Towing a Vehicle behind my RV

[Newton36B]

I just checked the weight on the Dodge Ram, they show 4775 lbs to 6439 lbs, I would find out what yours actually weighs before I decided to tow it. I would also want auxiliary braking for the truck

 

[Newton36B]

The Jeep Compass weighs 3184-3633, that would be my choice

 

[Russsilber90]

Hi all,

New to the group, and probably posting in the wrong spot, so here goes.

I have a 2013 Georgetown 335DS, and I'm looking to tow a vehicle behind it. I have never setup a vehicle to tow before, and am looking for what I need to get set up correctly.

What I'm looking to tow is my 2021 Ram 1500 Laramie, or my wife`s 2021 Jeep Compass.

I did purchase a brake controller for the RV (because I already tow my boat, and need the controller for that either way) I also have a tow dolly with surge brakes. I have been told that neither one of my vehicles can be put in the dolly, and need to be flat towed. I'm assuming that the Ram 1500 would be the easiest to set up.

I am also able to get a tow bar, and do have the ability to fabricate my own mounts to the same locations as the front tow hooks on the Ram 1500....... After that what should I be looking to purchase.

I will probably only tow a vehicle 3 or 4 times a season.


Thank you,

Most towing systems are bolted to the frame. Not the tie down hooks

 

[knied1]

Most towing systems are bolted to the frame. Not the tie down hooks

the front towing hooks go straight to the frame, the Blue Ox mounts have you remove the hooks and bolt the mounts in their place.

 

[knied1]

Thanks for all the replies,

I am making an appointment with Gander RV to go over what I need so that I am sure I get the correct items.

 

[Joe Hogan]

You might be better off calling, etrailer.com

 

[Headhunter]

I am being told that both can be flat towed, but neither can be towed with the front wheels on a dolly ( that doesn't make sense to me)

I know this can be confusing for a new beginner to tow a vehicle. First, if you are going to flat tow, 4 wheels down, that means NO DOLLY. You need a vehicle that is capable of flat towing. I think your Jeep compass is not flat tow-able. Your Dodge RAM is going to be on the Heavy side. Your Georgetown 335DS I believe is a gas engine correct? If so your MAX tow weight is probably 5000 lbs. I am not familiar with a Dodge RAM as a tow vehicle. But I am guessing you will be over or very close to your max weight.

A good example is any Jeep Wrangler, Sahara, or Rubicon, two door or 4 door. First on newer models there is NO steering lock. On your 4 wheel shifter you shift your trans-axle in Neutral. This disengages your transmission from your drive axles. Once in neutral you can shift your regular auto shifter in drive or reverse and you vehicle will not move. Then shift into park and shut off your engine.

When you do decide what vehicle you are going to tow you will need a tow bar attached to the vehicle. You will have to buy one made for your tow vehicle of your choice. I am partial to Blue Ox tow bars, but there are other makes and models as well. Then you will need an electrical setup that will work the turn signals and break light of your tow vehicle. There are plug in systems for most Jeeps.

Last but not least you should look into auxiliary breaking systems. This is when you apply the brakes on the coach it automatically applies the breaks on your tow vehicle. This is a whole other chapter to cover.

HH

 

[knied1]

HH....

Thanks this is the information i was looking for. Just to be positive, I double checked the towing capacity of my camper, and GAVW. ( I looked at the label inside the camper just behind the driver seat to make sure I'm not quoting the incorrect numbers.
With a full water, sewer assuming 1,500# of gear, food etc. I can tow 7600#....this doesn't surprise me since my boat that I already tow is 7,200 and I don`t even feel it back there.
What is interesting to me on flat towing is that i will be adding minimal tongue weight, and I'm assuming it will tow even better than the boat which has almost 350# of toung weight.

I called the dealer we got The jeep compass and since it is true 4WD and NOT AWD drive it can be flat towed, but since its a lease we can not make frame modifications so that vehicle is out of the equation.

I am going to gander RV over the weekend so that i can ask all the questions i need to and hopefully get them answered. like:
* What are my brake controller options
* Tail light wiring options
* do I need to keep the ignition on in the truck while towing, otherwise how do i stop the wheel from locking
* If I keep the ignition on, how do Ii stop the battery from draining.

We have had a camper of one type or another for over 20 years, so im not new to the camper thing, just never flat towed, or towed a vehicle behind the camper, usually we always had a boat, jet ski, ATV ETC to tow, so driving a 2nd vehicle was just a part of using the camper. now we will be going places where the only thing i would need is the vehicle to drive around town in, and it would be nice to tow it and not drive it.

I was hoping to be a bit more educated on what to look for, and make the best decisions for my situation.



Thanks again to everyone for the replies

Happy Adventures

 

[Newton36B]

Everything I read about the Georgetown motorhome says it has a 5000 lb hitch, maybe yours is different, but I would make sure before I towed something heavier. I had my towd wired with a switch that disconnects the accessories when the key is on for towing.

 

[knied1]

What I did fail to mention above is the tow bar,
I have a 10K tow bar but not the mounts.... those will be easy enough to make, and I have already designed them.

Bolting to the same locations as blue ox the limiting factor will be the hardware. Most commercial purchased items will have grade 5 bolts, assuming there is a complete failure of one of the brackets I calculated that if one side failed, and the vehicle was only being towed by one bracket, the grade 5 hardware is good for 25,000# of force. especially since the bolts are in tension and not sear.

My design has the plates and the weld at 50,000# making the bolts again the weakest point. but just to be sure i will be using A325 bolts, and this will make bolted connection good for well above 50K and thus being almost double the strength of the stock brackets.