Dinghy Towing - Fleetwood Discovery 2008 Owner's Manual

On The Road
Typical hitch system components are shown in the following illustration.
Hitch Ball
Safety Chain
I
I
Receiver
r~
__ EiP
. .
I ·
· . • • · · · . ·
Weight-Carrying Hitch
Head Assembly
I
Chain Loop __ _ _ .
Chain Bracket Receiver Tube
Typical Hitch System Components
The ratings associated with the particular hitch
receiver supplied with your motor home are
noted on the weight tag and on a label affixed to
the hitch receiver.
It is important that the devices which attach to
the hitch receiver equipped with your motor
home are rated to equal or exceed the loads of
your towed trailer, automobile dolly, or other
towed load.
The weight label on your hitch receiver provides
the maximum trailer weight rating and the maxi-
mum tongue weight rating. It is important that
these ratings not be exceeded.
Consult with your dealer or towing
equipment/trailer supplier to determine the cor-
rect type of hitch head assembly, hitch ball and
other tow equipment you should use for towing
and leveling the load you intend to pulL
If you intend to tow, take advantage of reading
and studying literature that is available from
vehicle manufacturers, the National Highway
traffic Safety Administration, equipment manu-
facturers, trade associations, and
05-4
Weight-Distributing Hitch
Head Assembly
pUblications/books about how to tow.
.A.
WARNING
Failure to understand and follow these guidelines as
presented in this section could result in damage to the
motor home frame or body, could cause unstable driv-
ing and handling characteristics, and will restrict your
warranty coverage.
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 home, 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.