Tips for Towing a Car with an RV

Whether going cross-country or to a local campsite, traveling in your motor home can be comfortable, fun and practical. However, what's not so practical is using your RV for getting around town once you've parked at your destination.

For this reason, many RVers choose to bring a car along on their trip for the convenience of running errands and making smaller trips once their big rig is parked.

That said, here are some handy tips that we gathered for towing an automobile behind your motor home:

• Get hitched

  As most RVs do, your rig likely came with a factory hitch already installed. If not, you can usually have one installed. Though there are several types of common hitches, all are rated by the amount of weight they can pull. Be sure to check the vehicle you're towing (and the trailer, if you're using one) to make sure your hitch can accommodate the weight.

• Down to the wires

  Your motor home should come with several pin connectors near the hitch to hook up electrical connections. This should sync and control the towed vehicle's lights, turn signals and brakes with your RV for safety - and make it street legal!

Once you have this basic equipment in place, you can move on to the next step. According to some sources, like Outdoorsy¹, there are three ways to tow:

• Hello, dolly

  Using a tow dolly is said to be a common method for towing front-wheel drive vehicles, with the two back wheels on the ground. This can also be done with a rear-wheel drive vehicle if the transmission is disconnected. A tow dolly may be ideal for RVs that can't handle the combined towed weight of the vehicle plus a trailer.

• Trail on, trailer

  A car hauler or trailer is likely necessary for all-wheel and four-wheel drive towed vehicles. Be sure to check the length of your trailer in relation to your vehicle, make sure your motor home can accommodate both, and confirm that all trailer parts and equipment are properly installed and tested. One of the biggest advantage of using a trailer is to save the wear-and-tear on your towed vehicle's tires and transmission!

• Four on the floor

  This refers to the number of wheels on your towed vehicle that are on the ground, with the vehicle itself hooked to a small tow bar. Keep in mind that many vehicles' transmissions can't handle this type of towing, so please refer to your owner's manual before attempting this method..

• Tow!

  Once you're properly hooked up, hit the road, drive safely and enjoy your time away!

And before you head out with your motor home, remember you can always speak with a Foremost agent to shop for coverages to help protect your ride.

¹ References to third parties made herein are not intended to be an endorsement of any kind of such third parties or of their products or services.

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