Dinghy towing, also known as flat towing, refers to the practice of towing a vehicle behind a motorhome or RV with all four wheels on the ground. This method allows travelers to bring a secondary vehicle along for easy access to local attractions without needing to drive the larger RV. It’s popular among RV enthusiasts because it offers flexibility and convenience.
To safely dinghy tow, the vehicle must be equipped with a compatible towing setup, including a tow bar, safety cables, and often a supplemental braking system. Proper setup ensures that both the RV and towed vehicle can travel smoothly and securely on the road, making it a favorite choice for road trips and adventures.
Tow Bars: Light and easy to use, tow bars are used to safely and efficiently tow a car behind your motorhome. Shaped like the letter “A”, it connects to both the towing and towed vehicles.
Baseplates: A proper baseplate protects you and your vehicles from damage, and it works by safely attaching the towed vehicle’s frame to the tow bar.
Wiring:Connects the wiring from the towing vehicle to the towed vehicle to ensure the brake lights and turn signals activate when towing.
Deflector: This shield blocks debris from hitting the car or car’s windshield and directs it to pass under the towed vehicle.
Braking System:Enjoy a truly safe supplemental braking system that takes the load off of your motorhome by allowing both your motorhome and the towed vehicle to brake at the same time. When you need to stop quickly, supplemental brakes will require less time and distance when you make a controlled stop on the road. This also helps to reduce the strain on your tow bar and mounting brackets.
Towed Connectors: Connects the running, turning, and braking lights of the motorhome to activate the lights on the towed vehicle.
Below you’ll find the details for each of our models in this series. Take a look at them as well as our full line of accessories to find exactly what you need. We’re excited to begin working with you, and we hope you’re excited to put the Demco Products brand to work for you. You’ll be glad that you did, and we wish you well on your travels.
The Dominator Tow Bar
How can something that weighs only 30 pounds handle towing cargo that weighs nearly 4 tons? The Dominator does just that with its towing capacity of 7,500 pounds. Click here to see how it can also fold nicely for easy storage, how its safety cables won’t have you worrying about your shins or dragging and how your entire towing experience can become… well... dominant.
Are you ready to take full command of your RV towing experience? Let us introduce you to the Commander 2, packing 6,000 pounds of raw towing power into a neat 41-pound package. You can also take command of your hookups and disengagements, as the Commander 2 comes with independent arms that make these processes a snap. Click here to learn more.
Are you a contortionist? Have you ever won a limbo contest? If not and you drive an RV that tows a vehicle, you need to click through to take a closer look at the Excali-Bar 3 from Demco Products. This little powerhouse weighs only 46 pounds, but can handle 10,500. The arms are independent, so you can remove one to step towards the other. The towing angle is also adjustable, ensuring a smooth ride.
Self-supporting Arms Exclusive design allows for true independent arm movement Vertical bolt design lets you maneuver the tow bar one leg at a time & eliminates having to step over the towing system when hooking and unhooking No more wrestling with the Tow Bar
Patented Easy Trigger Release Truly non-binding design makes it easy to hook and unhook Angled design of the internal latch block allows the trigger release to activate under pressure No extra tools required to hook up or release
Safety Cables Included Vinyl covered safety cables are attached securely out of the way with safety cable mounting clips Eliminates the worry of cables dragging or the problem of what to do with them at your destination
Rise or drop male receiver Standard 1½ inch rise/drop receiver tube: No other tow bar manufacturer can stake this claim! Eliminates the need to purchase additional drop or rise equipment: The most versatile tow bars in the industry!
Adjustable Towing Angle Attached head joint is adjustable Adjusts so that your tow bar is level or parallel with the road while towing Adjustable head pivots up or down allowing 3 inches of displacement in addition to the 1½ inches of the offset receiver for maximum versatility: unmatched in the industry!
Self-Aligning... It’s This Easy! Simply align the vehicle being towed as close as you can behind the motorhome Hookup the connecting legs, safety cables, appropriate wiring, and any accessories Slowly back-up the towed vehicle and the Demco Tow Bar legs will lock into the towing transport position- saving you valuable time & frustrations!
Stores in Multiple Positions Versatile design permits multiple storage positions. The Independent arm movement enables user to store it to the right, left, or one leg each way Able to be stored on the motorhome
Limited Lifetime Warranty... Only Manufacturer to Offer It! Demco Tow Bars have a Limited Lifetime Warranty to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service from date of purchase by the original (first) retail owner, or until it is resold or transferred by the original owner. Any part of the Demco Tow Bar found in the judgment of the manufacturer to be defective in materials or workmanship will be repaired or replaced at the manufacturer’s discretion without charge for parts or labor to the original order.
Revolutionize the RV Lifestyle & Experience
Traveling in an RV is a rewarding experience for a lot of different reasons. You can see the countryside, get close to nature when you park and take your time seeing what there is to see instead of flying over it and missing everything. That’s why millions of people choose this form of transportation for their leisure travel, and that’s also why so many people build their lifestyles around RVs. They’re fun, they’re relatively convenient and you can set your own schedule and do what you want to do, when you want to do it. At the end of the day, you can simply relax, have something to eat and get some sleep. You can’t say that about any other mode of travel.
However, traveling via RV can also involve a lot of work. This is especially true if you’re going to tow a smaller vehicle behind that RV so that you can move around more easily after you find a place to park and set up camp. For years, tow bars used for hauling vehicles were heavy, cumbersome, huge and difficult to manage and manipulate properly. They were also complicated to hook up, to disengage and to store. In many cases, people would avoid bringing that second vehicle and either drive their RV or stay put at their camp.
Over time, throughout the RV Industry, products, people’s skills, and business, in general, continue to change. At Demco Products, this is no different. We strive to bring new ideas, products, and designs to the RV marketplace. The award winning Victory Series tow bars from Demco have revolutionized the RV Lifestyle and Experience.
That’s because we took a long, hard look at what people liked about their tow bars and, perhaps more importantly, what they didn’t like. We did whatever we could to make towing easier without sacrificing any of the safety and security that everyone needs when they tow a vehicle behind their RVs. After all, no innovation is worthwhile if you’re sacrificing peace of mind and taking on unnecessary risks. Our Victory Series tow bars achieve the proverbial “best of both worlds” in that we have achieved a high level of innovation and advancement while continuing to provide safe and secure towing capabilities.
How do a measure for level towing with my Demco Tow Bar?
Towing level with your Demco towing system is the safest and most effective way to tow. The tow bar should be parallel with the road surface or with in 3 inches in either direction. Measure from the ground to the center of the attaching pin hole on you towed vehicle. Note that measurement. Next measure from the ground to the center of the receiver pin hole on the back of your coach. If the measurement is the same or within 3 inches of each other, you are in tolerance and safe to tow. If you have more than a 3 inch difference you may be able to reduce the difference utilizing the 1-1/2” rise or 1-1/2” drop built in to the Demco tow bar. If you have a difference of more than 4-1/2” you will need to purchase an additional rise/drop receiver. They are available in different increments, find the increment that gets your tow bar as close to parallel to the road surface as possible.
Should I flat tow my vehicle 4 wheels down or should I dolly tow my vehicle?
Demco can offer you both a flat tow setup, or a dolly tow set up. I always recommend before towing any vehicle, check the owner’s manual for tow ability. Today’s vehicles have different engine and transmission combinations. It is very difficult for Demco to be able to answer for every different vehicle manufacture and each different model and engine transmission combination. At the back of the manual in the Index, usually listed under Towing and sub heading of Recreational Vehicle Towing the manufacturer of the vehicle will provide information regarding if and how your vehicle can be towed behind a recreational vehicle. The manufacture may allow only one method of recreational towing. If your manufacture does allow the vehicle to be dolly towed or flat towed (with 4 wheels on the ground), it then becomes a matter of personnel preference. In a flat tow setup, there are several pieces of equipment that need to be installed on the vehicle. If you intend to tow multiple vehicles or if you trade vehicles regularly, the expense of setting up multiple towed vehicles can get costly. A dolly may be the most economical way to tow if you are in that situation. If you are towing just one vehicle and don’t trade vehicles often, then your best choice maybe to flat tow the vehicle.
In either case, contact Demco or your local Demco dealer and we can assist you with the recreational towing set up to fit your needs.
What is required to flat tow my vehicle 4 wheels down?
In order to tow any vehicle 4 wheels down behind your motorhome, below is the list of require components.
1) Tow Bar -
This is the connection between the coach and your towed vehicle. Demco offers 3 different tow bar models to fit your capacity needs and preferences.
Every state in the US requires a vehicle in tow to have a Supplemental Braking System. Demco offers several different Supplemental Braking Systems to fit your coach and towing system.