Towing a Vehicle behind my RV

[Joe Dutchstar]

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.

 

[Newton36B]

That sounds great, and should be plenty stout, my concern would be the actual hitch mount on the motormome, your work may be good for 25,000 lbs, but if the motorhome hitch is only rated for 5,000 lbs where does that leave you ?

 

[knied1]

That sounds great, and should be plenty stout, my concern would be the actual hitch mount on the motormome, your work may be good for 25,000 lbs, but if the motorhome hitch is only rated for 5,000 lbs where does that leave you ?

Types of Trailer Hitches and Hitch Classes - Towing 101

There are many different types of hitches and hitch classes used for towing a trailer. In this guide, we will walk through the 5 hitch classes, comparing weight ratings, features and more. We'll also look at some other hitch types, such as 5th wheel, gooseneck and pintle.

www.curtmfg.com

This is taken from the Curt Manufacturing Webiste
" class 3 trailer hitch is the most common receiver hitch class installed on full-size pickup trucks and SUVs. If your truck is equipped with a towing prep package, it probably has a class 3 hitch.

CURT class 3 hitches are equipped with a 2" x 2" receiver tube opening and typically have a weight carrying capacity up to 8,000 lbs. gross trailer weight. Some class 3 hitches can also be used in combination with a weight distribution hitch."


From researching their website based on the dimension of the hitch frame and receiver tube it is difficult to tell if it's a class 3 or class 4 hitch....I am choosing to assume it's a class three and based on the information on the information on Curt Manufacturing website I should be fine.

I have already performed the research on the strength of my camper, frame strength GAVW....I have a brother who is a State Trooper and he says I will never get a ticket for being under GAVW....what I have not been able to square away it the best option for components. Hopefully I will be able to get that information this weekend.

 

[NWIP]

Here is a link to Roadmaster’s website using your 2021 Ram. It gives you everything you need to consider: baseplate, tow bar, lights. Battery disconnect, etc.

BlueOx and Roadmaster are the leaders in what your looking for and both will provide excellent support. You can build your own baseplate but they already have.

FitMaster Product Match | Roadmaster Inc.

fitmaster.roadmasterinc.com

 

[knied1]

Here is a link to Roadmaster’s website using your 2021 Ram. It gives you everything you need to consider: baseplate, tow bar, lights. Battery disconnect, etc.

BlueOx and Roadmaster are the leaders in what your looking for and both will provide excellent support. You can build your own baseplate but they already have.

FitMaster Product Match | Roadmaster Inc.

fitmaster.roadmasterinc.com

thanks

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

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.

I'd like to offer some clarification here: Sahara and Rubicon are packages available on the Jeep Wrangler, and the Jeep Gladiator, not separate models, although many people think of them as separate models. And the 4WD gearbox is not a transaxle, but rather a transfer case.

 

[Bob K4TAX]

Doesn't it make a bit of sense to use a vehicle trailer? One with ramps as opposed to a flat trailer and one that has a tilt frame for easy loading and unloading. There was one parked next to us last year at the campground. The concern then would be the combined weight of the trailer and vehicle, trailer brakes, and controller on the tow vehicle which are present as used on the boat trailer. Seems like the minimum hassle and has no concern about towing flat or otherwise.

 

[Jireh Financial]

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)

Told by who? Dealerships and owners manuals would be a good source.
Ken

 

[knied1]

First told by one of theocal RV dealers, but when I contacted the dealer we got the jeep from they did say it was flat towable BUT since it's a lease I can not make attachments to the frame

 

[knied1]

Doesn't it make a bit of sense to use a vehicle trailer? One with ramps as opposed to a flat trailer and one that has a tilt frame for easy loading and unloading. There was one parked next to us last year at the campground. The concern then would be the combined weight of the trailer and vehicle, trailer brakes, and controller on the tow vehicle which are present as used on the boat trailer. Seems like the minimum hassle and has no concern about towing flat or otherwise.

It is a viable option
For me the draw back is having another trailer to store, register, inspect, maintain etc....also i would need a place for the trailer when I am at my camping place......I am sure for others a trailer fits their needs perfectly

 

[jimdeballen]

I have been flat towing my 2013 Jeep Wrangler behind my gas powered motor home. I recently upgraded to a diesel pusher. Do I need to change the braking system in my Wrangler or does the brake system for gas motor homes work for diesel motor home’s too?