Hooking up and unhooking vehicle and tow dolly

I bought a 2014 CRV to tow 4 down. The 2015 models cannot be towed 4 down due to a transmission change. Driving the CRV every day is not necessary but starting it and running it for 3 minutes is called for in the CRV user manual. That must be done at the beginning of each day and after 8 hours of towing.

I word maxed out my above response so here are a few other things to think about:

I use to have my wife help me load the toad but it seemed that all she could do was shake or nod here head then we’d have words so I finally figured out the following.

With the dolly hooked to the RV and set to load get your toad lined up where you think it will be in the center of the ramps. Now pull up just touching the ramp, get out and check to see if it's centered. If not, back up, try to compensate for the differences, pull up to the ramp again, get out and check it. When you’ve achieved center find a vertical alignment point on your toad (steering wheel, wiper spot) with a point on the dolly and use these in the future to achieve center. In the future you may still be out of alignment the 1st time but eventually you’ll usually hit it on the first try. Then load the toad as I suggested in my previous response. Loading & unloading only takes a very few minutes more than 4 down so its not a real reason to go 4 down.

It’s is a little nerve racking if the ramps and tires are wet as the tires tend to slip on the ramps and you’ll need a little running start to get up the ramp. If you not real careful you can run right over the dolly stop and get caught. This happened to me once but I was at home, had two good jacks and cribbing to get the toad back up to stop level and pulled it back onto the dolly.

I’ll turn 76 the 4th of June and can still move the dolly around on level ground but I got a “trailer dolly” from Harbor Freight and it makes it easy to move the dolly if the ground is rough or I have to push it up hill. I’m lucky that I have a bay large enough to hold it.

I keep my toads for many years, like my Vibe to well (it can't be pulled 4 down) and can't afford to change to a 4 down toad so I'm happy with the dolly. If you normally keep an exclusive toad for several years, and can afford to buy a toad that can be pulled 4 down I'd suggest you go 4 down. The older I get the harder it gets to get down & up from knees.

As mentioned above the Demco KarKaddy SS is a very find dolly. It’s a little more expensive but it’s well worth the price. It is fully galvanized so you’ll never have to worry about rust. It has rack & pinion steering just (link a car) so it follow you around very nicely. Its ramps fold up and its tongue folds back to reduce storage space almost 50%. It has surge brakes so you can use it with any vehicle as you don’t need a brake controller.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me through rv.net.

Dave Bates

I’ve pulled a Demco KarKddy SS for the past 10 years and 52,000+ miles in all of the states marked below with no problems. Yes 4 down is a little faster and easier but I love my Vibe and it can’t be pulled 4 down.

Some things to remember:
1. When I first started using the dolly I strapped the toad down as Demco recommended pulling it all the way forward to the front wheel stop then strapped it down but I found that the straps came loose & I even had one strap come all of the way off. I then realized that the straps didn’t slide over the wheel as they are tightened so they remain a little loose behind the wheels and when you started pulling the Toad slip back leaving the straps loose on both sides of the wheel.

I now pull the toad all of the way forward then back up about one inch. I strap it down until the tires squish. As the straps tighten the wheels roll forward and the strap tension equalizes in both the front and rear of the wheel. Since I started doing this I’ve never had a problem with a loose strap. I still check them within 50 miles of start and again each time I stop (about every 2 to 3 hours) but I’ve never found a strap loose enough to cause a problem since.

2. If your dolly is a little wider than the RV watch those right curbs when parking. I ground the lettering off of the right dolly tire before I realized this.

3. Make sure that you allow plenty of front end room when parking along a curb. If you have to turn too sharply when pulling out the rear of the RV swings in the opposite direction pulling the dolly into the curb causing the dolly wheels to scrap or roll over the curb.

4. I’ve only had two times that I had to park the dolly elsewhere because the RV site was too small. If you back the dolly to the rear of your site, drop the tongue down and back the MH over the tongue it only extends about half dolly size behind the MH.

5. I’ll turn 76 in June and yes it is getting a little harder to move it around but it’s still doable.


Dave

Samantha - My 2 cents... We do both.
I generally prefer the 4-down approach with the Jeep Wrangler only because it's a bit easier to hook up and there's less to worry about than with the tow dolly. Hook-up time is shorter and easier on the knees and a lot cleaner if it's raining.
However, DW has been known to insist on taking her car along at times and that requires a tow dolly. We have the Demco KarKaddy SS and it's a great product. Among other things, it's steerable so it follows the MH nicely and it also folds to half its length so it can usually be stored behind your MH when camping. Lot of other pluses but they come with a price.
Other than that - Dennis' checklist was a good reference.

Yes, Steve's post reminded me to tell you to read the owner's manual of the vehicle you're thinking of purchasing. Look under 'recreational vehicle towing'. It's in every manual and it will tell you exactly what needs to be done to tow it.....good point....Dennis

Ssmantha, you mention your husband is looking at the CRV. The new ones cannot be towed 4 down due to a new transmission they have decided to use. Be careful on your choice of toads and just make sure the one you choose can be towed 4 down. Good Luck and safe travels.

Samantha, you'll find most late model cars that can be towed four down no longer have the necessity of running it every so often. That said, those that suggest you do never have to be unhooked and driven, only started. Also, it's recommended that you stop and tighten the wheel straps every couple hundred miles when using a dolly.

We towed a Saturn, no mods and no starting etc. then an HHR, pull one fuse and go, and now an Equinox. Same set up as the HHR. No mileage shows on any of the vehicles when towing and no restrictions such as starting etc.

If you decide to go the four down route, look at the ReadyBrute set up from Night Shift Auto. It has a brake system built into the tow bar so you get the benefit of having brakes on the toad without the added expense and difficulty messing with an exterior braking system....Dennis

Samantha525 wrote:
Would anyone be willing to share their procedure for hooking up and unhooking their two vehicle with a tow dolly? How does this work once you get to the place where you will camp? Where do you unload the tow dolly before you back in? How do you move the tow dolly once the car is off? We are planning to trade in our travel trailer in the spring for a class c or class a, but will need to tow a small car. Any help is appreciated!!

Sorry, I forgot to answer your basic questions while typing my rant.
1. I hook the dolly to the motorhome, then drive the PT Cruiser on and tie it down.
2.When we arrive, if I have a pull-through site I leave the dolly connected and just remove the car. If it is a back-in site, I remove the car, unhook the dolly, push it to the back of the site, then park the motorhome.
3. For moving the dolly, I went to Harbor Freight and got one of their trailer dollys, just two wheels with a trailer ball above them and a handle. It makes moving the dolly and other light trailers no trouble at all, even for a 73 year old out of shape guy like me! I modified the little dolly to make it easy to disassemble to fit in the basement bay under the motorhome.
When towing the truck four down, I connect it to the motorhome, hook up all the wires and cables, and get on down the road.
When we arrive, it depends on the campground. Some require that you disconnect before proceeding to your site, some don't; some have first-come, first served sites, so it is easier (IMO) to disconnect the truck and use it to find a site, then bring the motorhome in.
The variations are nearly endless...

Samantha525 wrote:

I guess another question is this: he wants to put kayaks on the roof of the towed vehicle. Is this a safe option?

Sure, if the towed vehicle is long enough to have the kayaks attached and NOT be in the way of turning radius.

The necessary procedures for towing four down vary widely (and wildly), depending on the vehicle.
many years ago, I towed a 1963 Corvair. the recommended procedure was to stop every 250 miles and run the engine to ensure proper transmission lubrication.
then I towed a Jeep Wrangler. No limitations at all! Any speed, any distance, no battery discharge, no problems. Later models will discharge the battery while being towed.
the required procedures are VERY vehicle specific. All one can do is read the Owners Manual for the specific vehicle. All necessary instructions should be there.
If you already have a vehicle that can be towed on a dolly (not all vehicles can), there is no need to buy a new vehicle. Try it. you just might find that all the doomsayers and naysayers statements simply don't apply to YOU! I tow my PT Cruiser on a dolly occasionally, and I don't have anywhere near the trouble described by some of the naysayers and doomsayers.
Only YOU can decide what is right for YOU.
Good luck.