Can You Flat Tow A Chevy Silverado? Accurate Info

As a driver, all of us have experienced a flat tire situation at some point. This unfortunate situation could have been caused by various factors such as punctures by a sharp object, failure of the valve system, rubbed or ripped tire, or the collision of tire and rim. In this situation, you would need another car to tow your vehicle to the repair shop.

Flat towing is only possible with a Chevy Silverado equipped with four-wheel drive or a two-speed transfer case system. For flat towing, some popular chevy cars are 2019, 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500.

What is Flat Towing?

Flat towing simply means pulling a vehicle when all the vehicle’s four wheels are on the ground. It is an easy method to pull four-wheelers using a truck or motorhomes. Moreover, To hitch another automobile to your vehicle or RV, you simply need a lesser set of equipment for a flat tow.

Compared to other towing systems, the time and effort required to set up a flat tow are also modest. It is also one of the three basic methods of towing a vehicle.

There could be many cases in which you need flat towing to tow your vehicle, like- tire bead leaks, rubbed or ripped tires, vandalism of the tires, punctures because of sharp objects, or failure of the valve system.

🚗 Can you flat tow a Chevy Silverado?

Flat towing Chevy Silverado 1500 vehicles is possible. To do that, you need a two-speed transfer case or four-wheel-drive system. The 2019 Chevrolet Silverados, 2020 Silverado 1500, and 2500, 3500 are the most common models that can be flat towed. On the other hand, if you have a Chevy Trax, you can’t flat tow it.

However, you can tow some of the Chevy Silverado’s by installing a few simple parts that are a must for flat towing any vehicle, which you can easily find in a parts department store.

The Chevy Silverado is bagged with a two-speed transfer system which makes it perfect for flat towing. The two-speed transfer is standard on the Chevy Silverado 1500 4 X 4.

🚗 Can you flat tow a Chevy Trax?

You might find Chevy Trax very difficult to Falt tow as it is not equipped with a four-wheel-drive system or a two-speed transfer system.

🚗 Can you flat tow a Chevy Spark?

Yes, you can flat tow a CHevy spark, but only if it’s equipped with a manual transmission, as only the manual transmission vehicles are equipped with the four down the towing systems.

🚗 Can you flat tow a Chevy Equinox?

Chevy Equinox is capable of flat towing; however, you would need special flat towbars for towing your Chevy Equinox.

How to Flat Tow a Chevy Silverado?

As the Chevy Silverado trucks are equipped with a four-wheel drive and a two-speed transfer case system, it makes it possible for flat towing a Chevy Silverado. However, you would need some parts for flat towing your Chevy Silverado. Make sure you follow all the steps to flat tow your Chevy safely. Here’s a list for the same:

1. Blue Ox Base Plate Kit part.
2. Blue Ox Avail Tow Bar part.
3. Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit part.
4. Roadmaster Automatic Battery Disconnect with Switch part.
5. Stay-IN-Play DUO Supplemental Braking System part.
6. Air Force One Supplemental Braking System part.
7. Roadmaster Stop Light Switch Kit part.
8. Roadmaster Stop Light Switch Kit part.
9. High-Low Adapter.

🚗 Ensure if your Chevy Silverado Can be Flat Towed or not

Examine your Chevy Silverado if it is equipped with manual gear shifting. Also, check that your Chevy Silverado should support two-speed transfer case systems.

Refer to the owner’s manual of your Chevy Silverado for information regarding flat towing. You will find this in your owner’s manual that whether your Chevy Silverado can flat tow with all the four wheels on the ground.

🚗 Check Local Towing Rules for Compliance 

There is a set of general towing rules available for the consumers to tow their vehicles safely and correctly. These rules include the following:

1. Taillights- The tail lights of your RV should be visible. Always remember to hook up your towed vehicle tail lights so that they can respond to the transition in speed.
2. License plate- Both the RV’s and towed car’s license plates must be displayed.
3. Safety chains- If the hitch breaks, these add an extra layer of protection to keep your car from rolling away.

Some states also demand additional safeguards, such as,

1. Supplemental Brakes- This is an additional braking system for RVs or the towing vehicles used for flat towing. The main purpose of these brakes is just to add an extra layer of protection for braking.
2. Breakaway Breaks- Breakaway breaks are very helpful if your owed vehicle breaks away from the hitch of the RV or towing vehicle; then, these breaks will automatically be applied just to ensure security.

You May Also Find Useful: Best Brake Pads for Chevy Silverado

🚗 Check the GCWR of your RV before Towing 

GCWR stands for Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating; it measures the maximum weight of a vehicle and its attached trailer. You should always look for GCWR when you are thinking of towing a vehicle, and this helps you avoid the accidents that could happen due to a mismatch in the towing capacity and the towed vehicle weight.

The manufacturer determines this maximum combined weight rating, which can be seen on your vehicle’s placard.

🚗 Attach your Silverado to Your RV Safely  

Make sure that your Chevy Silverado should be attached safely to your RV or motorhome. This is the most crucial part of flat towing your car. If the hitch is loosely attached to the towed vehicle, this might result in the sudden reattaching of your vehicle, which can be dangerous or even fatal. You might not want to see your vehicle detaching from the RV, then ensure that your Chevy Silverado is attached safely to your RV.

🚗 Put the Silverado into “towed” mode  

Putting the car in tow/haul mode is usually as simple as pressing a button. It’s an electronic setting that can be altered ‘on the fly on the dash, usually the steering column. This option is used to adjust the vehicle’s transmission shift points. You should always put your Silverado into towed mode while towing your vehicle.

What Other Chevy Vehicles Can Be Flat Towed?

All the Chevy vehicles are equipped with a four-wheel-drive or a two-speed transfer case system. The most popular Chevy Silverado trucks for flat towing are the 2019 and 2020 Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500. If equipped with proper tools for towing, any chevy can be towed easily using an RV. All the safety measures and rules should be kept in mind while towing the vehicle to minimize casualties as much as possible.

Apart from these, other Chevy Vehicles can be flat towed smoothly. Some of these are

1. Chevy Silverado 1500.
2. Chevy Equinox.
3. Chevy Spark.
4. Chevy Colorado.

Frequently Asked Questions (fAQs)

Conclusion

There are various methods you can use to tow a car but remember, when flat towing a car, you should always keep in mind all the safety measures along with rules and regulations as towing a flat car must sound like an easy job, but if not done properly can turn out to be disastrous.