Flat tow

[Jimbo56]

Originally Posted by lwmcguire

Great advice

We flat tow the F150 and use a Stehl dolly when we take the Escape. Based on the trip the best suited vehicle is used

the real advantage of flat towing is the very fast hook up compared to a dolly. Some folks are very fast with a dolly load but it takes me a good solid 15-20 minutes to load and recheck everything. You have to tighten or check the straps taking a bit more time than just walking around the rig

I’ve seen folks taking 15 to 20 minutes to unhook their 4 down toad.

[GordSanClemente]

Unhooking a flat tow is quick and easy. Doesn't take me more than 10 minutes. If that, I have never timed it. Probably should do that so that I am not talking out of my bottom.

Hooking it up takes a bit more since you are concerned about safety and doing it slow (at least for me).
Things are added to the hook up process, like checking that the brake lights work, etc.

I noticed a couple of people commenting on not being able to back up a flat tow.
Two thoughts on this...
1. Makes you real careful about where you pull into, which is not a bad thing.
2. I would think a tow dolly would be exactly the same. My assumption is that only a full tow trailer would allow you to back up.

We flat tow a Honda Element. The manual says you can't, but it is the same chassis as an older CRV. Even uses the same baseplate. Believe me, I am not the only one.

[HMCSW]

It depends on the car and how many steps to disconnect and get it back into gear.

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

How about a Jeep Wrangler?
Put the transfer case in neutral, and you're pretty much good to go!

If you have manual trans. If not, like the Cherokee, it requires putting the transfer case in neutral with a procedure that ends with the trans in Park.

If you go for a Cherokee 2019 and later with Active Drive are flat towable. Earlier models require a mod with a fuse and switch.

When I bought my 2019 the dealer didn’t know it no longer needed the mod. So I had them install it as part of the deal. Then I learned it wasn’t needed so never used it. Tows fine.

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by GordSanClemente

Unhooking a flat tow is quick and easy. Doesn't take me more than 10 minutes. If that, I have never timed it. Probably should do that so that I am not talking out of my bottom.

Hooking it up takes a bit more since you are concerned about safety and doing it slow (at least for me).
Things are added to the hook up process, like checking that the brake lights work, etc.

I noticed a couple of people commenting on not being able to back up a flat tow.
Two thoughts on this...
1. Makes you real careful about where you pull into, which is not a bad thing.
2. I would think a tow dolly would be exactly the same. My assumption is that only a full tow trailer would allow you to back up.

We flat tow a Honda Element. The manual says you can't, but it is the same chassis as an older CRV. Even uses the same baseplate. Believe me, I am not the only one.

Wife has timed with Cherokee. 5 minutes or less.

If we need to back it up wife gets in, turns on, and holds steering wheel.

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

I’ve seen folks taking 15 to 20 minutes to unhook their 4 down toad.

Yes, and I’ve seen people take that long to dump. Putzers.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

How about a Jeep Wrangler?
Put the transfer case in neutral, and you're pretty much good to go!

My oldie TJ (poor man's convertible) works for the two of us and the two dogs. It's not fast, rides like an old truck, noisy, horrible gas mileage, and not much room. But it's in excellent condition and reliable. It's a fun forest road scout vehicle. Mine is stock, and I can find parts, if needed, literally anywhere.

NOT for everyone though. If you're looking for a peppy runabout with a hard top... better look for a newer version $$$ or a different vehicle!

[efhatfield]

We have an HRV Honda but it is a manual transmission.
It towed great. We have gone to Alaska and back towing it with our Miramar 2014
You can’t tow the auto trans model.

[KevinH]

We traded a newer Chevy for a 2014 Honda CR-V. Starting in 2015 Honda used a newer transmission which meant the vehicle could not be towed. Many Jeeps are flat-towable. Not many other options these days without installing a transmission/driveline disconnect.

[BLDGKEEN]

We flat towed a 2016 Chevy Equinox. We used a blue ox bar. We had the equinox modified for the towing so that the brakes work with the motorhome and alsosob a fuse was pulled/disconnected while towing so battery doesn't drain during tow....both by switches installed. easy peasy after it was done by the RV mechanics.

[Jimbo56]

This is my tow setup. My Smart Car fits underneath the kayaks. Bikes on a rack that fits on front bar of trailer. Still leaves room in front of car for the beer cooler, dog fence, portable black tank etc. total weight is around 3000 lbs. And I can back it up very easily. And a lot of times we just off load the car (takes 10 minutes) and back or pull the trailer into our site without the need to unhook. Our little class A is only 28 ft. The trailer is 12. Works great for us. Our biggest problem is if we have to transport the kayaks. Smartie doesn’t do that well.

[sandaj]

1st; google "RV Dinghy Tow"; you will get a list, by model year, of what vehicles can be flat towed.

2nd, the vehicle owners manual is the bible regarding IF it can be flat towed, and what procedures to follow to do it properly. Do it EXACTLY

[Raferty]

We purchased a Jeep Wrangler to flat tow behind our Thor Outlaw and love them both. Easy to hook up and unhook.

[lwmcguire]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

I’ve seen folks taking 15 to 20 minutes to unhook their 4 down toad.

Easy 5 minutes or less after a few times for most

[Raferty]

Yes, it’s 5 minutes or less once you get it figured out. Love it.

[rolfh]

Just bought a 2021 Buick Encore GX Select and the owners manual says it can be towed 4 down.

[thisoldman]

Originally Posted by mrsholyoke

We flat tow a 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. Great mileage for our daily driver, and easy to tow. Happy hunting for the perfect set-up for you.

+1 on the 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid. A great daily driver and a great toad.

[Lt Keefer]

We just sold our 10 year old CR-V and will be using a 2021 Kia Soul. The Honda was a good dinghy but it was getting long in the tooth. The Soul with a manual trans is towable and lighter than the Honda but time will tell if we made the right choice. With used cars going for a premium right now we sold two of our vehicles and the new dinghy cost was less than the proceeds of the sales.

[Wandering]

We've towed our F150 about 25,000 miles now. You need to make sure you have 4 wheel drive (NOT AWD). Most 4WD vehicles have a simple procedure for disconnecting the wheels from most of the transmission, and this is the easiest way to flat tow - no need to run the engine every so many miles or hours to get lubricant pumped through the system on the towed.



You cannot back up more than a couple feet with either flat tow OR with tow dolly; either one needs to be completely disconnected before backing up. Trailer can be backed up, but it's difficult to control since RV is LOTS longer than the trailer.



Hook up is not difficult, but includes two tow bar attachments to the towed, two safety chains or cables, an electrical cable, and a safety pull cord for the towed brake activation (in case it breaks free - this is a legal requirement). Depending on your towed's aftermarket brake controller, you may have a few more minutes to install this.


I don't think the time difference between hooking up and loading a trailer, or tow dolly, would be much different. I like not having to worry about what to do with an empty trailer or tow dolly at a campsite.

[PapaMo]

We recently switched from a 2016 Chevy Equinox to a 2019 Blazer Premium. After having the Blue Ox baseplate and light kit installed, all we have to do is hook to our Ready Brute Elite tow bar, put the Blazer in neutral, and go. I thought the Equinox was easy with just having to pull one fuse. The Blazer is the easiest I've ever dealt with.