Man Oh Man

Looking at base plates and it looks like the front air dam of the car would need to be cut for the pin holes. hmmmmm I imagine if we went with a ready brake that there would need to be a whole put for the cable as well.

Question....if we went flat towing and with our limited amount of towing we would do, would it be a good idea to just go with the magnetic type of lights that we can put on the top of the car?

First of all, driving the other vehicle will not always be an option. We bought a motorhome so that we could ride in it together and not have to be seperated. Although we did this for a two week vacation recently, mainly because we towed a utility trailer with the golf cart.

As far as how much faster (a matter of a couple minutes) between the two ways of towing is really null to me. A few minutes is not going to matter.

AS far as where to park the tow dolly. Most campgrounds that we go to have sites big enough for them or a place for you to store it if necessary. We are talking about a very small car as well. If we were towing something twice as long, then I could see this better.

I have thought of the ready brake. But I am not 100% confident in having a cable pulled that is wrapped around the brake pedal. Seems kind of iffy to me. There is also the cost of installation for all this. Base plate, lights, ready brake, etc. Plus the base plate will be only for this car. If I get rid of that car, then I will have to buy another base plate, have it installed and get another ready brake cable installed, and a new light set up. The tow dolly will tow any car that can be towed on a dolly within the certain weight limits.

The tow dolly doesn't require car modifications. Which to me is a plus. I can also let others borrow it if they need to move another vehicle.

I don't know..I will have to think about this more and discuss it with the wife.

Butch50 wrote:
If you are only going a 100 miles and a couple of times a month why not save the $1000 dollars also and just drive the other vehicle for that 100 miles or a couple of hours?

That way when you arrive you already have the vehicle ready to go and don't have to worry about a dolly or storing it or putting the vehicle on the dolly.

It might be a stupid question but thought I would ask it.

This is a very resonable suggestion. I feel, if you shop Craigslist, you can set-up a 4 down tow very resonable. I purchased a BrakeBuddy used for $300, wired the lights myself (probably less than $20) and purchased the base plates from Roadmaster for around $250. You can sometimes find baseplates used from someone getting out of RVing or changing vehicles.

Example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brake-Buddy-/290946784707?pt=Motors_RV_Trailer_Camper_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43bdc79dc3&vxp=mtr#ht_93wt_1141

For a little over $800 you can buy a good tow bar AND brake system from Ready Brake-----$500 with the free tow bar (beware of free towbars).

Base plates run around $400. Installation varies, but it wasn't a bad job on my Explorer (DIY).

For lights, I removed the tail light assemblies and drilled (carefully) new holes in the back side of the tail light assemblies. I then mounted a separate bulb (sockets readily available at your auto parts store) and reinstalled the tail light assembles. Then I just ran a trailer towing cable set back to the new lights. Magnetic lights are another easy choice.

I love the flexibility that towing 4-down gives us. We (DW likes to help) can unhook in 3-5 minutes and take off in the toad and it only takes a little longer to get hooked back-up. If there are no pull-through spots at the campground-------no big deal.

The only drawback is the inability to backup, but that has only bit us once in 38 states and 40,000 miles of towing. So we spent the few minutes and unhooked.

I too have seen people struggling to load a car unto a dolly and strapping it down. When we're traveling, I like things easy and simple. Once setup for 4-down towing, it's as easy as it gets.

By the way, a tow dolly or trailer adds weight that needs to be towed.

Ready brute and magnetic trailer lights. Way to go.

I used a dolly for 3 years after we got our MH since the car I owned at the time had to be on a trailer or dolly. When I finally had to replace that car, for other reasons, I bought one that I can tow 4 down. Both work. Each has advantages. If I had a choice, I would go 4 down every time. If I didn't have a choice, I would use a dolly again without thinking twice.

The first 5 years after we bought our MH, we towed our 96 RAV4 2wd on a dolly with electric brakes. Our RAV4 could not be towed 4 down and we could not justify buying another vehicle to tow. I have no complaints from using a dolly. I could load it and tie it down in less than 10 min. I installed a trailer hitch on the back of the RAV and towed the dolly to our campsite.

To setup a dinghy can run around $2400 if all new items are purchased and installed. Even if you install everything yourself the total parts will exceed a dolly w/brakes. I sold my dolly after 5 years use and one new set of tires for $350 less than I paid for it and do not regret towing a dolly for that time.
For your infrequent use buy a dolly and enjoy the lower costs, IMO.

If you are only going a 100 miles and a couple of times a month why not save the $1000 dollars also and just drive the other vehicle for that 100 miles or a couple of hours?

That way when you arrive you already have the vehicle ready to go and don't have to worry about a dolly or storing it or putting the vehicle on the dolly.

It might be a stupid question but thought I would ask it.

I agree with you, the cost doesn't justify the limited use. Buy the dolly and try it for a while. If it is too much of a pain you can always sell it and go 4 down.

I would definitely recommend a dolly with surge brakes if you decide to go that way.