Question Walk through for preparing a vehicle for flat towing

[Hillman]

Is there somewhere I can go for a walkthrough on everything I'd need to do to my 2016 Dodge Grand caravan to prepare it for flat towing behind a class C? We were going to go with a dolly, but I've been told if you get into a situation where you need to back up, you have to disconnect first, but not so with a flat tow? And it has to be the Dodge as our other vehicle is a Jeep Renegade which apparently you can't flat tow OR tow with a dolly.

So, what do I need to do to my van? What do I need to buy, have installed, etc? Thanks. This is part of our summer around the US trip this year and with a Class C on a 450 chassis we think this is doable, unless I'm wrong there too? Thank you.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

The first thing to check is whether the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is actually flat-towable at all. From my limited research (2016 Guide to Dinghy Towing*), it does not appear to be. Not all vehicles are capable of being flat-towed, as you have observed with your Jeep. As with any endeavor, if you throw enough money at a problem, you can resolve it.

Most vehicles can be modified for flat towing with driveshaft disconnects, transmission lubrication pumps, etc. but the cost would be high. And, some vehicles can’t even be modified for flat- or dolly-towing; they need to be on a trailer.

The second thing you need to check is the Grand Caravan’s weight. Again, from my limited research, it would appear to be in the 4,300-4,500 pound range. That’s quite a bit to tow behind most Class Cs.

From my perspective, your 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is not a good choice for a towed vehicle.

As for not being able to back up a vehicle on a dolly, the same is true for flat-towed vehicle. You would need to unhook either way.

* https://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdf/dtg_2016.pdf

TJ

 

[Hillman]

The first thing to check is whether the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is actually flat-towable at all. From my limited research (2016 Guide to Dinghy Towing*), it does not appear to be. Not all vehicles are capable of being flat-towed, as you have observed with your Jeep. As with any endeavor, if you throw enough money at a problem, you can resolve it.

Most vehicles can be modified for flat towing with driveshaft disconnects, transmission lubrication pumps, etc. but the cost would be high. And, some vehicles can’t even be modified for flat- or dolly-towing; they need to be on a trailer.

The second thing you need to check is the Grand Caravan’s weight. Again, from my limited research, it would appear to be in the 4,300-4,500 pound range. That’s quite a bit to tow behind most Class Cs.

From my perspective, your 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is not a good choice for a towed vehicle.

As for not being able to back up a vehicle on a dolly, the same is true for flat-towed vehicle. You would need to unhook either way.

* https://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdf/dtg_2016.pdf

TJ

I've no interest in flat towing if it offers no advantage in backing up over a dolly, so that's fine, and I know that I have to have a Class C that is rated for a 5000lb hitch, as well as the 5000lb receiver, and then an empty van. But thank you, those are important things to be thinking about. At least now I can forget the flat tow/vs dolly question.

 

["EZ"]

I don't think you can back up more than about 10 feet with a tow dolly or a tow bar for flat towing either one. I backed up my 40' pusher with a Blue Ox tow bar towing my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It only went about 10 feet before it started to jack knife. I would imagine a tow dolly would be about the same. One thing is for sure. It makes you plan ahead when you pull off the interstate on an exit. You don't want to have to back up because it's a pain!!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I don't think you can back up more than about 10 feet with a tow dolly or a tow bar for flat towing either one. I backed up my 40' pusher with a Blue Ox tow bar towing my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It only went about 10 feet before it started to jack knife. I would imagine a tow dolly would be about the same. One thing is for sure. It makes you plan ahead when you pull off the interstate on an exit. You don't want to have to back up because it's a pain!!

The RV tech who installed our tow system on the Honda CR-V told me that if I backed it up more than 4 feet, I’d better have money in the bank because it would do several thousand dollars damage to the toad. Not sure how accurate that was, but I haven’t wanted to test his hypothesis.

TJ

 

["EZ"]

The RV tech who installed our tow system on the Honda CR-V told me that if I backed it up more than 4 feet, I’d better have money in the bank because it would do several thousand dollars damage to the toad. Not sure how accurate that was, but I haven’t wanted to test his hypothesis.

TJ

He didn't say what would break?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

He didn't say what would break?

I didn’t question him specifically, but it sounded like suspension damage and driveline issues (it is an AWD CR-V). Haven’t really had the need to back up as I’m pretty careful about looking ahead to anticipate potential sticky situations.

TJ

 

[Hillman]

seems like now we're going to have to adjust our plans and look for a smaller class C or a Class A that fits our budget but can tow more, I guess.

 

[MapNerd]

According to page 570 of the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan owners manual I was able to find online, which covers recreational towing behind a motorhome, the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is only towable on a dolly or trailer, regardless of model. You can never flat tow it (all four wheels on the ground). If you choose to dolly tow, your front wheels must be on the dolly and rear wheels on the ground.

DO NOT reverse this and place your rear wheels on the dolly and front wheels on the ground as your vehicle is FWD and this will cause substantial damage to your drivetrain, specifically your transmission.

as to what you need to do:
1. Determine whether you want to dolly tow or trailer tow - sounds like you’ve made this decision already
2. Find a suitable dolly or trailer capable of towing your Grand Caravan. In addition to being able to support and tow your vehicle, a suitable dolly should have its own dedicated, supplemental lighting and braking system, this way your towed vehicle can be completely powered off and when being towed. I might consider the Roadmaster RM-2000-1.
3. Read and understand your dolly or trailer towing procedures as well as your vehicles. When towing on a dolly or trailer, little to no modifications should need to be made to your tow vehicle. The dolly or trailer should be doing all of the tow work and your vehicle is just along for the ride with just a couple of steps to put it into the proper tow-mode configuration.

as to backing up, avoid it at all costs unless
1. You are Trailer towing - it’s okay to back up then (trailer towing and dolly towing are NOT the same thing. Do not back up when dolly towing). If not trailer towing and the turn is too tight and you think you might get stuck, don’t do it. There is always another, safer way to get there (usually 5-10 minutes down the road or less) that you can use to get reoriented without causing substantial damage and blocking an intersection for 20 minutes.
2. Someone is dying
3. Something is on fire
4. You really like making expensive repairs

 

[Hillman]

According to page 570 of the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan owners manual I was able to find online, which covers recreational towing behind a motorhome, the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is only towable on a dolly or trailer, regardless of model. You can never flat tow it (all four wheels on the ground). If you choose to dolly tow, your front wheels must be on the dolly and rear wheels on the ground.

DO NOT reverse this and place your rear wheels on the dolly and front wheels on the ground as your vehicle is FWD and this will cause substantial damage to your drivetrain, specifically your transmission.

as to what you need to do:
1. Determine whether you want to dolly tow or trailer tow - sounds like you’ve made this decision already
2. Find a suitable dolly or trailer capable of towing your Grand Caravan. In addition to being able to support and tow your vehicle, a suitable dolly should have its own dedicated, supplemental lighting and braking system, this way your towed vehicle can be completely powered off and when being towed. I might consider the Roadmaster RM-2000-1.
3. Read and understand your dolly or trailer towing procedures as well as your vehicles. When towing on a dolly or trailer, little to no modifications should need to be made to your tow vehicle. The dolly or trailer should be doing all of the tow work and your vehicle is just along for the ride with just a couple of steps to put it into the proper tow-mode configuration.

as to backing up, avoid it at all costs unless
1. You are Trailer towing - it’s okay to back up then (trailer towing and dolly towing are NOT the same thing. Do not back up when dolly towing). If not trailer towing and the turn is too tight and you think you might get stuck, don’t do it. There is always another, safer way to get there (usually 5-10 minutes down the road or less) that you can use to get reoriented without causing substantial damage and blocking an intersection for 20 minutes.
2. Someone is dying
3. Something is on fire
4. You really like making expensive repairs

Thank you, that's a lot of good information. Boy those dollies aren't cheap, if you want a good one. This trip we are planning for, and subsequent trips in the years coming that generate from what we do now, has evolved from "Hey, let's buy a camper and head west for the summer" to wavering between a Class C, truck and trailer combo, back to class C with a towed vehicle, then back to truck and trailer combo, to maybe a very small Class C and no tow vehicle, OR a Class A with a greater towing capacity and a towed vehicle. It's become far more complicated than we anticipated because we do have a budget so as not to affect our bottom line anywhere else. At some points, the complications have become disheartening, because we want to do it right. In the past, we bought an older, heavy trailer and pulled it with a Yukon and it was punishing on me, and both vehicles because I didn't understand towing capacity, hitch weight, cargo capacity, all of that, and we want to do this one right so we can continue doing it right for a very long time. I appreciate all of the help.