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Old 09-15-2017, 06:26 PM   #1
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Need your advice: Purchasing a dinghy and flat towing equipment

In anticipation of the November arrival of our 2018 Greyhawk 29MV, we are now trying to decide on a dinghy and the equipment necessary to tow with all wheels on the ground. Unless something drastically changes, it appears that the dinghy will be a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox FWD with a 6-speed automatic tranny, weighing in at around 3,600 pounds. The Equinox Owner’s Manual indicates that only the FWD model can be flat towed which leaves out the entire AWD class, which is OK for we who avoid snow and ice by spending winters in the south.

Today I had a conversation with the Jayco dealership about the parts necessary to flat tow the Chevy. They recommend installation of a Demco Commander tow bar setup, listed at 6,000 pounds, and the RVI Brake System. I searched this site for threads on both the Demco tow bar and the Chevy Equinox as a dinghy, and came up with much less than I expected. What concerns me most is that with all the hundreds of threads and posts on dinghy’s and towing equipment, the majority of which I have read, the Demco is mentioned a small fraction of the time compared to some of the more popular brands like Blue Ox, etc.

Am I making any mistakes here? Should I forget the Demco and opt for one of the other set-ups like the Blue Ox? Does anyone have any experience with the Demco towing equipment (not the dolly) or Chevy Equinox as a dinghy? The Equinox will be used both as a dinghy and as our main mode of transportation when we are not traveling. Thank you!
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Old 09-15-2017, 07:46 PM   #2
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DEMCO makes good equipment and is one of the few FW hitches made in the USA as well. They are also big into agricultural equipment. Been around a long time.
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Old 09-15-2017, 07:49 PM   #3
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I purchased the Demco Commander tow bar, tabless base plate and the RVI-3 auxiliary brake to tow my Jeep Wrangler. I am happy with my set up. We have been on the road since the end of July not staying longer than 5 days in each place, so we have been hooking up, towing and disconnecting quite a bit. No complaints with this set up.
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Old 09-15-2017, 07:50 PM   #4
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DEMCO makes good equipment and is one of the few FW hitches made in the USA as well. They are also big into agricultural equipment. Been around a long time.
What is FW?
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Old 09-15-2017, 07:59 PM   #5
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What is FW?
Fifth wheel
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Old 09-15-2017, 11:28 PM   #6
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Have heard of an issue towing the 4cyl Equinox. Search death wobble.

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Old 09-16-2017, 05:35 AM   #7
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I bought a used Demco 6000 lb tow bar, came with the rock guard and a roadmaster evenbrake. We have towed a 2013 Ford Explorer a few thousand miles with no problems. Demco makes good products.
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Old 09-16-2017, 08:10 AM   #8
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We have towed a 2016 Chevy Traverse with a Blue Ox System for 2 years and almost 40,000 miles with no issues.
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Old 09-16-2017, 08:42 AM   #9
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Have heard of an issue towing the 4cyl Equinox. Search death wobble.

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You have certainly taken the wind out of my sails Dananu! I did Google the "Death Wobble" and found many hits, but the one I read at length included 258 posts on a MH Owners Forum (iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > Toads and Motorhome Related Towing >Chevy Equinox) about the issues with some Jeeps and the 4 cylinder Equinox. My wife and I were set on the 2018 Equinox 1.5L with FWD, which can be dinghy towed, but now I'm not sure that I want to spend $30K and take a chance that I'll be one of a percentage of owners who suffer with this problem, of which right now there is no known remedy. Our second choice was the 2017 Ford CMAX, then the Chevy Sonic. What to do?
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Old 09-16-2017, 11:06 AM   #10
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Are you wanting a dingy [small boat] or a dolly??
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Old 09-16-2017, 11:19 AM   #11
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We are towing a similar vehicle. We just went all in with our new 29MVP. Neither of our cars were towable so we traded one in for a new Chevy Malibu with the 1.5L and 6 speed, much like the Equinox you are looking at.

The car tows with no drama, not noticeable with the exception of slowing us down a bit on hills. No death-wobble here.

We used Roadmaster baseplate, bracket and their All-Terrain towbar. Very easy to attach and detach.

Not sure we are happy with the SMI Stay-N-Play brake system though. The plunger which actuates the brake pedal interferes with my foot when I move my foot from the accelerator to the brake. Seems like a real safety issue. I'm sure that this is only a problem with this vehicle but i suggest doing your homework on which brake system you purchase.

BTW, i think that Demco just purchased SMI.

Hope this helps.
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Old 09-18-2017, 05:56 PM   #12
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I was in the same boat when I purchased my Demco tow bar, I bought used. Never heard of it. I have seen some of the popular brands, and the Demco looks better to me. I am completely happy with it. It is well built. I towed my 08 ford edge with no problems. I traded my Edge now I need something to pull. Not wanting to spend a lot of money I am looking at a Suzuki Sidekick or a Geo Tracker both the same thing. Stan
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Old 09-18-2017, 06:28 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2 View Post
Our second choice was the 2017 Ford CMAX, then the Chevy Sonic. What to do?
We had great luck towing a SONIC 4 wheels down.
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Old 09-19-2017, 01:36 AM   #14
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Ditto

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We had great luck towing a SONIC 4 wheels down.
Ditto... We pull a 2015 Chevy Sonic behind our 2015 29ME. Fantastic set-up, very easy to hook up and tows straight and easy. If you go with that option, you will need to add an auxiliary power supply that is powered full time for your brake controller and do yourself a favour and add a Fuse by pass switch instead of pulling the fuse every time you tow.... Thanks to Grumpy for that lesson
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