When going on an RV camping trip, you want to ensure that you have everything you need, and this may include your car. The question then arises on how you would transport your vehicle to wherever you want to set up camp. The most reasonable way may be to tow the car behind the RV you have rented for camping, but can you?
You can tow a car with a rental RV, and it is something many people do, but it comes with restrictions. Before you can tow with a rental RV, there are certain things that the RV rental services would look out for, for example, the type and weight of the car to be towed by the rental RV.
Read this article if you want to have all the information you need about towing with a rental RV, the different methods of towing, and all the things the rental companies look out for before allowing you to use their RVs to pull your car. Furthermore, I have made a page regrouping all my personal advice about Van life here that you might want to check.
How You Can Tow a Car With a Rental RV
Before you can tow a car with a rental RV, you must first check which category your vehicle falls into according to Cruise America. They go further to explain that it majorly depends on the transmission and drive of the vehicle.
Another essential factor you must consider when towing a car with an RV is the method of towing and the type of tow to be used.
Methods of Towing a Car With a Rental RV
There are different ways in which you can successfully and adequately tow your car with an RV. Note that the method of towing that you choose is subject to the capacity of both the RV and the car you want to tow.
Here are some ways on how you can tow a car behind an RV:
1. Towing With the Four Wheels of the Car on the Ground
Towing with the four wheels of the car on the ground is also known as flat towing. It is essential to understand that it is more expensive compared to other methods of towing. Not all cars can be flat-towed; flat towing a car that is not suited for this kind of towing method would cause a lot of damage to your car.
Generally, the fact is that whether the car is suitable or not, in the long run, continuous flat towing of a car would damage its tires. The instrument used to flat-tow a car is known as a tow bar.
HowStuffWorks Auto states three significant types of tow bars:
- Self-aligning towed vehicle-mounted receivers
- Self-aligning coach-mounted receivers
- Rigid A-frame tow bar
However, there are other types of tow bars, some of which are fixed tow bars and fixed flange tow bars.
2. Using a Trailer Towing or a Flatbed Towing
You can also use a trailer towing or a flatbed towing, but you would need to make use of a flatbed trailer. The thing about using this method is that it becomes an added weight for the RV; the RV would have to pull the car and the flatbed trailer.
Before you can make use of this method, you must get a permit from the RV rental company and also ensure that the type of RV you choose is the one that can handle the weight.
According to Action Towing, you need to ensure that the car’s tires are well strapped in using straps and V-straps. Flatbed towing is, of course, known to be one of the safest ways of towing a four-wheeled vehicle because the tires are kept secure.
3. Using a Tow Dolly
The tow dolly is another method for towing with a rental RV that is suitable for cars with front-wheel drive. The vehicle is driven unto the Dolly and then held secured on it with a ratchet strap. The front tires are safe from damage as the Dolly would take all the friction from the road.
As good and as lovely as it all sounds, there are several downsides to using this method:
- It is extra weight for the RV; the RV would need to pull your car and the Dolly.
- The Dolly also has tires, which means you would have to be checking it at intervals to ensure that nothing happens to the tires.
- If the Dolly’s tires burst or get damaged along the way, that would be a severe problem and setback for your trip.
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What To Remember When Using a Rental RV To Tow Your Car
There are a few things you should know when you want to go about towing your car with a rented RV:
- Let the rental company know what type of car you want to tow and what the car weighs. The rental companies have their different weight limits depending on the RV they have available. You should also know that there’s a towing fee charged by the rental company.
- Make sure you get your towing equipment registered. If you use the dolly method or the flatbed towing method, you most likely need to get them registered in whatever state you are or are going to.
- Plan where to store your towing equipment. It will help if you have an idea where you can safely keep whatever towing equipment you will use.
- Stick to your agreement with the towing company. You should also keep to whatever deal you have decided on and signed with the towing company as what they agree to are always different. For instance, some rental companies will not give you a ball and mount adapter. Some also do not provide assisted operation of the rented equipment. So, you will have to find your way around towing with the RV.
Conclusion
Towing a car with a rental RV is possible; you have to find out what works best for your vehicle, the RV, and you. Remember that the rental company will only allow you to have an RV if its specifications can handle your vehicle’s weight.
