Pulling a Car behind 38fk Columbus 5’er

I tow a Jeep behind my DRV and also did it behind my Montana Bug Sky. The Big Sky frame was not nearly as robust as the DRV frame is. Both took some reinforcements to make it “safe” in my opinion, but the Big Sky took a lot more than the DRV. There are other issues to be aware of. You do not want to overload your tow vehicle. You need to know what the GCWR of you tow vehicle is and make sure you don’t exceed that with the combination. Ideally you would leave a little bit of cushion so you aren’t running at max capacity. You also need to look at the capacity of your king pin box and 5th wheel hitch. They may not be rated for the extra weight of a toad behind the 5er. I am very cognizant of my weights and try to remain well under my capacities. I don’t know that I would consider double towing with a pick up, but might with the right combination (I tow with a Kenworth). There are other considerations as well, such as a proper braking system in the toad and proper wiring between the 5er and toad and 5er and tow vehicle to handle this properly.

I personally have no issues with double towing, but length is an issue. Just know you will probably be over length and be willing to deal with the consequences. I won’t do it unless I have someone with me so I can separate the toad if I need to as a result of an enforcement stop. There are some states that do not allow double towing at all. I would not attempt it in those states. You do need to be much more aware of your routes when double towing. It is easy to get yourself in a pickle if you aren’t paying attention. You also want to have some kind of camera watching your toad mounted to the 5er that can be continuously viewed in the tow vehicle. This is necessary because the 5er is wider than the toad and you will not be able to see the toad in your mirrors (except on a turn).

Tyler0215 wrote:
That would put a lot of stress on the trailer frame as others have said. It would also put a lot of stress on the car when you turn if you are towing the car 5 down. The rear of the trailer swings wide when turning and the car has to follow. I think you tear up the car quickly.

The back of the trailer swinging the opposite direction of the turn was a concern of mine also when it came to towing a car. I used to tow my jet skis behind my fifth wheel and never had a problem. You just have to be very watchful of places you are turning into so you can get back out.

That would put a lot of stress on the trailer frame as others have said. It would also put a lot of stress on the car when you turn if you are towing the car 5 down. The rear of the trailer swings wide when turning and the car has to follow. I think you tear up the car quickly.

romore wrote:
The laws apply to everyone including you, if you choose to flout them that is your business but don't encourage it here.

x2

You need to see a metal fabricator who understands RV's and have him set you up.

oldbird1965 wrote:
For some reason I can't quote the man about the DP pulling a SUV and trailer behind it. Illegal! Two ball joints are illegal. A king pin and one ball joint is legal in most states. OR and PA don't allow any double towing. In general 65' is allowed but back east many states are only 55' and WY is 75'. I towed my Geo 4 down for 20K miles but quit doing it because its to stressful.

You can tow in some states with two ball joints, not many though

For some reason I can't quote the man about the DP pulling a SUV and trailer behind it. Illegal! Two ball joints are illegal. A king pin and one ball joint is legal in most states. OR and PA don't allow any double towing. In general 65' is allowed but back east many states are only 55' and WY is 75'. I towed my Geo 4 down for 20K miles but quit doing it because its to stressful.

Its not "fear mongering" to state that double-towing is prohibited in some states. Likewise, it's best for the OP to check with Columbus about frame limitations before hooking up a car.

Your Fiat Abarth is probably standard shift and is very towable. We towed ours for 2 years behind our B+. We foolishly traded it and have regretted that decision every time we hook up our Jeep. We used a Blue Ox system and Invisibrake - fast hook up and we hardly knew car was there. Fun little car!

Forget the double towing part of the equation.

Call Palomino and ask, I am fairly certain what the answer will be.

A Columbus will have a frame made by LCI to Palomino's specs and usually designed to the bare minimum. Unless you do a lot of additional reinforcing I could see twisting the frame to pieces in that scenario. Have you ever looked closely at the material thicknesses, welded connections, and welds themselves on a Lippert produced frame?