Technical | 49 caravan or fifth-wheeler in the first place. What that overlooks, amongst other advantages, is the primary safety aspect. A big motorhome towing a small car is much safer than a small (or large) car towing a big caravan, should something go wrong. A secondary safety consideration is having two independent motor vehicles should one breakdown or need to go in for repairs or servicing while travelling.
American Made
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risbane-based Northcoach RV Equipment is a specialist importer and fitter of the two most recognised American brands of A-frame towing systems: Ready Brute and Blue Ox. They also have distributors in all States (though not the ACT or Northern Territory) who supply and install their systems.
Previous Page: Excited owner Maria with partner Phil. Above: A-frames are highly specialised towing systems that are becoming increasingly popular.
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-frame towing – also known as flat towing because the frame is ‘flat’ (parallel) to the road – is an American norm rapidly gaining popularity in Australia. In the United States many motorhomes seem to be used as mobile vacation homes and at a destination they can sit for weeks or months while the owners run about in their car. American motorhomes are often much larger than their Antipodean counterparts, hence the love affair with the ‘dinghy’ car towed behind (sometimes known as a Toad in Australia). However, ‘Toads’ are becoming an increasingly common sight on Australian roads as their advantages become better known and motorhome sizes and towing capacities increase. There’s a school of thought that says if you want to take a car you’re better off towing a
Just before Christmas I stopped by for a chat to get the low-down and watch a new installation taking place. “The Blue Ox and Ready Brute systems are very popular in Australia and their adjustable arms are a major attraction,” said Northcoach proprietor Mark Blyton. “The arms adjust in and out, left and right, and up and down. That means when you’re ready to connect to the A-frame your car doesn’t have to be perfectly square with the back of the motorhome and just the right distance behind it.” “The A-frame’s adjustable arms make hookup as simple as possible. Once connected the arms are fully extended by driving the motorhome forward and locked into position. Your car then ends up sitting straight behind it. We sell a lot of these to single women because it’s so simple to use and the whole thing only weighs a manageable 18 kg,” Mark explained. Hooking up to a non-adjustable A-frame requires perfect alignment behind, and spacing between, the towing and towed vehicles. It’s rather like connecting a car and caravan. Also,