What is the best option to tow Grand Vitara 3Dr?

[karena]

We are buying a Longreach Motorhome and would like to tow a Grand Vitara 3dr. Has anyone got any suggestions for the best way to do this?

[Chuck]

Two choices Karen,

Trailer or A-frame.

Initially I leant towards the trailer, couldn't see the point of dragging my 99 GV 5 door around, wearing out the tyres/bearings etc.

Then I looked at the Tilta trailers... http://www.tiltatrailer.com.au/ Figured a single axle would do the job - 300kg in weight (forget the $$$) but our GV weighed 1500kg so needed the tandem - 500kg which meant towing 2T. Not real happy with that scenario - (apart from the $$$) - my Winnies was an 08 Iveco/Leisure Seeker 4cyl 3L TD.

So we ended up going with the A-frame.

Chose 'Ready Brute' & smiled all the way after that.

One other negative factor with the trailer is if you want to use van parks, some will only permit the car or the trailer on the site with the MH. Worth thinking about. But with the trailer reversing is not a problem where it is - sort of - with the A frame. You cannot reverse up a hill or around a corner but you can down hill &/or in a straight line.... slowly!

Hope this helps.

[Craig]

I have a fully enclosed trailer behind our Winnebago Alpine and as we are full time on the road the additional storage space is a huge advantage. In the last 4 plus years on the road we have never had any restrictions placed on us with the trailer or car. We try not to stay in c/parks these days but still do depending on circumstances. We have on a couple of occasions been told we would have to pay for two sites. I refuse to do that and tell them thank you but no, On one of those occasions they re-evaluated their offer and only charged us for one. I suppose it is better to have the money from one site rather than nothing.
We don't get any wear and tear on the car or anything else in the trailer. No stone chips, no broken windscreens, no tyre wear on the car, no accidental leaving the car in gear and destroying the engine and gearbox etc. I should point out we carry a large motorbike cruiser, a porta-bote and outboard, a Suzuki Jimny, fishing gear, golf clubs, hoses, a ladder, and all the other crap I really should try to off load . The trailer loaded weighs in at just under 3000kg and we average 20 litres per 100km.
I you are just using the MH for short trips you can get away with just the "A" frame but if intending to go for longer or full time travel then you should consider a trailer.

regards
Craig

[themackas]

Personal choice really. We debated over an a frame or a trailer, and also picked the trailer, as we have the suzuki grand vitara, the tinny, the tinny trailer,the bimini top, the outboard motor, a roof rack ,pole holder, and tool box all fitting on the tailer.

[TigerMK1]

I am starting to wonder the advantage of flat towing. We bought a Hitch & Go a frame complete with toad fittings for a suzi sierra. Contacted the supplier about attaching the a frame to our Daihatsu and was told yep, new toad kit at $1,980. More than it cost for the complete a frame. May get out the cutter and welder and make the existing one work.

[John M]

After a fair bit of thought and discussion in the early days, we went the trailer route, and have no regrets, the extra storage on the trailer is a big plus, as well as the simple fact that trailer tyres are around $60 each (even cheaper if you buy second hand) whereas tyres for the Suzy are closer to $200 each, I know which ones I would prefer to wear out. Then after seeing a Suzuki being towed down the Gateway extension with clouds of blue smoke streaming out behind, from the front tyres being jammed at full lock and being skull dragged along the highway, and a couple of Forum members (three I think it was in one year) blew motors from accidentally knocking the toad into gear, and then wondering why the bus wasn't pulling as well as normal. It doesn't take many incidents like these to impress on my mind the odds of them happening, and the costs incurred to realize the value of the trailer.
Yes my trailer did cost me $3000 but that is a once only cost, and yes annual registration is now $170 a year in Queensland and a full overhaul of the brakes and new wheel bearings, cost about $400, after 3 years travel around 50,000 km, all told the trailer has not been any problem.