Trailer Toad

[Richard320]

Riding down the freeway this morning, we passed an RV pulling a pretty big toy hauler. I was in the passenger seat (wife's car) so as we went by I noticed a dolly between the two. No, not a little girl's toy, but an axle not unlike the ones truckers use to turn a semitrailer into a drawbar trailer. It happened too fast to get a picture.

Anyway, I did some googling and discovered it's called a Trailer Toad.

I never saw one before today, so I have no idea if they work well or if they're legal without a commercial license or what, but it did look like a solution for all the people here who find themselves fighting the battle of tongue weight versus load capacity. A picture I found online:

 

[DanRam]

Very curious about that, added to watch list

 

[devildodge]

I am actually surprised these have not skyrocketed in popularity.

I have seen them for towing 5th wheels also.

Just scares me as that means people will tow even bigger...and 2 more tires to blow

 

[SpeedyV]

I am actually surprised these have not skyrocketed in popularity.

I have seen them for towing 5th wheels also.

Just scares me as that means people will tow even bigger...and 2 more tires to blow

These look like a great idea.

However, I’m curious about how these are “sprung”…as that axle location means a very short fulcrum to the hitch, which would put a lot of stress on said hitch if you hit a significant bump.

Maybe someone with firsthand experience can chime in…

 

[nc_beagle]

Not sure if this is any more legitimate, but it's similar: https://www.safetytowingsystems.com/

 

[DomW]

I wonder how this Toad changes the backing up handling. Like making a sharp turn backing into a driveway? Would the wheels drag sideways or are they like caster wheels?

 

[cj7]

My first reaction was: wow, that’s cool.
After I read all the stuff on their website, and a couple Utubes, I’m not sure anybody other than motorcoach owners should consider this.

Here are a number of additional risk factors introduced.
- serious side loading of the receiver. So much so, they basically say you should run their stabilizer bars to avoid “stretching out” your receiver opening.
- significant sway risk, if not perfectly set up, esp if you add the rear extension so you can make wide turns
- lack of DOT or any other cert. Not that it’s necessary, just reflects the fact tnat all their testing is done by their and their customers use.
- backing is complicated, no matter what they say about how well the Dual Reverse Pins lock the axle to the tow vehicle.
- the axle width is the result of a no-win compromise: narrow is good for turns and bad for stability. Wide is good for stability and bad for turns.

Bottom line: I bet there are one or two specific uses cases that justify all the kludges needed to make it work, but I wouldn’t want one. Nor would I want to be the Toad manufacturer’s liability insurer. Somebody’s gonna die from this, and then the Toad is toast.