I would have to put a hitch on the vehicle that I carry on the trailer so I can move it to overflow parking and what not. And a very good point made by Cherie (and Chris) above, is the limitations on many campgrounds and parks with regard to room.
I believe I will work towards equipping the pickup for flat towing and decide between whether to put the Harley or the ATV in the bed. Decisions, decisions...
Jwar said
07:04 AM Dec 2, 2012
There is hydraulic lift, that can be mounted on the back of a DP and if memory serves, cand lift 4000 lb. Mounts to the frame of the RV and lifts the bike up over the tow reciever in the back of the DP for tow clearence of the trailer or toad. Very slick looking unit but very pricy.
Terry and Jo said
10:36 PM Dec 2, 2012
Jwar wrote:
There is hydraulic lift, that can be mounted on the back of a DP and if memory serves, cand lift 4000 lb. Mounts to the frame of the RV and lifts the bike up over the tow reciever in the back of the DP for tow clearence of the trailer or toad. Very slick looking unit but very pricy.
Actually, there are more than one, so one would need to know weights and size for any vehicle to lift and be sure and get one that is strong enough. I would also suggest looking at the "mounting system" to the frame of the RV to make sure it is heavy enough. Below are links to some different lift systems.
Here is a dealer for Hydralift showing images of both motorcycles and golf carts mounted. Not sure about the ATV's as I've not researched the width of each "tread" for the tires to fit within. Now, just because I've found the dealer does not mean I know anything about them or their business. In fact, I know nothing about any of the lifts other than what is on the internet. (And, you all know what that can mean......)
Adding tongue weight to a motorhome could reduce the load on the front axle and increase it on the rear axle. That is probably not a good thing. I have experienced driving an overloaded pickup truck and it was no fun.
Trabuco said
04:54 AM Dec 3, 2012
I researched the hydra lift and cruiser lift motorcycle carriers and decided against them for several reason. 1) installing the lift and carrying my Harley Davidson ultra classic added 2100 lbs to the CCC which took a big bite out of what I could carry. 2) cost; depending on your coach and the amount of welding and supports that need to be added you could be looking at close to 6k. 3) it's not recommended for motorhomes with rear radiators.
bigboomer said
07:24 PM Dec 3, 2012
IMHO trying to tow a huge car hauler is going to be very cumbersome and will ultimately lead to head scratching as to why you are torturing yourself....If you can tow your PU then you can add a lift onto it to carry your toys. Here is a link to Amerideck which is what we used on our rig in the garage box. There is also a link to our set-up. Works like a charm! And is made in the USA in Hadley, PA!
The easier you can make it on yourself is my moto!
Good Luck,
Les
Lucky Mike said
10:19 PM Dec 3, 2012
I tow a car Garage!!.........and like it has been said , I normally have to disconnect before entering most parks.....this entails pulling my van from inside diconnecting the trailer.....connecting the trailer to the van.....not to mention finding a home for the trailer durring my stay.
If I didnt need the trailer for my workshop I wouldnt put myself thru it..............suggestion is to wait , when you see pull up and go thru all of this and get to stop laughing.........Find another way learn your lesson by watching me!!!!!!..................LOL
Can't answer your question for you.. but can give you some questions to consider that might help....
- Which of these are going to aid to your enjoyment and convenience the most once you are pulled in and set up?
- How often are you going to be moving around? How much setup & take down time will consume your life? If you're planning to be hyper mobile, it may be more effort than it's worth to take a bunch of stuff along. If you're planning to pull in, park for a while.. it may be worthwhile to have more toys with you.
- What type of places are you planning to stay? Many of the campgrounds we frequent don't have room to park a trailer and a get around vehicle and.. and.. and. Heck, last one we were at barely had room for our 35' narrow bus and MINI.... but by golly did it have the most amazing waterfront sunset views.
I totally concur with Ron & Joan... think of this as your NEW life. Yes, you earned and paid off the old lifestyle. But that's now in your past. How you want your new life to evolve? What's important now? And I suspect that will even change for you once you're out there on the road a while. Heck, we've drastically changed our set up 4 times in the past 6 years to keep up with how our style and priorities have evolved.
We're personally fans of as much simplicity as possible... we currently flat tow a MINI Cooper behind our bus, which has given us a great balance of flexibility.
- Cherie
-- Edited by Technomadia on Thursday 19th of April 2012 01:05:12 PM
Based on the senarios above I suggest flat towing the Dodge and putting the bikes in the bed of the truck. Maybe you can come up with a way to get both bikes in the bed of the truck.
It IS a tough decision! We had 3 cars, each one that was better at something than the others. What we finally had to decide was in our NEW life, which would be most practical. Think of what you want to do once you're out there fulltiming - what kind of activities you want to pursue the most and pick something that will work best, at least for most.
Sounds like you're on the right track to narrow down to 2 vehicles among the 4. There are a lot of ways to tow any combination of your vehicles. I even saw a trailer that had a motorcycle on the front on a flatbed portion with the rear of the trailer being a tow dolly for a car. Along that line you might be able to get something that would accomodate your motorcycle and ATV and have a tow dolly at the rear as well. Just keep in mind length limits in the states you'll be driving in too.
I'm beginning to realize that a trailer is probably not the best option. I can see how it would take more time and effort with loading and unloading all the time. Also, I would have to put a hitch on the vehicle that I carry on the trailer so I can move it to overflow parking and what not. And a very good point made by Cherie (and Chris) above, is the limitations on many campgrounds and parks with regard to room.
I believe I will work towards equipping the pickup for flat towing and decide between whether to put the Harley or the ATV in the bed. Decisions, decisions...
There is hydraulic lift, that can be mounted on the back of a DP and if memory serves, cand lift 4000 lb. Mounts to the frame of the RV and lifts the bike up over the tow reciever in the back of the DP for tow clearence of the trailer or toad. Very slick looking unit but very pricy.
Actually, there are more than one, so one would need to know weights and size for any vehicle to lift and be sure and get one that is strong enough. I would also suggest looking at the "mounting system" to the frame of the RV to make sure it is heavy enough. Below are links to some different lift systems.
Hydralift
Here is a dealer for Hydralift showing images of both motorcycles and golf carts mounted. Not sure about the ATV's as I've not researched the width of each "tread" for the tires to fit within. Now, just because I've found the dealer does not mean I know anything about them or their business. In fact, I know nothing about any of the lifts other than what is on the internet. (And, you all know what that can mean......)
Jones RV
Cruiserlift
Overbilt Lifts
Terry
IMHO trying to tow a huge car hauler is going to be very cumbersome and will ultimately lead to head scratching as to why you are torturing yourself....If you can tow your PU then you can add a lift onto it to carry your toys. Here is a link to Amerideck which is what we used on our rig in the garage box. There is also a link to our set-up. Works like a charm! And is made in the USA in Hadley, PA!
http://www.powerdecks.com/index.aspx
http://s962.beta.photobucket.com/user/mybigboomer/library/Bigboomers%20Garage%20Box
The easier you can make it on yourself is my moto!
Good Luck,
Les
If I didnt need the trailer for my workshop I wouldnt put myself thru it..............suggestion is to wait , when you see pull up and go thru all of this and get to stop laughing.........Find another way learn your lesson by watching me!!!!!!..................LOL