towing Honda pilot

Dave_Jan · 03-08-2021, 01:13 PM

Is anyone towing a newer Pilot 2014 or newer on a tow dolly? I cannot fin d a dolly that has a GVWR above 4900 lbs. Pilot is 5500.

Thanks

hummy · 03-08-2021, 06:01 PM

That's a lot of weight! You might see about a car hauler? Next question will your class C be big enough and safe to pull it

Psidave · 03-08-2021, 06:52 PM

Plenty of power,, Seneca. Yeah I have been thinking about a car hauler.

Dave_Jan · 03-08-2021, 07:39 PM

Also have a trailer toad to help with tongue wt.

lawingnutz · 03-11-2021, 09:55 PM

American Dolly makes a 9 ft wide dolly that can handle the Honda Pilot. I own a 2018 Pilot and will use an American Dolly to tow it.

lawingnutz · 03-11-2021, 10:00 PM

Pilot curb weight is 4300 lbs..

Dave_Jan · 03-12-2021, 09:58 AM

Thank you sir! Just what I was looking for.

dneeld52 · 03-15-2021, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_Jan

Is anyone towing a newer Pilot 2014 or newer on a tow dolly? I cannot fin d a dolly that has a GVWR above 4900 lbs. Pilot is 5500.

Thanks

Can you not tow that unit flat? We towed our 2009 Pilot flat on all fours without any issues. Did Honda come out against it?

Damian Neeld

Dave_Jan · 03-15-2021, 09:30 PM

As I understand it, my pilot 2016, cannot be towed 4 down. And towing with a dolly is not encouraged. But Ii have read that it can be safely towed on a dolly. So I am going to move forward with a dolly.

mini4mw · 03-15-2021, 10:30 PM

The hydraulic acme tow dolly will do it. I've used it on a Honda Odyssey for over 5k miles and it had
https://cartowdolly.com/

I don't have experience with other dollys, so hard to grade. Its heavy, but light enough I can maneuver it around with effort. It does stand up straight so I can keep it in the garage when not in use.

My biggest complaint is that the car front tires should turn (steering column can't lock on car being towed) while on the dolly but they didn't turn as much as I was expecting. As a result, when making tighter turns, the car dolly tires would slide/skip on the pavement. That being said, I just tried to make wide turns as often as possible and it was fine on long trips. Always made me a little nervous with all that stress on the front steering/suspension/drive parts of the odyssey (dolly seemed plenty strong) but it never caused a problem or took it out of alignment.

Most (perhaps all?) of the dollys that turn themselves versus being rigid like the acme do not carry the load weight as they are much heavier and have a single pin that allows the towed car to rotate on top of the dolly.

I have a new 2020 pilot that replaced the odyssey and plan on using the same dolly for many more miles until I get a vehicle I can tow 4 down.

edit:
I have the FWD pilot. The AWD you can't tow with a dolly.

lawingnutz · 04-10-2021, 08:14 PM

Just got me a 9 foot wide American Dolly...Gary, the company’s owner, delivered it to me at a campground in Florida..free delivery...American Dolly is the only 9 foot wide dolly on the market. Well made!! I will be towing my 2018 Honda Pilot..79.5” wide..be careful of narrower dolly’s.

Dave_Jan · 04-10-2021, 08:24 PM

He left mine with me yesterday. i am very happy and pleased with the quality and Gary's help. i will test mine next week. taking trip to Nashville, TN.. I just want to confirm or not that the steering wheel is locked when motor is off. if not ,must strap steering wheel in place.

lawingnutz · 04-10-2021, 08:38 PM

I got a strap to tie the steering wheel from Gary. I think the steering wheel on my Pilot should lock, but i need to check. I actually visited Gary’s shop in February. I came to Orlando in my Pilot to pick up my RV. Decided to call Gary to order a dolly. He told me he had an extra 9’ dolly with him and he was going to be near me today. So he came by and i bought it. Will load the Pilot on it Monday and head back to Louisiana.

Dave_Jan · 04-12-2021, 09:28 PM

How did the dolly do with your Pilot?

lawingnutz · 04-13-2021, 05:07 AM

The dolly did great. Fits well with room to spare. Really like the fact that the loading ramps are removable.
Even backed up a few times to see how it would do. Did well... Pulled at 70 MPH with no problems.

SloPoke · 04-13-2021, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawingnutz

Just got me a 9 foot wide American Dolly...Gary, the company’s owner, delivered it to me at a campground in Florida..free delivery...American Dolly is the only 9 foot wide dolly on the market. Well made!! I will be towing my 2018 Honda Pilot..79.5” wide..be careful of narrower dolly’s.

I thought 8'6" was maximum allowed width... do you have to get an oversize permit?

mini4mw · 04-13-2021, 12:01 PM

I haven't gone anywhere yet with my pilot, but it worked with the odyssey so not expecting issues.

Mine is 3 years old, hydraulic model. 80" between the inside wheel wells (car must fit between here and really more like 75" so you have some room to drive up and for the wheels to turn a little. 102" (8.5') to the outside of each wheel on the dolly.

lawingnutz · 04-13-2021, 03:11 PM

Never heard anything about needing a special permit. Gary, the owner of the company advised me to get the 9 ft wide dolly. He makes a 8.5 ft but said it would dent my doors on a sharp turn. Make several sharp turns on my way home with the 9 ft dolly...no issues...even backed up twice...about 15 ft each time..

EA37TS · 04-13-2021, 03:26 PM

All states except Hawaii have a standard maximum width of 8 feet 6 inches. Hawaii has a standard maximum width of 9 feet.

mini4mw · 06-27-2021, 06:58 PM

Started a new thread on the ACME dolly, but posting a link here as I am towing a 2020 Pilot.

Here's the link

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