RV Education
RV Resources and Tech Advice
Mike Wilson is a RVDA Certified Master RV
Tech. with over 25 years experience and now he's sharing his
knowledge with you.
Mike is the president of Wilson RV
and developer for The RV Help
Desk.
Towing
Series
Tow Dolly
Towing 4 Wheels Down
Tow Lights and Wiring
Tail Light
Wiring
Braking Units
M&G Braking Unit
Air-Brakes
4 Wheels Down
Towing
Article 2 in Series
Towing 4 wheels
down is the preferred towing method. In my opinion any vehicle
that does not require an additional driveline device is
recommended.
We have been installing tow systems for nearly 20 years. In the
beginning the choices were very limited. If you wanted to tow 4
wheels down,
the choice was either a Honda or something with a manual
transmission. Now there are many more choices.
There are also some driveline devices that can be added to make
nearly any vehicle towable.
Remco manufacturing makes several devices that enable some vehicles
to be towed that otherwise cannot be towed.
They offer a lube pump system that will lubricate the transmission
form an electrical pump during towing.
These will work on front wheel drive vehicles and some 4 wheel drive
vehicles. This is not a method I prefer.
There are a variety of potential problems with this system due to
the complex use of electronics. They also have an axle lock
which mechanically unlocks a front wheel drive axle to release the
transmission from turning.
The 3rd product they offer is a driveshaft release system to
mechanically disconnect a driveshaft of a rear wheel drive vehicle.
All these systems require additional expense and operating
difficulties compared to using a vehicle that does not require
them.
When I search for
my personal vehicle to tow, I look for a vehicle that can be towed
without any additional devices.
There are several cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles with
automatic transmissions that are now capable of being towed without
additional driveline devices.
I have access to a list of towable vehicles. If you have specific
questions please post in our RV Forum and I will respond.
To tow your
vehicle, you will need a tow bar, base plates, some type of rear
lights and most likely a braking system.
There are a variety of tow bars and base plates on the market.
We deal with Blue Ox, Demco, and Roadmaster. My favorite is Blue
Ox.
I am very picky about the products I install on my personal vehicle
and in my opinion Blue Ox base plates look far better than any
others.
They are finished nicer and are less intrusive when not towing. They
are also the easiest to operate.
All 3 companies make very nice tow bars. I prefer a folding self
aligning tow bar that remains folded on the RV when not in use.
I choose either a Blue Ox or Demco tow bar. Either will fit Blue Ox
base plates. Roadmaster also has some very nice tow bars,
however they require an adapter to be used with Blue Ox base plates.
Tow bars are available for different weight capacities.
Be certain to purchase a tow bar with the proper weight rating for
your vehicle. Vehicle weight is typically found in the owners
manual.