Hey all. My wife and I are looking into towing our vehicle behind the RV and I am wondering what are some opinions about flat towing vs dolly towing? I am leaning toward dolly towing at this point due to cost and the fact that we will most likely be adding a jeep to our tow vehicle list. I like the idea that the dolly can be used for multiple vehicles vs flat tow is only available to vehicles with the tow brackets installed. Any input would be great. We currently have a 34 ft Fleetwood Terra with the gas V10 and the tow car now is a 2013 Ford Explorer, with the hopeful addition of a Jeep in a year or so. Andrew[attachmentid=271]
Having towed both ways I think flat towing is a lot easier. When we first got our motorhome we had two vehicles that could not the towed flat, so we got a tow dolly. What a pain! We could never get the car on it right and putting on the tie downs was a lot of work. After doing that for about a year we finally bought a Jeep and it has been wonderful. You have named some advantages for using a tow dolly, but for ease of hooking up, I don't think there is any comparison, so get that Jeep as soon as you can.
By choosing the right equipment, it need not be that much more expensive to tow two different vehicles 4-down. One example would be to use an NSA ReadyBrute Elite tow bar that includes a built-in auxiliary brake system (currently $1080). Add the appropriate base plate for your Explorer (about $350) and the needed light wiring (price varies), and you're ready to go. Later on when you add the Jeep to your "fleet", all you'll need will be the right base plate (around $350), the light wiring (price varies), and a "second vehicle brake kit" from NSA (about $77), and you're set to tow either one.
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Sep 30 2014, 10:05 AM) [snapback]38516[/snapback] Having towed both ways I think flat towing is a lot easier. When we first got our motorhome we had two vehicles that could not the towed flat, so we got a tow dolly. What a pain! We could never get the car on it right and putting on the tie downs was a lot of work. After doing that for about a year we finally bought a Jeep and it has been wonderful. You have named some advantages for using a tow dolly, but for ease of hooking up, I don't think there is any comparison, so get that Jeep as soon as you can. +1
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Sep 30 2014, 10:05 AM) * Having towed both ways I think flat towing is a lot easier. When we first got our motorhome we had two vehicles that could not the towed flat, so we got a tow dolly. What a pain! We could never get the car on it right and putting on the tie downs was a lot of work. After doing that for about a year we finally bought a Jeep and it has been wonderful. You have named some advantages for using a tow dolly, but for ease of hooking up, I don't think there is any comparison, so get that Jeep as soon as you can. QUOTE(Mamaluca @ Sep 30 2014, 11:27 AM) [snapback]38519[/snapback] +1 + 2. Jeep TJ with a Blue Ox and Brake Buddy. Very little effort and time to hook or unhook. Darrell
IMO a Jeep with a manual transfer case is probably the most easy to flat tow. We leave the tranny in park and just lift the transfer case lever into neutral and we are ready to go .
I agree that a Jeep is one of the easiest vehicles to tow. When we bought ours we got a Grand Cherokee and needed to get a 4 wheel drive model in order to tow it flat, but that may have changed by now. There is a sequence of steps (3-4) to follow to set the transmission for towing (that may be different now too), but it is really easy. Also check out the M and G braking system. I think they are still around, and it is one of the easiest to use. (And no, I don't have interest in the company; I'm just reporting that it has been great for us.)
" Sequence of steps to follow to set the transmission for towing " Sounds much like the Honda CR-V. A friend of ours tows a CR-V and must also go thru a few steps before towing . If I recall correctly he said he must go from PARK to 1 then 2 then D ( waiting about 15 seconds in each ) then N before towing. Also not a bad vehicle for 4 down towing.
QUOTE(Mamaluca @ Oct 1 2014, 11:58 AM) [snapback]38533[/snapback] " Sequence of steps to follow to set the transmission for towing " Sounds much like the Honda CR-V. A friend of ours tows a CR-V and must also go thru a few steps before towing . If I recall correctly he said he must go from PARK to 1 then 2 then D ( waiting about 15 seconds in each ) then N before towing. Also not a bad vehicle for 4 down towing. The existing CR-V's are a good choice, but unfortunately, the 2015 models are equipped with a CV transmission that's not suited to 4-down towing.
QUOTE(Mamaluca @ Oct 1 2014, 11:58 AM) [snapback]38533[/snapback] " Sequence of steps to follow to set the transmission for towing " Sounds much like the Honda CR-V. A friend of ours tows a CR-V and must also go thru a few steps before towing . If I recall correctly he said he must go from PARK to 1 then 2 then D ( waiting about 15 seconds in each ) then N before towing. Also not a bad vehicle for 4 down towing. In case any CR-V owners are reading this, the entire procedure is as follows: 1. Run the transmission from Park through all gear positions with the engine idling 2. Shift to Drive and hold for 5 seconds 3. Shift to Neutral and run engine for 3 minutes. Turn key one "notch" to the ACC position. NEVER shift to neutral from Drive
I also would go with flat towing if it is an option....doesn't require an unplanned purchase that you don't want to make. It is much easier and safer, in my opinion. One less piece of equipment to deal with is a good thing !
In choosing a dingy, we think a 4 wheel drive is the best way to go, It opens up many new places on your "exploring". We have been in many great places that could be gotten to by 4 wheel drive. We were on a 4 wheel drive only road in Custer State Park and were totally surrounded by a herd of bison. Some were only days old and nursing. Would have missed it without the 4 wheeled drive. If over 3,000 pounds you will need to have an braking system. I have a stand alone system under the hood. The system where you have to attach it to the brake pedal each time takes a while each time and even if it is raining. If you have an accident and don't have a secondary braking system, the lawyers will make sure i is your fault. We paid a couple of hundred dollars for the no hassle type, but if you use it 500 times, it is a great deal.
I agree with this comment and that's why we have an all wheel drive vehicle. However, one has to be cautious about what one calls a 4 wheel drive vehicle these days. Lots of vehicles with all wheel drive have too small a ground clearance to provide any significant benefit on rough roads. In fact there are many roads in western parks that carry the warning "high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicles only!" Our Honda CR-V is a "medium clearance" vehicle; it's a lot higher off the ground than a regular sedan but it doesn't have the clearance and off-road ability of Jeep Wrangler, for example. In the past we've owned some high performance all wheel drive vehicles that would have been absolutely awful off-road! It's all in how you define "4 wheel drive."
I agree, Ours is a midsized V-6 pickup. It makes a great off road or bad road vehicle. We have a camper shell and it makes a great spot of Nancy's rock collection. It weights about 5,000 pounds and tows well. It is a 4 wheel drive. Some of these can not be flat towed. Be sure to look up flat towing in the users manual and discard what the salesman says. Around 2006 or so, companies switched from manual to electric transfer switches (switching from 2 to 4 wheel) and some of the early models can not be flat towed. We seem to end up on some muddy roads and the 4 wheel drive comes in very handy.
