Rent a tow dolly?

stargirl96 wrote:
We're interested in towing a car with a dolly, but don't want to buy a dolly until we find out if it's something we can do. Would renting one from U-Haul be a good way to practice using a tow dolly before making the plunge?

Renting one will give you some 'real' experience to see if you really need to tow or not tow a car in the future.

Whether you choose 4-down or dolly towing will depend on the vehicle being towed.....or not towed (then you don't have to make any decision on what to use . ;) )

Depending on how long you will use it, tow dollies show up on Craigslist fairly often.

You can buy one, use it, and sell it probably losing less in the process than you would by renting one...

I have driven a lot of motorhomes and most types of semis with trailers but had never used a tow dolly.
I drove my Chevy PU 140 miles to look at a Kia Sportage for sale by Hertz Used Car Sales. The car was in perfect condition so I made a deal on it and needed to get it home. (they were great to deal with and even took a personal check and furnished new tag)
I went across the street to U-Haul, rented a dolly to bring the car home.
The car/dolly towed GREAT, like it wasn't even back there! I ran 65-70 mph most of the way home.
My only problem was when I would look in the inside rear view mirror to see that car tailgating me! :)

Yes, I guess. But after towing 4-wheels down(Chevy Sonic and now a Ford Focus) and getting son's opinion about a dolly, I have no doubt I want to continue 4 down. However the pool of automatics which can be towed 4 down is shrinking. I could live with a manual but some can't. Also, if your trips are short and you are a couple, consider 1 of you following? Towing is a pain either way.

Daily rental charge on a U-Haul Tow Dolly is $44.95 per day.


C.B.

fitznj wrote:
Rented a tow-dolly many times from UHaul. Used it for front-wheel drive
cars with the "dead" axle on the ground. Towed okay;

Reversing can be challenging - the car's dead axle can have a mind of its own !!

DO NOT back up with a dolly. You can really damage things.

Provided your car can be towed on a dolly (check some websites or your manual) then YES! renting is an excellent way to figure things out without spending cash and the possibility of changing your mind.

There are a couple different types of tow dollies.
I would prefer the type made by Demco.

Rented a tow-dolly many times from UHaul. Used it for front-wheel drive
cars with the "dead" axle on the ground. Towed okay;

Reversing can be challenging - the car's dead axle can have a mind of its own !!

Consider the car you plan to tow. Some cars cannot be dolly towed.
Some cars cannot be flat towed or dolly towed and must be towed on a trailer.
Many automatic transmissions cannot be flat towed.
And, not all manual transmissions can be flat towed.