Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban  

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I looked in the owners manual for your 2013 Chevrolet Suburban and it can be flat towed or dolly towed, depending on if it's 2 or 4 wheel drive, and if it has a single or two speed transfer case.

If you suburban is 2wd or has a single speed transfer case, it can not be towed with all 4 wheels on the ground, and can not be towed with the front wheels on a dolly.

So if your Suburban is 4wd with a 2 speed transfer case it can be flat towed (all wheels on the ground) or dolly towed.

There are several components you need to flat tow safely. I'll list my recommendations below with a brief explanation of why and what the components do.

A base plate is the attachment point to hook the tow bar up to on your Suburban. I recommend the Roadmaster Direct-connect Base Plate Kit # 3154-3 because it's a straight forward install, and after installing numerous base plates I think the Roadmaster has some of the best fit and finish.

A tow bar is what actually connects your Suburban to your motor home. I recommend the Roadmaster BlackHawk 2 All Terrain, Non-Binding Tow Bar # RM-422. I really like the non binding design, it makes it much easier to unhook. Most tow bars that have a telescoping arm lock in to a towing position, but to get them to unlock and unhook can be a challenge. If the car and motor home are not perfectly in line, it can cause a bind, but the levers on the BlackHawk 2's arms make it easy to take all the tension off and unhook.

Tow bar wiring will take the signals from your motor home and send them back to your Suburban so while you are traveling all the other drivers will know if you are stopping, or changing lanes. For you Suburban I recommend Roadmaster 4-Diode Universal Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles # RM-152-98146-7. This comes with everything you need to get it installed, the wiring, connectors, diodes, and the plug and cable. Diodes wire into your existing tail light circuits so that when you are towing the lights from the motor home show, but when you're not towing and just driving your Suburban, all the lights work normally.

A supplemental braking system allows your Suburban to help slow and stop itself so that the motor home isn't doing all the work. Towing a vehicle, no matter the size can put a lot of stress and wear on the brakes of the motor home, so not only will it help with wear and tear, but it is becoming a requirement in most states. I have 2 recomendations for braking systems, but it depends if your motor home has air, or hydraulic brakes.

If your motor home has air brakes I recommend the Air Force One Supplemental Braking System for Motor Homes with Air Brakes. This is designed for motor homes with air brakes, and uses the air supply to apply the brakes to the Suburban.This is a one time install with nothing to do afterwards except hook up and drive.

If your motor home has hydraulic brakes I recommend the Stay-IN-Play DUO Supplemental Braking System # SM99251. This is very similar to the Air force one, but is designed to work with hydraulic brakes not air. It's also a one time install with no repeated set up.

Safety cables are a secondary safety device in case of a accidental disconnection, just like the safety chains on a trailer. The RoadMaster 76" Single Hook, Straight Safety Cables will work well since they have an open end to feed through the tow bar channel to keep them from dragging.

A high low adapter may also be needed. This takes up the difference in height between the motor home's hitch opening and the base plate attachment point. The tow bar needs to be as level as possible when flat towing, so more times than not a high low adapter is used. Keep in mind while it does make up the difference in height, it also adds a bit of length, so safety cable extension like Roadmaster 10" Safety Cable Extensions # RM-910648-10 can be used.

If you are planning on doing the install yourself, I have a few recommendations to make it go a little smoother. Make sure you plan out your install; there are several components that work together, or have to be tied together so understanding what each component does and planing how to mount and route everything will prevent headaches later.

I linked all the parts mentioned above, and included some videos and helpful articles about flat towing.

expert reply by: Robert C

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