Tow Dolly - Page 2

Sequim Guy · 03-19-2012, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Possum

I wonder what happens when you get to BC (Bring Cash) as here your dolly has to have plates. Doesn't require lights as far as I can find out but it does need plates and so does the vehicle you are towing in it.

I tend to agree on the brakes thing though and wonder if there is a dolly out there that applies the brakes via cable like a couple of the four down towing rigs.

Guess I will be in trouble in BC, since the state of AZ does not issue plates for a tow dolly, so no registration, just a title.

My ACME eze-tow dolly has surge disc brakes and a break-away cable that hooks to MH and has a spring to activate the surge brakes if it comes loose from MH.

Not sure if other dollies have that, but it was just one of the many reasons I bought the eze-tow dolly instead of the others.

Edit: Sounds like Horseshoe has the same dolly I do.

.

pushtrk99 · 03-20-2012, 06:29 AM

The way to strap car correctly is to drive car on dolly then back up to stop-put car in neutral and put straps on tighten each strap a little and car will roll forward a bit re-tighten straps-then put back in park and you'll see they will never loosen up-I have never had straps come loose-Rich

W4MBG · 03-20-2012, 08:48 AM

i presume thats for a front wheel drive car?

Horseshoe · 03-20-2012, 09:08 AM

I use mine for pulling a front wheel drive car. However, I saw a rear wheel drive Mustang being pulled yesterday. The rear wheels were on the dolly and the steering wheel locked straight ahead. They had a light bar on the hood of the car.

Possum · 03-22-2012, 08:42 PM

I went to our local provincial insurance company broker today to ask why I need a plate on a dolly if the car being towed via the dolly had insurance. She couldn't find anything in her books so she called the head office. Here in Bring Cash if a unit has wheels and any of the wheels are on the ground that unit needs plates, lights and insurance.

Just love the way we all get to pay insurance company executive bonuses and the bozo executives work for a monopoly.

Sequim Guy · 03-22-2012, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pushtrk99

The way to strap car correctly is to drive car on dolly then back up to stop-put car in neutral and put straps on tighten each strap a little and car will roll forward a bit re-tighten straps-then put back in park and you'll see they will never loosen up-I have never had straps come loose-Rich

Just wondering what is your source of information on the "way to strap car correctly"?
I do it a little differently, and have never had straps come loose.
So maybe there is more than one way to strap a car "correctly".

Elkhartjim · 03-23-2012, 04:32 AM

There is some unbelievably bad (erroneous) info being spewed on this thread. Simply put, refer to the owners manual of the tow dolly you own for loading, strapping, braking, etc. Refer to your state DOT for licensing and lighting regulations.

pushtrk99 · 03-23-2012, 07:13 AM

I got my information from a old timer that had been using a dolly for quite a few years and seemed like he knew what he was talking about-I tried his way and two longer trips to Fl with unhooking the tow vehicle almost at every campground and never had a strap come loose-If you find a way that you like better have at it BUT this has worked for us-RICH

agiledog · 03-23-2012, 07:50 PM

I have been reading these posts about tow Dolly's for a while and would like to put in my 2 cents. At the risk of offending some folks, I would like to suggest that all of these Dolly's make a good boat anchor. You take the money that you spend on one of these things and buy a good tow bar and brakes for your toad. All you need to do is look around the RV parks to see what the preferred tow method is. Some say that their vehicle can not be towed four down. I have one of those and Remco towing helped me set it up so I could. I tow a 4x4 with an electronic transfer case. I installed a driveline disconnect that allows towing without anything turning. I also installed a brake system that does not require taking a box out to drive the car. It takes me about 5 min to hook up and ready to roll. Also my wife can do this. How many wives can load a car on a dolly should her spouse be injured. Finally, this is one more piece of equipment you have to put somewhere at home or the RV park. We had a dolly for two years and got rid of it. If you just happened to find yourself in a situation where you have to back up, how long does it take to unload, move the dolly, back out, and put everything back together? I can only think of one reason to have one. That is if you have to tow more than one vehicle.

Sequim Guy · 03-24-2012, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agiledog

I have been reading these posts about tow Dolly's for a while and would like to put in my 2 cents. At the risk of offending some folks, I would like to suggest that all of these Dolly's make a good boat anchor. You take the money that you spend on one of these things and buy a good tow bar and brakes for your toad. All you need to do is look around the RV parks to see what the preferred tow method is. Some say that their vehicle can not be towed four down. I have one of those and Remco towing helped me set it up so I could. I tow a 4x4 with an electronic transfer case. I installed a driveline disconnect that allows towing without anything turning. I also installed a brake system that does not require taking a box out to drive the car. It takes me about 5 min to hook up and ready to roll. Also my wife can do this. How many wives can load a car on a dolly should her spouse be injured. Finally, this is one more piece of equipment you have to put somewhere at home or the RV park. We had a dolly for two years and got rid of it. If you just happened to find yourself in a situation where you have to back up, how long does it take to unload, move the dolly, back out, and put everything back together? I can only think of one reason to have one. That is if you have to tow more than one vehicle.

My 2 cents worth.
As far as a dolly being a boat anchor, I'm not offended because mine isn't heavy enough to be a boat anchor,
you must be thinking of Demco or MasterTow types.

All I can say is, that is now one pricey toad.
Tow bar, plate, lights, brakes, driveline disconnect........wow.
If you didn't do the work yourself, bet you spent enough to buy at least 2 or 3 dollys.
And if you were to wreck that toad or decide to trade it in, you get to install it all over AGAIN.
Plus the added bonus of taking it OFF the old toad.

My wife doesn't drive the MH, so if I can't drive MH, no need to put the car on dolly.

As far as backing up, never had to do it, guess so far I have been lucky/clever/planned ahead.
If I ever do have to back up, it will only take me a few minutes longer than you.
I can easily move the dolly around by myself.

So............... you think dollys are hard to work with and I think you threw too much money at your toad.

The main thing is, we are both happy with what we have.

.

Herbdb · 03-24-2012, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elkhartjim

Simply put, refer to the owners manual of the tow dolly you own for loading, strapping, braking, etc.

You do know that manuals are written by legal departments, right? Chrysler says that their vans should not be towed at all without damage. The manual for my dolly says check straps every 50 miles.

These are not based on test data, just past litigation.

Hoghead · 03-24-2012, 06:45 AM

I currently use a tow dolly with electric brakes. I don’t know about your Winnebago owners manual but mine states on page 12/3 “ We do not recommend the usage of a “surgestyle” braking device. The usage of a surge brake (especially when coupled with a hitch ball located outside our recommended limits) places excessive stress on the hitch. This abuse of the ball mount and the hitch may cause premature hitch assembly failure.” Before you flame me, this is Winnebago talking not me.

agiledog · 03-24-2012, 10:43 AM

Wow! I got quite a response which I expected. That's why tow dollies are still being sold. I will try to respond to all three of you. First, I did all the work myself which saved a ton of money. Towbar, disconnect, and brake system totaled about $1000. Second, my toad is well past any warranty for that to be considered. Finally, I am not using a surge brake on the hitch. I installed an actuator for the brake pedal and a vacuum pump so it works on all four wheels. Unified Tow Brake
It works very well.
I guess that's why we have all these choices: motorhome, tow trailer, campers, tow dollies, car trailers, etc. a guy once told me that opinions are like belly buttons, we all have one and they are all different.

agiledog · 03-24-2012, 10:48 AM

I noticed that one of you has a Jeep for a toad. That is one vehicle that has been approved for four down towing for years. Next time you are in an RV park, look around and see how many dollies there are. Must be a reason for that.

Hikerdogs · 03-24-2012, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agiledog

I have been reading these posts about tow Dolly's for a while and would like to put in my 2 cents. At the risk of offending some folks, I would like to suggest that all of these Dolly's make a good boat anchor. You take the money that you spend on one of these things and buy a good tow bar and brakes for your toad. All you need to do is look around the RV parks to see what the preferred tow method is. Some say that their vehicle can not be towed four down. I have one of those and Remco towing helped me set it up so I could. I tow a 4x4 with an electronic transfer case. I installed a driveline disconnect that allows towing without anything turning. I also installed a brake system that does not require taking a box out to drive the car. It takes me about 5 min to hook up and ready to roll. Also my wife can do this. How many wives can load a car on a dolly should her spouse be injured. Finally, this is one more piece of equipment you have to put somewhere at home or the RV park. We had a dolly for two years and got rid of it. If you just happened to find yourself in a situation where you have to back up, how long does it take to unload, move the dolly, back out, and put everything back together? I can only think of one reason to have one. That is if you have to tow more than one vehicle.

A dolly is an excellent alternative to spending $20,000.00 or more to replace a car that can't be towed 4 down. Demco may make parts to modify a car that isn't supposed to be towed 4 down but that just adds to the cost of a towing package. Also in the event that something happens and the transmission, engine or other expensive component fails I've yet to see Demco take responsibility and repair the vehicle.

We currently tow a Jeep Wrangler 4 down. Not because we didn't want to deal with the dolly but rather because Jeep says they can't be towed on a dolly without disconnecting the drive shaft. I would have much preferred to continue to use the dolly but I do respect what the manufacturers say when it comes to towing vehicles they've designed and manufactured. To that end we invested several hundred more dollars in all the equipment necessary to tow the Jeep.

We towed our LeSabre on a dolly for over 25,000 miles and never had a problem loading, unloading or storing the dolly. We switched to the Jeep because we love to off road. Towing the Buick all over the country didn't seem to make sense when it just got left at the campground while we rented a Jeep to go off road.

We still have the dolly and will use it to tow our Buick again if and when we decide we've had enough off roading. The Jeep is a fine vehicle but it doesn't have the ride or ammenities of the Buick.

To me it's a personal choice. Neither is right or wrong, they're just different ways to accomplish the same goal.

mikf · 03-24-2012, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoghead

I currently use a tow dolly with electric brakes. I don’t know about your Winnebago owners manual but mine states on page 12/3 “ We do not recommend the usage of a “surgestyle” braking device. The usage of a surge brake (especially when coupled with a hitch ball located outside our recommended limits) places excessive stress on the hitch. This abuse of the ball mount and the hitch may cause premature hitch assembly failure.” Before you flame me, this is Winnebago talking not me.

I just looked in my book and could find that. BUT I agree that electric brakes would be better. I just came from Yuma, Az. to San Diego on interstate 8. pulling a ford escape on a dolly withs surge brakes. when I got to the west side of the mountains a car flagged me down and said my dolly was on fire. by the time I got back there with my extinguisher it was just smoking. I let it cool jacked up the dolly to make sure the the bearings did not seem shot and disabled the brakes and continued on. an NO I did not ride the brakes coming down. this was my first trip with a dolly and when I get back home I will probably go back to towing 4 down. I can not see how to keep the surge brakes from activating when going down a steep hill, so electric makes more sense to me. on my brake buddy I always have it set for the least amount of brakeing so it usually only activates on a hard stop. I am glad I kept everything ecept the car to tow 4 down.

Sequim Guy · 03-25-2012, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agiledog

Towbar, disconnect, and brake system totaled about $1000.

You are a better bargain hunter than I am, checked some prices on internet.
These are cheapest I could find:
Unified Tow Brake system....$836.
Demco Disconnect...............$712.
And you still had to buy the tow bar.

I want to take you with me next time I buy a new car.

And I always walk through where ever we stay, just to see what other people have for a dolly,
and there are a lot of them, and you are correct, there is a reason for that.

.

Sequim Guy · 03-25-2012, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikf

I just looked in my book and could find that. BUT I agree that electric brakes would be better. I just came from Yuma, Az. to San Diego on interstate 8. pulling a ford escape on a dolly withs surge brakes. when I got to the west side of the mountains a car flagged me down and said my dolly was on fire. by the time I got back there with my extinguisher it was just smoking. I let it cool jacked up the dolly to make sure the the bearings did not seem shot and disabled the brakes and continued on. an NO I did not ride the brakes coming down. this was my first trip with a dolly and when I get back home I will probably go back to towing 4 down. I can not see how to keep the surge brakes from activating when going down a steep hill, so electric makes more sense to me. on my brake buddy I always have it set for the least amount of brakeing so it usually only activates on a hard stop. I am glad I kept everything ecept the car to tow 4 down.

You know, I always thought that the surge brakes activating while going down a steep hill was kind of the point of having them.

There must be a problem with your dolly, I and others have driven that road, and the Siskiyous, the Grapevine, the Cascades, and more, without our surge brakes catching on fire.
And I like the fact that I have surge disc brakes, not surge drum brakes.
I think the disc brakes work better and run a little cooler.

.

Horseshoe · 03-25-2012, 07:00 AM

If you ever have any problem with the ACME dolly, you can simply block the surge brake with a simple tool that is included with the dolly and it will not operate. It is also used when you are backing the dolly around for any reason.

mikf · 03-25-2012, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sequim Guy

You know, I always thought that the surge brakes activating while going down a steep hill was kind of the point of having them.

it does not seem to me that the small disk brakes on a dolly were made to hold back a large motorhome. I think electric brakes would be better so they would only activated when the brakes in the rv were operated. I may be missing something as surge brakes are new to me. I have a long way to get back home and I am tempted to disable them when in the mountains, but that is when I probably need them most.