How to Flat Tow a Car Behind a Motorhome (Step by Step)

By Jeff McDonough, Founder of TowPro Academy, 10+ years and 250,000+ miles.

Short answer: To flat tow a car behind a motorhome, first confirm in the car’s owner’s manual that it can be towed with all four wheels down, and check that every weight rating in the setup covers the loaded car. Then install a vehicle-specific baseplate, a tow bar, safety cables, lights and a supplemental braking system. Hook up in the same order every time. Put the car into tow mode last, using the steps from its manual, then pull forward and do a full walkaround. Never back up with the car attached.

Flat towing goes by a few names: dinghy towing, four-down towing, or towing a “toad.” Whatever you call it, it’s the quickest way to have a car with you at the campground. Most of the damage people do while flat towing doesn’t come from bad equipment. It comes from a skipped step. This guide gives you the order and the reasons behind it, so the steps stick.

Step 1: Confirm your car can be flat towed

The answer is in the owner’s manual. Look in the index for recreational towing, dinghy towing or towing behind a motorhome. If the manual allows towing with all four wheels down, it will give you a procedure. If it says not to, or doesn’t mention it, don’t flat tow that vehicle.

Check the manual for your exact year, engine, drivetrain and transmission, not just the model name. Makers change these from one model year to the next. A forum post, or a friend who tows “the same car,” is not a source. If you’re still unsure, call the dealer or the maker’s customer line with your VIN. Towing equipment makers also publish lists of vehicles they make parts for, such as Blue Ox’s guide to which vehicles can be flat towed. Even so, the manual comes first.

CR-V or Equinox? See why the answer changes by year.

Not sure how to read your manual’s towing section? Our guide Can My Car Be Flat Towed? walks you through checking your exact year, trim and drivetrain.

Towing a Jeep or a Bronco? See what the Wrangler and Bronco owner’s manuals say about flat towing, step by step.

Step 2: Make the weight ratings line up

Weigh the car loaded the way you’ll actually tow it. Then compare that number to every rating in the chain: the motorhome’s towing capacity and gross combination weight rating (GCWR), the hitch receiver, any drop or rise adapter, the tow bar and the baseplate. Your setup is only as strong as the lowest rating in that chain. If GCWR is new to you, start with our guide What Is GCWR?

Step 3: Know the five parts of a flat tow setup

• Baseplate: bolts to the front of the car and gives the tow bar something to connect to. Baseplates are made for a specific vehicle.
• Tow bar: connects the baseplate to the motorhome’s hitch receiver. Many are motorhome-mounted and self-aligning. Keep the bar close to level, within what its maker allows.
• Safety cables: the backup connection if the main connection fails.
• Wiring and lights: the car’s brake lights, taillights and turn signals have to follow the motorhome’s.
• Supplemental braking system with breakaway: makes the car help you stop, and applies its brakes if it ever breaks loose. See Do You Need Supplemental Brakes to Flat Tow?

For more on how the baseplate and tow bar fit together, see our guide to flat tow baseplates and tow bars.

Step 4: Turn your manual’s procedure into a written checklist

Copy your manual’s towing procedure in order, in the manual’s own words where you can. Depending on the vehicle, it can include shifting the transmission or transfer case to a set position, sometimes in a set order with the engine running; leaving the ignition in a set position so the steering doesn’t lock; pulling a fuse or disconnecting the battery; and engine-run intervals or speed and distance limits.

Worried about a dead battery at the campground? See why a flat-towed car’s battery dies.

Here’s one real example of how specific these get. Honda’s motorhome-towing procedure for an older CR-V with an automatic transmission has the owner start the engine, shift through every gear position, let it run for a set time, and repeat the procedure at set mileage intervals on long days (Honda owner’s manual excerpt). Other vehicles have completely different steps. That’s why you use your manual and nobody else’s.

Then add your own lines: parking brake off as its own numbered step near the end, loose items secured and the driver’s footwell clear, lights, chargers and dash cams off, and “turn the steering wheel by hand and confirm it moves.” Practice the whole procedure once in your driveway before your first trip.

Step 5: Hook up in the same order every time

Your tow bar, baseplate and braking system instructions always come first. This is the flow, and the reason for it:

1. Pick your spot. Level ground, the car lined up straight behind the motorhome, out of traffic, with room to pull straight ahead afterward.
2. Park and brake both vehicles. Nothing should be able to roll while your hands are between them.
3. Check the hitch. Tow bar shank fully in the receiver, hitch pin all the way through, clip or lock in place.
4. Bring out the tow bar arms following the maker’s steps. Keep your fingers clear of pinch points.
5. Pin each arm to the baseplate, and clip every pin. A pin without a clip can work its way out. Tug each arm.
6. Attach the safety cables from baseplate to hitch, following the makers’ instructions. Most makers say to cross them under the bar. Leave slack for turns, but don’t let them drag.
7. Plug in the umbilical cord at both ends, routed so it can’t drag or rub.
8. Attach the breakaway cable to its own approved point on the motorhome, not to a safety cable or the tow bar.
9. Set up or arm the braking system and confirm the monitor in the motorhome shows it’s ready.
10. Put the car in tow mode last by following your checklist line by line. The parking brake comes off as one of the final steps.

Why does tow mode go last? Until that step, the car stays in park with its brake set, so it can’t roll while you’re working around it.

Step 6: Pull forward, then walk around

Many self-aligning tow bars lock their arms once you pull ahead slowly in a straight line. Then do a full walkaround: pins and clips, cables, cord, breakaway, the brake unit, and steering that’s free to turn. Have a helper confirm the brake lights, taillights and turn signals. A backup camera helps, but it doesn’t replace walking around the rig. Our pre-trip towing checklist covers the motorhome side of the inspection.

Want it on paper? Print our flat towing hookup and unhook checklist and keep it in the motorhome.

Step 7: Drive like the rig is longer, and never back up

Make wider turns, leave longer following distances, and plan fuel stops and campground entries where you can pull through. Most flat-tow setups can’t back up: the car’s front wheels can turn sharply and bind the bar. Camping World’s technicians put it bluntly: backing up “even one foot” can damage the tow bar, the RV or the towed vehicle (Camping World dinghy towing guide). If you need to turn around, unhook. Follow any speed or distance limits in the car’s manual, and recheck pins, cables, lights, tires and the brake system at every stop.

Step 8: Unhook in the manual’s order

Stop on a straight, level spot. Set the car’s parking brake before you take it out of tow mode, then follow the manual’s steps to return it to normal driving, including any fuse or battery steps. Switch off or remove the braking system so it doesn’t drain the battery or press the pedal while you drive, then disconnect the breakaway, cord, cables and arms. If a tow bar arm is bound up with tension, follow the bar maker’s release procedure and keep your body out of the way.

The mistakes that cost the most

• Leaving the parking brake on.
• Getting a transmission or transfer case step out of order.
• Leaving the steering locked.
• A pin with no clip, or safety cables hooked to the tow bar instead of the baseplate and hitch.
• A breakaway cable clipped to a safety cable.
• Using someone else’s procedure for a different year or model.

FAQ

Can any car be flat towed?

No. Only vehicles whose owner’s manual allows towing with all four wheels down, for that exact year and drivetrain. If yours can’t, look at a tow dolly or a car trailer. See Flat Tow vs Tow Dolly vs Car Trailer.

Can you back up while flat towing?

Most flat-tow setups can’t back up without risking damage. Plan your stops so you can pull through, and unhook to turn around.

Do I need brakes on the towed car?

Often yes. Your motorhome maker may require them, and many states and provinces require brakes on a towed vehicle above a certain weight. Check the current official rules for every place on your route.

Why is my car’s battery dead after towing?

In tow mode, some systems can stay awake, and the braking system may draw power, while nothing is charging the battery. Follow your manual’s fuse, disconnect or engine-run steps. A charge line helps, but it doesn’t replace those steps.

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