Is anyone still using a car dolly?

We use a tow dolly since we have two cars that are front wheel drive & don't have any problems at all-I care less if it takes 10 mins to hook up since we are never in a hurry anymore and I kneel on a rubber pad so my bad knees don't get sore.a tow dolly such as our Demco will have a good resale value down the road and fit numerous cars while a tow bar is specific car and model. never had loose strap issues because we do ours like mentioned earlier----------------pauperpride.blogspot.com

RVPA wrote:
WE are getting a diesel pusher (1st RV) & we have 2 new cars that are both all wheel drive and cannot be towed behind the RV.
So I will either have to trade one or just buy a 3rd small car just to tow.

Is a dolly with disk brakes a good way to go or just a big pain that I'll regret.

Dolly or Blue Ox????
Help!

You need to be sure you can tow your unnamed cars with a dolly before you go any further.
My 2014 CR-V all wheel drive can not be towed on a dolly but works great 4 down.
Bill

We work at a very busy RV resort and we assist guests with parking. I watch the motor coach drivers struggle with their tow dolly and the people with tow bars unhook with ease. We use a tow bar on our Honda CR-V and love it. I personally would highly recommend tow bars.

You need to check your owners manual about using a dolly with an AWD car. Some AWD drive cars can only be pulled on a trailer. Some can be towed flat. Some can be towed on a dolly. It really depends on the make of the vehicle and how the AWD system works. The difference in automatic vs manual transmission will also make a difference. Perhaps if you post make, model and type of transmission we can help determine is dolly towing is even possible.

At one time or another I have used all three methods and once you are used to each way the connecting/disconnecting is not that hard. What to do with a dolly or trailer can become an issue at some campgrounds. I have been to some that had a specific area where the dolly or trailer had to be parked.

Mike

I now tow 4 down. I used a master tow dolly for many years. It is not near as bad as some people a saying. If a different car needed it I would go back to a dolly. Towing 4 down is not worth buying a new car, but if you need a new car consider getting that can be towed 4 down.

Loose tire straps are not a problem if you make 2 changes in your loading procedure:
1. Don’t pull the toad all the way forward on the dolly. Leave about 1 inch between the front tires and the front wheel stops.
2. Tighten the straps down until the tires squish.

When you pull all the way forward the straps will not slide over the tire leaving them a little loose behind the tire. By allowing the 1 inch gap in front of the tire the wheels will roll forward tightening the straps on both sides of the tire.

Since I started doing this, 9 years & 50,000 miles ago, I’ve never had a problem with loose straps. I still check them after the first 50 miles and each time I take a rest stop (about every 2 to 3 hours) but rarely can tighten them any further.

Two other things to watch for. A dolly is wider than the toad & in my case a little wider than the MH so watch when you park next to a curb that you don’t rube the lettering off of the curb side dolly wheel. Also make sure that you have plenty of room to pull way from a curb. The sharper you turn away from the curb the more the dolly tongue will swing into the curb causing the dolly to jump the curb.

I don't understand your "ball Joint" problem. My straps never touch them as they go over the top of the tires only.

Dave

dbates wrote:
I went dolly because I love my Vibe (it could not be pulled 4 down) and keep my cars for many years (10 years so far). Normally I can load or unload within 7 minutes without any assistance. I'm 75 and yes it's getting a little hard to get down & up to hook up the chains & straps but it's still doable. The comment about loose straps is and indication that they don't know how to strap down in the 1st place. After I figured it out in 50,000 miles I've never had a strap come loose. If you get a dolly be sure that you get it with surge brakes so it can be used with any pulling vehicle and personal message me for strap down instructions. In 9 years I’ve had to store the dolly only twice in a place other than at the campsite. We do try to get pull throughs but it’s not too hard to push the dolly to the back of the site and pull the MH over the dolly tongue to save space.

With that said if you keep 4 down toads for many many years that’s the way to go as it’s a little easier to hook up but if you trade toads frequently it can be costly to refit and you might loose some money on the sale of the old one because of the modifications.

Dave

Can you give some details on the proper way to strap the wheels down.

I tow with a dolly and sometimes have had a strap work loose.
I also seem to tear the straps up on the upper ball joint area.

Thanks

I went dolly because I love my Vibe (it could not be pulled 4 down) and keep my cars for many years (10 years so far). Normally I can load or unload within 7 minutes without any assistance. I'm 75 and yes it's getting a little hard to get down & up to hook up the chains & straps but it's still doable. The comment about loose straps is and indication that they don't know how to strap down in the 1st place. After I figured it out in 50,000 miles I've never had a strap come loose. If you get a dolly be sure that you get it with surge brakes so it can be used with any pulling vehicle and personal message me for strap down instructions. In 9 years I’ve had to store the dolly only twice in a place other than at the campsite. We do try to get pull throughs but it’s not too hard to push the dolly to the back of the site and pull the MH over the dolly tongue to save space.

With that said if you keep 4 down toads for many many years that’s the way to go as it’s a little easier to hook up but if you trade toads frequently it can be costly to refit and you might loose some money on the sale of the old one because of the modifications.

Dave

I use a tow dolly to take my small front wheel drive car with me. It has electric brakes and is not a big problem to deal with. I have a wheel that folds up on the hitch end and can roll it around wherever I want it by myself. I also have a jeep that we tow 4 down, either method is OK with me, once you learn how to do it.

I used to tow my Subaru Outback 4 down. Now I bought a front wheel drive vehicle and switched to a dolly. I don't see much difference in hooking it up between the two. The dolly allows for far more versatility and is easier on the towed vehicle. My dolly has surge brakes and steerable wheels. I can use it behind any vehicle, and I can haul any vehicle with it (my son loves it, because he makes some money as a shade tree mechanic and uses it a lot for stranded customer vehicles)

I almost feel it is easier to hook up than the four down. That was relatively much work, connecting the car to the motorhome, installing the brake buddy inside the vehicle and making sure everything was connected properly (including a 12 Volt line form the tow vehicle to the towed one to keep the battery alive).
With the dolly I just hook it onto the motorhome, connect the brake lights and secure the car to the dolly. Not much that can be forgotten to be connected. And I feel it is a lot easier on the towed vehicle which does not need any alterations!