Hondas capable of being towed

I am in the market for a new vehicle, and part of my requirements are that the vehicle be able to tow a small trailer, and at other times be towed itself (as in behind an RV). According to Motorhome Magazine, the only Honda capable of being towed is the CR-V.

Does anyone here know of other Hondas that are towable. I need to be able to tow the vehicle with four wheels on the ground using a tow bar. Thanks...

Reply to
lanman
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lanman cried out

Reply to
Rosco

Why not use a cradle, or trailer? Surely would be easier on the vehicle.

Reply to
flobert

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You certainly can't tow a CR-V (AWD version) with two wheels down. It's either four down or all four up. I'd think an RV forum would be the best place to SEARCH this one out. google.com is handy too.

'Curly'

Reply to
'Curly Q. Links'

With trailers or dollys attached to a Class A or C RV, backing up is extremely difficult. Then there's the problem of having to manually wrestle with it because tight camp sites don't allow sufficient room to back up. Plus many camp sites only allow room for the RV and one vehicle, so a trailer would have to be parked elsewhere.

Reply to
lanman

But you can take the vehicle off the trailer or dolly once you arrive at the camp site and park it in the campground's parking lot. you don't need the trailer or dolly once you're at the site.

I've also seen people slide the tongue of their dolly under the back of their RV and only add 2 feet to the length of the parked vehicle.

Jon

Reply to
Zeppo

I've towed a Honda behind a rental truck on a couple of occasions. In my experience, tow dollies are best left for short local trips and yes, backing up should be avoided with a dolly if at all possible. However, I was moving and I've had to tow a car about 700 miles. A car carrier was the only way to go. With the car in tow up off the ground, backing up is the same as it is with any other trailer. The car is also more secure. I got about 150 or so miles into the trip with a tow dolly when one of the straps broke. I didn't discover it until I had to stop at a gas station so for some unknown number of miles I was towing the car by only one wheel. I got things temporarily reset and returned the dolly for a carrier and I'm not planning on making that mistake a second time. Fortunately, the car did not seem to be harmed by this experience.

Eric

Reply to
Eric

That creates a potential theft problem. (I guess you could put a boot on one of the wheels, though)

I thought of this, but my wife thought it was more than she could handle. :-) But seriously, the problem of backing up with a dolly is problematic. I've never tried it myself, but I've been told it can be a nightmare by friends with experience. Thus, a tow bar on a vehicle that can be towed with four wheels on the ground seems to be the best option for me.

Reply to
lanman

Then take some lessons, and practice. Dunno why there seems to be this prevelent attitude in the US against taking a smarter option if it means taking some lessons - I've seen it happen in lots of areas.

Or, gee, I dunno, we used to just pick ours up and put it on its sidelean it aginst the RV, not a problem. And this was a big one, for towing 2-3 ton of Millitary vehicle.

i have always wondered about flat-towing, and reversing though, mainly because i've never seen it done anywhere except the US (and I've only been here 3 years). Does seem overly harsh no the vehicle, and i am wondering how steering control is done (so as not to scrub hell out of the front wheels) - this would natually relate to backing up and where the pivot point(s) would be located.

Reply to
flobert

I'm thinking a trailer at the end of a 40' Class A motorhome would not be the same as any other trailer. Plus, this is the least desirable option for me because of the weight and size of the empty trailer, and the problems of maneuvering and storing the trailer in a small camp grounds. In some places, you're fortunate to get enough room just for the RV.

The car is also more secure. I got about 150 or

I would not anticipate a problem with the front wheels off the ground. It's trickier with four-down towing because of front wheel drive or AWD. Plus, you don't want to be racking up miles on the odometer while you're towing.

Reply to
lanman

Not sure, but I'd think the odo would not run up with ignition off, at least on the non-mechanical ones.

Reply to
Doug McCrary

I tow my 2003 CR-V four down. No problem, and it's OK to do in the manual.

Check with Honda to see if the '06 is the same.

Never try to back up!

Run engine to recharge batteries every 8 hours of towing.

Shift from DR to NEUTRAL before towing!

Other questions: The car follows the RV very well, little or no "scuffing" if turns are made wile moving. I don't even know it's back there and have to be careful when passing other vehicles.

Costs me about 1 to 2 MPG, and have to give a little more room to stop.

Then take some lessons, and practice. Dunno why there seems to be this prevelent attitude in the US against taking a smarter option if it means taking some lessons - I've seen it happen in lots of areas.

Or, gee, I dunno, we used to just pick ours up and put it on its sidelean it aginst the RV, not a problem. And this was a big one, for towing 2-3 ton of Millitary vehicle.

i have always wondered about flat-towing, and reversing though, mainly because i've never seen it done anywhere except the US (and I've only been here 3 years). Does seem overly harsh no the vehicle, and i am wondering how steering control is done (so as not to scrub hell out of the front wheels) - this would natually relate to backing up and where the pivot point(s) would be located.

Reply to
d_waite

Reversing is as easy as going forward, for people with dexterity, skill and ability.

Why recharge the battery? It wouldn't be any different than having the towed vehicle sitting in a driveway overnight.

A very obvious statment. How many people tow vehicles in Drive or Park? Perhaps remind people to release the parking brake, while you're at it.

Most vehicles and trailers give little indication of being behind the towing vehicle when everything is correctly hooked up.

A minor expense and common sense.

Reply to
Brian Smith

Do you say this due to the difficulty of backing up or because of the possibility of damage to the CR-V transmission and/or AWD? Also, what type of tow bar do you use?

I found out recently that Motorhome Magazine runs an annual list of autos, trucks, and suv's that are capable of being towed. The 2006 CR-V was the only Honda on the most recent list. I did not check previous lists. Thanks for respsonding with your experiences.

Reply to
lanman

Brian,

  1. Have you ever towed four down? Try backing up a tow vehicle when the towed vehicle is on all four wheels. Let me know how you do!

  1. The ignition switch has to be in the "#2" position so the steering wheel lock is off. This discharges the battery! Do you leave the ignition switch on, with the vehicle in neutral over night?

  2. If the transmission is shifted from R to N, the transmission will be damaged. I don't know why, but have never tried it!

  1. Yes, towing involves common sense. I hope you never have to tow anything.

  2. Thank you for your reply, I hope you have learned to think before you reply to things you know nothing about.

Reversing is as easy as going forward, for people with dexterity, skill and ability.

Why recharge the battery? It wouldn't be any different than having the towed vehicle sitting in a driveway overnight.

A very obvious statment. How many people tow vehicles in Drive or Park? Perhaps remind people to release the parking brake, while you're at it.

Most vehicles and trailers give little indication of being behind the towing vehicle when everything is correctly hooked up.

A minor expense and common sense.

Reply to
d_waite

Backing up a vehicle that is four down will harm the front end of the car. I don't think it's possible to back it far enough to hurt the transmission. (I never have tried.)

I have a Blue Ox tow bar, goggle "Blue Ox" tells you everything you need to know. Note: When I purchased the baseplate for my CR-V, Blue Ox called me twice to ask if everything went well installing it. Very nice people to work with!!!

Only one problem, I did have to upgrade the hitch pins. ----- Original Message ----- From: lanman Newsgroups: alt.autos.honda Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 11:23 AM Subject: Re: Hondas capable of being towed

Do you say this due to the difficulty of backing up or because of the possibility of damage to the CR-V transmission and/or AWD? Also, what type of tow bar do you use?

I found out recently that Motorhome Magazine runs an annual list of autos, trucks, and suv's that are capable of being towed. The 2006 CR-V was the only Honda on the most recent list. I did not check previous lists. Thanks for respsonding with your experiences.

Reply to
d_waite

Yes I have. No problems.

It would be easier to disconnect the battery when the key is left in the ignition switch for towing, than charging the battery needlessly.

What's your point?

I don't tow anything very often, just fifty three foot trailers and Super B Trains.

Well, you're pretty much out to lunch with those comments. {;^)

Reply to
Brian Smith

Once you buy the car it's your car you can do with it, as you please.

Honda is not in the business of testing their products for use with uncontrolled aftermarket devices. The exception was the CR-v. And, in the end it was learned that customers would not follow the procedures 100% of the time. That one time they fail to do so; boom! goes automatic transmission.

Tow dolly or trailer is best; second best is manual trans. As I recall the BlueOx company has just what you need to tow a CR-v...

-- Tp,

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Reply to
TomP

Reply to
Matt

Perhaps true - but until such time as car manufacturers make cars that never break down, then every car manufacturer must provide instructions on how their vehicles may be safely towed.

The exception was the CR-v.

Of course this begs the question - why the CR-V and no others? With so many cars sharing platforms now, there would seem to be a possibility that there might be others.

And, in the end it was learned that

Thanks. I'll check them out.

Reply to
lanman

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