My husband and I are still a couple of years away from upgrading our small bus (Nissan Civilian) to a larger size rig (Winnebago or similar) for longer trips but we are seeking feedback on if its worth towing a small 4WD or not?
For those that have a larger size rig that don't tow a smaller vehicle - what were the things you wanted to do and couldn't do because you didn't have a smaller vehicle?
For those that tow a smaller vehicle - is it worth the hassle of towing it or could you have done without it?
We have thought about a small motorbike or moped in a smaller trailer instead (along with our pushbikes and the extra stuff we don't want to carry in the RV) and just hire a 4WD locally if we need it for specific trips - thoughts?
I would appreciate your feedback.
Regards
Lyne
Whenarewethere said
08:10 PM Apr 22, 2020
Sorry couldn't resist. This one has a trailer with a 4wd on the back.
If you are considering a moped why not consider a proper trail bike eg bmw/motto Guzzi and explore with that? Less weight to tow, more room for storage.
Tony
wasn_me said
07:23 AM Apr 23, 2020
There are lots of e bikes on the market. What look like reasonable quality start around 1200 dollars.
I'm a vanner, I'm having thoughts about one.
Cheers
Mike Harding said
08:00 AM Apr 23, 2020
wasn_me wrote:
There are lots of e bikes on the market. What look like reasonable quality start around 1200 dollars. I'm a vanner, I'm having thoughts about one. Cheers
Don't forget you'll need to charge it - it takes a lot of energy to push a person and bike around at 60?kph and if you're off-grid that will be an issue.
jade46 said
08:27 AM Apr 23, 2020
We tow a small car behind a 28ft MH after trying all the other options. Ebikes are heavy to load on/aff a rear rack and are a lot of rearend weight on the MH as well. Hireing a car sounds good but really only available in larger towns very rare in country towns. Getting the wife to tagalong in her car was ok. She could go shopping while I parked and set up the MH. A good brand of A Frame is around $5000 and that buys a lot of fuel for wifes car but she compained about missing the experience in the MH. A car on a trailer is a problem in Caravan Parks with the extra vehicle i/e MH trailer and car also the extra weight of the trailer. So there is my 2bobs worth.
-- Edited by jade46 on Thursday 23rd of April 2020 08:30:46 AM
The bigger and longer you are, the less places you can go.
Cheers,
Peter
Kortmar said
10:09 AM Apr 23, 2020
The ebike was another consideration - keen for feedback on them too.
Kortmar said
10:24 AM Apr 23, 2020
Thanks Jade46 - think I would tire quickly of driving behind (hubby is happy doing majority of driving & I am happy to let him. ) but that is a pretty clear cost comparison between towing & driving behind. Presumably you find it easier / more convenient not towing? Noted about the ebike weight - think that idea was in a smaller trailer.
Thanks Peter & Margaret - I suppose the accessibility tradeoffs come up against less creature comforts? We can go most places in our Nissan Civilian (except proper 4WD tracks) - got out to Birdsville easy enough in the dry & did quite a few km on the Oonadatta track but thinking in WA for a longer period in a few years, wonder what we might miss out on with a bigger rig & no smaller car.
Noted about charging the ebike Mike. Its all just a starting conversation & very glad for all the feedback from everyone!
Cupie said
10:37 AM Apr 23, 2020
Sorry if a bit off topic but like Whenarewethere, I couldn't help myself .. sorry no photo unfortunately ..
We were camped up the back at the Broome Cable Beach CP in 2000 when I noticed a bloody great Winnebago (or perhaps a Swagman) MH painted in the same maroon & gold colour scheme as my GQ Patrol. That's what first caught my attention.
When it came around the corner I saw that it was towing a trailer carrying a stretched version of a matching maroon & gold GQ just like mine.
What a rig. Perhaps the largest that I've seen except for a giant 5th wheeler that I saw last year in the Showgrounds at Goondawindi. It was pulled by a Road Train sized Prime Mover & would have needed it too.
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 23rd of April 2020 10:54:01 AM
jade46 said
10:50 AM Apr 23, 2020
Kortmar Towing is no issue. You really don't know the car is there and virtually no difference in fuel consumption. My hesitance was in the cost of the A frame
-- Edited by jade46 on Thursday 23rd of April 2020 10:51:39 AM
Peter_n_Margaret said
11:37 AM Apr 23, 2020
Kortmar wrote:
Thanks Peter & Margaret - I suppose the accessibility tradeoffs come up against less creature comforts? We can go most places in our Nissan Civilian (except proper 4WD tracks) - got out to Birdsville easy enough in the dry & did quite a few km on the Oonadatta track but thinking in WA for a longer period in a few years, wonder what we might miss out on with a bigger rig & no smaller car.
You will miss all of that and the hundreds of other places like them.
If it is extra comfort that you are after by going bigger, your towed 4WD (if you had one) has none of those so is only good for day trips.
We find that we don't need a big vehicle to have all the comforts and conveniences, but we do need some generous load capacity that enables us to carry lots of fuel, water, luxuries and toys, with lots of solar so we can run all of those luxuries. Where we can go is much more important than having space to dance inside. In addition, our touring costs are lower because we NEVER need a caravan park, a generator, a show ground or any external services and we are never too big to get a spot in a caravan park (many big rigs are) or a shopping centre car park.
Create a budget of what this new rig will cost to set up and then compare that with a serious make-over of the Civilian with all the bells and whistles.
It is a capable rig. You might be surprised.
Cheers,
Peter
Brownie 64 said
06:19 PM Apr 23, 2020
We have a Esperance & flat tow a Grand Vitara 3dr & also have a ebike on a rack on the back of the MH, firstly we use the GV for all our shopping sightseeing etc once set up at camp. Sometimes if we are moving less than around 30ks to a new camp we dont bother to connect up & the wife just follows & we have done this also with long steep mountain ascends/descends.
The A frame set up has been trouble free for the past two years & I do spray the pivot points with silicon regularly, on the downside, you cant reverse when connected & we really havent had a problem with that either.
I certainly dont consider the ebike as secondary method of regular transport & they are not a replacement for a motor cycle as sometimes the shops etc arent just around the corner. Mine weighs in at around 30kg & has a selective 250/500 watt motor & it gives me a huge amount of fun when riding it as well as the exercise component, however it does take the two of us to lift it on & off the rack but with little difficulty.
We didnt chose a trailer because its another annual rego, weight factor, extra maintenance & something else to find room for.
At the end of the day it will come done to personal preference, we love our little 2015 Grand Vitara & are happy with the set up.
bgt said
11:25 AM Apr 24, 2020
We started with a 35ft motorhome without any other means of transport. 35ft was too big to go anywhere to see things. So we purchased a small car and flat towed it. We visited every nook and cranny we could with that small car. Then we converted a 55000# tour bus and towed a Rodeo. The Rodeo was great. Then we purchased another 40ft and again towed a small car.
The pros - you can see an awful lot with a small vehicle that you can't see with a large motorhome. You can go for a drive and your motorhome is all set up waiting for you when you get home. Doing the shopping is way easier in a small vehicle.
The Cons - you can't get into many campground with a large motorhome towing a vehicle. The cost of the A Frame can be a rip off. Two insurances and two registrations. City traffic can be 'interesting!!!" Are you prepared to leave your motorhome in a rest area while you go off in your tow vehicle?
We now own the smallest simplest campervan we could get with a bathroom and toilet. Simple reason being that I'm getting too old and grumpy to camp in rest areas or truck stops. Hooking up and unhooking gets tiresome after awhile. Navigating a large motorhome in a campground ain't fun especially when they ask you to pay for 2 sites.
My advice is as follows. Under 30ft forget the towed vehicle. Just be sure you have milk before you set up campsomewhere out of town. Over 30ft you will see half of bugger all because you are too limited without a towed vehicle.
See my Avatar for our last rig with towed vehicle. We LOVED that motorhome but the size really handicapped where we could camp.
gold dandelion said
09:05 PM Apr 24, 2020
I bought my wife an E-bike, you can a good one at auction for about $1k, does about 40k's on a full tank. 3 speed with gears.
wendyv said
05:25 PM Apr 25, 2020
We changed from the 4WD and offroad van we'd travelled with, for years, to a Coaster based motorhome. Did not intend to tow anything again. After our shakedown trip with the bus, went and bought a Daihatsu Terios and had Ready Brute hitch fitted. It had just been too much of a hassle to put in the awning, pack away the outdoor furniture, disconnect the water, power and sullage, put down the aerial every time we wanted to go find somewhere to run the dog, or buy a few things at the shops, or go for a sightseeing drive.
Was the best decision we'd made. The Terios enables us to explore little bush tracks, with the bus parked up somewhere as a base, while we explored.
Found flat towing the little vehicle was totally different to towing the caravan. Without a rear view camera, you wouldn't even know it was there.
The hitching process with that brand is easy. I can unhitch the car in no more than 3 minutes, by myself. Probably takes 4 minutes to hitch up, max - again, by myself. Reason it takes a bit longer is that it is quicker to pull out electrical plugs than put them in!
My husband and I are still a couple of years away from upgrading our small bus (Nissan Civilian) to a larger size rig (Winnebago or similar) for longer trips but we are seeking feedback on if its worth towing a small 4WD or not?
For those that have a larger size rig that don't tow a smaller vehicle - what were the things you wanted to do and couldn't do because you didn't have a smaller vehicle?
For those that tow a smaller vehicle - is it worth the hassle of towing it or could you have done without it?
We have thought about a small motorbike or moped in a smaller trailer instead (along with our pushbikes and the extra stuff we don't want to carry in the RV) and just hire a 4WD locally if we need it for specific trips - thoughts?
I would appreciate your feedback.
Regards
Lyne
Sorry couldn't resist. This one has a trailer with a 4wd on the back.
Don't forget you'll need to charge it - it takes a lot of energy to push a person and bike around at 60?kph and if you're off-grid that will be an issue.
We tow a small car behind a 28ft MH after trying all the other options. Ebikes are heavy to load on/aff a rear rack and are a lot of rearend weight on the MH as well. Hireing a car sounds good but really only available in larger towns very rare in country towns. Getting the wife to tagalong in her car was ok. She could go shopping while I parked and set up the MH. A good brand of A Frame is around $5000 and that buys a lot of fuel for wifes car but she compained about missing the experience in the MH. A car on a trailer is a problem in Caravan Parks with the extra vehicle i/e MH trailer and car also the extra weight of the trailer. So there is my 2bobs worth.
-- Edited by jade46 on Thursday 23rd of April 2020 08:30:46 AM
Cheers,
Peter
The ebike was another consideration - keen for feedback on them too.
Thanks Jade46 - think I would tire quickly of driving behind (hubby is happy doing majority of driving & I am happy to let him. ) but that is a pretty clear cost comparison between towing & driving behind. Presumably you find it easier / more convenient not towing? Noted about the ebike weight - think that idea was in a smaller trailer.
Thanks Peter & Margaret - I suppose the accessibility tradeoffs come up against less creature comforts? We can go most places in our Nissan Civilian (except proper 4WD tracks) - got out to Birdsville easy enough in the dry & did quite a few km on the Oonadatta track but thinking in WA for a longer period in a few years, wonder what we might miss out on with a bigger rig & no smaller car.
Noted about charging the ebike Mike. Its all just a starting conversation & very glad for all the feedback from everyone!
Sorry if a bit off topic but like Whenarewethere, I couldn't help myself .. sorry no photo unfortunately ..
We were camped up the back at the Broome Cable Beach CP in 2000 when I noticed a bloody great Winnebago (or perhaps a Swagman) MH painted in the same maroon & gold colour scheme as my GQ Patrol. That's what first caught my attention.
When it came around the corner I saw that it was towing a trailer carrying a stretched version of a matching maroon & gold GQ just like mine.
What a rig. Perhaps the largest that I've seen except for a giant 5th wheeler that I saw last year in the Showgrounds at Goondawindi. It was pulled by a Road Train sized Prime Mover & would have needed it too.
-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 23rd of April 2020 10:54:01 AM
Kortmar Towing is no issue. You really don't know the car is there and virtually no difference in fuel consumption. My hesitance was in the cost of the A frame
-- Edited by jade46 on Thursday 23rd of April 2020 10:51:39 AM
You will miss all of that and the hundreds of other places like them.
If it is extra comfort that you are after by going bigger, your towed 4WD (if you had one) has none of those so is only good for day trips.
We find that we don't need a big vehicle to have all the comforts and conveniences, but we do need some generous load capacity that enables us to carry lots of fuel, water, luxuries and toys, with lots of solar so we can run all of those luxuries. Where we can go is much more important than having space to dance inside. In addition, our touring costs are lower because we NEVER need a caravan park, a generator, a show ground or any external services and we are never too big to get a spot in a caravan park (many big rigs are) or a shopping centre car park.
Create a budget of what this new rig will cost to set up and then compare that with a serious make-over of the Civilian with all the bells and whistles.
It is a capable rig. You might be surprised.
Cheers,
Peter
The A frame set up has been trouble free for the past two years & I do spray the pivot points with silicon regularly, on the downside, you cant reverse when connected & we really havent had a problem with that either.
I certainly dont consider the ebike as secondary method of regular transport & they are not a replacement for a motor cycle as sometimes the shops etc arent just around the corner. Mine weighs in at around 30kg & has a selective 250/500 watt motor & it gives me a huge amount of fun when riding it as well as the exercise component, however it does take the two of us to lift it on & off the rack but with little difficulty.
We didnt chose a trailer because its another annual rego, weight factor, extra maintenance & something else to find room for.
At the end of the day it will come done to personal preference, we love our little 2015 Grand Vitara & are happy with the set up.
The pros - you can see an awful lot with a small vehicle that you can't see with a large motorhome. You can go for a drive and your motorhome is all set up waiting for you when you get home. Doing the shopping is way easier in a small vehicle.
The Cons - you can't get into many campground with a large motorhome towing a vehicle. The cost of the A Frame can be a rip off. Two insurances and two registrations. City traffic can be 'interesting!!!" Are you prepared to leave your motorhome in a rest area while you go off in your tow vehicle?
We now own the smallest simplest campervan we could get with a bathroom and toilet. Simple reason being that I'm getting too old and grumpy to camp in rest areas or truck stops. Hooking up and unhooking gets tiresome after awhile. Navigating a large motorhome in a campground ain't fun especially when they ask you to pay for 2 sites.
My advice is as follows. Under 30ft forget the towed vehicle. Just be sure you have milk before you set up campsomewhere out of town. Over 30ft you will see half of bugger all because you are too limited without a towed vehicle.
See my Avatar for our last rig with towed vehicle. We LOVED that motorhome but the size really handicapped where we could camp.
Was the best decision we'd made. The Terios enables us to explore little bush tracks, with the bus parked up somewhere as a base, while we explored.
Found flat towing the little vehicle was totally different to towing the caravan. Without a rear view camera, you wouldn't even know it was there.
The hitching process with that brand is easy. I can unhitch the car in no more than 3 minutes, by myself. Probably takes 4 minutes to hitch up, max - again, by myself. Reason it takes a bit longer is that it is quicker to pull out electrical plugs than put them in!