Tow Bar and Other Parts Needed to Flat Tow a 2013 Ford F-150 Behind a Class C Motorhome  

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The first thing to do is to check your owner's manual to make sure the 2013 Ford F-150 can be flat towed without causing it any damage. From my research it can as long as it has 4-wheel drive. The rear wheel drive cannot; at least not without adding after market parts for the transmission. If this is the case for your truck then I recommend talking to a Ford dealership before flat towing it.

If you are able to flat tow your truck then there are several parts you need. You need the tow bar itself, base plates to connect to the tow bar, safety cables, some sort of wiring so the truck has lights while being towed, a braking system, and likely a high-low adapter to keep the setup level.

Since pick up trucks are heavier than most vehicles that are being flat towed you need to make sure everything is rated high enough. I recommend a tow bar with at least a 10,000 pound rating like the Demco Excali-Bar III, part # DM9511013. It includes safety cables so that's one less thing to worry about. It pairs right up to Demco base plate kit, part # DM9518296. Base plate kits are custom made for specific vehicles so depnding on exactly which model of F-150 you have this kit may not work. Let me know which model you have and I'll make a specific recommendation for you.

If you're not going to be towing the truck very often then I'd go with magnetic lights like part # TL21RK. They're not as expensive and easy to quickly set up. However, if you're going to be towing it a lot then I recomend a more permanant install using the diode kit # RM-15267. This way you don't need to set it up each time you tow. This kit installs a 6-way connector on the front of the truck which you can use the center pin to connect a charge line kit, part # RM-156-25, to maintain the truck's battery while towing.

To engage the truck's brakes you need a supplemental braking system. Again the permanent install makes it easier since they don't need to be set up each time you tow. I recommend the Stay-IN-Play DUO, part # SM99251, because it's the simplest of all the permanent installs. You also need a Brake-Lite Relay, part # RM-88400, to keep the truck's turn signals from overriding the RV's.

Finally, you're likely going to need a high-low adapter. This raises or lowers the position of the tow bar to keep it level with the base plates on the truck. You want the setup to be within 3 inches of level to be safe. I've linked our selection to look at, as well as an article to help you determine the rise or drop you need with your setup.

I've also linked videos on many of the recommended products, as well as articles on flat towing that you may find helpful.

expert reply by: Charles S

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