Can You Tow A Chevy Tahoe Behind A Motorhome?
A motorhome is the best adventure vehicle. With it, you will travel with the comforts of your home with you. In the motorhome, you can enjoy warm meals and a good night’s sleep.
However, a motorhome is a huge vehicle, and you cannot navigate narrow streets and small parking lots in shopping malls. If you also need to explore the area you are touring, you will need a smaller vehicle. Can Chevy Tahoe be flat towed to be the smaller vehicle you need?
Can You Tow A Chevy Tahoe Behind A Motorhome?
Yes. You can flat tow the four-wheel drive model of the Chevrolet Tahoe behind your motorhome. However, the two-wheel drive model of the Tahoe is not flat-towable.
You need to check your Tahoe model’s user’s instructions to know whether your model and model year are flat-towable. Only the 4WD model with a transfer case is flat-towable. To tow the car, the transfer case needs to be in a neutral position, and you also need to set the 4WD on Low Setting.
How to Dinghy Tow a Chevy Tahoe Behind a Motorhome?
To set the car for dinghy towing, engage the parking brakes and start your Tahoe’s engine. Set the transfer case to neutral. You can ensure that your SUV is in Neutral mode by first shifting to Reverse and then shift to Drive and ensure that the vehicle does not move at all when you are shifting.
Keep the transmission in Drive and turn your car’s ignition to Acc/Accessory. If your Tahoe has Keyless Entry, turn the engine off. From there, disconnect the battery’s negative terminal and ensure you secure the nut and bolt.
Ensure that the disconnected post is well covered with a non-conductor to ensure no short-circuiting occurs. After that, shift the Tahoe’s transmission to Park (P) and try to move your steering wheel to ensure that its column is not locked.
Release the SUV’s parking brake while keeping the ignition key still in ACC/ACCESSORY. This ensures that the steering column doesn’t lock and cause challenges to you when you are making turns. If your Tahoe has a Keyless Access, ensure that the RKE transmitter is outside and then lock the doors manually. You can approach your vehicle like one that has a dead RKE transmitter battery and then use the key in the door lock.
Why is the Chevrolet Tahoe a Good SUV to Dinghy Tow?
The Chevrolet Tahoe comes equipped with 4WD and also has a two-speed transfer case, two of the most important features for a flat-towable vehicle. Although there are a number of things you have to do to make the SUV ready for flat towing, at least you do not have to run the engine every after a few hours during the trip.
If you have the latest Tahoe, the SUV provides a little of everything. The newer models have an upgrades chassis that gives the Tahoe up to five inches longer wheelbase and it also increases the overall length by about seven inches.
These changes give the Tahoe more legroom and more cargo room, making it an ideal SUV for adventure. With a new Tahoe, you have additional 28.2 inches of cargo space. Further, the interior of the Tahoe is upscale, especially the newer models, which have up to five display screens, allowing you to navigate better.
When exploring with Tahoe, you will feel safe on the road, thanks to the host of security features that the SUV offers. It has a HD Surround Vision with nine camera views. Further, you get a Hitch Guidance and Hitch View feature, which comes in the form of an optional Max Trailering Package.
Because the towable model is 4WD, you can take it out on an adventure and not expect it to get stuck. Even better, the model is available in either a 6.3-liter V8 or 5.3-liter V8. The newer models can even be in a 3.0-liter inline six Duramax turbodiesel, which debuted in the GMC trucks.
The engines pair with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Better still, you will enjoy Magnetic Ride Control and Air Ride Adaptive Suspension, which make your ride smoother. Tahoe has more than 30 driver safety and convenience features, which include rear pedestrian alert and automatic emergency braking.
The Tahoe is a heavy SUV, and you will need a powerful motorhome to drag the Tahoe. However, the model offers you the comfort and the power you need when you go exploring.
What Do You Need to Flat Tow a Chevy Tahoe?
Flat towing a vehicle seems like a simple task. However, vehicles are engineered to drive and not be flat towed behind a motorhome. A trailer is engineered to be flat towed, and this is why it is so easy to tow behind any vehicle.
With a Tahoe, you need the right equipment to safely tow it. For instance, you need a baseplate that gives a good attachment place for your vehicle. The tow bar will act as a hitch for your vehicle.
For the tow to be safe, you need to connect the tow bar and the baseplate to make the towing process safe. When you know everything that you need to tow a vehicle with all four on the ground, then your towing will be easy, and you will escape surprises along the way.
Read on to understand the Tahoe flat-towing basics:
Flat-Towing Rules in your State
What does your state require of flat towed vehicles? In most states, you need a dinghy towing auxiliary brake system. Such a braking system protects you on the road and allows the vehicle to slow down faster than it would if there was no auxiliary braking system.
In some states, the towed vehicle should not have a given weight. It is up to you to check what your state requires before you even buy the dinghy towing gear.
Baseplates
A baseplate is a part that attaches to your Tahoe on which you will connect the tow bar. The baseplate is not in the form of a plate, but a bracket that you can attach to the frame of your vehicle and to which you will connect the tow bar.
A Chevy Tahoe doesn’t need a baseplate as large as you need for smaller cars. The frame of your SUV is already robust, and that is why you need a small baseplate to connect the tow bar. Some baseplates require you to trim the front fascia, or the grille, while others can install without any trimming.
You need to research on baseplates designed for Tahoe before you buy one. In most cases, a baseplate comes with instructions so that you can read what goes on during installation so that you can know which plate to buy.
Tow Bar
A tow bar connects your Tahoe to the motorhome. These bars are now easier to use as they sport a simple design. A tow bar, just like a hitch, comes with a weight rating, with most of them having a rating of about 5,000 pounds. This allows them to tow almost all passenger vehicles.
You, however, have to know the weight of your Tahoe with a tank full of fuel and with cargo. While these tow bars are straightforward, you still need to research to get the best. For instance, some come with a drop/rise provision and other features that make them ideal for all types of cars.
Needed Accessories
There are accessories that make dinghy towing safe and more convenient. For instance, you can try connecting your SUV to the motorhome and see if the tow is level. If it is not level, you might need a drop/rise receiver adapter.
Another accessory you need is a rock guard that mounts to the rear of your vehicle. This guard protects your vehicle from stones and debris that fly from the wheels of the vehicle. When installing the shield, ensure that you do not block the air vents in front of the engine as this may lead to overheating.
Two more accessories you need are dinghy lights and an auxiliary brake system. These two are requirements in some states. The wiring for the lights allows you to coordinate the lights of the dinghy tow and that of the motorhome.
Closing Thoughts
If you have never dinghy towed a vehicle before, you need to take your time and do thorough research to ensure that the dinghy towed vehicle, and you, the driver, are safe. The process might seem straight-forward, but if you miss a step, you may damage the transmission system of your Tahoe or put yourself at risk of a road accident.
If you have a 2WD Tahoe, you can only flat-two it by adding aftermarket flat towing parts. These are parts that ensure your transmission system is oiled enough to not damage it while you flat-tow. You can allow a professional to fit the aftermarket such as drive shaft decouplers and lube pumps. A professional should help you install these so that they do it in a way that your transmission system will be safe.