Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

This guide to "The Poor Man's Toad" is subtitled "How to get your toad on the road economically." Before describing the components, a brief explanation of the terms is in order for the non-RVers starting with, eh, "RV" which stands for "recreational vehicle" and includes motor homes ("MoHos") and travel trailers. Even pick-up trucks with camper tops that are actually used for sleeping are included in this category. An "RVer" is obviously one who uses an "RV" or more simply put one who "RVs."

Technically, the word is "towed" which is the truncated expression for "towed vehicle" -- that little tag-along car or SUV that is towed behind a MoHo for use once the RV is parked in the campground. RVer's have much more fun with the expressive term "toad," so it's fitting that we introduce an new acronym "towed often and driven" or "T.O.A.D." which shortens to "toad" in popular use. Remember, you heard it first here on Harbor Freight Reviews, the introduction of an original acronym justifying spelling and pronunciation of "TOAD" which would otherwise just be "towed" .

Toads are typically seen behind the larger, over 35' motor homes. They simplify touring an area or going out to eat where parking a large motor home can be an inconvenience to put it mildly. And of course they save on gasoline when touring from a campground base, and for "boondockers" they ensure that your camping spot won't be taken by some intruder while you're away exploring the area with your motor home on a day trip. Toads are sometimes also seen with mini motor homes, those less than 30' long, and perhaps a state or two allows toads to be pulled behind a fifth wheel (that's a special type of travel trailer for you non-RVers).

Components for "The Poor Man's Toad"

1. 5000-lb capacity adjustable tow bar ($49.99 or less),
2. 12-volt magnetic towing-light kit ($9.99), and (optional)
3. 12-volt portable electric winch or equivalent ($49.99).

So what's the purpose behind the optional winch? Well, that's really quite simple and rather ingeniously solves the common problem of hooking up your toad to your motor home. (Remember, you read it first on Harbor Freight Reviews.) Move your toad close to your motor home and then attach your winch to either the motor home (the Harbor Freight model listed above has a coupling to attach to your hitch ball; click here to read the review) or the toad. You might even consider a permanently mounted winch. Now simply winch your toad to the hitch on your MoHO (you did put the toad in neutral and unlock the steering column, didn't you?) and BINGO, you have a matching connection. This system could be particularly helpful when using the Harbor Freight tow bar which is rigid and thus requires a perfect match between the hitch ball on your MoHo and the tow hitch coupling on your toad. And the same approach (pun intended ) should also work well matching up any towed device that requires a perfect match with the hitch ball and coupler.

Bottom line: A quick and easy "poor man's toad" can be assembled from two Harbor Freight products: their 5000-lb tow bar and their 12-volt magnetic towing-light kit. Add an optional 12-volt electric winch to your set-up and you can align your vehicles even easier than most people using those expensive tow bars.

Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: 12-Volt Electric Winch
Item number: 39997
Retail price: $59.99
Frequent sale price: $49.99
Target price: $39.99 (with coupon)
Item Link

Rarely do we post an item which hasn't been thoroughly reviewed by us, but this winch is referenced in our commentary on The Poor Man's Toad and therefore we're relaying our initial impressions. We'll revise this "review" after we've fully evaluated the product.

This little gem mounts on your hitch ball and then winches up to 6000 lbs. from up to 30 feet away. There's probably a lot of uses for this type of portable winch (the only product on the market that we're aware of filling this niche), but one of the uses that really excites us is for lining up your toad to your motor home before hitting the road (see our description in The Poor Man's Toad). The winch should be capable of pulling most medium-sized vehicles and it's certainly adequate for our favorite toad, the Jeep Wrangler. It will also pull a maximum of 2,000 lbs. of dead weight, but in any case it's a slow go with a pulling speed of less than 2 ft. per minute.

Bottom line: Probably a great buy for a portable 12-volt electric winch, but we haven't yet completed our evaluation. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we don't get burned posting positive comments about this item before we've fully evaluated it.

Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: 5000-lb Capacity Adjustable Tow Bar
Item number: 94696
Retail price: $79.99
Frequent sale price: $59.99
Target price: $49.99 or less
Best price: $49.99 (with coupon)
Item Link

In an era when $350 seems to be the average cost of a tow bar, this $59.99 (sale price) tow bar stands alone as a real bargain. Well, it should be -- this is a simple, old-fashioned rigid tow bar without any of the fancy pneumatic arms that are seen on the newer upscale models. We haven't tested this tow bar towing over any great distance, but its simple design leaves little to go wrong. Be advised that "adjustable" refers to the distance between the mounting brackets on your towed vehicle (i.e., it's only "adjusted" once to fit the spacing on your mounting brackets) and that you must drill holes in a rigid member (have a steel bumper?) on your towed vehicle to mount the tow bar brackets. Add Harbor Freight's 12-volt magnetic towing-light kit and you're wired to hit the road.

Hint: A Jeep Wrangler works great as a toad. It's not only light weight, but it has a steel bumper for easily mounting a tow bar and the transmission has a true neutral (disengaged) position that keeps wear-and-tear down on your towed vehicle's drive train. Buy one used, use the set-up described here, and save lots of money on your toad.

What's a "toad?" See our brief explanation under our commentary on "The Poor Man's Toad."

Purchased on-sale armed with a 20%-off coupon, the $47.92 is actually lower than the best price we've seen this item available for even with a coupon. So, buy it on-sale with your 20%-discount coupon and come out a winner!

Bottom line: The best value in a rigid tow bar, bar none (oops, that pun slipped out ). Combine it with their 12-volt magnetic towing-light set and you have a "poor man's toad" for the best price anywhere.

Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: 12-Volt Magnetic Towing-Light Kit
Item number: 96933
Retail price: $29.99
Frequent sale price: $19.99
Target price: $9.99 (with coupon)
Item Link

With the summer well underway (or as my wife would remind me for those of us on a university academic calendar, "the summer is nearly over!"), it's time to roll out a couple of reviews for the RVers starting with this great buy on a towing-light kit. So time to "get your motors running, head out on the highway, looking for adventure, whatever comes my way"; gasoline isn't going to get any cheaper. And this item when matched up with a tow bar (such as Harbor Freight's 5000-lb adjustable tow bar) will, in RV parlance, help you get your "toad on the road" with enough money leftover to buy a couple of gallons of gasoline.

The kit comes complete with two lights that serve as rear lights, brake lights, and turning signals. It has a 20 ft. wiring harness with a standard 4-pin connector. It even includes a 4-pin connector and wiring instructions for your towing vehicle that are useful if you're not already wired for towing. The spacing between the two rear lights can be up to 7 ft.

Warning: Be sure to attach the lights to a clean, flat metallic surface and be aware that some reviewers have reported that these lights can be bounced off when hitting bumps on the road. The wires are also light-weight which isn't the best solution to tow-light wiring, but they are acceptable for occasional use.

Harbor Freight's 5000-lb tow bar makes a great companion and completes the "poor man's toad." Although this rig will get you on the road, it's still best as a temporary solution or for occasional use. At the $9.99 (with coupon) sale price, this item is an absolute steal. You might even buy one as a back-up for when your hard-wired set-up on your toad fails (this has been known to happen with an annoying frequency and could leave you stranded or at least motoring down the road illegally and unsafely).

The towing-light kit is on-sale or available with a coupon at our target price quite frequently, so don't get fooled by their advertised "sale price" of $19.99. Still a good price, but with the $10 bucks you save buying at our target price you can also walk out of the store with a set of their adjustable wrenches and even their 32-piece screwdriver set with a little change leftover.

Bottom line: A good, quick and inexpensive way to wire your towed vehicle or trailer for road use. Just make sure the magnetic bases on the lights are affixed to a clean, flat surface and watch out for those bumps.