By Cheri Sicard
One of my new favorite vloggers, Duane, a certified RV inspector from the RV Inspection and Care channel, has produced a terrific informative video on the topic of what is the best way to tow. In it, Duane compares and contrasts flat towing versus dolly towing.
Of course, those traveling with travel trailers or fifth wheels can ignore this post. But if you have a motorhome of any kind, it will likely be of interest.
Some owners of small Class B’s may not need to tow along another vehicle. But, generally speaking, the larger your motorhome, the more you are going to want the convenience of another vehicle to run errands in and to use for day trips.
Three things you need for ANY kind of towing
- A suitable vehicle to tow with.
- A braking system. You will not want your motorhome to be responsible for all the braking—it is not safe.
- A lighting system for the towed vehicle, meaning night, brake, and turn signal lights. This is necessary for safety as well as to be road legal in all states.
Flat towing vs. dolly towing pros and cons
Pros of flat towing
- It’s super easy to connect and disconnect. And there’s hardly any time involved.
- Not much physical work is required.
- Very little storage is required for the equipment.
- It tracks well, turns corners well, and drives like a dream. This is because your tow vehicle will have the same turning radius as your RV.
Cons of flat towing
- Flat towing equipment can be much more expensive than tow dollies. Add more expense if you hard wire in the braking and lighting system. That said, Duane says you can save a bundle by buying used equipment. But he says you can expect to spend between $3,000 and $5,000 to set up a quality flat tow system.
- Not every vehicle can be flat towed. They must be designed from the factory to be flat towed. Flat towing the wrong vehicle can ruin the transmission. Check the owner’s manual of your vehicle to see if it can be flat towed.
- Battery concerns. In order for all four wheels to turn, the ignition in the vehicle being towed must be on. This also prevents the steering wheel from locking. This can be a drain on your battery. Duane says it is not the end of the world and there are ways around it, but it is another factor to consider when weighing your options.
- Concerns about selling the vehicle. If you have invested in hard-wiring the braking and lighting systems, that is a lot of expense to lose should you decide to sell the vehicle.
Pros of dolly towing
- Low cost. Dolly towing will often come in at about half the cost of flat towing.
- There is a wide range of vehicles to choose from suitable for dolly towing. It’s nowhere near as limited as for flat towing. Again, consult your owner’s manual.
- Zero battery charging concerns. In dolly towing you want those front wheels to stay locked so there is no need for a key in the ignition.
- You can change from one towed vehicle to another easily. Not so with flat towing.
Cons of dolly towing
- The time and effort required to set up and disconnect is far more than with flat towing.
- Some physical effort is required. You will need to move the dolly around and also securely ratchet down those front wheels.
- You must find a place to store the tow dolly when not in use. In some campgrounds with limited space, this can potentially become an issue.
What’s it all boil down to?
Flat towing is easier but far more expensive. Dolly towing is far more affordable but takes far more work. Which choice is best for you, only you can say.
##RVDT2163
A good article and well balanced in its assessment. We’ve towed 4 down and on a dolly. Turned out 4 down is not for us and for the past 10 yrs we’ve used the dolly. We find it just as easy to use the dolly and we appreciate its versatility as we have now towed 7 different vehicle without any modification or special set up. We find it odd that there are complaints that one has to get on the ground to complete the hook up using a dolly. We never have and are now able to complete a load and hook up on the dolly in about 7 minutes.
7 minutes is remarkable. Well done on getting that time handled. I’ll bet a NASCAR crew would be hard pressed to handle it in 7 minutes. I have always towed flat and am confident in a 7 minute matching time alone. I only do it alone, start to finish, to ensure I have missed nothing, have had no distractions, and am not relying on anyone. Never have had the need say “I thought you did that” part of the RV mishap on the toad.
Congrats again on 7 minutes with a dolly, I do not know your ages but even with 2 in there 40s, I would find that remarkable. 😀 👍👍
There is one more disadvantage to dolly towing. It requires physical strength and agility to move and maneuver the dolly and to install and uninstall the tire holding straps. Older folks or those with some disabilities may find this an insurmountable barrier.
Towed battery does not need to be on, just put the key in the ignition and turn it to release the key lock. Make sure that the front wheels turn freely.
Harbor Freight has a very nice set of wireless tow lights that require no physical connection between RV and tow vehicle. And, extremely bright.
What about weight difference? Early in our investigation into towing I read that flat tow did not factor in to the tow weight of the motor home (or something like that it was a few years ago) I recently had an accident in our toad and may need to replace the vehicle considering towing with dollie to save the set up and open options for vehicles, but concerned about additional weight.
Depends on what you’re towing, most compact cars weigh less than 4000 lbs, a dolly will weigh 300-400 lbs, most motorhomes can tow at least 5000lbs.
Much of the information contained in this article is incorrect and important details are omitted. The author/editor has done a poor job of vetting details!
Be careful you’ll step on someone’s toes, they don’t like that.
I don’t tow anything (because we have a trailer) but to me it seems like the BEST way to go is to tow on a trailer. You can back a trailer up where ‘they say’ that’s not possible when flat towing or dolly towing. Just my opinion.
Agree, but I see very few doing that. The cost of the trailer is high.
I looked into that at one point (I now have a TT too). It’s expensive and weighty as I recall.
Yeah, you guys are probably right about trailers being pricey. I’ve never checked. It would also depend on your ‘style’ of camping. RV parks, campgrounds, or boondocking. I guess I’m just a trailer kind of guy . . .
With a trailer you may have to be concerned with the extra length in regards to the size of your campsite as well as the location of the utility boxes. Be a pain to have to disconnect to fit in your site. And concern for the extra weight of the trailer itself?
No steering wheel ignition lock on many newer cars, example a jeep Cherokee with active drive two, it does not require the ignition to be in acc or run to flat tow. But It is important to always have power from your MH to the tow in order to maintain the tow battery since the tow battery powers the added tow braking system. I also question the cost associated with flat towing. Depending on the tow, the costs may be lower than a dolly. If you do the work yourself, it probably will be.
Once a car is set up for flat towing, it can be a plus when selling. The vehicles we have sold, set up for towing, have been snapped up by RVers, with the value of the tow equipment added to the price of the car. Installation of a simple switch solves the battery drain problem.
Around 20,0000 miles on my flat towed Honda CRV, with zero problems, not even with the battery. Set up and or removal of the toad only takes 6-8 minutes.