Laws about TOADS?

[DesertSpooners]

We have our Miata on a tow dolly behind our 23 foot motorhome, and we are headed to California from Arizona. Will we encounter any problems with the law since it is on the tow dolly backwards? The steering wheel is strapped down to keep the front wheels straight and it tows well. Any suggestions,ideas,warnings before we get out on the road?

[DanTheRVMan]

Most vehicles would be unstable towing backwards because the wheels can turn and their is more weight in the front of the car so towing on a dolly results in to much weight at the back which could result in instability.

The OP got away with it because he locked the steering wheel although I would be concerned about the locked steering wheel getting loose in the future so that would always be an area of concern.

The miata has roughly a 50:50 weight distribution so for a miata unlike most vehicles the weight distribution is virtually the same regardless which end is at the front. While it would be unstable for most vehicles it would not be in this case, assuming you can trust the steering wheel locking. I would not want to count on the steering wheel locking or have to deal with a tow dolly personally.

[wilco]

Well, good luck, but it's still a bad idea IMHO. Please don't try to drive any faster to keep up with the truckers.

[DesertSpooners]

We're back! The Miata towed just fine backwards with the steering wheel strapped down in position. We used a 1 x 2 from door-to-door with hose clamps to hold it to the steering wheel and strapped it straight with a cinch-strap to tighten it securely and avoid vibration. We had a car to visit family in San Francisco and a place to stay-- "Our little cottage on wheels". We had a beautiful campsite on the ocean and lots of time to visit the grandchildren. As for the speed limit of 55, it was fine but someone should tell the truckers about it. They were all passing us. Would I recommend towing backwards? No. The camper engine was getting too warm on some hills which meant no air conditioner the days we moved the whole rig. The tow dolly is for sale. Obviously. 🙂

[rondeb]

If your Miata is manual, you can tow it 4 down which solves all of that problem.

[MPond]

okgc wrote:
U-Haul shows this for their tow dolly rentals

U-Haul website wrote:
The vehicle-in-tow MUST be loaded facing forward (front wheels on tow dolly). Failure to load facing forward may result in sway or whipping and lead to total loss of control.

That's great as a general rule-of-thumb, and it's also a way for U-Haul to reduce their liability. But it's not a law, and there are definitely cars out there that can be safely towed backward on a dolly. I've seen many on the road that were backward and tracking straight & true, not swinging wildly.

Every car has different suspenion geometry (camber, caster, etc...), different weight distribution, and all of that will affect whether it can be towed backward or not. There is no one-size-fits-all answer.

The OP stated that his Miata tows very well backward, so it may be one of those that doesn't fit the general rule. And I've yet to see a law that forbids it.

[okgc]

U-Haul shows this for their tow dolly rentals

U-Haul website wrote:
The vehicle-in-tow MUST be loaded facing forward (front wheels on tow dolly). Failure to load facing forward may result in sway or whipping and lead to total loss of control.

[Johno97007]

Another thing to consider is the rotation of the wheels. Depending on the mileage of the Miata, the wheel bearings turned "forward" for many rotations. Like most mechanical devices, they are used to turning that way and altering their direction of rotation "could" cause some unexpected problems down the road. I personally wouldn't do it for all of the previous reasons in the thread.

[jim_smithjr]

Let me try clear things up a little, folks.

This vehicle was swinging so forcefully that the toad on the dolly was visibly moving the towing vehicle side to side; enough so anyone driving it could not help but notice their situation.

Despite this, he soldiered on, travelling well over 60 MPH on a busy four lane highway. He obviously had no concern whatsoever with the possibility that he might just go out of control and be the cause of a serious accident.

I could care less how old a rig is, or a toad either, provided they are well maintained and driven responsibly. This was neither.

[MPond]

Tom_Anderson wrote:
Then the criticism should have been limited to that.

What you call criticism could be argued to be nothing more than a concise and accurate depiction.

• an aging class C tells me that it is not new, and may have worn components, such as suspension, brakes, etc...
  
• towing an old junk car backwards tells me the car is probably in extremely poor condition, and may have suspension, steering, camber/caster issues, bad shocks, etc...
  
• on an old dolly tells me the dolly may also not be in top condition
  
• swinging wildly tells me the rig definitely had some issues with stability.
  

I'm not sure that I see criticism in there. Maybe not the nicest words, but they do paint a picture of the situation.

[Tom_Anderson]

wny_pat wrote:

wilco wrote:
Perhaps the "wildly swinging" part qualified them for criticism, not the age or quality of their rig.

What I was thinking too.

Then the criticism should have been limited to that.

[wny_pat1]

wilco wrote:
Perhaps the "wildly swinging" part qualified them for criticism, not the age or quality of their rig.

What I was thinking too.

[wilco]

Perhaps the "wildly swinging" part qualified them for criticism, not the age or quality of their rig.

[Tom_Anderson]

jim.smithjr wrote:
We were recently passed near Banff, AB by an aging class C towing an old junk car backwards on an old dolly. It was swinging wildly the whole time! I slowed up to let him have lots of room.

Not everybody can afford the list of vehicles in your signature. That doesn't mean you should belittle them for their "aging class C" and "old junk car" and "old dolly" before calling them dummies.

[jim_smithjr]

We were recently passed near Banff, AB by an aging class C towing an old junk car backwards on an old dolly. It was swinging wildly the whole time! I slowed up to let him have lots of room.