In xB owner named Will Williams emailed me about fabricating a base-plate to tow his 2005 xB with manual transmission behind his motorhome. Has anyone done this yet or can offer some advice?

Darren

i assume he wants to tow it four down? (read not using a dolly)

i was looking into this a while ago, but stopped.

there is a universal bracket that would need to be mounted behind the bumper. i forgot the manufacture.....

There is a guy that has an xB that works across the street from me, and I know he tows his behind his 40' motorhoe all the time. Last week he we heading down to the palm springs area for golf. I'll try to find out what where and how when I see him again.

There are several outfits who build towbars for various cars and I would be surprised if one of them hasn't built a towbar for the xB yet. The best bet is to contact an RV vendor who caters to Class A motorhomes. Even if a towbar does not exist off the shelf yet, all it takes is $$$ to fabricate one.

Right after the xB was introduced I went to a party at an RV park and the full-timers were all over the xB. The first question was "can you flat-tow it?"

One thing that I would suggest before towing as a really good full-width flap or shield for the tow vehicle. The front end of the xB is really fragile to rock chips.

George

Here's a bracket made by an outfit called "Roadmaster":

http://www.roadmasterinc.com/bg_/img/385_w45.jpg

Here is their page:

http://www.roadmasterinc.com/

You have to look under Toyota, not Scion.

George

I've towed flat behind motorhomes for years and have always used Blue Ox products by www.aemfg.com located in northern Nebraska.

Presently I flat tow a 2005 xB behind my 40 foot Ultimate Freedom with a Blue Ox base plate and Alladin tow bar. The base plate has the removeable pin points so you don't have to drive around with them installed. The Aladin is the lightest tow bar they sell and will tow up to 5000 pounds, more than enough for our xB's. But light enough to easily remove and stow. Very simple and reliable on/off.

You do have to cut out most of the lowerest grill on the front to accomodate the base plate and the pins. I also bought from aemfg and had installed a dedicated lighting circuit to the rear tails. They drill a mount hole within the taillights (I have the clears) and mount an extra bulb to run off the RV lights That way I didn't have to muck with any of the xB lighting electronics.

I tow flat down with the manual out of gear and the hand brake off and the ignition key turned BETWEEN the initial key in position and the ACC on position so as to unlock the steering wheel. Also as general precaution whenever I stop for a break or gas I turn on the xB and let it idle just so as to warm everything up.

Check out Blue Ox tow products at their website at www.aemfg.com and they have a list of local installers who can rig you up.

Expect to drop about $1500 for the base plate, Aladin, tail light kit, installed, along with two safety chains and a coilled connection cable from your rig to your toad...

RVAugs

I've towed flat behind motorhomes for years and have always used Blue Ox products by www.aemfg.com located in northern Nebraska.

Presently I flat tow a 2005 xB behind my 40 foot Ultimate Freedom

What do you do to protect the front of the xB? Shield, flaps?

On my RV I have a mud flap that goes across the entire back of the bumper. keeps most of the meduim and big stuff off. I've never actually seen any chips although towing through winter I've got road salt on the car and had to be careful rinsing it off. Blue ox makes additional attachments to keep off small to medium stuff, but it's a real pain in the ___ to put on and take off.

AdHocAugs

Do they make a rig to tow the motorhome behind the Xb? Then, the motorhome might draft well enough to keep my back window clean.

Sorry, graveyard shift... lack of sleep.. and humor...

Thanks TBDAugs, I've had cutomers ask me about flat towing the xB and now I have a response for them.

what about a wheel dolley?

that would save the transmission

also dont flat tow an automatic for too long.

There are several options and all have pros and cons:

Flat tow:
Advantages: Cheapest, least extra hardware,
Disadvantages: Wear and tear on car's drivetrain, cannot back up.

Dolly:
Advantages: Less wear and tear than flat tow, can tow car with automatic transmission
Disadvantages: More hardware and weight, cannot back up, must be stored when not in use

Trailer:
Advantages: No wear on car, can tow car with automatic transmission, can back up
Disadvantages: Most hardware and weight, additional registration fees, hardest to store when not in use.

One idea I saw years ago was that of a square tubular towbar that extended all the way to the rear of the towed vehicle (a Honda 600 coupe) the towbar was attached to the motorhome and the Honda was driven onto it. A boat trailer roller mounted under the front subframe of the Honda rolled up the towbar, lifting the front wheels of the Honda off the ground. The rear end of the towbar was then lifted and latched to the rear bumper of the Honda via a simple lever device. Another latch secured the front of the Honda to the towbar once the rear was attached.

The result was that the front wheels of the Honda were now off the ground, so the car rode on its rear wheels only. About half of the weight of the front of the Honda was supported by the hitch, while the rest was supported by the rear wheels. Since the car was unloaded this did not overload the hitch or rear suspension.

The really cool thing about this setup was that it was super stable to tow with the CG well ahead of the rear wheels of the car, and it was as easy to back up as a regular trailer. Thus you got the towing advantages of a trailer with the lower cost and storage problems of a flat-tow towbar. The tow bar weighed about 100 pounds but was relatively easy to trundle around with a small built-in wheel.

Considering the monster size of some motorhomes these days, I see no reason why this could not be done with a Scion. The tongue weight would be a bit less than 1000 pounds which wouldn't exceed the capabiities of most Class III hitches. The short rear overhang of a Scion would make it ideal for this method of towing.

Problem with anything other than a flat tow, is that you are always dealing with another piece of equipment to have to park, store, or carry as weight. That's not trivial if you are spending the night at most RV parks and spending considerable dollars on diesel.

Most larger Coaches, as do I, just flat tow. When I was racing Mini Coopers I would tow on a trailer, which was great, but it cost 2 mpg...instead of 8 with the flat tow, I'd get 6... and took up considerable storage space, and didn't fit into any but the largest pull thru campsites.

BTW, you cannot back up a flat tow either. Must disconnect.

All these years of flat towing vehicles I have never experienced any accelerated "wear and tear" following the Honda prodecure of idling the car whenever you stop for a break. This is manual of course. You do of course put on mileage on the odometer...

I've got a jpg to send to someone of my RV with Scion attached, if anyone can tell me where to send it. It's not posted on any website anywhere and I'm not interested in doing that. But will certainly email

FMCAugs

Awesome!! I have been looking all over for this info. I dont know why I didnt look here in the first place!! SL rocks!!

Hi all:
I purchased my base plate from Demco, it matches the tow bar I have from Demco.
Cost shipped was $307.00, installation was $100.00.

I have a stick shift 2006XB, all ready and waiting to hit the road.

Trying to find a sign for the back window on the XB "caution, I'm pushing this RV as fast as I can"

No you cannot tow a XB automatic tranny, all 4 down unless you install a driveshaft disconnect or a transmission cooler.
eddy

Trying to find a sign for the back window on the XB "caution, I'm pushing this RV as fast as I can"




:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

thats freaking funny...... i wanna see a pic of that if and when you get the sign.... I would think Kinko's (or other printing/copy place) could make you a small sign to hang in the rear window for not too much $$$ or maybe just get some of those larghe "window cling" letters and put it on yourself....
also.. should add "thank you for your paitence" to the end...lol

Trying to find a sign for the back window on the XB "caution, I'm pushing this RV as fast as I can"




:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

thats freaking funny...... i wanna see a pic of that if and when you get the sign.... I would think Kinko's (or other printing/copy place) could make you a small sign to hang in the rear window for not too much $$$ or maybe just get some of those larghe "window cling" letters and put it on yourself....

I have a plotter and plenty of vinyl... I have white, black, blue, orange etc... I will make one for you free... we need to see a pic here though... PM me your shipping address etc... cool!

I love that idea! I know if I came up behind an xB with that sign in the rear window I'd laugh myself silly. :lol:

Maybe "Please be patient" rather than "Caution" might be better?

___________________
| PLEASE BE PATIENT |
| I'M PUSHING THIS RV |
| AS FAST AS I CAN |
----------------------------


Now all you need is a crash test dummy sitting in the driver's seat. :P

Saw an xB being pulled behind a huge RV yesterday. They were using a tow dolly. Didn't get a chance to peek inside to see if it was an automatic.

The dolly tipped the car up a bit, which made the rear apron clearance a bit less. You definitely don't want to straddle anything with this setup!

[quote=fasteddy]
Trying to find a sign for the back window on the XB "caution, I'm pushing this RV as fast as I can"



[I have a plotter and plenty of vinyl... I have white, black, blue, orange etc... I will make one for you free... we need to see a pic here though... PM me your shipping address etc... cool!

Steve, I am calling you, to see if its possible for you to do the sign.
Thanks eddy eddyduvall@aol.com

I love that idea! I know if I came up behind an xB with that sign in the rear window I'd laugh myself silly. :lol:

Maybe "Please be patient" rather than "Caution" might be better?

___________________
| PLEASE BE PATIENT |
| I'M PUSHING THIS RV |
| AS FAST AS I CAN |
----------------------------


Now all you need is a crash test dummy sitting in the driver's seat. :P

Ton, space is a premiun so "please be patient" is a bit long,,,I think?
eddy
eddyduvall@aol.com

"PATIENCE"

"PATIENCE"

Tom, works for me,,,
Now if Steve sees the suggestion,,,
eddy

:rofl:

... Presently I flat tow a 2005 xB... ... as general precaution whenever I stop for a break or gas I turn on the xB and let it idle just so as to warm everything up...

Why do you have to periodically warm up the xB's engine while towing it?

Ok, I came across this thread because I am about to start towing the xA this year, I bought a Brake Buddy, and a Blue Ox tow bar that I will be installing as soon as it gets above freezing here!

Anyway, the reason you need to idle the car when it is in tow is to circulate the oil in the transmission. If you look in the owners Manuel you can find out a lot about this in the "Dingy Towing" section.

Knowing me...I would much rather spend a few hundred and get a tow dolly....

that way, the ONLY wear and tear on my precious will be the back tires.

At least idle is only 0.3 GPH.

I used to tow one of my cars, but it was, thankfully, a stick, so there weren't the problems one can run into with an automatic.

I agree with Toaster: I'd be very partial to using using a tow dolly to save wear and tear on the xA.

Tom

I agree with Toaster: I'd be very partial to using using a tow dolly to save wear and tear on the xA.

Once you get onto a tow dolly, which are generally sized to larger cars, it isn't much further to a small car trailer. The weight would be pretty much the same, no wear and tear on towed vehicle, and you can back up.

http://www.bigtextrailers.com/spec/60tp.html

ganassi racing used to pull an xB behind chips bus a few years ago
they had a pretty easy set up
the tow bar attached right to the front of the box

OK. after doing a bunch of digging I finally retrieved this....
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/saddlesore_2006/DSC02740.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/saddlesore_2006/DSC02743.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g87/saddlesore_2006/DSC02746.jpg

The owner lives in New Mexico, pulls his box into old Mexico each year.
he also said that he got the tow mounts from Toyota dealer in NM.
The dealer went to Toyota (japan) and Toyota does make a mounting kit for the Scion's that are compatable with the Blue OX.
hopes this helps

as for a rear sign...."Push Car" or "APU" ?

Needed on the xB's rear window:

"Please be patient, I'm pushing as fast as I can"

(And a dummy sitting in the drivers seat...) :D

Tom

wait so when people flat tow vehicles they leave the steering unlocked? and it just goes straight no matter what eh? yeah wow. that's insane.

i'd get a dolly.

wait so when people flat tow vehicles they leave the steering unlocked? and it just goes straight no matter what eh? yeah wow. that's insane.

i'd get a dolly.
when you tow four on the floor, you must leave the steering unlocked.
if you dont, when the big guy up front turns, the tow vehicle will be pushed and pulled from side to side. this will scrub away the tires...(been there done that)

it will follow the direction of the motorhome (it has no choice, its being pulled there)

dollys are more for auto tow vehicles, the wheels on the ground will heat up the transmisson. with the car off and the motorhome blocking the air, this can damage some trannies.
also with dollys, they take up extra space when you get to the camp site....sometimes this is a problem.

Saddlesore, Thanks for Posting the pictures it all looks Great ... Dan

http://www.beachcombers.com/TOADtext.jpg

With an auto, the owners manual says not to tow an xB. As that has already been established here. :lalala:

I install tow bars for a living and have installed them on everything from hummers to corvetts to XBs. The manual xb and xa are both flat towable. at this point the auto is not. we are waiting for a company called REMCO to approve the use of their transmisson lube pump on them.this system uses the coaches power to run a pump which circulates the tow cars tranny fluid and makes it so you don't have to leave the car idling. This is an awesome system that i have literally installed over a hundred times on other vehicles.

The reason that alot of people stop and let their car idle at gas stations and such is that when the key is in the acc.or unlocked position their are random power drains from things like the clock and radio that drain the battery. idling the car keeps the battery from going completly dead. this can also be avoided with a battery disconnect.
If any one ever has questions on towability of a car different products availability or anything else related to this feel free to shoot me a PM as i am on a first name basis with most of the towing product companies, such as remco, roadmaster, demco, Blue ox, and superstop as well as others and i am always willing to lend a hand.

... when you tow... you must leave the steering unlocked... it will follow the direction of the motorhome (it has no choice, its being pulled there)...
wait so when people flat tow vehicles they leave the steering unlocked? and it just goes straight no matter what eh? yeah wow. that's insane. i'd get a dolly.
The car being pulled follows the tow vehicle because its wheels turn when the tow bar pulls it to the side. The wheels turn because they have caster or trail in their alignment. A small tow dolly adds 500 lbs to the 2,500 towing weight of an xB. Most cars and 4-cyl trucks can cope with 2,500 lbs even though they may be rated for 2,000 lbs, but it takes a full-size truck or a mid-size SUV to pull 3,000 lbs.

Keep in mind, too, that the requirement for having active brakes on what is being towed vary state by state.

For example, in my state (Washington) brakes are required on all trailers on all wheels. Under 3000 lbs not required unless trailer exceeds 40% of the towing vehicle gross weight. Some states require brakes with as little as 1500 pounds towed weight.

Tom

Keep in mind, too, that the requirement for having active brakes on what is being towed vary state by state.
There are about ten different towed vehicle braking systems that i have dealt with for this. the state patrol is really cracking down on this as well as the border patrol. I have had numerous customers turned around entering canada because they didn't have brakes on there tow car. I have a list of the exact regulations for each state as well as Canada if any one is interested.

Keep in mind, too, that the requirement for having active brakes on what is being towed vary state by state.

For example, in my state (Washington) brakes are required on all trailers on all wheels. Under 3000 lbs not required unless trailer exceeds 40% of the towing vehicle gross weight. Some states require brakes with as little as 1500 pounds towed weight.

Tom

In some states, a towed vehicle is not considered a trailer so you can tow a 2500 car without brakes even if they are required for a 2000 pound trailer. The state laws are truly Byzantine.