Towing of disabled Class C and pick up with camper

Hello JaxDad,

Thank you for your time and post. I'm sorry to hear about your experience with us. Please send a PM to us so that we can look into this further for you.

Thanks,

David
Good Sam

GS Road Service towed my class C from the front after breaking down in a snow storm.

If only the tow operator had removed the driveshaft first I wouldn’t have ended up with a $7k bill for a new transmission, but hey, it wasn’t his money, and he finished his day warm and dry not having to slide under my coach to drop the driveline.

Most expensive roadside assistance plan I’ve ever had.........

Hey Marcus, do they do that to YOUR ride too?

Had to have my TC towed one time and asked the driver about towing with front on ground. He said there was no way - it's just too unstable.
It ended up being flat-bedded.

A knowledgeable tow operator would make sure of three things if a flat bed wasn't feasible for a rear axle damaged vehicle. First, he would make sure his underlift stinger could reach in past any added frame extensions on a Class C, or an overhang on a TC. Ideally, he can do an axle lift, but a frame lift is the only option sometimes. Second, after securing the tow, he'd makes sure the steering wheel was lashed securely to keep the wheels straight. And third, he'd tow as low as practical to minimize the weight shift to the front. Oh, and if it's a 4WD, he'd make sure the transfer case is in neutral or disconnect the front drive shaft of course. It's really no different than back towing any heavily loaded truck.

The weight on the front wheels wouldn't be any different than when going down a moderate downhill; the only additional weight would be due to the shifting of the center of gravity closer to the front. If you're carrying a piece of furniture with another person, your end doesn't get vastly heavier if they raise their end a couple inches. It's the same physics for a vehicle as for a sofa.

It makes no sense to tow by lifting the back wheels, though; it requires the tow truck to carry much more weight, and also requires it to have a wheel lift that extends back much further than would be needed to lift the front wheels. (I think it would be in excess of ten feet for my class C!) If they were to try to lift it by hoisting the (extended) frame rather than the axle, they could very well risk frame damage as it's not necessarily designed to support the full vehicle weight when lifted from that point. I don't disagree in the least with what wildtoad says: front wheels or flatbed only, and disconnect the driveshaft if pulling from the front.

If you have someone want to tow your Class C from the rear (off the ground), call someone else. It should be towed either with a flatbed or with the front wheels off the ground and the drive train disconnected.

When in doubt, go flatbed?