Towing Tips

back Be careful when towing on thick gravel or sand in a parking lot – sometimes the front tires on your towed vehicle (toad) will turn in the opposite direction you are headed so you are in effect dragging the car through the gravel. The only way the wheels will straighten out is to stop the RV and get out and turn the steering wheel of the toad in the direction you are headed.

snow Never tow in snow or ice.

back Never back up because the toad can jackknife so quickly that you won’t be able to react quickly it (it could also damage the tow bar and mounting hardware).

backAlways use safety cables or chains between the toad and motor home in case the tow bar separates from the road – always attach the safety cables to the frame of the motor home and the frame of the toad.

backNever tow faster than the posted speed limit

backYou can tow any front-wheel drive manual transmission vehicle as far as you want and as long as you want.

backMost 4WD vehicles with manual transmissions, manual transfer case and manual lock out hubs can be towed on all four wheels safely with no problems – if the 4WD has no manual lockout hubs and/or no manual transfer case you will need a REMCO Drive Shaft Disconnect on the rear drive shaft to tow it safely.

backMost auto manufacturers will not give you a straight answer about towing their vehicles because they have not done any testing. If they do give you an answer, it will probably be that you should not tow because they don’t want to get involved or they don’t know the correct answer. As a default, they will tell you the vehicle cannot be towed to avoid potential lawsuits.

backIf a salesman or auto manufacturer says your vehicle can be towed on all 4 wheels, get it in writing to protect yourself in case of any kind of transmission damage caused by towing.

backIf you can’t see your toad while towing, (the vehicle is too low) get a magnetic base CB antenna and put it on your trunk lid with a red flag on top – this will allow you to see it in the rear view mirror of your recreational vehicle.

back If you plan to tow any distance, your motor home’s transmission oil can get extremely hot – we recommend you get a transmission oil cooler installed on your RV. Trans coolers only cost about $100-$150 installed and will increase the life of the transmission in your motor home.

backFor safety reasons, the tow bar on your toad and the hitch on the RV should both be rated as Class III (5,000 lbs) or more. If you don’t know for sure call the manufacturers of the hitch or motor home.

backDo not attach a tow bar directly to the bumper of your toad unless you are also attaching it to the frame. Most newer cars have plastic and a shock absorber mounting system for the bumper making it unsafe to attach to the bumper only.

backMake sure you use diodes to install the tail light wiring from the motor home to the toad. Diodes will prevent feedback problems.

backWhen towing a vehicle over 3,000 lbs. you should think about the braking system on your toad for safety. Having the toad behind your RV will increase the stopping distance of the RV by 50-70%. REMCO has a hydraulic / surge braking system available.

backThe only vehicles we don’t recommend towing are Subaru’s because they don’t track well. Subaru uses different camber and caster settings in their alignment that cause this issue. People have told us that the newer Subaru’s do tow OK, but we don’t know for sure. Subaru also says their Outback is towable as is.

back When towing, the tow bar should be as level to the ground as possible. The new tow bars that go on the back of the motor home can have as much as 6 inches difference in height between the back of the motor home and the front of the car.