Towing
A Car
(36-5)
Whether
you tow a car on a dolly, two wheels down, or four wheels
down, it sure is nice to park the motorhome and go exploring
in a smaller vehicle!
These
days, many motorhome owners choose to tow a small car
or SUV along on their travels. After reaching their
campground, they can unhook the car and go sightseeing,
shopping, or visiting friends and relatives in the area,
enjoying the mobility of a small vehicle instead of
driving their large motorhome in downtown traffic. Some
RV’ers I know use the towed car as a pack horse,
carrying items that they do not want or have room for
inside the RV. I must admit that on a few occasions,
I have resorted to using the car to go for help when
the motorhome had a breakdown on the road.
There are several convenient ways to bring your car
along on a trip. Some people who own all-wheel drive
vehicles, or vehicles with a CVT (constantly variable
transmission) place their car on a flatbed trailer or
inside a cargo trailer so that all wheels are off the
ground. After arriving at the campground, they remove
the car and then tow the trailer to a holding area,
since there is not enough room for the motorhome, car,
and trailer on the campsite. We have often seen classic
cars towed in this manner as the owners do not want
excess wear on the running gear.
 Some
RV’ers use a tow dolly with the front drive wheels
strapped down on the dolly, and the rear wheels rolling
freely on the highway surface. This is a practical solution
if the RV’er changes cars frequently, or is prevented
by a lease agreement from mounting a base plate under
the front of the car, as this does not require any modifications
to the vehicle except for the addition of a signal light
bar clamped on the rear of the car. Keep in mind that
you cannot tow a car with the rear wheels on the dolly
as the caster and camber alignment of the front wheels
will not allow proper tracking when towing it backwards.
Many RV’ers prefer to tow their car with all four
wheels on the ground. A base plate is mounted under
the front (bolted to the frame of the car), and a tow
bar then connects it to the rear of the motorhome. I
have seen some owners using a light bar on the rear
of the roof to let following drivers know when they
are stopping or turning. Other owners install a set
of diodes to connect the existing car tail lights to
the turn and stop signals of the motorhome. The diodes
prevent feedback to the computer in the car.
Irene & I use a 10,000 pound Blue Ox Aventa telescoping
tow bar and base plate for our Jeep Liberty since we
often have to carry extra magazines to a rally. The
Alladin tow bar is lighter since it is made of aluminum
and is the choice of many motorhomers. Both store on
the rear of the motorhome to relieve weight on the front
of the car when not towing.
If you are using a telescopic style tow bar to connect
your car, reverse the car to lock one of the legs then
turn the steering wheel towards the shorter leg. This
forces the car to move to that side extending and locking
it as you drive forward. Don’t forget to put the
transmission in neutral and release the parking brake
if towing with a lubrication pump, or put the transfer
case of a 4WD in neutral with the transmission in Park
before going ahead.
You can back up with the flatbed trailer combination,
but not with the tow dolly or tow bar system. If you
get lost and have to turn around, the car has to be
taken off the dolly or the tow bar must be unhooked
before backing up. It takes me about thirty minutes
to get the car off the dolly, use the car to move the
dolly out of the way, and then remount the car back
on the dolly after the motorhome is turned around. With
the tow bar system, it is simply a matter of pulling
two pins and driving the car out of the way, turning
the motorhome around, then reconnecting the pins. On
a good day you are looking at an elapsed time of about
five minutes. One thing that you have to remember when
unhooking the car is that the car will be freewheeling.
Always disconnect on level ground and set the emergency
brake to prevent the car from rolling away.
Many
manual transmission cars can be towed flat without any
modifications, and you can tow any front-wheel-drive
manual transmission vehicle as far as you want and as
long as you want. If the car has an automatic transmission
that is lubricated by the output shaft of the tranny,
it can be towed flat with no problem, but if it is lubricated
by the input shaft of the transmission, you will need
an auxiliary method, such as a lubrication pump that
is controlled by the ignition of the motorhome, to keep
the cooling fluids circulating while you are towing.
Some rear-wheel-drive cars with automatic transmissions
can be towed using a drive shaft coupling system that
uncouples the transmission from the differential at
the rear wheels, and some front-wheel-drive automatic
vehicles can have an axle lock system installed behind
the right front wheel. Most four-wheel-drive vehicles
that have a manual transfer case and an automatic transmission
can also be towed with the transmission in Park and
the transfer case in Neutral. Be sure to unlock the
steering wheel before towing.
Ford Explorers and Sport Tracs do not have a Neutral
in the transfer case so they require a Neutral Tow Option
which is installed by the dealer. The Ford Edge with
6T70/75 transmisison is towable as is, and the Escape/Mariner
Hybrid with automatic transmission can also be towed.
Fords with independent rear suspension tend to vibrate
when towed.
RV’ers today may be concerned about accumulating
mileage on the towed vehicle when towing. There is,
of course, no mileage accumulation with the Drive Shaft
Coupling and Axle Lock. These two products disengage
the drive train for towing and the vehicle is towed
with the transmission in Park. This means there is no
rotational movement in the transmission, and the speedometer
drive gears are not turning. Now that electronic speedometers
have replaced the old cable-driven units, logging mileage
is a thing of the past, even with the lubrication pump
kits.
 Many
RV’ers tow a Saturn Aura, Ion or Outlook with
the 6T70/75 transmission since they can be towed in
neutral without further modification. The Saturn Vue
and Vue Hybrid are also towable. If you own a Saturn
Relay with the 4T65E transmission you would need to
install a lubrication pump. Many previous models of
Saturns have been flat towed with no modifications.
...
(Read the full article in the magazine)
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