Planning to Flat Tow

There is one thing people do not mention, nor have I.

Our rig has a short 158" wheel base with a long rear overhang. This can create a condition when towing that everyone should check after initial setup.

Drive out to a large parking lot and make a very sharp turn in each direction, done slowly with another person outside spotting you. Some tow vehicles are styled with a more blunt front bumper that just might make contact with your motor home under sharp-turn conditions.

If you find this an issue, or are simply uncomfortable with the close-call, add an extension. If you need a riser to level the tow bar, that accomplishes the same thing. The extra length moves the tow vehicle farther from the motor home.

You need to know what you have just in-case you get the idea of trying to back-up while in a sharp turn. You might make body damage.

DocSource, we went with a 2018 GMC Acadia, AMD. Just put the selector in neutral and go. No fuses, etc to pull and it's an automatic! Start and let it idle during fuel stops. We use RVIbrake3 which is very simple to use. We did "add-a-bulb" to the tail lights for lighting. Blue Ox is our tow bar with a Protect-a-Tow to prevent rock chips. These were all DIY and you can too if you're into that type of thing.


Gary,
MidWest Georgia, 2017 Sunseeker 3010DS

bobndot wrote:
It helps for the rv and toad to be on level ground and in-line straight to hitch/unhitch. I like both my bars to click and lock when I hitch up. Most people get by just having one bar lock and the other falls into place when you start to drive. If that's the case, you need to turn the toad steering wheel slightly towards the unlocked bar, as you pull the rv forward that unlocked bar will lock into place as soon as you pull forward.

I agree that it is ideal to be on level ground and everything in good alignment straight forward.

I keep the tow bar in it's adjustable telescopic state as my wife drives our tow vehicle to the hook-up area. I then simply drop/attach the tow bar to the tow vehicle and signal her to back up until the tow bar "clicks" forcing her to stop. Most often just one of the two extensions "click" which is fine. I proceed to complete the balance of hook-up apparatus while my wife in the Jeep puts the transfer case in neutral, transmission in park, removes the smart key, inserts a dummy key to one click (to unlock the steering column), and she is done. I double check her work as she inspects mine.

When in a hurry under time constraint, we can unhook and have my wife drive away in the tow vehicle in less than 45 seconds. A hurried hook-up is done in less than 4 minutes. To speed up the entire process, I use exceptionally strong locks instead of Quick-Links for the tow cables, and smaller locks in instead of Linchpins for the tow bar. All locks are keyed alike for convenience. Using locks also deters tampering and theft.

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/rv-tow-bar-comparison-guide-a/599.htm

If you go to YouTube, you can view the operational videos of the various tow-bars, that might help you decide which locking system might be better for you.
type in " blue ox towing part 2 towing hookup" is a good one that explains the operation.

It helps for the rv and toad to be on level ground and in-line straight to hitch/unhitch. I like both my bars to click and lock when I hitch up. Most people get by just having one bar lock and the other falls into place when you start to drive. If that's the case, you need to turn the toad steering wheel slightly towards the unlocked bar, as you pull the rv forward that unlocked bar will lock into place as soon as you pull forward.

500 miles is a full days drive I don't see that being any kind of issue of a restart. My automatic Chev Sonic has a 200 mi restart and I do that at fuel stops or a rest stop walk-a-round. 200 mi is 3.5 hrs of driving which is time for my young body to take a break.

When I gas up the rv I sometimes have to wait for a pump that allows me full drive-thru without having the fear of having to backup to get out of a crowded gas station . You can't backup with a toad, always be sure that you can 'escape the pump'. :)

docsouce wrote:
You Folks are Great. This is just the information I am looking for.
I found an interesting Reference article at Motorhome.com /Dinghy towing guides. It lists many autos from 2000 to the present, if they can be towed and restrictions for towing them. Like starting the car every 500 miles and such.

Vehicles with unique "500 mile starting" requirements, have the drive shaft spinning inside the automatic transmission while being towed. A vehicle that is a true 4x4 (not simply 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive) will have an additional transfer case that resembles an ultra-basic manual transmission found on an old lawn tractor. If such a vehicle has push-button selection into 2wd, 4x4high, 4x4low, & neutral, and can remain in neutral when the vehicle is turned off, then all such strange requirements of 500 mile startups and such goes away because the drive shaft does not spin inside the automatic transmission during towing.

Manual transmission vehicles most often have relaxed towing restrictions because there is no harm allowing the driveshaft spin inside the transmission. The thick gear oil is not pressurized and circulated like an automatic. It gets lubricated without the need to spin the input shaft on the engine side like an automatic.

your reference articles are fine for initial screening but check the owner's manual for "factual" information.
bumpy

Any thoughts on whether the "All Terrain" tow bar is a better choice?

You Folks are Great. This is just the information I am looking for.
I found an interesting Refference article at Motorhome.com /Dinghy towing guides. It lists many autos from 2000 to the present,if they can be towed and restrictions for towing them. Like starting the car every 500 miles and such.

Hi docsouce,

Here is my experience towing a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4x4 with automatic transmission.

Being now more "vintage" in years, it has the older manually operated 4x4 transfer case which I really like. Unlike the pushbutton convenience of current day 4x4s, I operate the transfer case with a lever to select 2wd, 4x4-high, 4x4-low, and neutral. Once hitched up, wired up, and ready to be towed, I place the 4x4 transfer case in neutral. This allows the entire drive train to spin from the tires to the transfer case, but not forward of it. The automatic transmission remains motionless in "park" while being towed. This assures it is protected.

I had chosen a "Unified" braking system which works very well, better than most others because it keeps the power brake booster charged for power-assist, and the system is seamless to manage during trips. But installation does require skill. I installed our Unified and lighting, but it is my forte'. I only wish the Unified was smarter to brake according to the amount of motor home braking rather than being a system that "brakes" the same amount, regardless of how gentle I am braking the motor home. I can adjust sensitivity when the Unified is activated which helps. I did a quick search on the Unified tow brake and wonder if it is no longer offered.

We use a Roadmaster Falcon-II tow bar which works well. For ease of operation during trips, I keep the towing setup and tear-down process as simple as possible by leaving the apparatus on the RV like this. The two iron pieces that remain on the Jeep are quickly removed by "rotation & pull-out", so nothing remains on the Jeep when we drive it, just like when we are back home.


Here is our setup. Note the offset hitch riser used to level the tow bar.


Our first trip towing, I did not use an offset hitch riser so the tow bar was set at an angle. This was horrible because the tow vehicle "bucked" badly with every minor bump in the road. Leveling the tow bar is "key" for a smooth and comfortable towing experience.

Blue Ox and Roadmaster seem to be the most popular brands, but you can certainly mix and match the parts. Just do you homework.

I tow my wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee with no issues. We already had the Jeep so it was cheaper to outfit it than to get another vehicle. My dad tows a Honda CRV (they have to be pre-'15 I believe). If I were in the market for a dedicated tow vehicle, the CRV would be high on my list.