Flat or dolly tow
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Kirk
Well-known member
If you are willing to use a dolly you could choose most any front wheel drive vehicle. No matter how you choose to tow, you should compare the weight of the choices to the maximum weight for towing listed by your RV manufacturer. Most of us choose something fairly lite weight for towing. By far the most popular way to tow is by use of a tow-bar and on all 4 wheels. I have done a lot of that and prefer it but you then need to have a towing base-plate added to the auto that you wish to tow. The choices of tow vehicle are narrowed if you do want to tow on the wheels and it seems like there are fewer choices today than there were 10-15 years ago. I think that you might find this article on towing to be helpful in your research.
John From Detroit
Well-known member
IF the car can be towed 4 Down by all means.
Couple parked near me had a dolly.. When they pulled on they overran and WHAM Had to call a tow to lift it off and position it for towing.
Never seen that happen with a 4-Down
Store the dolly when on campsite (Some CG's charge extra) NOT for my Tow bar.
Additional trouble re-checking wheel straps when using dolly.. Not needed with tow bar.
Way easier hook up with the proper tow bar.. and ... Dolly adds weight which you may not have the CGVW to tow. PLUS.. NO Brakes on the tow vehicle when towing adds stopping distance on a dolly (Two wheels free. possibly 4), where as 4 Down with aux brakes on the towed.. no a problem
Couple parked near me had a dolly.. When they pulled on they overran and WHAM Had to call a tow to lift it off and position it for towing.
Never seen that happen with a 4-Down
Store the dolly when on campsite (Some CG's charge extra) NOT for my Tow bar.
Additional trouble re-checking wheel straps when using dolly.. Not needed with tow bar.
Way easier hook up with the proper tow bar.. and ... Dolly adds weight which you may not have the CGVW to tow. PLUS.. NO Brakes on the tow vehicle when towing adds stopping distance on a dolly (Two wheels free. possibly 4), where as 4 Down with aux brakes on the towed.. no a problem
phil-t
Well-known member
For 4-down, choose the car wisely. Look into towing restrictions, cost of towbar, baseplate, brake system. We love our all wheel drive buick envision for towing. Easy setup, connect, disconnect, no restrictions. There are others, find the one that suits your needs.
Ray-IN
Well-known member
I forget which RVing forum, but a man was selling his manual transmission Fiat he towed with his MH. He was selling everything and getting out of RVing.
IMO that would be an ideal towed, no special things to remember for towing, light-weight and enough room for grocery shopping, sight-seeing, etc.
IMO that would be an ideal towed, no special things to remember for towing, light-weight and enough room for grocery shopping, sight-seeing, etc.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
4-down towing is the easiest and most convenient but also the most expensive and the most limiting in choice of towed vehicles. Relatively few vehicles can be towed 4-down these days - see Dinghy Tow Guides. Dolly towing is the opposite, especially since any front-drive vehicle can be dolly towed.
The convenience factor looms larger & larger as your age advances and/or your mobility declines.
The convenience factor looms larger & larger as your age advances and/or your mobility declines.
What year is your vehicle?
Thanks
Isaac-1
Well-known member
Are you towing with the Sprinter shown in your profile pic? If so what is the towing weight restriction on it, many Sprinter coaches are limited to 3,000 pounds or less, which really limits your choices. For example our Toyota Yaris TOAD is one of the lightest TOAD car options out there at about 2,300 pounds (there are 4 or 5 recent production cars made in the last 10 years that all weigh in the 2,200 - 2,350 ballpark, that are flat towable in some form (manual transmission only for mine). A Demco KarKaddy dolly weighs in at 675 pounds, combine with a even a light car like this will be getting close to a hypothetical 3,000 tow weight limit.
As to the flat tow / dolly tow debate, you will get arguments both ways. Dolly tow is potentially cheaper, and can be done with many more models of cars, Flat tow is generally easier to connect / disconnect, also you don't have to worry about storing a Dolly. Cheapest new dolly I see listed only is about $1,500 at northern tool with a 3,300 weight limit (I know nothing about its quality, but it is less than half the price of a Demco). The going rate to set car up for flat towing these days seems to be in the $4,500 - $5,000 ballpark (was about a thousand less 4-5 years ago) using all new parts (hitch mounted tow bar $650+, braking system $1,100+, base plate $450+, tow lighting conversion kit $250, the rest is install labor typically at $150-$200 per hour, average about 8 hours labor). Note these were the lowest prices I could find only for each of the categories online, prices of 30% higher are common for tow bars and braking systems if you are not shopping for the cheapest model that is available at special sale price at the moment.
As to the flat tow / dolly tow debate, you will get arguments both ways. Dolly tow is potentially cheaper, and can be done with many more models of cars, Flat tow is generally easier to connect / disconnect, also you don't have to worry about storing a Dolly. Cheapest new dolly I see listed only is about $1,500 at northern tool with a 3,300 weight limit (I know nothing about its quality, but it is less than half the price of a Demco). The going rate to set car up for flat towing these days seems to be in the $4,500 - $5,000 ballpark (was about a thousand less 4-5 years ago) using all new parts (hitch mounted tow bar $650+, braking system $1,100+, base plate $450+, tow lighting conversion kit $250, the rest is install labor typically at $150-$200 per hour, average about 8 hours labor). Note these were the lowest prices I could find only for each of the categories online, prices of 30% higher are common for tow bars and braking systems if you are not shopping for the cheapest model that is available at special sale price at the moment.
phil-t
Well-known member
2020 -Not sure of the other model years but you can get the info from the online owners manuals.
Note prices of the components for 4 down can be much cheaper except for the base plate. A universal tow bar $150, magnetic stick-on tow lighting conversion kit $27 (no installation), and I got a used but like new Roadmaster brake system for $95 from e-Bay.
Base plates are not rocket science. There are a lot of independent off duty welders capable of making a base plate much cheaper. I welded up my own base plate using the same materials and pattern for a Roadmaster for $50 in steel. Years ago I had a Canadian welding license that was stricter than US standards so I trust myself to do a better job of welding than some factory probably in China.
Ever watch a guy try to line up the toad with the hitch ball? The wife directing the husband (and traffic) onto the hitch? My solution was to weld retractable swing-up wheels on my tow bar. The hood on my toad slopes down far enough so with the tow bar wheels down and the tow bar attached to the car, I can see and aim to drive the tow bar straight onto the hitch ball. Then it takes 2 minutes to raise the tow bar wheels, attach safety chains, and plug in the brakes and lights. Maybe takes a total of 3 minutes to attach the toad to the RV.
Main reason we've kept the 2,700 lb 2001 Chevy Cavalier around for 23 years as a toad. The hood slopes down to a knife point, 77,000 miles with zero repairs, 35 mpg @ 70 mph, and the automatic transmission is towable.
My disconnect time is maybe 2 minutes. I added a latch on the base plate to swing the tow bar up off thebitch (sorry, typo
) hitch ball and lock it a vertical position on the car. I just unplug the tow brakes and lights, undo the safety chains, raise the tow bar off the hitch ball, lock the tow bar up in the vertical position, and park the car. I just leave the tow bar on the car unless I need to drive it. I added a hole to my baseplate latch so I can use a long bicycle padlock to lock the towbar to the base plate. So it can't be easily stolen. I'm positive it would be safe to drive with the tow bar attached to the car but the police might find some way to write me a citation for that.
Base plates are not rocket science. There are a lot of independent off duty welders capable of making a base plate much cheaper. I welded up my own base plate using the same materials and pattern for a Roadmaster for $50 in steel. Years ago I had a Canadian welding license that was stricter than US standards so I trust myself to do a better job of welding than some factory probably in China.
Ever watch a guy try to line up the toad with the hitch ball? The wife directing the husband (and traffic) onto the hitch? My solution was to weld retractable swing-up wheels on my tow bar. The hood on my toad slopes down far enough so with the tow bar wheels down and the tow bar attached to the car, I can see and aim to drive the tow bar straight onto the hitch ball. Then it takes 2 minutes to raise the tow bar wheels, attach safety chains, and plug in the brakes and lights. Maybe takes a total of 3 minutes to attach the toad to the RV.
Main reason we've kept the 2,700 lb 2001 Chevy Cavalier around for 23 years as a toad. The hood slopes down to a knife point, 77,000 miles with zero repairs, 35 mpg @ 70 mph, and the automatic transmission is towable.
My disconnect time is maybe 2 minutes. I added a latch on the base plate to swing the tow bar up off the
) hitch ball and lock it a vertical position on the car. I just unplug the tow brakes and lights, undo the safety chains, raise the tow bar off the hitch ball, lock the tow bar up in the vertical position, and park the car. I just leave the tow bar on the car unless I need to drive it. I added a hole to my baseplate latch so I can use a long bicycle padlock to lock the towbar to the base plate. So it can't be easily stolen. I'm positive it would be safe to drive with the tow bar attached to the car but the police might find some way to write me a citation for that.
Isaac-1
Well-known member
The Bar, I must mention a word of caution about improvised base plate construction, as the failure point is most often the rather flimsy attachment points on modern vehicles, and not the tow bar itself. Therefore a fair amount of engineering, and possibly extra bracing needs to be done. Also be careful who you get to install a base plate, see this video as an example of a cautionary tale
As I said I followed the frame hole drilling pattern for a Roadmaster base plate using the exact same attachment points. I downloaded the installation instructions which show every piece individually (and there aren't that many pieces in a base plate), the material sizes, where and how it locates and attaches, and which bolts and which washers go where. So I built an exact clone. No doubt, the Roadmaster base plate specs are 10x stronger than the car itself. The attachment points are indeed critical since the frame of the car from the windshield forward is only 12ga steel.
I come from a steel engineering and mechanical industry so I used better SAE grade 8 bolts with 1/4" x 2" washers. I trust my multipass welding on the thicker steel parts to be stronger than theirs, and their welds look like single pass automated welding to me. If mine rips loose it will take the engine and transmission with it.
I would never trust anyone more than myself to install something as important as a base plate. If they missed one washer behind a bolt it could fail catastrophically. That's why I've done all mechanical repairs myself for 55 years. This setup has been working for years so I think I'm good.
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jymbee
Well-known member
Not a welder so that's not gonna' happen here, however your comment might be a good reminder for folks to periodically check the installation of the base plate they're using that was installed by a dealer. I know I plan to do just that in the morning.
Kirk
Well-known member
None of the base-plates that I have used were welded on. I towed a Ford Ranger and then 2 different Honda CR-V's and all 3 were designed to bolt on to the vehicle that they fit. I didn't install any of them but did watch part of the operation on the first CR-V. Since installing it required removal of several body parts, there is no way that I would take on that job.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
I think it is fair to say that a sufficiently skilled DIYer could build & install their own base plate. And that a sufficiently incompetent or careless shop employee could mess up the installation of the best factory-made base plate despite the detailed instructions that come with it.
But few RV owners are going to be able or willing to build their own, whether safely or otherwise, so most are going to end up relying on a hitch shop or RV dealer to "get her done". I don't think it's any more a gamble than hiring out other jobs, e.g. replacing a furnace or adding an electrical circuit. Can't let paranoia cripple you.
But few RV owners are going to be able or willing to build their own, whether safely or otherwise, so most are going to end up relying on a hitch shop or RV dealer to "get her done". I don't think it's any more a gamble than hiring out other jobs, e.g. replacing a furnace or adding an electrical circuit. Can't let paranoia cripple you.
Gizmo
Well-known member
I agree with Gary and I fall into the "But few RV owners are going to be able or willing to build their own, whether safely or otherwise, so most are going to end up relying on a hitch shop or RV dealer to "get her done" category. We just scheduled with a local business to purchase and install our first tow bar etc. while within my DIY skills, it is simply a project I am happy to hand off.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
I've installed a couple of base plates and toad brake & lighting systems, but newer vehicles require a lot more disassembly and wiring expertise than 20 years ago. And I'm not as spry or energetic as I was back then either.
8Muddypaws
Well-known member
After watching more than one couple nearly heading for divorce court after running a car up on a dolly I always recommend 4 down, even if there are fewer cars that can be towed that way.
It's still cheaper than a divorce.
It's still cheaper than a divorce.
Racklefratz
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2015
- Posts
- 55
Since this thread seems to be somewhat active, I'll add my experience and recommendations. Not sure if your decisions have been made or not.
Having been RVers over 30 years, and never towed, we finally decided to get into towing several years ago. Since the RV is a DP, towing capacity wasn't a consideration. After much research, we settled on a Jeep Wrangler with automatic transmission to tow.
Why? Several reasons. One is that it's relatively light - if I had no rear-view monitor, I wouldn't know it's back there.
Secondly, the Jeep Wrangler is famous in RVing for ease of towing in 4-down configuration. The owner's manual includes a section specific to towing, and it's just steps for shifting the transfer case and transmission - no modifications to the transmission or anything else is required, as there are with many other vehicles. Also, baseplates are available specifically for it.
I installed the baseplate and related wiring without issue. It's been trouble-free.
Opinions relative to towing 4-down vs dollies are all over the place, and personal preferences come into play. If I had to horse a dolly around the campground after disconnecting, then again when leaving, I'd probably just skip the whole idea of towing.
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