How to actually tow a dinghy behind your motorhome without ruining your transmission
I spent three weeks in 2019 stuck at a rest stop in West Virginia with a 2006 Monaco Diplomat and a 2004 Honda Element that refused to stay in neutral. The dealer said I needed a new transfer case. I ended up just driving two miles back to the nearest RV parts store, buying a tow dolly, and learning how to do it right the second time around. Dinghy towing is dragging a four-wheel-drive vehicle behind your Class A or Class C. It seems straightforward until you realize your Subaru Outback isn't built for 55 mph on I-95 for six hours straight, and your RV's hydraulic brakes don't care about your driving schedule.
What the Good Sam Dinghy Towing Guide 2022 actually covers
Good Sam's guide breaks down into a few practical sections. First, they explain flat towing versus dolly towing versus trailer towing. Flat towing means all four wheels on the ground. Dolly towing lifts the front wheels. Trailer towing puts the whole car on a carrier. Their 2022 update added more coverage for hybrid and electric vehicles. That matters because a 2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid can't be flat-towed the same way as a 2015 model. The guide walks through checking your owner's manual, understanding your drivetrain, and figuring out whether your vehicle actually needs a base plate installed. I've seen people try to flat-tow a 2018 Jeep Wrangler without base plates. It doesn't work. The frame isn't designed for that kind of stress, and you'll strip mounting points within a thousand miles. The guide mentions this, but the people ignoring it usually find out the hard way.
The actual setup process
Base plates go on first. Most people buy a kit from Air Lift or Demco, then have them installed at an RV shop. Expect to pay between $400 and $800 depending on your vehicle. DIY is possible if you have a lift and know what you're doing, but one wrong bolt torque specification and you're replacing a frame rail. After base plates come the tow bar, safety chains, lighting, and braking system. A tow bar connects your vehicle to your RV's receiver. Choose something rated for at least 10% more than your car's weight. A 3,500-pound tow bar on a 4,000-pound vehicle is asking for trouble. Lighting is simpler than most people think. You need running lights, brake lights, and turn signals on the towed vehicle. Most base plate kits include wiring harnesses. Connect them to your RV's 7-pin connector and test everything before you leave the driveway. I learned this the hard way when my turn signals stopped working on a dark stretch of highway near Flagstaff.
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The braking system is where most mistakes happen. Electric trailer brakes are the standard. You install a brake controller in your RV, connect the trailer brake wiring, and set the gain. The guide recommends a proportional brake controller like the Equal-i-zer or Ready Brake system. These apply brakes based on your RV's deceleration rather than a preset delay. That difference matters when you're going downhill at 5,000 feet elevation with 40,000 pounds behind you.
Common mistakes that cost people money
The biggest mistake I see is ignoring tire ratings. Most passenger car tires aren't rated for towing speeds. Check your sidewall. If it says LRG or ST, you're good. If it just says P-metric, those tires can degrade at sustained highway speeds, especially in warm weather. Another mistake is overloading the tow vehicle. Your dinghy might weigh 3,200 pounds empty. Add a driver, tools, and supplies, and you're already at 3,800 pounds. Multiply that by two when you factor in dynamic forces during braking and cornering. People also forget about towed vehicle maintenance. Most manufacturers require you to run the engine while flat-towing every hour or so. This keeps the transmission lubricated in vehicles that don't have a neutral position. If you skip this, you're spinning bearings in a sealed transmission with no fresh oil coming through.
Working through the Good Sam Dinghy Towing Guide 2022
The guide is organized by vehicle type. If you're towing a front-wheel-drive Acura TLX, the steps differ from towing a rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet Silverado dually. Start by identifying your vehicle's drivetrain. Then check the manufacturer's towing specifications. Finally, cross-reference with the guide's recommendations for that category. One section I found useful covers weight distribution. When your towed vehicle is lighter than 3,000 pounds, you might not need a weight-distributing hitch. Above that threshold, the sway and braking dynamics change significantly. The guide explains this with actual numbers instead of vague warnings. I also appreciate that the 2022 version addresses air brake systems on larger RVs. If you're towing behind a Motorhome with air brakes, your dinghy braking needs to synchronize properly. Mismatched air systems can cause your towed vehicle to push your RV during hard stops. That's a recipe for jackknifing.
What the guide doesn't cover well
The guide is missing specific advice on hybrid and electric vehicle towing. These vehicles have complex battery management systems that can be damaged by improper towing. A 2020 Tesla Model 3 cannot be flat-towed at all. Period. The guide mentions this briefly but doesn't give clear, vehicle-by-vehicle warnings. Another gap is long-term storage. If you plan to tow your dinghy for months, you need to address fuel system stabilization, tire flat-spotting, and battery maintenance. The guide touches on these topics but doesn't give detailed procedures. Winter towing is underrepresented. Cold temperatures affect brake fluid viscosity, tire pressure, and battery performance. If you're towing in Montana or Colorado during winter, you need additional preparations that the guide doesn't fully address.
My approach to dinghy towing
I use a Demco Hijacker AUTOLUTE 500 tow bar with a Roadmaster BrakeMaster proportional controller. My vehicle is a 2017 Toyota RAV4 with an Air Lift base plate kit. The total setup cost was approximately $2,800 including installation. I check tire pressure before every trip. Cold tire pressure matters more than people realize. A 5 PSI drop in temperature can reduce your effective load rating by 3%. Over a long highway stretch, that difference accumulates. I run the dinghy's engine every 45 minutes on trips over four hours. This keeps the transmission fluid circulating and prevents overheating. I also check my brake controller settings each morning. Wind conditions and road grade change the optimal gain setting, and I adjust accordingly.
The guide's section on tow bar compatibility charts is useful. Match your vehicle's towing capacity to the tow bar's rating. Don't exceed either limit. Simple enough, but I've seen people ignore this with serious consequences.
When to use alternatives
Sometimes flat towing isn't the right answer. If your vehicle doesn't support it, or if you're only towing short distances, a tow dolly might make more sense. Dolly towing is easier on your vehicle's drivetrain but creates different aerodynamic and handling concerns. For heavy vehicles or long trips, a trailer carrier eliminates all towing-related wear on your dinghy. The trade-off is reduced fuel economy and higher upfront cost. A basic car carrier runs $1,200 to $2,500, plus you lose some storage space in your RV. The guide discusses these options but leans toward flat towing. That's reasonable for most situations, but it's worth understanding all three approaches before committing to one method.
Key takeaways from the Good Sam Dinghy Towing Guide 2022
The 2022 edition improves on earlier versions with better coverage of modern vehicle technologies. Hybrid systems, electric motors, and advanced driver aids all affect towing decisions in ways that older guides couldn't address. The weight calculations are more precise. Instead of general warnings about overloading, the guide provides specific formulas for calculating tongue weight, axle loads, and gross combined weight ratings. Braking system recommendations are more detailed. The shift toward proportional controllers reflects industry trends and real-world performance data. Older guide editions recommended time-delay controllers, which have been shown to perform worse in emergency stopping situations.
Vehicle-specific troubleshooting has expanded. The guide now includes entries for more makes and models, though coverage remains uneven for newer vehicles released after 2020. If you're planning to tow a dinghy, start with the manufacturer's specifications. Then consult the guide for setup guidance. Finally, budget for quality equipment and professional installation if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. The difference between a proper setup and a compromise can mean the difference between arriving safely and spending your vacation repairing broken components. The guide is available through Good Sam's website. It's free to access if you're a member. Non-members can purchase individual sections or subscribe to the full documentation. Either way, spend time with it before you hit the road. Reading the guide takes about 45 minutes. Fixing a tow bar failure on the side of Interstate 40 takes considerably longer.
