Hummer H3 Alpha toad considerations

[phorner]

We are looking at a 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha as a replacement for our 2002 Jeep Liberty as a toad vehicle.

Although a little heavier, so far it looks like the Hummer will make a good replacement.

Anybody have any comments/cautions/advice for towing this vehicle behind the bus??

It looks like Blue Ox has a base plate kit that essentially replaces the front tow hooks with brackets used to attach the tow bar. Has anyone tried this?

Thanks for the input....

[Jerry Winchester]

Paul,

Our Hummer is a pretty good toad - easy to hook up, no steering wheel lock, shift to neutral is easy enough and it has good utility.

As a vehicle, it has been pretty marginal. Poor or should I say usual GM quality, orphan vehicle (Chevy dealers will work on it most times), so as long as you can buy one super cheap you should do well. We have replaced six different plastic body parts with several of them that were nice enough to fail under warranty. I am about to replace the windshield trim since both sides failed after changing out the glass. The replacement parts were not cheap but I did find one on eBay.

We use a Roadmaster base plate and an the AirForce brake system with lights added to tow rather than tying into the Hummer lights.

[phorner]

Jerry,

Thanks for the comments.

We found a real clean, low miles one at a pretty good price. My concern was with no "off" position for the key was ther an issues with the battery going dead without pulling a fuse?. If there is no steering wheel lock then I guess it's safe to simply put the transfer case in neutral, transmission in park, and go?

I'm also thinking of transferring my Airforce One braking system from the Jeep to the Hummer. Looks like it should be easy enough.....

[truk4u]

Paul,

Call me about your Jeep if you aren't trading.

[george frudakis]

I have an h3t alpha. 2009 orange, I love this truck. I purhase the h3t new from a dealer 4 months ago. I know it a 2009 for some reason they held this one because of the color. Price was 38k with 500 miles. I have not had any major problems. There are some small items that need to be taken care of but very minor. The 4 wheel drive system blend well to off roading and the easy of towing. The nice ride, with all wheel drive allow my hummer to respond like a sport car. I receive anywhere between 15 to 16 MPG. You may find a good deal on the ht3, 5 cly engine, but the ht3 Alpha bring the $$$. Happy hunting. Hope this helps. George

[Jerry Winchester]

Paul,

No fuse pulling or key wrangling. Just turn the key on, put it in Neutral, push the 4hi and 4hi loc buttons at the same time (hold until the red N starts flashing and then turns solid red), put it in Park, turn the key off and pull it out. You're good to go.

[rickdesilva]

Paul,
I have no dog in this fight but how about an asian built vehicle to pull behind your Canadian coach. Check out the Maine Pog event and I believe a Hyundai pulled a POG members Jeep out of the ruff. My personal preference is a Hyundai or a Subaru. However you should be able to cut a good deal on one since Hummer is out of business.

[phorner]

Rick,

Thanks for the input. I can just imagine how proud a Jeep owner must be asking ANYONE for a tow rope..... last one I saw had a "Hummer Extractor" bumper sticker.... guess they may want to re-think that one!

One of the vehicles I had to try hardest to get stuck was a '79 CJ5...

Then again, I managed to bury an M-60 tank up to the turret.... but that's another story...

[AmeriStar]

As far as a tow vehicle the H3 is great. That where it ends for me. The H3 has not been very reliable. the re-occuring issue for ours has been the front drive seals wearing out very quickly. Thaer has been some locking hub issues also.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Paul, I loved my little white H3 X Alpha, until I sold it and got an 08 H2 Hummer.

My H3 had 43K miles on it, and a little lady from Oklahoma flew down to pick it up and drive it home to her 6500 acre ranch.

I had the Blue Ox Base Plates, and recommend the Air Force One for aux. braking. If you take all of your current Air Force One Parts off of your jeep, SMI will sell you # 99207 $ 35.00 Reinstall Kit which has some tubing and other small parts to put it all back on your new Hummer.

Gary S.

[Jasaholmes]

Hi Gary,
I have a 2008 H2. I've had H2s since they first came out, and love them. I just bought my first Prevost, and want to tow it. Any tips you can pass on, I thank you for..

James A Holmes

[Bill Price]

We have a 2009 H3 Alpha and love it. No problems so far. This is my third hummer. I had a H2, H3 with the 5 cylinder and now the H3 Alpha. Run from the 5 cylinder engine unless you enjoy constant down shifting even on the slightest hills. That part will drive you crazy. Drive the H3 Alpha under 65 and the fuel mileage will be no problem. I use a Blue OX and the kit to not tie into the vehicles electrical system. It all works very well. There are rumors that GMC may pickup Hummer again in a few years. Time will tell.
I would not accept anything but the Alpha in the Hummer line up.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

James,

We tow an H2 and have since 2005. We previously towed a Grand Cherokee.

The difference in weight between the two is significant so I added a Brakemaster toad brake to the Hummer (something I could switch easily between the Hummer and my Dodge Ram pickup). I would urge you to make sure you use some type of braking for the H2. POG members have had great success with several.

We own an H2 and tow it for two reasons. This is my wife's vehicle and she likes the weight and protection it offers from the crazies on the road, and as a toad its length combined with the coach is under the 65 foot length limit in a lot of states. Towing is easy because once the transfer case is in neutral you can remove the key and it will roll freely (as long as you release the parking brake) and there is no steering wheel lock. The downside is it is heavy.

[Coloradobus]

We, too, are looking at the Hunmer H3. Having previously towed a 2004 Chevy duramax Pickup, we know the ease at towing a GM 4X4 product..
Those of you who have H3's, what sort of off road capability have you seen. We saw what JDUB did with his last fall in Kerrville, and he did quite well.. We have found a number of H3's with the rear Diff lock button on the center dash. We have learned 2009 and 2010 models CAN come with both the front and rear diff lock, with switch buttons on the center dash.
Question, has anyone really needed the front diff lock to aid their 4 wheelin'? Or is the rear diff lock sufficient. I know the Hummer is no Rubicon, ( which we just sold)

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Hi Gary, I have a 2008 H2. I've had H2s since they first came out, and love them. I just bought my first Prevost, and want to tow it. Any tips you can pass on, I thank you for.. James A Holmes

James, I just love my 08 H2 Hummer. Much more than the H3 X Alpha I sold and towed previously. Even my wife Peg, likes this vehicle much more than the smaller H3. You will obviously be looking at tow bars, we went the Blue Ox Aventa ( 10K lb rated ) tow bar, the same Keyed locking pins all around, but even more important is the Air Force One toad braking system. You have quite a lot of weight with the H2 and the extra braking power needed is real obvious if you don't have an auxillary brake system. I believe the AF 1 is the ONLY unit that will work site unseen for Hummers. At least I think it is the only one. It is a great system, but needs professional installation. One more thing be sure and get the Brake and Turn signal Light system that does not hook into your Hummer electrical. They are seperate lights that go in the lens in the back and a single set of wires run up front to connect to he bus. Less to go wrong electrically.

Call if you want to talk more about this, all though I don't know much more than what I have already told you. ( Loc, Bite me, I know what you're thinking )

Gary S.

[Seabyrd]

We pulled an H3 for 18 months and it was superb.. we loved it and would probably still have it if it a little bigger.. we are both big and always had company with us so we eventually opted for a suburban...if you can handle the size it should be perfect.. we had a BlueOx base plate installed and it too was perfect... a great setup in my opinion..
Diane

QUOTE=phorner;69889]We are looking at a 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha as a replacement for our 2002 Jeep Liberty as a toad vehicle.

Although a little heavier, so far it looks like the Hummer will make a good replacement.

Anybody have any comments/cautions/advice for towing this vehicle behind the bus??

It looks like Blue Ox has a base plate kit that essentially replaces the front tow hooks with brackets used to attach the tow bar. Has anyone tried this?

Thanks for the input....[/QUOTE]