Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2016 Chevy Colorado 4x4 with Adaptive Cruise Control Behind an RV

Question:

I have a 2016 Colorado Chevy 4WD w/cruise looking at your roadmaster base plates they say without cruise will they work on my truck

asked by: Don

Expert Reply:

The Roadmaster base plates do not work on the 2016 Chevy Colorado with adaptive cruise control but I do have an excellent option that will work. For your 2016 Colorado 4x4 with adapter cruise control I recommend the Blue Ox base plates # BLU93FR.

In addition to the base plates you will also need a compatible tow bar, safety cables, lighting, and supplemental braking to flat tow the Colorado. For a compatible tow bar I recommend the Alpha, # BX7380. This tow bar is rated for up to 6,500 pounds and comes with safety cables. This is a motor home mount tow bar which is considered to be the more secure and versatile connection.

For lighting I recommend the diode kit # RM-154. Once this kit is installed you will not have to worry about it again. It also appears that you will need to disconnect the Colorado battery when flat towing it. Consult the vehicle owner's manual to confirm.

To keep a maintenance charge on the battery I recommend using a harness such as # BX88206 with the tow bar wiring you will be using so that you can run a wire from the connector at the front of the truck to the vehicle battery.

There are a couple of ways to do this. First, you can tap into the running light circuit in the tow bar wiring but to provide power to the battery the RV running lights would have to be on all the time. Or if the connector at the back of the RV has a working 12 volt circuit you could use that circuit instead.

Which ever way you choose you would just attach the wire to the appropriate corresponding pin at the back of the connector that will be at the front of the truck and the other end of that wire will go to the positive battery terminal.

And finally, most states now require supplemental braking on the vehicle being flat towed. One of the preferred systems for our installers and what I recommend is the SMI Stay-IN-Play DUO proportional system, # SM99251. It will apply the vehicle brakes in proportion to how much the tow vehicle is braking. This is the safest way to stop and it reduces wear and tear on both vehicles.

Be sure to consult your vehicle owners manual for specific information on flat towing the vehicle. I have also included some helpful links to our series of help articles on flat towing for you.