etracing
Well-known member
Has anyone towed their LEAF behind a RV with a Tow dolly?
If so, any suggestions other than what is in the manual?
Thanks!
If so, any suggestions other than what is in the manual?
Thanks!
etracing said:Has anyone towed their LEAF behind a RV with a Tow dolly?
If so, any suggestions other than what is in the manual?
Thanks!
SteveS said:I didn't tow with an RV, but I did tow mine from Dallas to New Orleans with a U-Haul tow dolly. No problems at all. Just drove the LEAF on the dolly, strapped the tires and started driving. I pulled it with a Lexus RX400h SUV.
Hope this helps.
Mechanically speaking, the rear wheels are just donuts rotating on bearings; they rotate independently of each other, even. (Obviously, the parking brake should be off/disengaged!) Whether the "ignition" is on or off makes no difference.MaryC said:When towing on a dolly did you leave the car on or will it tow allright in the off position? I would really like to set up the Leaf for towing behind my motorhome.
MaryC said:When towing on a dolly did you leave the car on or will it tow allright in the off position? I would really like to set up the Leaf for towing behind my motorhome.
LakeLeaf said:If you are towing your Leaf behind your motor home - most motor homes have a generator in them. I don't think you are supposed the run the generator while driving the motor home --- but it you can - maybe you could plug in your Leaf and charge it via generator while you are driving the RV to your next destination.
The purist won't like the idea of either the motor home, or the generator, but if you have all of the above - it sure would be nice to end up at your destination with a full charge.
[ b.t.w. - nice job on the thread title! ]
TonyWilliams said:MaryC said:When towing on a dolly did you leave the car on or will it tow allright in the off position? I would really like to set up the Leaf for towing behind my motorhome.
I'm not sure I understand the basis for the question. Are you worried about running the lights on the LEAF?
For that, you can mount lights that have magnets to stay mounted on the car, and plugged into your motor home. Or, you add a plug on your car that plugs into the motor home so that the motor home controls the LEAF taillights, brake, and turn signal lights.
All standard stuff. Yes, you could charge it while underway on 120v with an inverter that can handle 1.44kW continuous load. No generator.
The motor home will have to have the correct size alternator (big) and heavy wires to handle the load.
All easy and relatively cheap.
When you turn the car off, it automatically engages PARK, but the parking brake must be manually set.MaryC said:What I am unsure of is, will the park brake remain off if I turn the car off during towing? I thought it automatically engaged when you turn off the car. So I was wondering if you had to leave the car on and in neutral to leave the rear wheels free during towing on a dolly. Anyone here that can clear that up for me, I would appreciate it.
ebill3 said:When you turn the car off, it automatically engages PARK, but the parking brake must be manually set.MaryC said:What I am unsure of is, will the park brake remain off if I turn the car off during towing? I thought it automatically engaged when you turn off the car. So I was wondering if you had to leave the car on and in neutral to leave the rear wheels free during towing on a dolly. Anyone here that can clear that up for me, I would appreciate it.
Bill
To clarify further, PARK engages a pawl in a sort of a gear in the drive train. This locks the motor and the input to the differential. The front wheels can turn, but only in opposite directions. PARK has no effect on the rear wheels. As for neutral -- there is no neutral in a gearing sense. The motor is always connected (through the differential) to the front wheels. Neutral is just an electrical state of the motor that allows it to spin freely without generating or using any electricity. So the faster you are moving in neutral the faster the engine is spinning. (There is also no reverse gear. Reverse is just when the electric motor is spinning backwards.)ebill3 said:When you turn the car off, it automatically engages PARK, but the parking brake must be manually set.MaryC said:What I am unsure of is, will the park brake remain off if I turn the car off during towing? I thought it automatically engaged when you turn off the car. So I was wondering if you had to leave the car on and in neutral to leave the rear wheels free during towing on a dolly. Anyone here that can clear that up for me, I would appreciate it.
garygid said:If somebody wants to tow the LEAF frequently (with all 4 wheels on the ground), how about installing "lock/unlock" hubs on the two front wheels?
Better to tow with the front wheels on a dolly (if possible), I believe.
TonyWilliams said:Except, you have to tow the extra weight of a dolly, pay for a dolly, and store a dolly.
I agree with you, but the answer to your question is on page 6-14 of the Owners Manual.etracing said:I have a dolly and it is not that heavy (it has a handle and I can move it myself) does not take up that much space and will be a lot less wear and tear than on the car. Beside that, where are you going to connect the car up for towing other than a dolly or flat bed?
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