towing a chevy trailblazer

I see most of you have commented on my post that given a choice the choice would be towing a 2900 lb prius with a tow dolly instead of a 4500 lb trailblazer , I agree with you all . now what would I have to purchase with my tow dolly surge brakes or electric brake or or do I even need one with brakes ? im new to towing with a rv . I do have a 7 pin connection on my rear of my rv what would the 7 pins be for ?

You are pushing the max weight you can tow. Also if you are getting the weight of the the trail blazer from info other than actually weighing the vehicle realize that is weight of the standard vehicle and does not include any options nor items hauled in it. When all things considered you could be over weight. I promise you you need auxiliary braking. A brake buddy which i have and like is good but so are numerous others.

j-d wrote:
Not all dollies have brakes. There may be a recent legal requirement for manufacturers to install them on new dollies, but I can assure you there are used dollies both with and without brakes. I looked at Acme's site and they had "idler dollies, no brakes" for sale new.

Most dolly brakes are "hydraulic surge" meaning the RV's stopping will cause the dolly to try to push the RV and that force applies its brakes. You can probably find (and certainly add) brakes as a kit, and if you want, you could install electric brakes with a controller in your RV. This limits you to using only tow vehicles with controllers, but electric brakes are more flexible in use.

I want to mention that this question is a little like "which motorhome to buy?" questions. The best chassis, best roof, best warranty... don't mean much if the family can't stand the floor plan.

So in that vein... What do you need your Toad to do for you at your Destination?

If I didn't need the heavy 4*4 as my at-destination driver, I'd look for a used dolly with brakes and tow the Prius. A used dolly with brakes will cost you less than a new tow bar, baseplate, and braking system.

But get the two vehicles to a truck scale and confirm what they actually weigh.

You live in hilly country. I really think the Trailblazer is going to make you disappointed in the RV's hill climbing performance. The hack for mountain driving, of course, is to disconnect the toad and have somebody drive it separately from the RV.

Ditto on the dolly set up being less expensive.

And as I mention before you will be unhappy yanking a 5,000lb car around. Making your RV'ing experience not so much fun. I most certainly would not tow a car that heavy in the mountains with my V10.

My toad weighs 2,800lbs. On the flat no problem but I KNOW it's back there when even going up slight hills on the interstate.

Not all dollies have brakes. There may be a recent legal requirement for manufacturers to install them on new dollies, but I can assure you there are used dollies both with and without brakes. I looked at Acme's site and they had "idler dollies, no brakes" for sale new.

Most dolly brakes are "hydraulic surge" meaning the RV's stopping will cause the dolly to try to push the RV and that force applies its brakes. You can probably find (and certainly add) brakes as a kit, and if you want, you could install electric brakes with a controller in your RV. This limits you to using only tow vehicles with controllers, but electric brakes are more flexible in use.

I want to mention that this question is a little like "which motorhome to buy?" questions. The best chassis, best roof, best warranty... don't mean much if the family can't stand the floor plan.

So in that vein... What do you need your Toad to do for you at your Destination?

If I didn't need the heavy 4*4 as my at-destination driver, I'd look for a used dolly with brakes and tow the Prius. A used dolly with brakes will cost you less than a new tow bar, baseplate, and braking system.

But get the two vehicles to a truck scale and confirm what they actually weigh.

You live in hilly country. I really think the Trailblazer is going to make you disappointed in the RV's hill climbing performance. The hack for mountain driving, of course, is to disconnect the toad and have somebody drive it separately from the RV.

Moved to Dinghy Towing

Wayne
Moderator

I believe tow dollies always have brakes on them.

what makes more sense towing a 4900lb trailblazer all four down or towing a 2900 lb prius on a tow dolly that's the only 2 vehicles I have now. what would be the best thing to do and if I got a tow dolly for this 2900 lb car would I need brakes on it as well

x2
And at 4,900 lbs you are at max with your hitch AND you WILL know that car is behind you when you go anywhere uphill. Most RV'ers with a MH/V10 try and stay around 3,000lbs. for a toad. DP's can pull heavier.

After the mods move this to Dinghy Towing section, you will get more pertinent answer.

But to start your reading, check outBrake Buddy and this article about Dinghy braking system roundup.