What 4 Wheel Drive Vehicles Can Be Towed By An RV?
by
Editor's Note: This question was originally asked in 2009.
What are my choices for 4 wheel towed vehicles?
ANSWER: As you probably know by now not all vehicles can be towed by an RV with all four wheels down on the ground. In RV Lingo vehicles that can be towed 4 wheels down are known as "Toads, Toweds or Dinghies" These are vehicles that have been officially recognized by the manufacturer as being "Dinghy Towable".
Good Sam Extended Service Plan is mechanical breakdown insurance for your RV, 5th Wheel, Trailer, and Tow Vehicle! FREE Quote
Even though these vehicles are certified as "Dinghy Towable (4 wheels down)" they may still have some limitations as far as the maximum speed they can be towed at or number of miles per trip, before you have to start the Dinghy and shift through some gears to prevent damage to their transmissions.
Each year Motorhome Magazine compiles a list of Dinghys for that model year. Since you are looking for a 4 Wheel Drive Dinghy that can be towed with a
Tow Bar
it does limit the number of vehicles you have to choose from. What you need to understand is that if you choose to use a
Tow Dolly
the number of vehicles you can tow behind an RV increases. If you use a full
Car Trailer
then you can tow anything and you will only be limited by the size of the car trailer.
Below is a list of 2009 4 wheel drive vehicles that have been certified by their manufacturers as being Dinghy Towable. In fact 2009 is a banner year for vehicles that can be towed 4 wheels down.
2009
Buick Enclave 4WD CX/CXL
Chevrolet and GMC: Avalanche 1500 4WD, Colorado/Canyon 4WD, Equinox Sport AWD, Sierra 1500 4WD, Silverado 1500 and 2500 4WD, Suburban/Yukon XL 1500 and 2500 4WD, Tahoe/Yukon 4WD and Trailblazer/Envoy 4WD.
Dodge: Dakota 4WD, Durango 4WD and Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 4WD.
Ford and Mercury: Edge (FWD/AWD), Explorer 4WD V-6 and V-8, F-150 4WD, Super Duty 4WD and Flex (FWD/AWD), Sport Trac 4WD V-6/V-8 and Taurus X (FWD/AWD).
Honda: CR-V FWD/AWD.
Hummer: H2, H2 SUT, H3, H3 Alpha, H3T and H3T Alpha.
Jeep: Commander Sport U 4WD, Grand Cherokee Laredo X 4WD, Liberty Limited/Sport 4WD, and Wrangler 4WD.
Nissan: Frontier 4WD V6 and Xterra 4WD.
Saturn: Outlook FWD/AWD and Vue FWD/AWD.
Although these vehicles are certified by their manufacturers to be towed 4 wheels down, you need to visit the manufacturer's website to find out if there are speed or mileage limitations or special optional equipment packages that need to be on the vehicle to make it towable.
You also need to be aware that due to the recent shakeup in the Automobile Industry, some of the makes and models mentioned above may not be easy to find.
If you are looking for Dinghy lists for previous years you should visit the
MotorHome Magazine Website and you will find links to Dinghy Towing lists going back to 2002.
I hope that this information has been helpful to you.
Over 1,500,000 successful roadside rescues—Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service
Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.
Happy RVing
RVing Al
