For all my non-RVing readers--- a "TOAD" is an RV term for towing a vehicle behind your motorhome with a towbar setup. Our Geo Tracker is a nice little toad, lightweight and has a stick shift with manual dial out hubs to loosen up for towing (automatic hubs don't work)
Soooooo all the prep work has been done---
The tow base plate inspected, repainted, new bolts and put back on.
We lined up the motorhome and the Tracker out on the road in front of our house
Steve hooked up the tow bars, safety cables and wiring to the lights
I was in the inside of the toad, doing the parking break, key position, shifter and transfer case.
He tested the lights from inside the motorhome while I watched from outside behind the toad.
I had tied a white rag to the top center of the steering wheel, (tell you why in a little bit)
Then we double checked each other's tasks.... good habit to start!
He pulled ahead slowly while I watched for the two little levers to *pop* up ---
meaning the tow arms are engaged and working properly.
We are nice and level with the tow bar and do not need a drop down receiver.
We were ready to roll!
Our big TV inside over the driver's seat also is the monitor screen for our back-up camera. We can see the toad out back through the tv! (Our motorhome does not have a rear window) By tying the white rag on the steering wheel, the co-pilot can see the wheel turn as you go around corners and return back to the upright position again. If it does not return to the upright position, you know something is wrong and you should stop immediately to check it out. With the dark black interior of the Tracker, a white rag works well.
Here is my Steveio, piloting our rig and our toad down the country roads... the evening sun is coming in strong on his side, so that new window shade we installed on the side window sure came in handy! The camera only catches bars on the tv screen, but for sure it was a full clear picture as we were driving along.
We went around our big country block, which is a couple miles around. All went just fine!
We came home, reversed our procedure to unhook the toad.
And we made sure that we used the parking brake before unhooking.
Then once was all unhooked, we released the parking brake as I drove the toad back into our garage.
And we made sure that we used the parking brake before unhooking.
Then once was all unhooked, we released the parking brake as I drove the toad back into our garage.
The tow bar can stay locked on the back of the motorhome and swivel up and out of the way to one side.
And I had sewn a nice little vinyl cover for it when parked. Blue Ox wanted $48 plus shipping for one!
So there you have it---
We TOAD!
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