Hitch Rating

[DaveJ]

Hi there,

Got another question for the experts:

My 91 Land Yacht MH manual says that the tow hitch is rated at 2000 lbs. My '87 Honda Accord weighs about 2400 lbs. I really want to tow it and was wondering why the rating for the hitch would be so low. (My Honda has a hitch too and it's also rated at 2000 lbs). So that makes me wonder if the low hitch rating is based on things other than the strength of the hitch itself. Could the low rating be based on how much work the engine/tranny can do or how strong the MH's brakes are?

I'm hoping that if I were to augment the toad's brakes with an automatic gadget that pushes the brake pedal inside the car, that it will make it possible to tow the car even though it exceeds the hitch rating. Also I've heard that the tranny coolers help when towing. So those two things are things I plan on adding if it turns out that I can tow the car afterall.

Is there any hope for towing this car? BTW: It's a manual trans, so I don't think the tranny will be an issue based on what I've read.

Also, I was wondering where the best place to buy a tow-bar is.

Thanks!

Dave

[thenewkid64]

Dave,

The rating you are referring to is the amount that Airstream retained for towing a car when fully loaded. It adds to the Combined carrying weight. That is the weight of the coach dry, all the liquids, water, gas, tanks, and the "stuff" you bring along on your trip.

You hit the answer in one regarding the brakes and tranny cooler. Add a tranny cooler, and get a Brake Buddy or somtimg like it and you should be fine with your honda. I towed a saturn sl2 behind our 76 and it was rated for 2K as well. I did have a trans cooler and a brake buddy. The unit will like it if you run with less stuff in it too. BTW your honda weighs 2568 if it is a DX.

The tow bar issue is one that I have been thru. If you are looking to go cheap I would reccomend the RV rummage sales at some of the larger RV based communities in your area. I got a 4000LB Stomaster for $50.00 at one and it works fine. It is not the newest model, but it works. The baseplates are a diffrent story. If you are going used get the bar first then the baseplates. You may have to go new on the baseplates,I did.

The other option is to checkout www.hitchtrader.com They have folks selling many different kinds of bars. Ebay works too, but do your research before you bid.

I would also check the owners manual of the car before towing it 4 down. Some of the hond manual transmissions were not all the manual and you could do damage.

[DaveJ]

Thanks Brett. I feel more comfortable on the reason for the rating and I think I can keep the gross weight down. Just carry less people. :-)

Is the Brake Buddy the favorite of most people you know? The issue of the brake controller is the one that puzzles me the most. There's quite a few different ones and a lot of them look like a bunch of parts in the photo. The brief descriptions of each is not much help. I saw one called an Apollo that runs off the cig lighter in the car and pushes the brake pedal. What I don't understand is how these things work when there's no power coming from the engine....to operate the power brakes. AND I wonder how long the car battery will power the little compressor in the Apollo. And the photo of the Apollo doesn't show how the unit keeps it's position on the car floor, IOW what keeps it from pushing itself away from the pedal...etc.

If the Brake Buddy is the one people recommend, then I can save myself having to decide on a bunch of unknowns.

Regards,
Dave

[thenewkid64]

Dave,

The issue of toad braking is almost as hot as a Coke vs. Pepsi debate.

There are 2 camps.

One is for proportional braking. The toad brakes are applied with a force equal to the force being applied to the MH. You brake hard the toad brakes hard, you brake soft the toad brakes soft.

The other camp is the non-proportional group. This is a system where the unit does not apply the brakes until it senses the need for it and then it is 100% on full brakes. This is how the Brake Buddy and I think the Apollo works.

Both systems apply enough pressure to overcome the lack of a brake booster.

I am very happy with my Brake Buddy and have high praise for it. I am also a weekend camper. If I full timed and the toad was my only vehicle I would consider the proportional system.

Why, you ask. Well the proportional system has to create less stress and wear on the brakes in the car. Just because of the differences in operation.

The biggest benefit to the Brake Buddy is the fact that it can be easily moved from car to car. Many of the other types have to be professional installed and de-installed so trading up is an issue.

How do it do what it does?

The BB has a small air compressor and a reservoir tank that actuates the brakes. The trigger is a sensor that detects changes in inertia. Based on the sensitivity setting it will kick in sooner or later based on the braking of the MH.

The way that it stays in place is that you attach it to the brake pedal and move the seat up to hold it in place. When it actuates it pushes back against the seat.

The draw off the toad battery is not huge, but you will want to be sure you have a good battery before using the device in your car. As you have a Honda you will also need to wire in a live 12 VDC outlet that is on even when the key is off. The main draw is on start up and I normally do that when I still have the car running.

[wb13798]

i think the brake buddy system is great. i looked at others about 2 years ago and i setteled for the brake buddy. going from one vehicle you will have a different set up but basically it is the same. this past weekend my brake buddy was messing up. today i called tech support and they told me what the problem is and how to set up and clear the problem with the new vehicle. great support. look on ebay if you decide to pick one up. a dealer in pegion forge tn has a good deal on the brake buddy.lol
al