Towing 101

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Technically Speaking

Towing 101
By Mark J. Polk

A motorhome offers you the freedom to explore the open road. You can go where you want when you want. But what happens when you arrive at a destination where you plan to stay put for a day, a week or a month? How do you explore the area, or take a quick trip to the grocery store? Well, you have your bikes with you, right? Bikes are nice and you even get some much-needed exercise, but are they really practical for touring the surrounding area or taking a day trip? Probably not, so what do you do? ...
One option is to disconnect everything from the motorhome and take it. What a pain this can be just for a loaf of bread. Another option is to tow a vehicle behind the motorhome. Now when you need a loaf of bread or want to take a day trip, you have transportation. This makes much more sense, but just how do you do this?

How much weight can I safely tow? Do I need to use a tow dolly or can I tow it with all four wheels on the ground? If I can tow it with all four wheels on the ground, do I use a vehicle-mounted tow bar or a coach-mounted tow bar? What about brakes? What else will I need? Let's start at the beginning.

How much weight can I safely tow? Your motorhome has a weight rating referred to as the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). This is the maximum combined weight of the fully loaded motorhome and the fully loaded tow vehicle when weighed together. You never want to exceed this or any other weight rating. Another consideration is the amount of weight the hitch receiver on the back of the motorhome is rated for. The motorhome itself might have a tow rating of 7,000 lbs., but if the receiver is only rated for 3,500 lbs. that's the most you can tow.

Do I need to use a tow dolly, or can I tow my vehicle with all four wheels on the ground? Some vehicles can be towed with all four wheels down with no problems while others would suffer serious damage to the vehicle transmission. In some cases modifications can be made to the driveline and/or transmission so you can tow the vehicle with all four wheels on the ground. Do your homework before attempting to tow a vehicle with all four wheels on the ground. Read your vehicle owner's manual and check with the vehicle manufacturer. Many vehicles that can be towed with all four wheels on the ground still have restrictions like maximum speeds or distances. In some situations it is best to use a tow dolly. A tow dolly is designed to lift the drive wheels off of the ground to prevent any damage to the tow vehicle. Camping World offers a tow dolly that can tow almost any vehicle by adjusting its axles and ramps. The adjustable tie downs fit tire sizes from 12" to 16". If the vehicle you are towing requires expensive driveline modifications or has speed and distance restrictions, a tow dolly may be the way to go.

If I can tow my vehicle with all four wheels on the ground do I use a vehicle-mounted tow bar or a coach-mounted tow bar? If you can tow your vehicle with all four wheels down the first step will be to have tow bar mounting brackets installed on the tow vehicle. Camping World offers two different types of mounting brackets -- standard and "hidden" brackets.

Now you can decide on which type of tow bar best suits your needs. Regardless of the type of tow bar you choose, make sure it is rated in excess of the fully loaded tow vehicle weight. There are two basic types of tow bars, a rigid A-frame and a collapsible. Rigid A-frame tow bars are the most basic. They are less expensive and because the arms don't adjust or collapse, they require more precise aligning to hook up. Collapsible tow bars are more common among RVers. They are self-aligning and much easier to hook up and use. The arms extend, self-center and lock in place automatically when you drive away. There are two types of collapsible tow bars, car-mounted and motorhome-mounted. Car-mounted tow bars are a little easier to use and fold away on the front of the vehicle when you are not towing. Motorhome-mounted tow bars fold away on the rear of the motorhome and never have to be lifted or removed from the front of the vehicle. Whether you decide if a car-mounted is best for you or a motorhome-mounted, Camping World has a great selection of both types.

What about brakes? Most U.S. States and Canadian Provinces have their own laws on the requirements for brakes on a towed trailer or vehicle being towed behind a motorhome. The brakes on a motorhome are designed by the vehicle manufacturer to stop the weight of that particular vehicle, not the additional weight being towed behind it. This additional weight adds a substantial increase to the distance required to stop safely. You need to have some type of braking system on the towed vehicle to SAFELY reduce the stopping distance and to protect you, your loved ones and the safety of others. After researching all of my options, I chose the BrakeProTM by Roadmaster, which is available at Camping World. I decided on the BrakeProTM for several reasons.

1) It's portable and will work on any towed vehicle.
2) It doesn't require any modifications to the existing brake system.
3) It brakes your towed car proportionally and simultaneously to the motorhome braking.
4) It's easy to install and use.

What else will I need? You will need safety cables for the towed vehicle in the event it is ever separated from the motorhome while on the road. One end of the cables is attached to the tow vehicle tow brackets and the other end to the receiver on the motorhome.

You need running lights, tail lights, brake lights and turn signals on the towed vehicle that work in conjunction with the motorhome lights. If you don't tow your vehicle that often you may want to purchase a light accessory kit that can be strapped to the tow vehicle or attaches magnetically. These kits have a wiring harness that is plugged into the motorhome wiring harness plug.

If you tow your vehicle frequently, you will probably want to use a permanent method where tow vehicle lights are wired directly to the motorhome lights. Once this is done you just plug the tow vehicle wiring harness plug in to the motorhome wiring harness plug.

The only thing left to do is hook up your tow vehicle and head down the road. Try to get in the habit of making the following checks before you leave and every time you stop

1. Check the tow bar, mounting brackets, safety cables and light plug to make sure everything is properly attached.
2. When you stop, check the tires of the towed vehicle to make sure they are not too hot or losing air.
3. If you are using a tow dolly or trailer, check the wheels to make sure they are not hot to the touch. If the wheels are hot, it may indicate a brake or bearing problem.
4. Check all of the lights everyday before towing.
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Mark J. Polk owns RV Education 101, a North Carolina-based company that produces professional training videos, DVDs and e-books on how to use and maintain your RV. Mark also hosts the RV Savvy segments for RVTV which airs on the Outdoor Channel.
Mark's DVDs are available at Camping World.