Tow dolly what do I need

Parts and labor? yes.

Got a qoute for a 4 down tow with everything except brake attachement (invisbake) for $1500. does it sound about rigt??

U-Haul USED to service RVs many years ago. At some point, the company had to make a decision: stay on with RVs or get back to truck/trailer rentals. They chose rentals.
Would I go to U-Haul for a baseplate, towbar, etc? Most likely not.
Maybe in Ca. they still take care of RVs...but not in NJ.

I suggest you go to an RV dealer...or Camping World.

What do you think

The Ford Fusion is towable 4 down as stated in owners manual. Ford service recommended that I go to U-Haul and have them check it out. I don't know why, but maybe they will just check it out to see where the bar will hook up

kidkasha wrote:
can someone please tell how I should go about putting a 4 down system together for my Ford Fusion and exactly what I need and the approx cost. I am a little slow so please be patient.
Arnold

Of course, make sure it is towable.

Pay someone with the knowledge to install the baseplate. (BP $250 instal another $200 to 300) I did mine on the floor of my garage and it was a PAIN. It's a much easier job with the car up on a lift.

Buy a Ready Brute Elite tow bar/surge brake. (brakes and tow bar in one)($800 to $1,000)

If you are somewhat handy, you can run the brake cable and wire the lights up on your own.

Basically, when your blinkers and brake lights come on in the MH, you want them to come on in the Toad. So, you will need to either install a separate set of bulbs (in the tail lights or magnetic on the trunk/roof.) A wiring harness was available for my Jeep that ran from the 7-way on the MH to the left tail light of the Jeep. It was plug and play. My Jeep's original lights are used in this set up. Look for something similar for the fusion and it's an easy install. ($125 (high guess for the Ford))

The surge brake does the braking for you. When the Toad pushes against the hitch a lever pulls the cable which pulls your brake pedal down on the Toad. When enough braking has been applied and no more surge is happening, the lever releases the pedal.

The cable has to be run through the fire wall. If you are not comfortable doing this, that will be more install charges.

I am moderately mechanical with some minor health issues and was able to do the total instal with a little help from a neighbor. He was more interested than employed. He did hand me tools and help feed the cable through the fire wall. The baseplate was more complicated than it needed to be. I bought a Currie for the placement and looks. Make sure your base plate is as "bolt-on" as it can be. My instal required some metal grinding and drilling on the Jeep.

Good luck.

Is your Fusion 2012 or newer? Does it have an automatic transmission with AWD?

First determine if you’re 2012 Ford Fusion AWD vehicle equipped with an automatic 6F35 transmission was built on or after 3/30/2012. If that is true it can not be towed four down, per Ford. You would need a car trailer.

If your Fusion AWD is older than the above date have a Ford dealer perform (TSB) 11-07-15 so it can be towed four down.

You then would need a tow bar (new or used). A base plate that goes on the front of your Fusion (behind the grill) so it can connect to the tow bar (I had mine installed at a body shop for $100.).


Then for safeties sake you well need some kind of braking device for the Fusion. Go to the “Dinghy Towing” section of this site and read, read and then read some more about all the different braking systems. I ended up with a used “Brake Buddy” after a lot of reading.

The truely short answer is if you want to tow 4 down easily and relatively cheaply buy a car that can be towed that way. If you already own a nice front wheel drive car (or two, I have a fusion and a focus) or if you have more than one vehicle that can tow with a dolly (I have both a MH and a van that can tow a dolly) then a tow dolly makes sense. You can tow nicely either way. And nany vehicles can be expensive to convert to 4 down. Easiet solution for most folks is to buy a vehicle that can be towed 4 down with a minimum amount of extra equipment. And legal or not, driving steep mountain passes with long 6% grades, a braking system for the toad (which can easily weigh several tons) is just plain common sense. Same for when some fool causes you to stomp on your brakes with little or no warning. You don't want several tons of dead weight pushing you foreward under adverse conditions at highway speeds. Safety doesn't come cheap but how nuch is your and your loved ones health worth?

Has anybody who makes these tow dollies come up with a better system other than straps for attaching the tires to the dolly? For motorcycles on a trailer you can get these nice metal devices that trap the tire and then pivot as you drive up on them locking the bike into place. You still need straps, but with the locking in device for the tire you don't have to tie it down like you did without it. It just seems like something similar could be made for tow dollies.

Frosty10 wrote:

kidkasha wrote:
can someone please tell how I should go about putting a 4 down system together for my Ford Fusion and exactly what I need and the approx cost. I am a little slow so please be patient.
Arnold

I don't think the 2012 Fusion is approved for four down towing. Ford had too many transmission fail so they stopped approving the Fusion. The hybrid might be towable.

You need to check with Ford to be sure.

This is the first thing you need to do. There may be a section of your owners manual that tells if you can even be towed or not. If it can't, then you have an added expense of a drive shaft disconnect or transmission cooler. For me that would be a deal breaker. I'd go with the dolly.