Which way to tow?

[analemma77]

Hi, just wondering about the different towing methods for a car behind an RV. I've seen all four wheels on the ground, two on a dolly, and then the whole car on a trailer. Any advice on what works best? If the drive wheels are on the ground when being towed, does that put miles on the car odometer? I'm leaning towards putting the whole car on a trailer to keep the wear and tear on the car to a minimum, but then not having any kind of trailer or dolly seems to be simpler and less mechanical stuff to worry about. Also not sure how easy or possible it is to back up the RV with the different configurations.

Thanks!

 

[Laura & Charles]

We’ve dinghy towed (four wheels down) all along. The way we look at it, a dolly or a trailer is another vehicle you have to have space to park at your destination. We can get the car off or on the coach in about 3-4 minutes.
Not all cars can be flat towed… we specifically shopped for one that can be.
A dolly is probably the least expensive option.

 

[Matt_C]

Analemme,
In my thinking and experience, things separate as convenience, maneuverability and weight.
Four down is most convenient, but may require modifications to the towed. Backing with a four down is not practical at all. The speedo of newer cars doesn't run with the ignition off.
A tow dolly is less convenient and it can be used with no mods of the towed, but backing is still a bear. When in a cramp ground, you have to find someplace to store the dolly.
A full trailer is the all-time weight winner. Safer for the towed, but way least convenient. An advantage for the safety of the towed.
Those are my experiences and personal opinions...
Matt

 

[Skookum]

It's going to depend on your towed vehicle. Some can't/shouldn't be flat-towed. Others can be towed on a dolly (most front-drive cars). For cars that can't do either, or if the owner doesn't want to put the wear on it towing it on the ground, that's when it goes on a trailer, which ends up being way too heavy for most RV's.

You basically aren't backing up your combination unless your toad is on a flatbed trailer.

Whether or not your towed vehicle logs miles also depends on the type of car and how it can be towed. Some vehicles can be flat-towed on all 4 wheels without logging miles and others can't.

 

[Boat Bum]

I'm picking up my class A tomorrow, I've done my homework and I will purchase a used tow vehicle that can be flat towed. Any Jeep JL or JK can be flat towed, auto or manual, w/o logging miles; if what all I've read is true, that's what I'm looking into.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

As you can see from the replies, "best" depends on what your priorities are. You mentioned saving wear & tear on the car, but is that a significant worry? And what about wear & tear on a trailer or dolly in lieu of the car? Tradeoff?

My view (not much different than the others so far)

• Most RV owners feel that 4-down towing is the most convenient and a quick hook-up, but it's rather expensive initially and only a relative few vehicles are 4-down towable these days. The wheels and suspension are subject to normal road wear for the miles traveled. If you are worried about mechanical wear or road debris damage, 4-down is the poorest choice.
• A dolly works with any front-drive vehicle but involves getting down on the ground/pavement, winching wheel straps, etc. that some of us cannot or will not do. And the dolly has to be stowed both at home and in the campground. Initial cost is less than 4-down or trailering. Wear and tow damage less than 4-down but more than trailer.
• A full vehicle trailer is expensive to buy and adds substantial weight to the towing load, so outside the capability of some coaches. Vehicle still needs to be tied or strapped down, but it's easier & cleaner than with a dolly. Stowing the trailer when not in use is a hassle in most situations, but if you have yard space at home and the campgrounds you use have plenty of room, that may not be a factor. An enclosed trailer gives maximum protection and even an open one is better than the other two methods. Mechanical wear on the vehicle is almost zero, but you have to maintain the trailer.
• Frequency of towing is another factor. The more you do it, the more convenience is valuable. If you are a seasonal camper or snowbird, towing a car twice a year has different cost & convenient values than it would if you were a fulltime RVer.

Those of us who are not so limber or are not mechanically inclined lean toward 4-down. Car aficionados lean toward full trailers, while those with more limited budgets or already own a front-drive vehicle are likely to choose a dolly. That's an over-simplification, of course, I think it captures the main points.

 

[Kirk]

My view (not much different than the others so far)

No reason for me to answer as Gary has pretty much covered the points that I would have made. Towed with 2 different motorhomes for a total of 18 years (12 fulltime) and towed 3 different vehicles, all 4 down. Using a dolly is probably least expensive, but after traveling with friends who used one, that was never seriously considered.

 

[John From Detroit]

Hi, just wondering about the different towing methods for a car behind an RV. I've seen all four wheels on the ground, two on a dolly, and then the whole car on a trailer. Any advice on what works best? If the drive wheels are on the ground when being towed, does that put miles on the car odometer? I'm leaning towards putting the whole car on a trailer to keep the wear and tear on the car to a minimum, but then not having any kind of trailer or dolly seems to be simpler and less mechanical stuff to worry about. Also not sure how easy or possible it is to back up the RV with the different configurations.

Thanks!

What works best is all of the above depending on the motor home and the car.
First: MOST gassers can only tow LESS than 5,000 pounds often way less. (Example my rig could only tow 4,000)
Now many cars approach that weight (My 1992 Lumina APV was in fact 4,000 pounds) So 4 down was the only option.. I modified it (Axel lock) so I could tow it 4 down. Worked very well. With my 2001 Neon I used a lube pump.. not as good as the axle lock but also worked well.
Some cars can not easily be modified. so if Front wheel drive.. Dolly works but adds weight to the total
Some cars must be trailered.. My 2014 Jeep Cherokee Laitude AWD is one such.
So a lot depends on the car. and if you have the excess Combined Grosse Vehicle Weight to tow it on a dolly or trailer.

 

[ButchW]

I think you really need to look at what your motorhome is capable of towing (Weight), and what you are towing... Like others said, there is a limit to what can be towed.... And you need to look at the towed vehicle's towing requirements... If you don't have either yet, you can research both capabilities.. My gas motorhome has a 5k towing weight limit, so I wanted something light to tow 4 down.. I bought a 4 wheel drive,1986 Suzuki Samurai, that is able to be towed four down, with no modifications... And only weighs 2,100#.. I found a like new towbar with an appropriate baseplate on Craig's list for $50... I cheaped out with the lights as well... I bought a wireless set from Harbor Freight along with safety chains.. So for less tha $200 I'm dragging this Samurai around.. I probably would have gone more expensive if I did this full time... I have a light tow vehicle that wil go any place a Jeep will ( more places, it's much smaller)... A lot of the newer Suzuki 4wheel drive vehicles can be towed 4 down with no mods.... And they are bantam weights as well.. So do your research....
Butch
Oh, I vote for 4 down.

 

[BernieD]

I agree with Kirk, Gary has it pretty well covered. We drove our coaches about 180,000 miles over 15 years. Most of the miles had a car or trailer attached. The trailer was only used when towing our Porsche to track events and also carried our track tires.
Our first towed was a Nissan Xterra (look for the bright yellow 4x4 in the Media pictures.) Simple and easy; put the tranny and 4x4 drive in neutral and hook up the tow bar. Jeep should work similarly. After the Xterra was T-boned by an idiot, we replaced it with a Chevy HHR which the owner's manual said was 4 down towable, just needed a switch to turn off the electrical system since the ignition had to be on to unlock the steering wheel. Also neutral and just hook up to the tow bar.
If you are worried about wear and tear; neither car recorded the towed miles on the odometer, the only effect was tire wear (offset by no tire wear on trailer) and both cars lasted over 100,000 miles (on the odometer.)

 

[LarsMac]

Having towed both 4-down, and with Dolly, I am quite comfortable on the 4-down bandwagon. We actually bought our current car specifically because it was 4-down capable.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I think mechanical wear & tear is a needless worry, even if you tow a lot of miles. Tires get miles, of course, but axles and wheel bearings aren't worth bothering about. Body "wear", though, is worth considering because some amount of paint damage from stones or debris seems inevitable. It's a road hazard even when driving the car, but coaches seem to throw up even more. For a while various kinds of masks (bras) and shields were popular for towed cars, but they aren't widely used anymore. Maybe too much hassle for limited benefits? But if you want to bring along a prized vehicle, consider an enclosed trailer or some sort of mask or bra to protect the finish on the front end.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We towed with a dolly one year when we were heading to a seasonal site for the entire time (5 months). I figured a bit of extra hassle once each way was no big deal and we would enjoy the sporty FWD car more than our big 3-row SUV that was 4-down towable. It was only a two-day drive, but we missed being able to easily disconnect the car at our overnight spot. We were tired and would have preferred a restaurant meal, but not worth the effort to get car off and back on the dolly. Similarly on the way home in the fall, when we stopped to visit friends for a few days. Their yard was such that we would have to back out to leave, so we ended up disconnecting even though we didn't need to use our own car. More PITA.

 

[Kirk]

I modified it (Axel lock) so I could tow it 4 down. Worked very well. With my 2001 Neon I used a lube pump.. not as good as the axle lock but also worked well.

One point that has not been mentioned, but the only company that I know of who was making equipment for modifying a vehicle to tow it, such as the 2 products John mentions as well as a drive shift device was REMCO and they no longer build such items. I suppose that the market was just not profitable enough? If anyone else is making the equipment I don't who so if you do know, please share the information.

 

[Isaac-1]

Following along on Gary's point above about towing a prized vehicle, we bought a cheap light used TOAD (2007 Toyota Yaris with manual transmission) last year for about $2,500, to flat tow around instead of my wife's 2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland edition, and I have found it surprisingly freeing, not worrying about dents and dings as the car already has its fair share, and another one will not be noticeable. It is also a fun little go kart like car in its own way being able to make a U turn in the width of a standard street, etc.

 

[ButchW]

There are driveshaft disconnects made for rear wheel cars. Not sure about devices for front wheel drive vehicles.
Butch.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Driveshaft disconnects from Superior Driveline or Alldrive. These make it possible to 4-down tow a rear wheel drive vehicle that otherwise is not towable. Not an inexpensive modification, though.

There used to be a similar product for front drive transaxles but it's no longer available.

 

[Kirk]

Not an inexpensive modification, though.

That is exactly the information that I was looking for. The All Drive link goes to Performance Driveline and what they list is a REMCO/Quick Disconnect Kit which is no longer made. if they have something else, do you know what and how to find it?

Superior Driveline does build their own so that should be a workable answer. Thanks!

​

 

[HikerBob]

We had a dolly at first. It damaged the trim on the car. When it rains the wheels sometimes would spin getting it on. Moving the dolly around by hand is back breaking. We now pull all wheels down. The only way to go.

 

[Ray-IN]

I'm picking up my class A tomorrow, I've done my homework and I will purchase a used tow vehicle that can be flat towed. Any Jeep JL or JK can be flat towed, auto or manual, w/o logging miles; if what all I've read is true, that's what I'm looking into.

DO NOT listen to any salesperson or any listing of whether or not any vehicle may be flat-towed. The owners manual for that particular vehicle is the accurate and final word, it is listed under recreational towing.

And NO, not all Jeep products may be flat-towed without damage.