Bill
Senior Member
Site Team
RV LIFE Pro
I have an odd question, directed at the towing experts on the forum.
Here on “the beaches of Maine”, as listed in my sig line, we live on quiet dead-end street. It is about a half mile long, dead flat, one and a half lanes wide, and truly a dead end. The entrance is boldly signed “RESIDENTIAL AREA, DEAD END, NO TURN AROUND”. Despite the signs, a few times a year a big motor home with the inevitable toad comes chugging on down the street, just quietly rubbernecking, until he gets to the end of the road and realizes he is in trouble.
At that point, the driver has only one solution. No one can back a motorhome and toad down a half mile of narrow street, so he has to disconnect the toad, back it into somebody’s driveway, reverse it out, drive it away a bit, then back the motorhome into somebody’s driveway, pull it out onto the street again, hook up the toad again, and drive out. Then wave cheerfully to the neighbors, and go on his way. It’s a slow process, not pretty, and of course he blocks the residents’ access to their homes, as well as emergency vehicles, for the half hour that it takes to do this.
It happened again Friday. The biggest motorhome I’ve ever seen, with a four-door Jeep Grand Cherokee toad, 4-wheels-down, came snarling on down the street (nothing this big “chugs”). When the owner figured out he was in trouble, he reluctantly made the standard exit maneuver. Disconnect the toad, move the vehicles separately, reconnect them, and drive out. As usual, it blocked the road for about a half hour.
As I watched, a question popped into my mind. No one can back up a long tow vehicle (the motor home) with a short trailer (the toad). But consider an 18-wheeler. It is a short tow vehicle (the tractor) with a long trailer (the box). We have all marveled at the fact that the driver can back that rig anywhere, but it works for him because the tow vehicle is short compared to the trailer. Would that work here? Why not simply put the motor home in neutral, making it the trailer? Fire up the toad, and either use it push the motor home (effectively backing it) into someone's driveway, or let it pull the “trailer” down the street and into the chosen driveway. Then reverse the roles again and let the motorhome pull the toad out into the street and back to the starting point.
As long as the toad is four-wheels-down, it seems that it should be quick and easy. Any thoughts as to why I should not recommend this to the next prideful cowboy who comes be-bopping down the street with his plush motorhome and his toad?
Bill
Here on “the beaches of Maine”, as listed in my sig line, we live on quiet dead-end street. It is about a half mile long, dead flat, one and a half lanes wide, and truly a dead end. The entrance is boldly signed “RESIDENTIAL AREA, DEAD END, NO TURN AROUND”. Despite the signs, a few times a year a big motor home with the inevitable toad comes chugging on down the street, just quietly rubbernecking, until he gets to the end of the road and realizes he is in trouble.
At that point, the driver has only one solution. No one can back a motorhome and toad down a half mile of narrow street, so he has to disconnect the toad, back it into somebody’s driveway, reverse it out, drive it away a bit, then back the motorhome into somebody’s driveway, pull it out onto the street again, hook up the toad again, and drive out. Then wave cheerfully to the neighbors, and go on his way. It’s a slow process, not pretty, and of course he blocks the residents’ access to their homes, as well as emergency vehicles, for the half hour that it takes to do this.
It happened again Friday. The biggest motorhome I’ve ever seen, with a four-door Jeep Grand Cherokee toad, 4-wheels-down, came snarling on down the street (nothing this big “chugs”). When the owner figured out he was in trouble, he reluctantly made the standard exit maneuver. Disconnect the toad, move the vehicles separately, reconnect them, and drive out. As usual, it blocked the road for about a half hour.
As I watched, a question popped into my mind. No one can back up a long tow vehicle (the motor home) with a short trailer (the toad). But consider an 18-wheeler. It is a short tow vehicle (the tractor) with a long trailer (the box). We have all marveled at the fact that the driver can back that rig anywhere, but it works for him because the tow vehicle is short compared to the trailer. Would that work here? Why not simply put the motor home in neutral, making it the trailer? Fire up the toad, and either use it push the motor home (effectively backing it) into someone's driveway, or let it pull the “trailer” down the street and into the chosen driveway. Then reverse the roles again and let the motorhome pull the toad out into the street and back to the starting point.
As long as the toad is four-wheels-down, it seems that it should be quick and easy. Any thoughts as to why I should not recommend this to the next prideful cowboy who comes be-bopping down the street with his plush motorhome and his toad?
Bill
