Dinghy in Tow

Webster’s defines “dinghy” as a small open boat carried as tender. Tender, when used in the nautical sense, is a vessel attendant on other vessels, especially one that ferries supplies between ship and shore. So it is with motorhomes and the vehicles towed behind. We tender and ferry people and supplies to and from our coaches, which in most cases are too large and somewhat inconvenient to use for errands and sight-seeing side trips.

The methods used for towing a dinghy vary. Enclosed trailers, flat bed trailers, tow dollies and flat towing are among the more popular methods. Since flat towing is by far the most popular and economical in set-up cost, we decided to show how to prepare a vehicle using this method.

Selecting A Vehicle

We chose a 2002 Jeep Wrangler Sport hardtop, 4-wheel drive, 5-speed manual transmission, because it is relatively light (3,316 lbs.), and according to the manufacturer, can be flat-towed with no special considerations. It is a popular go-anywhere utility vehicle, gets decent fuel economy, and has a proliferation of aftermarket products available to enhance its utility and performance to suit most driving and recreational uses. Besides, they’re just plain fun.

We selected a number of enhancements that would not only improve its recreational uses, but the Jeep’s ability to be flat-towed. In addition to the usual off-road complement, which would include Hella’s Black Magic off-road auxiliary lamps (which also come in handy for night time docking of the coach) a Warn X 8000i winch. A custom fabricated set of front and rear bumpers by Cross Enterprises were coordinated to fit our towing hitch hardware, along with rear swing-out tire carrier, back-up lamps, CB antenna and detachable gear baskets for those overnight fly-fishing retreats.

"We tender and ferry peoples and supplies to and from our coaches, which in most cases are too large and somewhat inconvenient to use for errands and sight-seeing side trips."

Fitting our Wrangler with 32" tires to provide additional ground clearance required a 2.5" lift for the suspension system. Rancho, one of the industry’s leaders, markets a replacement set of coil springs and shocks specifically designed to the vehicle’s weight and model that will provide increased ride height for the larger tires while maintaining the OEM ride quality. The kit is complete; however, we elected to go the extra mile and install a NV231 transfer case slip yoke elimination kit. This would lengthen our rear drive shaft length, providing better angles on the U-joints and, when used with a CV-joint type drive shaft, (as is the OEM front drive shaft), virtually eliminate the possibility of drive shaft vibration. We complemented the system with a set of Rancho 9000 manually adjustable shocks. With five settings available, we are able to dial in desired ride quality. We finished off the system with a series 5000 steering stabilizer.

Most modern four-wheel drive vehicles do not include manual locking hubs as a part of the 4-wheel drive system. While lack of hubs means convenience for the driver, it eliminates the ability to disengage the wheels from the axles. Warn Industries manufactures hub kits for both front and rear axles on the Jeeps, and many other four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive vehicles.

The installation of these systems significantly reduces wear and tear on the vehicle’s drivetrain, while reducing drag for better fuel economy (both towing and driving). With the hubs unlocked at all four wheels, the odometer will not rack up any mileage on the Jeep. An additional benefit of Warn’s rear hub kit is that it converts the rear semi-floating axle assembly to a full-floating system. In a full-floating system, the axle shaft does not carry any weight, it only provides propulsion, just like your coach. Since we had previously selected 32" tires, a set of Weld Racing Super Single Sidewinder two-piece forged alloy wheels were installed. Not only for their good-looking appearance, but to accommodate the new hubs that now allow us to unlock all four wheels for flat-towing. Rated at 2,400 lbs. each, and with a high-polish finish, the wheels are a great addition to any recreational vehicle.

All that is left is to add a pair of locking differentials and we’re set. For that we selected ARB, which make air actuated locking differentials for most popular two- and four-wheel drive applications. The major advantage ARB offers over its competitors is in the unlocked position, it functions like a conventional “open differential,” with none of the adverse driving characteristics. In the locked position, however, the vehicle has true four- or two-wheel drive, as the case may be.

Tow Bars

Demco has been producing quality tow bars and braking systems for both commercial and consumer applications for years. We selected the Aluminator for our Wrangler. This type of tow bar remains attached to the rear of the coach and folds out of the way when not in use. The optional cover keeps road debris off the hitch, in addition to providing protection from the elements when not in use.

Weighing in at just 25 lbs., it is rated to tow 5,000 lbs. and provides the features that make hitching and un-hitching a breeze, in addition to a Split Shank Receiver, which offers two methods to fasten your tow bar to the coach. One, using the conventional hitch pin; or two, using a new two-bolt system, which stabilizes your split shank receiver, giving a solid, noise-free, theft deterrent towing system according to the manufacturer.

Additionally, the split shank receivers are available in straight, 3" drop and 6" drop. This gives you the ability to select the proper configuration to maintain a level tow bar regardless of the dinghy’s frame height. We used the 6" drop in the inverted position to accommodate our Jeep’s ride height.

Demco’s new Sealed Gold Lock Collars allow for hitching the dinghy by simply inserting two locking pins and plugging in the electrical. It is not necessary to have the dinghy perfectly centered and aligned behind the coach as the hitch centers and locks into position automatically. Demco also makes Excali-bar, a heavier steel construction tow bar, which weighs 58 lbs. and is rated to tow 8,000 lbs. Our unit included the necessary safety cables. We purchased a Remco electrical wiring kit to connect our turn, brake and running lights, and the optional hitch cover to keep everything neat and clean when stored behind the coach. The only other item we would recommend is a lock to prevent theft of the tow bar.

Vehicle Protection

In addition to the existing full-width mud-flap our project motorhome has, we opted to take additional steps to protect the front of our dinghy from the rocks and debris that can be kicked up by the rear wheels. The Sentry Tow Bar Deflector is constructed of resilient high-density polyethylene and is attached to the connecting ears of the Demco tow bar. Positioned so road debris is deflected down away from the front of the dinghy, the Sentry is easy to install and remove, and stows in a handy carrying case that protects other items in your storage compartment from road contaminants. The electronically controlled fuel injection system of our Cummins ISC not only delivers smooth, reliable power, but virtually eliminates the black soot associated with the incomplete burn of diesel fuel. Protected from road debris and soot, the finish on our dinghy should last.

Installation

We started by installing the bumpers, winch and tow bar adapter. All three of the components utilize the same mounting points in the vehicle’s frame.

Since we are adding aftermarket products from three different manufacturers, careful coordination is required to ensure proper fit without interfering with the other products’ operation. In less that an hour, we were back on the road. We liked the fact that all three products we selected used the existing frame bolt connection locations – no drilling was required.

With suspension, wheels and tires in place, it’s off to install the ARB and Warn hub kit. As with any aftermarket product, quality installation is the key to its performance. All too often, a good product is labeled a “negative performer,” when in fact, a poor quality installation was to blame. Dynatrac is recognized as one of the industry’s leaders in custom axle building.

Specializing in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive systems, all of the proper procedures were followed to ensure a reliable, solid performing system. With axle modifications complete, we now have the ability to disconnect all four wheels and tires from the driveline assembly. Not only do we not roll on miles, but also, in the event we damaged or broke a driveline component (save an wheel bearing), we can unlock our hubs and flat-tow our Jeep home. This also works as an anti-theft device. With all four wheels unlocked, a would-be thief will all too quickly find that his intended mark is going nowhere.

With the tow bar plate installed, we changed the standard factory supplied hardware to the hardware supplied with the Demco Sentry, which will allow the Sentry to fit in place. Following the directions provided, we fit, measured, and drilled our front-end protection system. Demco supplies the system so that the end user can custom fit the Sentry to the vehicle being towed. In less than one hour, using simple hand tools, the new front-end protection system is ready to use.

Following the wiring suggestions found in our project coach’s owner’s manual, we wired our dinghy plug on the coach side. It was necessary to use a four-wire to three-wire adapter (available from Remco) on the coach, since our project coach uses a separate amber turn light and the Jeep dose not. Using a test light, we found the corresponding wires (taillights, ground, right-turn, left-turn and brake light) on our Jeep Wrangler and wired the plug connector on the dinghy’s side.

Our final check prior to road testing is to check for tow bar level. We found that using the Demco 6" drop in the inverted position leveled the tow bar on our Jeep. After torquing the connecting bolts to their specified values, we are ready for a road test.

Driving Tips

With the ignition unlocked, transmission in gear, transfer case in neutral, and all four hubs unlocked, we are ready to roll. Since the flat-tow dinghy configuration has more than one pivot point, it is important to know that backing up is not an option – not even a short distance. You will likely damage the coach, the dinghy and the towing system. Once underway, be sure to follow the local speed limits, and the towing recommendations of your dinghy’s manufacturer.

Pulling the Wrangler behind our Cummins ISC-powered project coach is a dream. We found ourselves frequently checking the rear-vision monitor to see if the Jeep was still there. Using the monitor while driving also gives us a clear picture of when we can return to the lane after passing another vehicle. We found that holding our indicated speed below 65 mph when towing—especially in crosswind situations—provided a good margin of control.

Hitching is a simple one-person job. Just hitch-up, lock the bar into position, and plug in the wiring. The Sentry did a nice job of keeping road debris from coming in contact with our dinghy. One useful hint, though, is to be sure to clean your dinghy’s windshield and wipers before using them after towing. Occasionally, small pebbles and dirt can come to rest on the wiper blades. Debris will scratch your windshield if not removed before use.

Now we have the best of both worlds. We can travel to our destination, set up homebase and use our Jeep (dinghy) to ferry us to side destinations for pleasure and supplies without having to break camp each time we want to go.

Scott Dalgleish is a freelance journalist who has enjoyed the Western outdoors and RV lifestyle for over 40 years. He is a contributor to MotorHome magazine and for the past six years Scott has been working closely with Dodge and Cummins in areas of new product development and customer relations. Scott and his wife Debra are the owners of a Monaco Coach Corporation product.