How to tow a car with a truck
Capacity math, towing methods, and load procedures for pulling another car behind your pickup or SUV without breaking the truck or losing the car.
Before you tow another car with a truck, check three numbers: the truck’s tow rating, the truck’s payload, and the loaded weight of the trailer or dolly plus the car. The truck has to handle the heaviest combination, not just the towed car weight. Method matters: a flatbed trailer carries any car, a tow dolly only works for front-wheel drive, and a tow bar (flat tow) needs a vehicle the manufacturer says is “dinghy towable”.
The wrong setup is the most common cause of trouble. Underrated truck, undersized hitch class, or a tow dolly under an AWD car ruins one or both vehicles. Get the numbers right first.
Capacity math
Three sticker numbers on the truck:
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tow rating | Max trailer weight the truck can pull, fully loaded |
| GVWR | Max total weight of the truck itself, including occupants and cargo |
| GCWR | Max total weight of truck + trailer + everything in both |
The numbers are on the driver’s door jamb sticker and the owner’s manual. Tow rating is the headline number marketers use. GCWR is the one that fails first when you load up.
Math example. A 2024 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 with the 3.5L EcoBoost and the Max Tow package has a tow rating up to 11,400 lb, GCWR of 17,500 lb, and a curb weight around 5,300 lb.
Towing a 4,000 lb car on a 2,000 lb dual-axle car trailer:
- Trailer + car = 6,000 lb (well under 11,400 lb tow rating)
- Truck + 2 passengers + 100 lb of gear = 5,650 lb
- Total = 11,650 lb, under the 17,500 lb GCWR
The math checks out. Drop the truck to a half-ton with a 7,200 lb tow rating and the same combination is past the rating.
Hitch class and ball size
| Class | Tongue weight | Trailer weight | Receiver size | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class III | Up to 800 lb | Up to 8,000 lb | 2 in | Mid-size SUVs, half-ton trucks |
| Class IV | Up to 1,200 lb | Up to 10,000 lb | 2 in | Full-size trucks |
| Class V | Up to 1,700 lb (or more) | Up to 20,000 lb | 2 in or 2.5 in | Heavy-duty trucks |
The receiver is stamped with its rating. Ball size matches the trailer coupler: most car trailers and dollies use 2 in or 2-5/16 in balls. Mismatched ball-and-coupler is a common cause of dropped trailers. Check before you hitch.
Method 1: Flatbed car trailer
The most flexible option. Front-wheel, rear-wheel, all-wheel drive, manual, automatic, dead or alive. The car sits fully on the trailer and rolls on the trailer’s tires, not the car’s.
Setup:
- Back the truck to the trailer tongue. Drop the coupler onto the hitch ball, latch and pin.
- Cross the safety chains under the tongue, clip to the truck.
- Connect the 7-pin or 4-pin trailer plug. Test lights and brakes.
- Connect the breakaway switch lanyard to the truck (not to the safety chain).
- Drop or extend the trailer’s ramps.
- Drive the car onto the trailer slowly, front-first, weight balanced 60 percent forward of the trailer’s axle.
- Set the parking brake and shut off.
- Strap each wheel with a rated wheel net (4,400 to 5,000 lb WLL each), pulled at 45 degrees outward.
- Re-check straps at 15 miles.
Loaded-trailer weight usually runs 4,500 to 6,500 lb for a car on a tandem-axle steel trailer. Aluminum trailers shave 1,000 to 1,500 lb off.
Method 2: Tow dolly
Two wheels of the towed car on the dolly platform, the other two rolling on the road. Works for front-wheel drive only, with a few rear-wheel manual transmission exceptions.
- U-Haul standard dolly tows up to 4,450 lb front-wheel drive only.
- Dolly + car total weight is around 4,500 to 5,500 lb, much lighter on the truck than a car trailer.
- Cheaper to rent, lighter to store, but limited compatibility.
Procedure same as a flatbed trailer up to the loading step. Then drive the car on front-first, strap both front tires with the dolly’s straps, attach safety chains to the car’s rated points. See the dollies guide for the longer walkthrough.
Method 3: Tow bar (flat tow)
A rigid bar connects the towed car’s front to a hitch on the back of the truck. All four of the towed car’s wheels roll on the road. Common with RV owners towing a Jeep behind a motorhome.
Only works on vehicles the manufacturer lists as “dinghy towable”. As of 2026, the popular list includes:
- Jeep Wrangler 4-door and Gladiator with manual transfer case
- Ford F-150 with neutral-towable settings (limited model years and configurations, check the manual)
- Some Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon and 2WD pickups
Most modern passenger cars are not dinghy towable. Their transmissions or AWD systems will burn up. The owner’s manual is the only authority.
If the car is dinghy towable, setup is:
- Install a baseplate on the towed car (one-time install, $500 to $1,500 parts plus 2 to 4 hours labor).
- Tow bar attaches to the baseplate and the truck’s receiver.
- Towed car needs supplemental brakes by federal regulation in most jurisdictions over a certain weight (commonly 1,500 lb). RoadMaster, Blue Ox, and Demco make systems that mount in the towed car and activate the brakes when the truck brakes.
- Wiring kit duplicates the truck’s brake and turn signals at the towed car’s lights.
Method 4: Straps and chains for emergencies
Not actually a tow method, but people ask. Pulling a stuck or stranded car with a recovery strap over a short distance is normal recovery. Towing a car on the road with a strap for miles is illegal in most states without a rigid tow bar and is dangerous on the brakes.
If the car cannot drive itself, rent a dolly or trailer or call a flatbed.
Common mistakes
- Towing past the GCWR. The 11,000 lb tow rating does not mean 11,000 lb of trailer plus a full-cab of passengers and gear. The GCWR is the ceiling for the total.
- Using a 2 in ball with a 2-5/16 in coupler. The ball is too small, the coupler lifts off the ball at the first dip. Match the diameters.
- Skipping the trailer brake controller. Trailers with electric brakes need a controller wired in the truck. Most modern trucks have one built-in (the dash button). On older trucks, an aftermarket controller is $80 to $200 plus an hour of wiring.
- Strap angle straight down. Suspends the suspension but does not stop fore-aft slide. Pull at 45 degrees outward.
- Ignoring tongue weight. Tongue weight should be 10 to 15 percent of the trailer’s total weight, with the load biased forward of the trailer axle. Too-light tongue causes trailer sway.
Trailer brake recall worth knowing
Ford recall 26C10 (NHTSA 26V104000), issued March 2026, covers 4.3 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles for an Integrated Trailer Module software fault that can disable or mis-report trailer brake controller function or trailer lighting. Affected:
- F-150 2021 to 2026
- F-Series Super Duty 2022 to 2026
- Ranger 2024 to 2026
- Maverick 2022 to 2026
- Expedition 2022 to 2026
- Transit 2026
- Lincoln Navigator 2022 to 2026
The fix is a free OTA update pushed in March 2026. If you own one of these and tow with electric trailer brakes, confirm the recall has installed before your next trip. Enter the VIN at ford.com/support/recalls.