It is a K1500, 2008 model. Since I bought the dolly to tow our other vehicle, i'd rather not go to the expense of equipping the Yukon to be towable on all fours - assuming that can be done. The RV is a Fleetwood Discovery 39 ft. We are going from Columbus, Ohio to Fort Leonardwood, MO - 9 hours each way - all highway. Release Datecan the 2019 equinox be flat towed Redesign can the 2019 equinox be flat towed, Price can the 2019 equinox be flat towed Review.
Towing a minivan like the Toyota Sienna behind an RV seems like an almost perfect solution for those in search of their next great adventure. While most RV drivers will opt to tow a small car as a 'dinghy' behind their land yacht, a minivan makes good sense if you're planning on using your RV as more of a base camp and the tow vehicle is an intermediate-range cruiser to visit surrounding areas. So, a fine notion -- but one not without its fair share of challenges.
Factors
The first decision you'll need to make is exactly how you're going to tow your dinghy. You've got three basic options: flat towing, a car dolly, and full trailering. The Sienna, to date, has never used a transmission that would permit flat towing without modifications to the vehicle; a potentially expensive problem, but not an insurmountable one. This does limit your options somewhat, though, especially if you're working within a given budget and you don't want to modify your van. The second major factor involved is the van's dimensions, primarily its length, ground clearance and departure angle -- how much you can lift the front end without the rear bumper hitting the ground. Lastly, you've got operational considerations: how the combination of RV and minivan will drive, ease of loading and unloading, and what you're going to do with a car trailer or dolly if you use one.
Flat Towing the Sienna
Early Siennas used the U-series automatic transmission, and later models used A-series transmissions with optional all-wheel drive. Both of these transmissions used oil pumps driven at the input end; so, if you force the transmission to turn without the engine running, you're effectively running it without lubrication. Several companies, most notably Remco, make auxilliary electric oil pumps to overcome this problem. These pumps pull fluid from a fitting in the transmission oilpan, push it through the transmission cooler in the radiator, and back to the transmission. If you're flat towing, a pump like this is an absolute prerequisite regardless of which drivetrain you have. They work well, but they're also expensive. As of 2014, Remco sells pump kits for $1,100 to $1,400 -- and that's before the $300 to $500 in labor required to install it. Add another $300 to $500 for a tow bar installation. So, flat towing is a viable option if you don't want to pull a trailer or car dolly, but it's an expensive one.
Car Dollies
If you have a front-wheel-drive Sienna, you can get around the transmission problem by putting the front end up on a car dolly. But, this presents potential a new problem in regard to the van's rear bumper. The Sienna has a respectable 6 to 8 inches of ground clearance, which is greatest under the rear bumper. That's good. But, the rear overhang is long, the Sienna is heavy and its suspension is soft. Lift the front end onto a dolly, and the Sienna's rear bumper may clear when the RV is sitting still, only to hit the ground every time you hit a bump. The cheapest and simplest solution here may be a set of supplemental rear airbags, which fit inside the stock springs and greatly stiffen them to keep your hindquarters from dropping. Not cheap at about $500 to $600 for the set; but, even after counting in the cost of a car dolly, still less than half the total cost of a pump and tow bar installation for flat towing.
Trailering
Loading the entire minivan onto a trailer may be the best and simplest option for most, and the only option for people who don't want to modify their vans. That's especially true for owners of AWD Siennas, who don't have the option of using a car dolly. If you have AWD, keeping one set of wheels stationary while forcibly spinning the other is the quickest possibly way to fry your center differential. Loading a minivan onto and off of a trailer is a pain, and potentially dangerous if you have difficulty maneuvering your body into and out of the van while it's on the trailer. But, if you can deal with the aggravation, full trailering is the safest option as far as your van is concerned, it will reduce component wear on the van, it's quick, and it may be the cheapest option if you can find a used car trailer. The sky's the limit on what you can spend for a brand new car trailer, but used ones usually go for between $500 and $1,000 from private sellers.
Decision
Practically speaking, a full trailer is the best option if you can deal with it and have the room at your intended campsite. Experienced RV owners, though, know that last can be a deal breaker. Most RV parks don't allow anywhere near enough space to leave the trailer connected to the RV, let alone the extra 30 feet you'll need to load and unload something as long as the Sienna. This is where a car dolly really shows its value, especially since it's easily moved by hand once the vehicle is unloaded. Flat towing is even better in this regard, since you can easily disconnect before pulling your RV in -- a godsend if and when you have to back into a tight space. But, then again, you can do the same with a car dolly, if you don't mind pulling it by hand a short distance to your site. For most, then, a car dolly will offer a comfortable compromise when it comes to expense, modification, loading and parking in this application, assuming you don't have AWD. If you do, you're stuck with either a transmission pump modification or a full trailer.
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Motorhomes, also called RVs, can be a pleasant way to travel, letting you stay at a campsite, alongside a picturesque stream, or even on the street at Aunt Matilda's for the annual family get-together.
But things change when you need to run into town for groceries or want to take a sightseeing trip after you've set up camp. Driving that huge RV along narrow and twisty roads, navigating in urban traffic, trying to find parking spots, and paying for the additional fuel it's consuming can be anything but pleasant.
With a small car or truck available, however, motorhome travelers don't have to stow all their gear and pull up the stakes every time they want to go somewhere. That's why it is not uncommon to see big RVs pulling smaller vehicles behind them. That extra set of wheels, often in the form of a little SUV or subcompact car, makes it so much easier to get around.
The Jeep Wrangler has long been a popular vehicle for motor home owners to flat tow, meaning that all four of the Jeep's wheels are on the ground.
Trailering Is Not Best
With two-wheeled tow dollies and four-wheeled trailers, almost any vehicle can be towed behind an RV, provided that the weight of the car or truck and whatever is being used to facilitate the tow doesn't exceed the motorhome's recommended towing capacity. But that kind of towing isn't all that popular, for good reason.
First, there's the expense of buying and maintaining a trailer or tow dolly. Then there's the storage space at home and at the campsite that those conveyances require when not in use, as well as the extra work needed to get the towed vehicle on and off them.
The Dinghy's the Thing
The alternative is flat towing, also called 'four-down towing' or 'dinghy towing.' It involves attaching a tow bar to a suitable car, SUV or pickup and letting the vehicle roll along behind the RV on its own four tires (thus four-down towing). It's often called dinghy towing because the towed vehicle resembles a small dinghy being pulled along behind a large yacht.
Years ago, finding cars suitable for flat towing wasn't all that hard. Most cars and trucks with manual transmissions could be pulled four-down, as could most four-wheel-drive SUVs with manual transfer cases.
But things change. Today the plethora of electronic transmissions and front-wheel-drive and full- and part-time four-wheel-drive systems require a bit of planning when you are selecting flat-towed cars and trucks.
![Towed Towed](http://www.suvblogger.com/wp-content/themes/suvbloggerSept2010/images/product_images/exterior/2011_Chevrolet_Equinox__exterior_643.jpg)
Transmission Trouble
Toyota, for instance, makes several vehicles that would seem ideal for flat towing. For hearty off-road adventurers, there are the Land Cruiser and the FJ Cruiser, the latter still popular although it's no longer in production. And while they're fine on their own on rough terrain, the company's four-wheel-drive trucks don't make the grade when it comes to flat towing. In fact, no automatic-transmission vehicle from Toyota, Lexus or the discontinued Scion brand is suitable for dinghy towing.
It all has to do with transmission lubrication, according to Toyota. Some Toyota vehicles require continuous operation of a pump inside the transmission to keep the moving parts lubricated, and those cars can't be towed four-down. With automatic transmissions and pump-dependent manuals, the output shaft isn't being lubricated unless the vehicle's engine is running, and a car can suffer severe transmission damage if it is towed with the driven wheels rolling along the highway, turning the driveshaft or, in the case of front-wheel-drive cars, the half shafts.
So What Can You Tow?
Typically, a vehicle can be pulled dinghy-style if it has rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission or four-wheel drive and a manual transfer case that can be placed in Neutral, according to Fiat Chrysler. The automaker's Jeeps and Ram pickups are popular dinghy vehicles.
The best way to make sure a vehicle is suited to flat towing is to check the owner's manual. Virtually every automaker states clearly in every model's manual whether it can be towed on all four wheels or whether it must be hauled on a flatbed truck or trailer or pulled 'two-down' with the driven wheels off the ground.
For a quick overview, MotorHome magazine publishes annual lists of dinghy-towable vehicles. They are available for download at no cost, dating back to the 1990 model year.
Aftermarket Add-Ons
If your vehicle isn't suitable for flat towing, there are devices, including driveshaft decouplers and transmission lubrication pumps, that can be added to some automatic-transmission vehicles to handle the job. But the devices can be expensive and complicated to install and maintain. And if they're not used correctly, the engine or drivetrain components can be damaged while a vehicle is being towed. That can leave owners with warranty problems.
![Can a 2010 equinox awd be flat towed be hind rv sales Can a 2010 equinox awd be flat towed be hind rv sales](http://www.everything-about-rving.com/images/what-4-wheel-drive-vehicles-can-be-towed-by-an-rv-21741468.jpg)
If you already have a vehicle you'd like to flat-tow and it isn't factory-rated as suitable for flat towing, most RV dealerships and repair centers carry and can install decouplers, lubrication pumps and other such devices.
If you are looking for a towable vehicle, it's best to concentrate on those that are factory-ready.
How to Winnow the Field
To keep from looking through hundreds of owner's manuals for details on tow readiness, thin the list of candidates by deciding what kind of towed vehicle will best suit your needs: a 4x4 if you like to go off-roading, for instance. Then decide what you can afford to spend.
If you aren't sure what's out there, Edmunds Car Finder allows you to search by vehicle type and price range. It can help you create a list of candidates that meet your requirements and fit your budget.
Other Flat-Towing Tricks
While dinghy towing makes things easier once you've arrived at your destination, it can add work before and during the journey.
- Some cars and SUVs that can be towed four-down require special stops to run the engine in order to lubricate the transmission. Some require removal of various fuses before starting off. There are a number of four-wheel-drive trucks with automatic transmissions that must be towed four-down with their transmissions in the Park position and their transfer cases in Neutral.
- Vehicles with steering locks triggered by the ignition switch — and that's most of them these days — can't be flat-towed if the front wheels won't turn. The key must be in the ignition and the ignition switched to the accessory position in order to unlock the steering.
- Don't assume that because previous model years were towable, this year's will be as well. For example, the second-generation Ford Escape was a popular dinghy-tow vehicle with the RV crowd. But after its 2013 redesign, it was no longer certified to be pulled with all four wheels on the ground.
- Finally, all but eight states require most vehicles being flat-towed to be equipped with auxiliary brake systems that work in tandem with the motorhome's brakes. That's because flat-towed vehicles almost always exceed the various states' minimum towing weight requirements. Smart motorhome owners who tow a car or truck know that even in those states that don't require them, auxiliary brake kits should be considered essential.
Check the Manual, Then Check Again
Once you think you've found a vehicle that will suit you, the best next step is to get an owner's manual. Often you can find them online.
Everything you'll need to know about pulling the car or truck dinghy-style will be in the manual, including detailed instructions on which fuses to pull (if any), the proper position for the transmission shift lever, which switches to leave on and which to turn off, and how often to run the engine for lubrication.
While you can probably make almost any vehicle four-down-towable with aftermarket equipment, you're better off using cars and trucks that are manufacturer-certified for the job.