What Is Flat Towing and How to Ditch the Trailer

When I was 12 years old, my family and friends took an RV trip to Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado. Between campfires and lakeside picnics, another kid and I decided to pass some time on a nearby jungle gym. What began as me showing off my gymnastics skills turned into him thinking he could do a backflip off a picnic table, resulting in him dislocating his elbow. Luckily, we had two extra vehicles with us to drive to the nearest emergency room.

But what if we hadn’t? What if all we had was an RV hooked up to shore power, water, sewer, and a propane tank for a grill? Switching from vacation mode to emergency mode is stressful. Bringing an accessory vehicle to the campsite makes you more adaptable when emergencies arise.

Even everyday activities, like picking up more ice at the gas station, makes having an extra vehicle that's ready to drive all the better.

We are big fans of flat towing at etrailer.com. In your research looking for ways to bring an extra vehicle behind your RV, you’ve probably heard about flat towing and are curious to know what it is, how it works, and if it's for you.

In this article, we will answer:

What is flat towing?
How does flat towing work?
What do I need to flat tow?
What are the advantages of flat towing?
What are the disadvantages of flat towing?
What are the costs associated with flat towing?

Watch now: Flat towing explained (in less than 4 minutes)

What is Flat Towing?

Flat towing is keeping all four wheels of your towed vehicle connected to the ground while it's being towed. Other terms for flat towing include neutral towing, four-wheel towing, and dinghy towing.

We believe flat towing is the most user-friendly towing option, and the necessary parts take up the least amount of space. The biggest reason why someone may choose not to flat tow is that their vehicle is not designed for flat towing. I'll discuss this concern in further detail later on in this article.

Other Towing Options

Trailer towing involves pulling a trailer with your vehicle secured on top behind your RV. None of the toad’s wheels are touching the road when trailer towing.

Dolly towing includes a piece of equipment called a tow dolly which secures your toad's front two wheels. This method leaves the two rear wheels still on the road, which is why you can't use a tow dolly to haul an unmodified rear-wheel drive vehicle.

Each towing method has its own required equipment, preparation work, and maintenance, so take your time researching each method before investing in equipment or labor. If you are curious to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of towing, check out our article comparing each type here.

"Dinghy" and "toad" refer to the vehicle being towed behind an RV, and they are used interchangeably along with the phrase “towed vehicle.”

graphic showing what flat towing trailer towing and tow dolly look like

How Does Flat Towing Work?

Flat towing works by connecting your toad to your RV via a tow bar, which attaches to both your RV's hitch and the base plates on your toad.

First, You Need an RV Hitch

Before trying to flat tow, or any towing method for that matter, you will need to have a hitch installed onto the back of your RV. Your RV may already have a hitch installed. If it does, make sure that the hitch is not rusted or damaged. If it is, you'll need to replace your hitch. Also, double-check that your hitch is rated to tow the weight of the vehicle you wish to flat tow.

A hitch has an opening called a hitch receiver where you can insert different pieces of equipment such as a bike rack, cargo carrier, or a tow bar for flat towing. Without a hitch installed onto your RV, you cannot flat tow.

Second, You Need a Base Plate Kit

A base plate kit is a set of steel components that install onto the front frame of your toad. The purpose of base plates is to provide attachment points for a tow bar to connect. Simple.

It’s important to know that base plate kits are vehicle specific, so only look at base plates that are compatible with your toad. To view base plate kits specific to your toad, search our fit guide here.

Third, You Need a Tow Bar

Once you have a hitch on your RV and base plates on your toad, you will use a tow bar to connect the two vehicles. Tow bars are V-shaped contraptions with either a shank or coupler on one end for attaching to your RV, and two arms with connection points at the other end for hooking up to your toad's base plates. Having two arms distributes towing forces evenly through the toad’s frame.

Tow bars can come with all sorts of features, but the two primary types of tow bars are RV-mounted (hitch style) and vehicle-mounted (coupler style).

If you are looking at RV hitches to flat tow, narrow your search to hitches with a 2” receiver because most tow bar shanks are sized to fit 2” hitch receivers.

Some tow bar shanks are sized at 2-½", but those tow bars are generally rated for towing heavy-duty trucks and SUVs.

RV connected to dinghy via tow bar image

Pictured: RV hitch, tow bar, and base plate kit with parts labeled

RV-mounted tow bars have a shank that inserts into the RV’s hitch receiver. This type of tow bar can stay attached to the back of your RV, ready for whenever you want to flat tow.

Vehicle-mounted tow bars are mounted on your toad and have a coupler that attaches to your RV's hitch mount. Some vehicle-mounted tow bars can fold down and stay attached to the front of your toad, while other vehicle-mounted tow bars must be attached and unattached every time you flat tow.

To learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of both types of tow bars, check out our article “The 2 Ways to Install a Tow Bar” here.

rv-mounted versus vehicle-mounted tow bar graphic

Pictured: Comparison of an RV-mounted tow bar and a vehicle-mounted tow bar installed

What Do I Need to Flat Tow?

Flat towing safely requires five primary components: a base plate kit, a tow bar, two safety cables, a light wiring kit, and a supplemental braking system.

Base Plate Kit: As mentioned above, a base plate kit provides attachment points for a tow bar to connect.
Tow Bar: A tow bar is the component bridging the gap between the back of the RV (hitch receiver) and the front of the toad (base plates).
Safety Cables: These cables connect your RV to your toad and provide extra safety in case the tow bar fails and your toad becomes disconnected from the RV.
Light Wiring Kit: You are legally required to have your toad’s tail lights and turn signals synchronized with your RV’s: brake lights, turn signals, and emergency flashers. A light wiring kit ensures that when you activate these lights on your RV, the lights on your toad will activate too.
Supplemental Braking System: Supplemental braking systems relay braking information from your RV to your toad so when you press the brakes on your RV, the brakes on your toad engage too. Most states require a supplemental braking system, so it’s in your best interest to have one installed or ready to use.
Additional Components: When planning your flat towing rig, your RV or toad may require additional components, like a fuse kit, battery disconnect, or hitch high-low adapter. Make sure you research thoroughly how to adapt your RV and toad for flat towing.

Jeep Illustration with Flat Tow Package Parts Labeled

Pictured: Illustrated Jeep Wrangler with flat tow package components labeled

What Are the Advantages of Flat Towing?

We’re big fans of flat towing at etrailer, but we also understand that flat towing isn’t the best option for everyone. If you’re struggling to determine if flat towing is a viable option for you, Let's take a look at a breakdown of some advantages and disadvantages of flat towing.

May Be More Cost Effective
- For an entire flat towing setup, expect to spend $2,000 - $4,000. While this can be heavy on the wallet, a tow dolly usually costs $3,000 - $4,000 without any of the additional components, like a brake controller if you're looking at an electric model. A trailer rig can exceed $10,000. Flat towing could save you a pretty penny.
Easy to Hook Up
- Once your RV and toad are flat towing ready, the hookup process before hitting the road is easy and straightforward compared to the other towing methods. Just connect the tow bar, safety cables, wiring, and braking system. With proper installation, all of this should take less than 30 minutes.

Convenient to Store
- Do you have space to store a trailer or a large tow dolly? Many people don’t, and for those people, flat towing offers a great advantage. You don’t need much space for a tow bar, and if your tow bar stays installed on the back of your RV or the front of your toad, you don’t need extra storage space for it at all.
Great Maneuverability
- Many modern tow bars have long arms that make it easier to maneuver your RV and toad in tight locations, which is great for gas stations, small campsites, and crowded parking lots. However, tow dollies and trailers are typically more rigid and may not have as tight of a turn radius as many flat towing rigs.

What Are The Disadvantages of Flat Towing?

Requires Vehicle Modifications
- To get your toad ready to flat tow, it needs a base plate kit installed, a lighting system wired, a braking system installed, and any additional components required by your toad’s manufacturer. If you don’t want to bother with prep work, then having someone in your group drive your extra vehicle might be better for you.
Can’t Back Up RV
- When your toad is hooked up to the RV for flat towing, you won't be able to back up the RV. Flat towing requires the toad’s front wheels to be unlocked, so if you back up the RV, the toad’s wheels will turn sideways, jamming the tow bar into your toad. You could bend the bar or even distort your toad’s frame.

Limited Dinghy Options
- Many vehicles cannot be flat towed. For example, many automatic transmission vehicles cannot be flat towed without disconnecting the transmission from the rest of the drivetrain. Do your research on vehicles that can and cannot be flat towed.To find out if your vehicle can be flat towed, check your its owner's manual or look your car up online. Flat towing information is usually listed under "Recreational Towing" in your manual.
Can’t Easily Swap in Other Vehicles
- A complete flat towing setup is vehicle specific. For example, a base plate kit installs on one vehicle and cannot be swapped onto different vehicles. Other components specific to your rig may include the supplemental braking system and wiring for the lights. This makes it difficult to flat tow your crossover one weekend and your truck the next.

What Are the Costs Associated with Flat Towing?

As I discussed earlier, there are five or more components you need to safely flat tow, and each of these components come with their own set of costs. Below is a table designed to help you understand the average, low-end, and high-end costs for each component. Further down, you can also find estimates for the installation of a base plate kit, a diode wiring kit, and a fixed supplemental braking system, in case you want a professional to install these parts for you.

Flat Towing Parts Cost:

Component

Average Part Cost

Low-End Cost

High-End Cost

Base Plate Kit

Average - $480

Low-End - $152

High-End - $839

Tow Bar

Average - $770

Low-End - $204

High-End - $1,330

Wiring

Average - $155

Low-End - $54

High-End - $256

Braking System

Average - $1,140

Low-End - $730

High-End - $1,550

Safety Cables

Average - $87

Low-End - $33

High-End - $141

Total Cost

Average - $3,772

Low-End - $1,173

High-End - $4,116

Pictured: Table comparing flat towing parts' costs

Some flat towing components, like your RV's hitch and tow bar, have a weight rating that limits the amount of weight you can safely flat tow. Generally, equipment rated for higher weights costs more. So, if you need to flat tow your heavy-duty truck or SUV, you'll need more heavy-duty equipment, costing you a bit more up front.

Flat Towing Installation Labor Costs:

Installing certain flat tow components may seem a bit daunting if you don't have a lot of mechanical experience. If you aren't comfortable making these modifications or don't have the right tools, you can pay a mechanic to install the base plate kit, wiring, or braking system, as these parts may require modifications. This may include drilling into your vehicle’s frame, splicing into the electrical, or tapping into air or hydraulic brake lines.

To give you the best idea of how much the labor will cost, I reached out to 11 RV and automotive service shops to get the most accurate labor estimates for you. From the shops I contacted, only 5 out of the 11 shops could give an estimated labor cost, and most shops were hesitant to provide their hourly service rate.

What I learned: Of the shops that provided pricing details, their rates ranged from $70 to $135 per hour. The average time it takes to install each of the components varies based on the parts you choose and how they fit your vehicle, so the times shown below are just estimates.

Installation Time and Cost Estimates

Install Time Estimates

Install Cost Estimates

Average Install Costs

Average Part Costs

Total Estimated Costs

6 - 8 hrs

$420 - $1,080

$435

$480

$915

3 hrs

$210 - $405

$196

$155

$351

2 - 8 hrs

$140 - $1,080

$479

$1,140

$1,619

Pictured: Table showing estimated costs for parts installation and total costs

My advice: Shop around and ask for labor estimates from multiple RV service shops. Personally, I’d be wary of any shop that isn’t is forthright with their hourly service rate and their estimated labor time for each component.

Takeaway

Now that you understand a little more about what flat towing is, how it works, the parts needed, and the associated costs, you should a have a deeper sense of whether or not flat towing is for you. While we love flat towing, we also know that it can seem intimidating and expensive to get a safe rig set up, that’s why we’ve written an entire series of articles to help you during your flat towing journey. For your next step, check out our video about Flat Towing Rules and Regulations here!

Check out our related flat towing articles below to answer any lingering questions you may have. Oh, and happy camping!

About Dani S.

I don't just put nice words on a page. Being a content writer at etrailer means I ask about a hundred questions every day to our experts, installers, technicians, and product managers. I ask the question before you know you have the question in the first place. It's my job to be always learning so I can serve you better through helpful, easy-to-read articles. Now and then, I also like to provide a bit of comedic relief around the office.

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Written by: Dani S.

Updated by: Rachel S.

Updated On: 1/26/2023

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