Planning on taking your Palisade with you on your next RV adventure? There are a number of ways to tow a vehicle, but not all vehicles can be towed similarly. If you're considering flat towing as an option for your Palisade, you'll want to know if you can safely move this SUV in this fashion. We researched the Palisade from professional sources so that you'll know what you can and can't do when it comes to towing.
The Hyundai Palisade cannot be flat towed. While you are still able to safely tow a Palisade behind an RV, the way to safely do so will depend on whether or not your Palisade is an all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive.
Now that we know that you cannot flat tow the Hyundai Palisade, we'll look at how you can safely tow one behind an RV. You might also be wondering if flat towing can damage your vehicle. Or maybe you are curious what dinghy towing means. For the answers to these questions and more, read ahead in this post to see what our research has uncovered.
What the manufacturer recommends when towing your Palisade
If you are driving with an RV and really would like to have your Palisade with you on your trip, we know that flat towing isn't an option. But this doesn't mean that you're not able to tow it. Flat towing is only one method of getting your vehicle to your destination.
Hyundai Palisades can be towed with all wheels off the ground or two-wheel towed. Which method of towing will depend on if you are towing a Palisade that is an AWD or FWD.
Palisade AWD - Tow All Wheels Off the Ground
Hyundai recommends that you always tow an AWD Palisade with all four wheels off of the ground. Towing an AWD Palisade in any other manner will greatly damage your vehicle.
Palisade FWD - Two-wheel or Dolly Tow
If you have FWD model, you can certainly tow it in the same way. But FWD Palisades are also safe to be two-wheel towed or dolly towed. This has the two front wheels off the ground, with only the rear wheels on the roadway. Of course, this will put a lot more miles on your rear tires. So if you do tow in this fashion, it's extra important to check the condition of each tire before you start your trip and to make sure that you routinely rotate your Palisade's tires.
Can flat towing damage your car?
Flat towing is considered the easiest way to tow a vehicle. But if you aren't careful, your vehicle can suffer some pretty serious damage.
First of all, make sure that your vehicle is able to be towed in this manner. For flat towing to work, your vehicle needs to have all four wheels unlocked, as well as the steering wheel. If you have a manual transmission or stick shift, you should almost always flat tow it.
But if you are driving an automatic transmission, you might have a vehicle that isn't engineered to be towed this way. Carefully consult your owner's manual to see if flat towing your vehicle is recommended.
Flat towing a vehicle that isn't meant to be can severely damage the transmission. Typically, this is due to the parts being excessively used, causing the components to burn out. As transmissions are costly to replace, you'll want to make absolutely certain your vehicle is safe to flat tow before you attach it to a tow bar.
Does flat towing put miles on your car?
You might be wondering if towing your vehicle cross country will put all of those miles on it, even though it's not technically being driven. The exact answer is a little complicated. With most models, you won't see the mileage on your odometer tick up. With the engine off, you're also not putting the miles on the drive train, either.
But the vehicle is still in motion. So even though your engine is off and not accumulating miles, you're still getting road wear on the tires, wheels, suspension system, and other components. For those who frequently travel in this manner, it's not uncommon for them to have a towed vehicle that has double the road miles on their tires as they do on the engine.
For this reason, it's very important to always inspect your tires before you flat tow a vehicle. Tires are good for 'X' number of miles, depending on the brand and model of tire you choose. The miles you have put on the tires will not match up to the ones you've put on the odometer, so carefully checking the wear on them before you set out on a trip is critical.
What is needed to flat tow a car?
If you're planning on hooking up your primary vehicle to a motor home, there's some equipment that first, you'll have to purchase and have installed. You'll want to make sure that the towing vehicle has a towing hitch attached. Then, you'll need to secure the following:
- a tow bar
- one base plate kit for the towing vehicle
- a tow bar wiring kit
- safety cables
- a tow bar wiring kit
Can you back up while flat towing?
While it may at times be inconvenient, you must always be driving forward when you are flat towing a vehicle behind you. Putting the primary vehicle in reverse can cause extensive damage to the one that is being towed.
When you flat tow a vehicle, the towed vehicle's wheels are unlocked. This is so the wheels of that vehicle will follow the turns of the wheels of the towing vehicle. But when the towing vehicle is put into reverse, the vehicle being towed will have its wheels sharply turn all the way. This sudden and sharp turn of the towed vehicle can cause it to bend into the tow bar. This can damage both the vehicle and the tow bar.
Even if this action doesn't result in the vehicle and tow bar bending into one another, remember that the tow bar's components are only engineered to have force exerted on it in a forward direction. Moving backward can exert pressure on them that they weren't created to handle. This can severely damage them, causing you to prematurely replace your tow bar.
What does dinghy towing mean?
Dinghy towing refers to towing a vehicle behind an RV or a motorhome. The vehicle being towed is referred to as the dinghy. Dinghy towing is a generic term for towing a vehicle in this fashion. It doesn't specifically mean that the dinghy is being flat towed, all wheels off the ground, or two-wheel towed.
In Closing
While you cannot flat tow a Palisade, you can still get it to your destination by towing it in another manner. Not following the manufacturer's recommendations regarding towing can greatly damage your vehicle, especially the transmission. Before you tow any vehicle, it's critical to read and understand the owner's manual and to follow all safety guidelines it sets forth.
If you found this post on the Hyundai Palisade to be helpful, we believe you'll enjoy reading the following posts on flat towing other popular trucks and SUVs:
Can a Chevy Silverado Be Flat Towed? Here’s What Truck Owners Need to Know
How Much Can You Tow With a Ford Ranger? [With or without a towing package]