Flat tow recommendations

Longtimebald · Member

Flat tow recommendations

Dougwe · Chief one feather

How,

Welcome to the gang, enjoy here and out in the playground.

May I suggest you type "Tow Systems" into the search bar above, there might be some helpful info there as it has been discussed on the forum before.

Other than that, someone will come along soon with some info I'm sure.

Longtimebald · Member

I'm about 10 mins old on this. It may take a little working out. It looks like a great place here!

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Above just under all the block adds there is a blue bar, click on "search" type your question and enter then see what comes up.

kandagal · Guru

We have successfully flat towed our Suzuki for 6 years with a hitch-n-go.

earthbound55 · Member

Hi longtimebald. I just got the hitch n go installed on my car, I was looking at the roadmaster tow hitch, another US based one similar to the Demco but was warned by someone that the US ones may not have Australian engineering certification and if there was an accident of some sort that I wouldn't be covered by insurance. Don't know how true this is, but would definitely be worth asking about before buying. The hitch-n-go comes with an Australian engineering certification which they recommend carrying with you at all times.

billeeeeeee · Guru

Howdyeeeee we bought this Gypsy dolly yesterday , this is the best , for us ,,,,,Billeeeeeee

Longtimebald · Member

We did ask those questions and were assured that it complied with all engineering requirements flat towing. They have a really informative webite too.

Longtimebald · Member

billeeeeeee wrote:
Howdyeeeee we bought this Gypsy dolly yesterday , this is the best , for us ,,,,,Billeeeeeee

We have thought about one of those but storage maybe a problem for us.

billeeeeeee · Guru

Longtimebald wrote:
billeeeeeee wrote:
Howdyeeeee we bought this Gypsy dolly yesterday , this is the best , for us ,,,,,Billeeeeeee
We have thought about one of those but storage maybe a problem for us.

Planet Beautiful is our Garage,...... Billeeeeeee

Mike C · Senior Member

Its a complex minefield out there and there are many differing opinions.
I did a lot of research and concluded the following..

In all states its the GVM of the car you are towing that matters.
This can greatly effect your choice as regulations change once over 2 ton particularly in respect to braking and break away devices.

Each state varies in what's allowed and what certification is required with NSW being the most strict.

You need to comply with the rules of the state you are registered in.. as part of the federation you are permitted to travel thru other states on your home states rules.

All manufacturers have something to say about the competition and as usual its often exaggerated.

Do your homework.. I visited a well known caravan/motorhome supplier in Victoria for a quote and they proudly showed me photos of a brand new Suz GV 4 door being towed on a hitch and go with override brakes.
I said I thought the GVM was around the 2100kg which is higher than the then 1900kg max of that A frame plus you need brakes controlled from the drivers seat? There response was that as there are no passengers in the car it will weigh less than 1900kg so all is fine.... As I said above its the GVM that the regs go on (right or wrong that's what the law says)

We bought a 2 door Suz GV to stay under the two ton
We fitted it with the roadmaster product plus the invisi brake system plus the breakaway. (I prefer the telescoping arms for easy hook up however each to their own choice)

As best as I could determine this complies with Victorian legislation and if I am pulled up in another state I will deal with that issue then.

Good luck with which ever way you go.

Cheers

Mike

Longtimebald · Member

We were told you go by GVM also. We would like the telescoping arms as it looks easier to hitch up.

Woody n Sue · Guru

Mike c I read with interest your comment ,

You need to comply with the rules of the state you are registered in.. as part of the federation you are permitted to travel thru other states on your home states rules.

But I doubt very much that this is the case, certainly with heavy transport it is defiantly not the case .

also the GVM Gross Vehicle Weight of the towed car is not the real concern in this case it is the actual weight as towed

that is the GVM may be 2100 km this is the max that this car may weigh on the road the car and it's load including the passengers

however this my not be reached most of the time and if not is somewhat irrelevant what matters is that the weight on the dolly and it's GVM that is your limiting factor, and then to not exceed your tow vehicle GCM Gross Combination Mass

shekon · Guru

Hi, I am having my towing arms fitted on Wednesday to tow my little Suzuki. A frame with telescopic arms. I have seen one on the back of a MH and the gentleman kindly showed me how to it worked and then made me hook and unhook it, to make sure I could handle it all. Easy peasy.
I am having it fitted by saftowing on the Gold Coast. All compliance plates will be done, I see they are opening in Melbourne next year.
I will post pics on Wednesday after the surgery.

www.saftowing.com is their website.

Good luck with it all.

Mike C · Senior Member

Woody n Sue wrote:
Mike c I read with interest your comment ,
You need to comply with the rules of the state you are registered in.. as part of the federation you are permitted to travel thru other states on your home states rules.
But I doubt very much that this is the case, certainly with heavy transport it is defiantly not the case .
also the GVM Gross Vehicle Weight of the towed car is not the real concern in this case it is the actual weight as towed
that is the GVM may be 2100 km this is the max that this car may weigh on the road the car and it's load including the passengers
however this my not be reached most of the time and if not is somewhat irrelevant what matters is that the weight on the dolly and it's GVM that is your limiting factor, and then to not exceed your tow vehicle GCM Gross Combination Mass

You are correct with respect to heavy transport as national regs apply.

I questioned Vic roads about the need to comply with NSW (they require a NSW engineers certificate) and was advised of the travel rights.

With respect to the GVM my advice from Vic Roads was simply that they cannot determine the actual weight only the manufacturers specified maximum weight (GVM). I was advised if an inspector pulls me up they will use the GVM to determine if the setup is correct and legal.

I agree that its the weight that matters and if your gear can handle 1900kg and the car weighs only 1800kg it should be safe however my advice was that the GVM would be the deemed weight and if that exceeds the capability of your system you could have issues if pulled over for inspection.

My view was to simply play it safe and follow the advice provided by the authorities (even if it seems nonsensical with respect to GVM).

cheers

Mike

goldcoaster · Senior Member

We have been using a Hitch n Go now for 5 years and has been a good system . However I do like the ones with telescopic arms , probably easier to hook up for one person.

ken thomas · Guru

Billeeeeee I think you have got the wrong size for Jules, she looks lost on it
Ken

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Might try one of those for my Mrs too.. Aha... Sorry Mrs Bileee...

Dougwe · Chief one feather

shekon wrote:
Hi, I am having my towing arms fitted on Wednesday to tow my little Suzuki. A frame with telescopic arms. I have seen one on the back of a MH and the gentleman kindly showed me how to it worked and then made me hook and unhook it, to make sure I could handle it all. Easy peasy.
I am having it fitted by saftowing on the Gold Coast. All compliance plates will be done, I see they are opening in Melbourne next year.
I will post pics on Wednesday after the surgery.

www.saftowing.com is their website.

Good luck with it all.

I hope it's only a very short recovery time Shekon and you are back being a real nomad and not a make believe one in a big house. Mmm I will be a make believe one in a couple of weeks but only briefly.

wendyv · Guru

I did a lot of research on this when setting up the Coaster and Terios.

As Mike says above, you really need to understand the rules relating to the weight of your towed vehicle and the weight of the one you are towing with. I believe that many people who flat tow are probably not legal, because of this. My "dream" was to buy a new diesel small 4WD to flat tow - because we were used to having a 4WD to explore with, and our camping style with previous van and Defender, tended to be to park up in a place and thoroughly explore around it. But I could not make the weight ratios fit that initial dream.

My preference was to buy Australian for a hitch, if possible. But in the end I decided the Ready Brute hitch was better suited to my needs - telescopic arms, vehicles do not have to be on totally level ground to hitch up, has a braking mechanism, it is light and easy enough for me to hitch up by myself - and does not take long, the arms fold up out of the way behind the bus when not attached to Terios - so hitch stays on bus and does not occupy extra space on site, extremely well engineered. Of course, all that comes at a price. We have now done two trips with this rig - one of them 4 months up almost to Cairns - and I am very happy that the right choice was made for us.

Longtimebald · Member

Hi there, we are looking forward to checking out the setup. Think we will have it fitted in the Melbourne in the new year.

Longtimebald · Member

shekon wrote:
Hi, I am having my towing arms fitted on Wednesday to tow my little Suzuki. A frame with telescopic arms. I have seen one on the back of a MH and the gentleman kindly showed me how to it worked and then made me hook and unhook it, to make sure I could handle it all. Easy peasy.
I am having it fitted by saftowing on the Gold Coast. All compliance plates will be done, I see they are opening in Melbourne next year.
I will post pics on Wednesday after the surgery.

www.saftowing.com is their website.

Good luck with it all.

Hi shekon, how did all go with the tow bar fitting today. we were told buy a fitter down south that it is a 3 day Job. we will need to rent an apartment as we will have no where to stay when we have ours fitted.

Mike C · Senior Member

The majority of the time is the fitting and wiring to the Toad. (Towed Vehicle)
I our case I left the Suzie with the fitter for 3 days then turned up with the motorhome on the forth where he wired in the invisibrake warning light to the dash hooked up the Toad and tested..
So the motorhome was only there for a few hours. This assumes that you already have a suitable tow bar and trailer plug installed on the motorhome.

Cheers

Mike

-- Edited by Mike C on Wednesday 29th of October 2014 06:06:57 PM

shekon · Guru

Had surgery done and completed today on Miss Daisy and Seedling. All went well and the time taken was around 3.5 hours. I already had the electricals and tow bar fitted. Easy to operate and tow. I have never towed before, so around the block we went and so easy because the just follows unlike a trailer. Turned left and right and did a u turn all good. There a little loss of power on take off and hills, all to be expected.have to say just quietly, I am a little bit chuffed with myself.

shekon · Guru

Oh you do need to make sure the tow bar is the correct height from the road if having it fitted. Would suggest ringing them and having a chat. Lovely guys to deal with. What I really liked also was they spoke to me as the owner not my son, he was included but questions and explanations to me. Find a lot of mechanical places will speak to the man no matter what. No biggie just the nature of the beasts.
Saftowing.com, this is all they do. Flat towing.

shekon · Guru

This is what it looks like unhitched

frangipani · Guru

biggrin biggrin biggrin WOW well done Sharon, looks great, you will know have more freedom to go where you want., great about the guys actually seeing you and speaking to you, so it should br your the one that will be doing the driving. Happy travels . - Fran

Longtimebald · Member

shekon wrote:
Had surgery done and completed today on Miss Daisy and Seedling. All went well and the time taken was around 3.5 hours. I already had the electricals and tow bar fitted. Easy to operate and tow. I have never towed before, so around the block we went and so easy because the just follows unlike a trailer. Turned left and right and did a u turn all good. There a little loss of power on take off and hills, all to be expected.have to say just quietly, I am a little bit chuffed with myself.

Wow! Looks good. Is it complicated to use? Maybe not a good question. I remember picking our MH early this year.

Mike C · Senior Member

Looks like a real neat unit... well done and enjoy the additional freedom it will give you.

Cheers

Mike

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Very neat and tidy looking unit there Shekon. I hope you have a great time playing with the new set up in the playground. I'm sure you will.