Pulling car with car dolly

[Freeman]

Within the next week, we will be leaving on our inaugural trip pulling a Kia Soul with a Master Tow car dolly.

I would appreciate any advice from those here who are veteran RVers towing a vehicle.

[Stavman]

Hey Freeman

My only thought with a dolly is storage of it

Love my Honda pilot toad, very simple and easy

Toad track exactly where the RV goes
A dolly is a trailer, do u must plan corners, turns, and gas pumps especially

So be sure and practice with it if you e never towed a trailer,can be challenging especially in a big, blind, RV

Good luck

[crockettlarry]

I've only towed 4 wheels down.

But I have seen troubles with a dolly when they overshot when driving the toad onto the dolly. It basically gets high-centered. They had to get wood blocks and jacks to get it off.

So don't overshoot.

[Antper]

You Folks that do toads or dolly. When you have made an error and have no choice to back up how have you handled it? Unhook the toad and back it out of the way? How about folks with Dollys?

[craigav]

I have a Master Tow Dolly so feel free to ask any specific questions.

I would suggest to purchase a set of straps for spares, I lost one once due to breakage and ended up just using a 4" wide strap from Tractor Supply which was better than running on one strap.

If you have a choice, choose a pull-through site and that way you can leave the dolly attached to the motorhome. Otherwise, unload the toad and the dolly is light enough that you can move it if needed. I have just rolled it down in my RV spot and then backed in my Class C. It is easy to move the dolly on flat ground but not so great if you have to push it uphill.

Be sure to lock your steering wheel, if your toad locks with the key out then that is all I have needed to do, just make sure it is locked.

Don't back up, if you have to, you may be able to back up a few feet but if you try to do that be very watchful, best not to back up.

I used a 2x6 about 1' long (two of them) when I was towing my Chevrolet Sonic and placed them at the end of each ramp. I had to do that to keep the front spoiler from hitting the ramps while loading. My Sonic is the LTZ with a low spoiler, other vehicles may not be an issue.

Check the straps after towing from your camp site to just before getting on the road (and at every fuel or other stops). Mine seemed to loosen up after the first few hundred feet of travel (but not always, just sometimes). Be sure the safety chains are in place in case a strap does break.

You may want to purchase one (or two) replacement tailights, mine are led and seem to go out faster than I would have ever thought. (Tractor Supply sells a compatible replacement).

Other than that, can't think of anything to be concerned with. Other thoughts are that I have a TPMS that has enough sensors to monitor the dolly and rear toad tires.

~CA

[craigav]

Originally Posted by Antper

You Folks that do toads or dolly. When you have made an error and have no choice to back up how have you handled it? Unhook the toad and back it out of the way? How about folks with Dollys?

Most often you will have to unhook the toad, I have been able to back up a few (2~3) feet with a spotter but much or any more than that things get out of alignment. Once you take the toad off the dolly, you could back up as with any trailer, however because the dolly is so short it is hard to see if it is backing up straight until you see it out of one of the mirrors and by then it is way out of line (I can see mine in the rear camera which helps). Fortunately they are light and easy to disconnect if needed (after the toad is off).

BTW, I am not a big fan of dollies, but they have advantages such as reason why I have one which was\is that I was not keeping the toad for long and a dolly requires no toad modifications and can tow most all front wheel drive vehicles easily (and 4wd as well, just have to check yours to be sure). I have the setup now to flat tow my Chev Colorado, but have dolly towed it just fine. ~CA

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Antper

You Folks that do toads or dolly. When you have made an error and have no choice to back up how have you handled it? Unhook the toad and back it out of the way? How about folks with Dollys?

My advice is to disco the toad right away. Don't even try to back up unless it's less than 2-3 ft. Even then, I would try virtually anything OTHER than backing up.

I speak from experience. Got stuck in a tight spot, needed to back up, tried NOT to disconnect the toad, fought with it, caused a little bumper damage (no big deal, I was going to remove that piece anyway), and after all that, ended up disconnecting the toad anyway. If I'd just sucked it up and disco'd the toad, I'd have been done and moved in less than 5 minutes.

That was with a "secondary" setup (fixed bar, using chains passed through the frame) that's not NEARLY as easy to connect/disconnect as my current "primary" setup.

On my JLU, it takes me only a couple minutes max to disconnect, so it's not worth the risk of damage and difficulty to try to back up. That being said, I'm also A LOT more careful about where I pull in to. I make absolutely sure I have a way out before I ever pull in some place, even if I have to Get Out And Look (GOAL).

This IMO is a huge advantage of flat-tow over dolly-tow. I understand sometimes people have only the dolly-tow option, but if there's any way OUT of that option, I'd be looking for it. Personally if I have the choices of dolly and flat sitting in front of me, there is no situation in which I would choose dolly over flat. The disadvantage of not being able to back up is equal between the two, but the dolly has several additional disadvantages.

But at the end of the day, you gotta do what you gotta do. If dolly-tow is your only option, just be careful and do it right.

[billgeo]

Camper bob

I see you feel strongly about the disadvantages of a tow dolly. Can you explain what you feel are the disadvantages of a dolly over flat tow?

We are in the process of researching tow dollys. Our vehicle cannot be flat towed and we do not want to trade it out. A tow dolly seems to be the best option for our 2019 Class C 29mv and 2016 Hyundai Tucson.

Thanks! I appreciate any and all insights!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by billgeo

Camper bob

I see you feel strongly about the disadvantages of a tow dolly. Can you explain what you feel are the disadvantages of a dolly over flat tow?

We are in the process of researching tow dollys. Our vehicle cannot be flat towed and we do not want to trade it out. A tow dolly seems to be the best option for our 2019 Class C 29mv and 2016 Hyundai Tucson.

Thanks! I appreciate any and all insights!

Like I said, you gotta do what you gotta do. It doesn't sound like you have a choice at this point. So run what ya brung, and get out there and have fun!

My list of disadvantages is as follows:

Dolly is a "one-trick-pony". It has only one purpose. A trailer at least can be used for other things. And a trailer can be backed. Granted this is more of "dolly vs trailer", but it brings about an alternative option (that may be better) vs dolly tow.

Dolly needs to be stored when not in use. At home or at the campsite. Flat-tow is "self-contained". My tow bar folds up and stores right on the back of the camper. The "tackle" has a small tool bag it gets stored in. The brake has a handle and sits on the shelf (or wherever) right next to the "tackle bag".

Connect/disconnect is more difficult. With a dolly, the front tires must be attached to the dolly, perhaps strapped down. This can be difficult, and may require more bending, laying, stretching to accomplish, and certainly takes more time. For many, this is probably just a convenience delta, but some may not have the physical ability to do this safely. Flat tow connect/disconnect is SUPER easy, quick and very convenient. It takes only minutes to do. I usually handle this chore while DW is checking in, and I'm usually sitting in the Jeep ready to go by the time she comes out.

Those are really the big ones IMO. I prefer flat-tow and had the opportunity to choose the vehicle I would use. If I already owned a vehicle, and my only options were dolly or trailer, I would SERIOUSLY look at trailer-tow. But I could use a trailer in my every day life. If I couldn't use a trailer, I guess I would dolly tow, but personally, it would be my last choice.

Don't get me wrong, LOTS of people successfully dolly-tow and have a fine time. And that's FANTASTIC! But for me personally, I'd rather not if I have an option.

[billgeo]

Camper bob

Much appreciated sir!! You're a flowing wealth of insights!
Since we have zero use for a trailer outside of towing behind our 29mv, the two dolly is the way. Now... to research the best dolly for us.

[Jayco 24B]

We use MasterTow dolly with electric breaks. At first it was uncomfortable to tow but you can get use to it (lots of looking into backup camera)

At campsite or at home I store the front of the dolly under the camper. Just have a spotter and back up over it.

If there is no need for vehicle, I also carry my kayaks on the dolly and I "updated" my dolly to tow my motorcycle

One more suggestion...when you tow your vehicle make sure your tires are inflated to 50 PSI, when empty go down to 20/30 PSI.

Make sure you choose the correct length on the ball mount. If you tilt your dolly to much it will scrape the ground.

[SloPoke]

We were faced with a similar dilema... our FJ can not be flat towed. For that matter, it should not be dolly towed either.

We put our FJ on a trailer... along with anything else we want to bring along for the trip.

We back up anywhere we want... We don't worry about much while traveling the interstate at the speed limit, we can take any of our cars along for the trip and we can go offroad and don't have to prep the FJ for our next leg of the trip... we just load it on the trailer and GO.

[craigav]

Following some thoughts that Camper_Bob made me think of. I have used trailers and dollies, and have flat towed. Each of the three has pros and cons to think about. One is that a dolly (at least here in Texas) doesn't require a license tag, but compared to a trailer it is much easier to store if you find yourself at a campground that requires you back into your site. A trailer can also tow a rear wheel drive vehicle where most rwd vehicles cannot be dolly towed.

Another thought to share. Prior to purchasing a dolly I checked with U-Haul to see if they had one I could rent for a few weeks. On the U-Haul website they only had prices for a daily rate and for 3 weeks the cost would have been very high. However, I called the U-Haul main number (not the local U-Haul) and asked them if they would give me a discount for a renting a dolly for a few weeks and sure enough, they cut the cost way down. I don't remember the costs now as that was years back, however it was perhaps a third of the cost that the daily rate would have been. So, my thought here is that perhaps you may want to rent a dolly before buying one and see for yourself if that will work for you, or if you feel it would be better to get another toad that you could flat tow.

For me, and as Camper_Bob mentioned, flat towing is the best. However flat towing is not cost efficient if you have to sink several thousands of dollars into the flat tow setup for a vehicle you don't plan to keep much longer or if you have more than one vehicle that you may want to tow with you while RVing...or perhaps you only need a toad once in a while. (when I RV at the local lakes and parks I usually don't bring a toad).

They all have their pros and cons for sure, and the best choice is specific to the owners plans and needs. I would consider seeing if you could rent a dolly and try it out once and see how that works for you. ~CA

[billgeo]

Craigav

Thanks for the info!
I'm definitely considering a u-haul rental. Our "trial" trip would be about 5 days, not 3 weeks so maybe it wouldn't be too cost prohibitive. One question, which I've not contacted u-haul about as yet, is would I have to purchase a braking setup? I don't want to do that as I'm leaning towards the purchase of a dolly with the surge brakes.

[craigav]

Originally Posted by billgeo

Craigav

Thanks for the info!
I'm definitely considering a u-haul rental. Our "trial" trip would be about 5 days, not 3 weeks so maybe it wouldn't be too cost prohibitive. One question, which I've not contacted u-haul about as yet, is would I have to purchase a braking setup? I don't want to do that as I'm leaning towards the purchase of a dolly with the surge brakes.

U-Haul's tow dollies have surge brakes (at least years back which I suspect is still the case). Even for 5 days I would call the main number and see if they would give you a weekly rate at a discount. You may find that easier to get it and loaded up the day before your 5 day trip and you would have the day after to return it if you don't get back early in the day on your 5 day trip. The local U-Haul was surprised at the rate I got, as the charges just shows up on their reservation computer, however they told me that they have seen discounts from the main rental number you call and the discounts are usually based on supply and demand. In other words U-Haul locations that have a surplus in rentals will be more discounted than those without a surplus in whatever you are renting from them. Also the local U-Haul told me that they were not able to offer any discounts, only the main reservation and rental people could offer a discount and only by calling the main number. ~CA

[billgeo]

That good news about the surge brakes! I'll certainly look into a rental and call the main office for pricing!!
Thanks again, great info!!

[rodpod]

Originally Posted by billgeo

Camper bob

I see you feel strongly about the disadvantages of a tow dolly. Can you explain what you feel are the disadvantages of a dolly over flat tow?

We are in the process of researching tow dollys. Our vehicle cannot be flat towed and we do not want to trade it out. A tow dolly seems to be the best option for our 2019 Class C 29mv and 2016 Hyundai Tucson.

Thanks! I appreciate any and all insights!

I have read all the opinions about flat vs dolly towing. And, have also done a ton of research. To flat tow, it will cost you twice what a tow dolly costs. An that's assuming you can flat tow your existing vehicle. I know a bunch of folks that have actually sold their cars to get one that flat tows (more money). I purchased an EZ tow dolly, i think for the money it is a great option. I just completed a 2,500 mile trip with the dolly in all road conditions and terrain including tight mountain roads towing a 4500lb Honda pilot with a Greyhawk 29 MV, with no major issues.
I won't repeat all the recommendations listed in this post they are right on target, but a few are worth repeating. Check your straps frequently, don't pull into any place you're not sure you can get out of without backing up, get pull through sites if you can, or unhook the car and dolly before backing in. Oh and practice before you go, it will ease your pucker factor.

[RPR]

We have over 16,000 miles on our dolly towing our 2010 Nissan Altima behind our 2018 Class C from our home base in Alabama.

[billgeo]

Thanks!!

[dopplemeyr]

I tow my Honda Odyssey with an Acme Eze tow dolly. It has surge disc brakes and works really well. I carry a set of extra straps and a spare tire just in case, but so far so good. No concerns towing it with the Seneca as it tracks behind the MH perfectly. What I like about this tow dolly is that it stands up for storage, so it can easily go behind the motorhome or even in my garage and not take up much space. Just make sure you use the brake lockout in the mountains as the brakes wear quickly coming downhill. I really like this setup, but my next vehicle will be a flat tow as they are much quicker and easier to connect and disconnect.