Instead of towing get-a-round vehicle, what about carrying it? I know there are smart car carriers for HDT's and gargages in toyhaulers and even a few examples of toyhauler MH's. I'm thinking something akin to the flatbed they use for towing cars with. You attach it onto the back of MH and it's folded up when not carrying a a small car and dropped down to the ground to load a smart car for instance then lifted up couple of feet for clearance. It need not be more than about a 8 foot platform plus the mechanism to raise and lower it. Or would that unbalance the MH with all that weigh on the back? Could one of the larger coaches with tag axle be capable of handling it? Would it be legal? Any issues with DP set-ups?
Any thoughts on this concept?
Lucky Mike said
12:51 PM Jan 28, 2014
That amount of weight placed that far behind the axle on an add on platform would create problems on the steering axle right off and create a very unsafe operating condition.....to put the platform on the rear would require some extensive modifications including to the coaches frame just to attach and support it.....all of this would become costly and in most states 4' is the maximum overhang on a vehicle
BiggarView said
01:01 PM Jan 28, 2014
Kinda figured that but I'm not an engineer. Oh well. Time to ponder the next idea.
Lucky Mike said
01:06 PM Jan 28, 2014
the only time it is tough to tow a toad is when you get out and look at how long it is.....not to mention it doesnt cut your fuel mileage enough to worry about
The Bear II said
02:20 PM Jan 28, 2014
Your best bet is to tow the vehicle 4 wheels down. I see hundreds of MH towing various types and sizes of vehicles.
Jack Mayer said
02:54 PM Jan 28, 2014
Why not tow 4-down, as Bear said?
But if you insist on a platform for a smart you could use an Idaho Tote. There is a version that can handle a smart. In some states this is considered towing doubles if used behind a trailer, though. And if used behind a motorhome you have the same issues of what to do with it when getting into camp as with a Dolly. 4-down is much better. And easier.
Bill and Jodee said
04:42 PM Jan 28, 2014
Saw a picture of a 40'+ MH in Quartzsite last week with a Smart Car "on the back". MH had dual-dually rear axles (I'm sure that's the technical term) but other than being able to back up I don't know what the advantage was.
There wasn't much ground clearance so I would be very skeptical about driveways and such.
Jodee
BiggarView said
09:27 AM Jan 29, 2014
Jack Mayer wrote:
Why not tow 4-down, as Bear said?
But if you insist on a platform for a smart you could use an Idaho Tote. There is a version that can handle a smart. ...
That would be the the simplest and most common way to do it. The Idaho Tote is interesting.
The whole idea came to me when I was looking at the PowerHouse conversions website. They had one model with an extendable 5th wheel and I thought, if it could handle the weight of a 5er, why not a smart car for example. Yeah it would be complicated and expensive.... The pro would be less wear and tear on the toad. As I think further, it now seems more pie in the sky thinking and impractical.
Lucky Mike said
10:03 AM Jan 29, 2014
Everything out here is possible.....
depending on how much you want to save or spend.......you will see million dollar coaches with portable garages and full workshops!! you will also see fulltimers in pop-ups or riding a Bicycle towing a trailer , its how you define your budget and what your looking for.........
if you have it and it will be convenient and affordable you can have it!!!
By the way......Pie in the sky..........I like pie!!!!
PIEERE said
06:29 PM Feb 5, 2014
You may want to check this out!! Go to ElioMotors.com It looks like that Can Am reversed tricyle but has a cabin; gets 84 MPG and costs $6800.00. I can't remember if it is just a rider or has room for a passenger. Also don't know if the power is driven from the front or rear wheel.
-- Edited by PIEERE on Wednesday 5th of February 2014 06:37:28 PM
BiggarView said
06:49 AM Jul 18, 2014
...and then I just saw this on FB...
Now I'm curious about the platform being used to carry the Smartcar. Also, would it unbalance the MH with all the weight being carried on the rear axle(s). I'm guessing the whole shooting match (car, platform and supporting frame mounts etc) would add about 4,000 lbs. One would have to allow extra room for "swing" making turns. Probably would only be possible on a large MH, like the one in the pix.
-- Edited by biggaRView on Friday 18th of July 2014 07:08:59 AM
Trabuco said
07:17 AM Jul 18, 2014
I would interested on just how much weight that smart car is adding to the MH. Even it had a tag I would imagine the rear would be overweight. When I checked into adding a hydrolift to the back of my MH with my Harley ultra classic it was going to add 2200 lbs. that eats up a sizable portion of my CCC. The Harley only weighed 870 and the lift was roughly 400lbs.
The problem is the distance from the center point of the rear axle to the center point of the lift. In my case that was 13'. Then you have the problem of cooling if the a coach has a rear radiator. Most coach mfg. like you to have an obstructed flow to the rear of the coach.
Towing 4 down is the easiest way to go. You have less stuff to deal with when you camp. Box trailers may not fit into your camp site. Then there's the additional maintenance.
I like the concept of the smart car on the back of the MH but it creates concerns for me.
Now that I think about it a 36' to 38' tag might be possible. The rear axle and tag would be closer to the rear of the coach, just a thought. Might be worth investigating.
BiggarView said
07:34 AM Jul 18, 2014
I was wondering about the airflow for the MH engine also. Looks like the MH in the pix has its air intake high on the drivers side. Don't know about where the radiator heat is dispelled. Cool factor is high, but the expense of it is hard to justify against expenses incurred(wear and tear, equipment needed etc) towing 4 down. Still, something to think about... if we go the MH route vs 5er.
Instead of towing get-a-round vehicle, what about carrying it? I know there are smart car carriers for HDT's and gargages in toyhaulers and even a few examples of toyhauler MH's. I'm thinking something akin to the flatbed they use for towing cars with. You attach it onto the back of MH and it's folded up when not carrying a a small car and dropped down to the ground to load a smart car for instance then lifted up couple of feet for clearance. It need not be more than about a 8 foot platform plus the mechanism to raise and lower it. Or would that unbalance the MH with all that weigh on the back? Could one of the larger coaches with tag axle be capable of handling it? Would it be legal? Any issues with DP set-ups?
Any thoughts on this concept?
Kinda figured that but I'm not an engineer. Oh well. Time to ponder the next idea.
Why not tow 4-down, as Bear said?
But if you insist on a platform for a smart you could use an Idaho Tote. There is a version that can handle a smart. In some states this is considered towing doubles if used behind a trailer, though. And if used behind a motorhome you have the same issues of what to do with it when getting into camp as with a Dolly. 4-down is much better. And easier.
There wasn't much ground clearance so I would be very skeptical about driveways and such.
Jodee
That would be the the simplest and most common way to do it. The Idaho Tote is interesting.
The whole idea came to me when I was looking at the PowerHouse conversions website. They had one model with an extendable 5th wheel and I thought, if it could handle the weight of a 5er, why not a smart car for example. Yeah it would be complicated and expensive.... The pro would be less wear and tear on the toad. As I think further, it now seems more pie in the sky thinking and impractical.
depending on how much you want to save or spend.......you will see million dollar coaches with portable garages and full workshops!! you will also see fulltimers in pop-ups or riding a Bicycle towing a trailer , its how you define your budget and what your looking for.........
if you have it and it will be convenient and affordable you can have it!!!
By the way......Pie in the sky..........I like pie!!!!
You may want to check this out!! Go to ElioMotors.com It looks like that Can Am reversed tricyle but has a cabin; gets 84 MPG and costs $6800.00. I can't remember if it is just a rider or has room for a passenger. Also don't know if the power is driven from the front or rear wheel.
-- Edited by PIEERE on Wednesday 5th of February 2014 06:37:28 PM
...and then I just saw this on FB...
Now I'm curious about the platform being used to carry the Smartcar. Also, would it unbalance the MH with all the weight being carried on the rear axle(s). I'm guessing the whole shooting match (car, platform and supporting frame mounts etc) would add about 4,000 lbs. One would have to allow extra room for "swing" making turns. Probably would only be possible on a large MH, like the one in the pix.
-- Edited by biggaRView on Friday 18th of July 2014 07:08:59 AM
The problem is the distance from the center point of the rear axle to the center point of the lift. In my case that was 13'. Then you have the problem of cooling if the a coach has a rear radiator. Most coach mfg. like you to have an obstructed flow to the rear of the coach.
Towing 4 down is the easiest way to go. You have less stuff to deal with when you camp. Box trailers may not fit into your camp site. Then there's the additional maintenance.
I like the concept of the smart car on the back of the MH but it creates concerns for me.
Now that I think about it a 36' to 38' tag might be possible. The rear axle and tag would be closer to the rear of the coach, just a thought. Might be worth investigating.
I was wondering about the airflow for the MH engine also. Looks like the MH in the pix has its air intake high on the drivers side. Don't know about where the radiator heat is dispelled. Cool factor is high, but the expense of it is hard to justify against expenses incurred(wear and tear, equipment needed etc) towing 4 down. Still, something to think about... if we go the MH route vs 5er.