I may be purchasing a tow setup to pull a saturn; I will probably do '4 down' rather than dolly; I am interested in recommendations on best way to go towing with a Regency? tnx,

There's nothing wrong towing 4 down if the car is capable of it without heavy modification.

This might be your lucky day, I just saw this ad on CL that might have much of what you need on the cheap! http://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/rvs/2210978156.html

Here is a guide that will explain dinghy, flat, toad, towing. http://motorhome.tl.com/dinghytowingguide/

You need to check in your owner's manual or through the dealer to determine if your car can be flat towed. Most commonly they need to be either a standard transmission or 4 WD in order to disconnect the drive line while towed.

As far as brands for tow bars/adapters, there are only a few I'm aware of; Demco, Roadmaster, and Blue Ox. Check their websites to learn the better models. I have a Demco Aluminator. If buying used make sure the slides have been maintained (stainless is better) and there are no obvious fatigue or neglect issues.

Many states require supplemental braking in the toad and there are several approaches to that, the most common being a Brake Buddy device that applies toad braking. Cost new for each item in round figures Quality tow bar $1200, adapter to your car $400, Brake Buddy $900, installation of adapter and wiring, $400 for a total of approx. $2900. Compare this to a quality tow dolly with brakes at about the same price level new. A tow dolly has an advantage in that it will tow any front wheel drive car with no modification.

Hope this helps.

i tow my jeep with a 69 dollar towbar from ebay!hook lights and go! hmmm/.

Do you have a braking system for your toad?

I have been towing for over 20 years. My advice is forget the dolly. All our friends that have had them got rid of them after a couple of years.

If you have a normal Saturn it is probably towable. Check the owners manual to be certain. Also supplemental braking is only required on vehicles over a certain weight. In MN that weight is 3000 pounds. We have two vehicles we tow. The Tracker is about 2500 pounds and no braking required. The Suzuki Vitara is abut 3500 pounds and we have a brake in it.

With a little shopping you can cut way down on the price. I bought my base plate on the internet for under $200. A new Falcon tow bar from Roadmaster at Quartzsite was about $400. Bought a Roadmaster air operated braking system on ebay for $200.

quote:

I have been towing for over 20 years. My advice is forget the dolly. All our friends that have had them got rid of them after a couple of years.

Any reason why? I'm curious.

I don't currently have a braking system for my saturn, so I will look into this. tnx

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Carter:
I have been towing for over 20 years. My advice is forget the dolly. All our friends that have had them got rid of them after a couple of years.

quote:

Originally posted by Moonbeam-Express:
Any reason why? I'm curious.

One more thing to maintain, store, register - as we know, space is a premium in some sites too.

If I was a full timer, or one who used his rv enough to justify it - I would plan my next vehicle purchase to include a vehicle I could tow 4 down.

For someone thinking of looking for a used vehicle to tow 4 down, I would recommend a Chev Tracker or its Suzuki counterpart from the 2000's.
Cheap and cheerful, particularly useful in 4wd to travel the backcountry here in Arizona, and towing 4 down couldn't be easier because it has a transfer case.
Don

I had a 92 Geo Tracker. It had 318k on the clock when I junked it. It took a flood to kill that lil truck.

What about a Suzuki Samurai for a toad?

I have a '90 Isuzu Amigo 4 wheel drive and no one can tell me if it can be towed 4 down. Not even Isuzu.

quote:

I have a '90 Isuzu Amigo 4 wheel drive and no one can tell me if it can be towed 4 down. Not even Isuzu.


Mary

Mary,

You may have one of the worst vehicles made for Dinghy towing. Torque-on-demand 4WD requires BOTH driveshafts to be disconnected. Ouch

We bought a '99 Tracker last fall-- 4X4 2door 5spd standard. Works great-- just put sub-trans in neutral and tranny in 2nd.
The "toad" braking system made by SMI is run off the Barth air brakes system and provides proportional braking response to the Barth braking. Depending where you are, for a light vehicle like the 2 door Tracker, no auxillary brake is necessary, but my view is that brakes are a little like airfield runways, more is always better.

Bud

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Ray:
I have a '90 Isuzu Amigo 4 wheel drive and no one can tell me if it can be towed 4 down. Not even Isuzu.

Mary, I have the exact same vehicle a '90 Amigo, yes it has a transfer case but it has no "neutral" position to dis-engage the driveline. I have found a spot where the transfer case is dis-engaged but no way to prevent from re-engaging. I could "bungee-cord" the lever but--

Here is the bad news! The transfer case will not like being towed in the "neutral" position, it does not lubricate properly, I got this vehicle because I like the style and it is bigger then a Tracker. I posted all around and finally found someone that did in fact tow the Amigo and burned up the transfer case.

I am in the process of putting a Chev 5.3L V-8, 4L60E+Dana 300 transfer case in it. should be ready to go next year.

quote:

I am in the process of putting a Chev 5.3L V-8, 4L60E+Dana 300 transfer case in it. should be ready to go next year.

You are the personification of Dauntless! I so admire your ability, ambition and sticktoitness. You are awesome and when I grow up I want to be just like you.