Motorhome Car Towing Yes or No
We have just purchased our first Motorhome 
and cannot decide if the addition of a car to be towed is worth the expense. I would value
your thoughts,as it is a lot of money to spend unless the majority of you say that you cannot do without it.
Comments
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If depends his big your MH is as much as anything. We had a 25ft MH which was a pain to take places so towed a car on a trailer. That, too, was a pain and hassle and I doubt an A-frame would have been much better. Now we have a 21ft MH and can take it most places. We take no other form of transport with us and, as yet, have had no need to use public transport. We plan to hire a car if the need ever arises.
I'd recommend trying a couple of trips to see how you get on before making any decision, JJ.
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horses for courses....some will drive larger vehicles than those mentioned by TW on an everyday basis....going out from site and just coping with whatever onstacles they come across...
continental visitors tend to do this as, back home, this is exactly what they do.....after all, MHs have engines and are for driving.
OTOH, some will find this process too full of hassle....tricky driving, tricky parking etc....so look for other modes of getting about.
these range from busses to electric bikes to Shanks' Pony....
as TW says, I would play it by ear a bit before diving in and spending a load of cash on a car/trailer...
one thing is true though, if you tour overseas, you will find driving and parking your van a lot easier, with many stopping places close to town/city centres.
good luck with whatever you decide....
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Agree, you need to do a few trips first to see if is worthwhile. A car does give you more options but comes at a price. I have had a toad for many years as our hobby takes us to places where there is no public transport. I can choose though when to take
it and take bikes when I don't. Sometimes I take both. Towing a car on an A frame in Europe is a no no but really there shouldn't be a need. It's OK in the UK. Putting a car on a trailer also has its problems.0 -
That is a great help. The Motorhome we have purchased is a Bailey Autograph 765 which is 24'5" so from what you say long enough without the add on especially in areas like Cornwall. I will try the Rig out without a tow and see how I get on.
I am pleased to note that France should be easier
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That is a great help. The Motorhome we have purchased is a Bailey Autograph 765 which is 24'5" so from what you say long enough without the add on especially in areas like Cornwall. I will try the Rig out without a tow and see how I get on.
I am pleased to note that France should be easier
The big consideration, JJ, is how you would get around the narrow Cornish lanes for sightseeing rather than your overall length on a decent road. We take a car as well in Cornwall and drive in convoy but, in our case, we're only travelling an hour from home. A car has it's uses but the question is whether they justify the towing of a toad.
Try it and see how you get on, as you said.
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I think it depends on the nature of your touring. If you want to stay on countryside sites or CL's then perhaps a car might be useful. What we tend to do (we have a Bailey 740, which is the same size as yours) is to look for sites that are within easy reach
of good local transport or walking distance of habitation/places of interest. Its surprising how many sites there are. The problem wanting to tow a car is not so much the actual process of towing behind the motorhome either on and A-Frame or trailer but the
fact that it then becomes a compromise of what car you have as inevitably if you tow its going to be one of the smaller cars on the market which might not fit into your non motorhome life, assuming you only want one other vehicle. If you can manage with a
smaller car fine. As others have suggested perhaps try a couple of trips without and see how you feel. An alternative is to hire a car if you are staying anywhere for a reasonable length of time.David
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, Hmmm, I see it's the " TOAD " season again !!To TOW :-
Present tense-----Towing.
Past Tense --------TOWED
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A MH towing a car is an alternative to car and caravan but gives more options.
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If you end up towing a trailer with a car on I've always thought you may as well have a caravan
Yes but!!! Whilst I don't tow a car, if I did I would have the choice of either taking the car or not. I could base the decision on what type of trip I was going on. As a caravanner that is a choice you don't have. When we changed to motorhoming three years
ago I am just about getting used to the idea of not having a car. Anyway I have been told by a greater authority that I am not allowed the tow a car
David
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So far this year I have done 2 trips with car, 1 solo and 1 with bikes. My next trip is sans car, just bikes again. Lots of choice.
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a further issue....bailey (Autograph) MH are amongst the widest on the market at 2.42m....yes, they are roomy inside but you will be aware of that extra bulk, especially in Cornwall.
most 'std' width coachbuilt MH are 2.35m (ours is 2.27m) with some modern 'slim' coachbuilts at 2.12m so perhaps a look at some of these might help with the dilema?
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We have a Bailey 625, we sometimes take my Kia Picanto on an A frame, sometimes OHs scooter on a small trailer, sometimes 2 ebikes and sometimes just the motorhome onits own, lots of choices. Do try it first though before laying out more expense.
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It's usually accepted that the towed car is a toad, JJ.
When we had a toad it was green - very fitting.
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Jeep Wranglers are popular toads in US! Green or otherwise!
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If you end up towing a trailer with a car on I've always thought you may as well have a caravan
Write your comments here...Agree
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We have a 7.1m Pilote MH and get to most places we want to go. We use CL Sites, Pub Stops, Car Parks and Roads. You would have trouble with a car in tow. We also have bikes on the back ( electric ) which we use. Cannot really see why anyone would want to
tow a car unless you want a Static Motorhome with the awning pegged down just like a caravan.0 -
We have a 7.1m Pilote MH and get to most places we want to go. We use CL Sites, Pub Stops, Car Parks and Roads. You would have trouble with a car in tow. We also have bikes on the back ( electric ) which we use. Cannot really see why anyone would want to
tow a car unless you want a Static Motorhome with the awning pegged down just like a caravan....we have ebikes on the back too, it depends on where we are going what we take. In September 2014 we spent the month in France with just the bikes had a great time. September 2015 we went to France and Spain for 11 weeks, we took the ebikes and the scooter.
When we go to see the kids who live in Wiltshire we take the car on the back as its more convenient, horses for courses, again so many choices
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We have a 7.2 metre Autotrail and we tow a small car on an A-Frame and it works well for us It only takes us 10mins to set the frame up and hook the car on to the motorhome. We find it good having the car as many places dont have parking for our van
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Jeep Wranglers are popular toads in US! Green or otherwise!
I don't think Jeep Wrangler and green belong in the same sentence.
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Oxymoron CY?
You're not describing the drivers of them, are you?
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Jeep Wranglers are popular toads in US! Green or otherwise!
I don't think Jeep Wrangler and green belong in the same sentence.
Ours does, it runs on LPG! That's the 4.0 litre one, so equivalent to nearly 40 mpg. The other one however............!
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, Oh ,!! You mean" Don't cut accross others pitches ",therefore tripping/kicking their guy ropes ?? !!.
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