Car dollies

[daveb1256]

We are in the process of purchasing our first motorhome, want to tow our Elantra which cannot be towed 4 down. Has anyone had experience with the EZE-TOW car dolly? Are there better choices or values out there. Anyone had problems with this dolly in particular or car dollies in general

[wa8yxm]

NOte too not all cars/trucks can be dolly towed
Towable vehicles, or rather vehicles you'd like to tow. fall in categories
Some can be towed 4 down
Some 4 down after modification (IE I have a lube pump. Used to use an axle lock or drive shaft disconnect)
Some can not be towed 4 down but can be towed on a dolly
Some can not even be towed on a dolly need a full Automotive transport trailer
Some need special handling even if towed on a trailer (Usually just a switch but ... Well.. I only know one line of cars like that so far and I'm no longer connected to the towing business).

Someone up-thread suggested the OP's car may be a "Trailer only" one.

[ccutaia53]

I purchased an Acme EZ Tow not quite a year ago. The dolly works well but the quality is not what I thought it would be. I took it out of storage today and it was all rusted!!! The sad part is I keep it on covered storage so it does not have to be exposed to the weather. Here is what they said when I sent the picture of my less than a year old dolly: "Tow dollies always have this issue versus trailers if they are painted or powder coated. This is due to the tires from the vehicle you are towing on the tow dolly as well as the debris from the motorhome. We use a two in one primer/paint as the individual primer and paint process is not practical for our manufacturing needs. Most of our customers simply touch up the paint before storage with a can of high gloss black indoor/outdoor paint that you can get from any local hardware or auto parts store. This way it will keep the tow dolly looking new for years to come." The fact of the matter is I have one friend with a Master Tow and one with your Chinese special, and both are kept outside and both rust wise are in better shape than my EZ Tow that sees no weather at all.

[Hikerdogs]

Another brand you might explore is Roadmaster. We had their 2000-1 dolly for a few years before towing 4 down. Like other dollies it is heavy, but not difficult to deal with. It has some nice features like attached ramps that lower for loading the car, steerable wheels to keep it inline with the rear wheels on the motorhome, lights, brakes, and storage compartments for the straps.

We towed our Buick LeSabre with it for 4 years before purchasing a Jeep Wrangler. We had intended to use the dolly for the Jeep, but reading through the manual we found it could only be towed 4 down or on a trailer. We sold the dolly to a friend who is still using it today. It's almost 20 years old, has nearly 200,000 miles on it, and still works fine.

[SteveWoz]

I just bought the Acme dolly with surge brakes. It seems very well built. After setting up the tie down winches and getting the adjustable webbing right for our 2010 Nissan Altima (which you'd need to do for any tow dolly) I find it to be very easy to use. I really like the feature of being able to store it vertically. I can't see being able to do that with a heavier model. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[ferndaleflyer]

I am 78 years old, had knees replaced, and use a dolly. I have used one for many years with not one problem that I remember. I have towed Hondas, Toyotas, etc and currently tow a Smart car. I can load or unload that thing in 5 min and have yet to get into a position or camp ground where I had to back up because I pay attention to where I drive. I always get pull through sites and have never failed to find one. Mine is old now and I have replaced the tires twice because they got old and I carry a spare just in case. I paid $7--800 for it new and as I said before it has fit several RVs and cars over the years without any modifications. It is a Master Tow and I have 3 different size tie down straps for it. You tie it down tight and you are good to go but even so I check EVERYTHING about 50 mi out---you never know.

[wa8yxm]

First go to remcotowing uSA store and enter your car's vital statististacts. YOu might be surprised (if you have not already done that) Mine can not be towed 4 down.. as delivered.. but it can as modified. They tell you what mods

Second. I will say only two things about dollies
One they are a bit of a hassle hooking up. loading up. Some places give you a hassle (or extra charge) to store 'em (I know of one) and so on. plus you have to re-check the tie downs a short way down the road. 4 down is way easier.

Second: I was sitting in my RV doing my Forums one morning when I heard a loud WHUMP.. The folks on the road in front of me were loading their car on the dolly.

The dolly only had very small "Parking stops" and they drove right over it..
I was able to use jacks and planks to improve the issue but alas not fix it Took a tow truck to pull it up my 2x12 ramps back onto the dolly.

Make sure your dolly has a good "parking stop" at the front of the tire pad. Take a look at a U-Haul Dolly for what I consider "Good".

[way2roll]

Is there a reason you are asking about that particular brand and model? Most newer dollies are pretty much the same. Some have built in lights which is nice and I would include models with brakes in my shopping. If you aren't deadset on a particular brand for some reason I would shop around for any decent dolly used at a good price. I am not sure one brand performs significantly better than another. I will caution on Dollies and small cars. When we had our Civic it too could not be towed 4 down. So we got a dolly. It worked most of the time, but when it was wet that tread on those tires that roll so quietly while driving were a problem loading the dolly. Once in the rain while loading, it spun out, slide sideways and I cracked a piece of the under body work. We hated the civic anyway and traded for a CRV and set up 4 down. It's not only easier, it's a 100 x easier. But I totally understand you have to do what meets your current situation. But unless there is a good reason I wouldn't paint myself into a corner looking for a particular brand.

[festag]

I too tow an Elantra behind our motorhome. We have the Demco Kar Kaddy 3. So far we have been happy with its performance. It is well built albeit a bit heavy to maneuver when having to disconnect from the motorhome. I have since installed a trailer jack to the dolly to aid in moving the dolly around. Demco offers a jack as an accessory but I opted for one from HF that was on sale for $17. Much less than the Demco version and so far seems to meet my needs. Good luck on your search for a dolly.

[Monkeyman_and_L]

I've used the ACME EZE-TOW dolly since I got my motorhome. Once you get the basics down it's not a crazy setup. I tow my Prius. After reading about what is called "death wobble" I don't know that I'll bother with 4 down towing.

Good product. Finding a used one would be ideal, but they get a good price when you but it used. If you buy it new you've got the 5 year warranty and they are very responsive to new or used owners when it comes to the questions.

Just watch your tire pressure. I had a tire fail and it was likely due to low pressure. I've since installed a TPMS with 10 sensors to keep an eye on all my road contacting tires.

[DFord]

Opps!

[mmccray100]

I don't believe the writer was asking the pros or cons of using a tow dolly. He's asking for opinions on the specific unit mentioned or for advice on other brands. He stated his Elantra cannot be towed 4-down.

I'm sure there are a lot of tow dolly brands out there, but be sure you get one that has surge brakes.

I tow my Kia Soul with a Demco "Tow-It 2" It's been great for the 5 Years I've been on the road (full-time)

Mike

[ArchHoagland]

Remco


According to Remco your Dodge must be trailer towed. Usually if you can use a driveline disconnect Remco will tell you that.

So apparently disconnecting the driveshaft is not not an option.

[handy2sum]

We have an Acme tow dolly. Purchased it used because our car (Hyundai Sonata; only a year old when we got our first MH) can't be flat towed. Works great. On flat road/pavement easy for one (even DW) to move. When pulling into a back-in site, yes you do have to unhook first and stow the dolly (we just roll it to the back of the site and then back in over the tongue), but you have to unhook if you're flat towing too. Took an 8 wk trip last fall with another couple. They were flat towing we were towing on dolly. Yes they could hook up & unhook a few minutes quicker than we could but it really wasn't an issue. And we have the flexibility to change cars without having to get a whole new hook up system. Of course as mentioned, when time comes for a new car we may look for one that can be flat towed since getting on knees is getting tougher as we age!

[STBRetired]

Daveb1256, don't let them discourage you. When we first started out, we had a dolly because we could not tow our car 4-down. Yes, it can be cumbersome to deal with at times, but unless you change campsites every day, you are not dealing with it every day. Just at arrival and departure. We had a Master Tow dolly so I have no first hand knowledge of the ACME but I have seen a fairly large number of them in campgrounds so they must be popular.

I suggest you try to find a used one. When it comes time to replace your Elantra, find something that can be towed 4-down if you are still RVing.That is what we did and 4-down is much simpler that dollies.