On The Road
Dinghy Towing
When a motorized vehicle is towed behind a
motor home with all four tires on the ground,
the towed vehicle is often referred to as a
"dinghy". Vehicle manufacturers produce tow-
able cars and trucks that are designed to be
capable
of
being towed behind a larger vehicle,
such as a motor horne, with all wheels down.
Caution should be exercised when selecting a
vehicle for dinghy towing.
If
not, battery drain
on the electrical system could occur, the
trans-
mission
of
the vehicle could be damaged, the
vehicle may
be
too heavy to pull, among other
concerns.
Before selecting the vehicle that will be towed,
consult the vehicle manufacturers instructions to
ensure the vehicle is approved by the
manufac-
turer for dinghy (four wheels down) towing.
Any aftermarket products that modify the
dinghy for towing should also be approved by
the vehicle manufacturer.
Make sure that the dinghy weight and attaching
hardware do not exceed the motor horne hitch
receiver rating. Make sure that the weight
of
the
motor horne and dinghy together; do not exceed
the gross combination weight rating (OCWR)
of
the motor horne. Make sure that tow bars and
hitch equipment is rated to handle the weight
of
the vehicle you intend to tow.
In
addition, the dinghy must be equipped with
its own independent auxiliary brake system that
is activated any time the motor horne brakes are
applied.
Because
of
StatelProvince regulations, care
must be exercised when wiring the dinghy for
all lighting requirements.
Check with the
DMV
of
your State and/or
States ( and
Provinces) you will be traveling
through for their requirements.
05-4
TRAILER HITCH
CONNECTOR WIRING
Trailer Hitch Electrical Connector
(View is looking at the connector on the RV from
the wire harness end.
Plug must be removed
from housing to view legend.)
4
Terminal
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
3
2
5
1
Circuit
Connection
7
Ground
Electric Brake*
Tail/Clearance
Battery Charge
Left Turn/Stop
Right Turn/Stop
Spare
*This circuit is provided to allow the use of a con-
troller
for electric brake actuation of a towed trailer
or vehicle.
/1
NOTE I
Due to manufacturing differences between products,
wire color coding may be different than terminal
col-
ors indicated.
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