TOAD choice and Setup

In the early days of selecting a toad for 2351/E-450.  Would appreciate thoughts/advice, etc.  1.  Given our expected driving looking at Fiat 500 or Mini, manual trans, towing 4 down  2.  Ready Brake System with Roadmaster Baseplate  3.  Toad lights; magnetic or permanently wired into vehicle.

Many thanks, Mike

In the early days of selecting a toad for 2351/E-450.  Would appreciate thoughts/advice, etc.  1.  Given our expected driving looking at Fiat 500 or Mini, manual trans, towing 4 down  2.  Ready Brake System with Roadmaster Baseplate  3.  Toad lights; magnetic or permanently wired into vehicle.

Many thanks, Mike

You may want to check the FMCA Towing Guide. Also, be sure to check the owner's manual and don't trust what
a car salesman says about whether you can tow the car 4 down.

I agree with PawPaw. We used the Motorhome Magazine Dinghy guide to narrow down our choices then went to Subaru for a Forrester. The Subaru sales rep AND the sales manager for that dealer told us it couldn't be towed 4 down. I found the towing section of the Forrester manual and it indicated it could be towed. We contacted Subaru directly and they sent confirmation that it could be towed 4 down. If we had listened to the sales guy, we would have missed out on our chosen tow vehicle. I'm sure it goes the other way with reps telling people they can tow when they can't. This can change from model year to model year.

http://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/

Another note - somewhere on this forum it was mentioned that the Mini wasn't good for towing because it has such a narrow axle that it has trouble with the turns. I know others tow Mini's so it's just something else to clarify.

 We tow a 2012 Fiat  500 stick shift using Blue Ox 6k wgt tow bar and Patriot brake system. Set car in neutral, brake off, No key needed and tow away. No other requirements. Car is perfect to zip around anywhere in if just two of you. Got lucky. bought Fiat with full tow package, fully wired, and even bike holder for back end.

the FMCA guide is a great starting point.  I was looking at a Kia Soul and happened to touch base with KIA for another question.  They indicate the 2016 and 2017 Soul are no longer allowed for flat towing.  I am still waiting the results, but John at FMCA was very quick to jump in to get in touch with his contact to see why the story from Kia is different from what FMCA had been told. They work hard to make sure the guide is accurate but the companies might cross them up sometimes.

We have the same rig, 2351 on a 450 chassis.  We tow a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 4 down.  We have the SMI stay-n-play brake system and love it.  It takes us about 4 minutes to hook up or unhook.  We have almost 12k miles on the system and have no trouble.  We do have the steering kit on the Jeep.  We flip the 2 switches and pull the fuse when we are stopping for the night and then reset those in the morning.  We also have the permanently wired light harness.

No complaints from us on the system.

We tow our 2010 mini convertible four wheels down with a brake buddy and wireless tow lights.  Been across country twice with it behind our 2552 and two kids.  Tows like a charm.  I have my backup camera on all the time instead of just in reverse so that I can see the car.  This also helps with watching vehicles behind me and in the passing lane. Good luck.

We tow a 2015 Jeep Wrangler 4 door. We have a roadmaster set up and we have a roadmaster air cylinder installed in the 2910T as well so our set up remains as it was in the Class A we traded last April with Earl.  That has worked well so far. What we notice when we read the FMCA book as it comes out every year is that some car makes that worked last year are no longer good. The Mini that is being towed as a 2010 may be fine but they are not listed as towable now with 4 down. When we were looking at them the dealer was not aware of the requirements.
 The brake component is not generally an option. The weight of the vehicle was once the basic determining factor on installed
towing brake. States and Canada have requirements. Usually no brake is not consistent with state laws where ever you are driving.

We tow a 2015 Jeep Wrangler 4 door. We have a roadmaster set up and we have a roadmaster air cylinder installed in the 2910T as well so our set up remains as it was in the Class A we traded last April with Earl.  That has worked well so far. What we notice when we read the FMCA book as it comes out every year is that some car makes that worked last year are no longer good. The Mini that is being towed as a 2010 may be fine but they are not listed as towable now with 4 down. When we were looking at them the dealer was not aware of the requirements.
 The brake component is not generally an option. The weight of the vehicle was once the basic determining factor on installed
towing brake. States and Canada have requirements. Usually no brake is not consistent with state laws where ever you are driving.

While it is an excellent idea to have supplemental braking in a TOAD, it is not required in many states.  The roadmaster "guide to towing laws" is not technically correct and they refuse to notr that.  For example, in Colorado, a "trailer" 1,000# or more requires the "trailer" have its own brakes.  BUT, if you look in the Colorado traffic definitions you find a "trailer" is a *commercial* vehicle.  Farm and non-comercial towed vehicles are not included.  For example, a farmer pulling 6,000 lbs of hay on a flatbed doesn't have supplemental brakes.  A tow truck, towing a damaged car from a wreck... Doesn't have supplemental brakes added to the vehicle it is towing.

Roadmaster wants to sell supplemental braking systems, so they 'error' on the side of you having to add supplemental brakes.

Again, very smart idea to have them, but not always agsinst the law.