Surge or Electric brake tow dolly

[Campinfan]

So I just got rid of my Fiver and got a 36 foot motorhome (used). I may use a tow dolly for a couple different reasons but some that I look at have an electric or surge brake option. My MH has a Prodigy controller installed so why would I want a surge brake?  Given the choice, what would you chose and why?  Thanks

I posted this is the "old" forum under dinghy towing but it is now gone.

[goodady]

Personally, I'd go with electric brakes. Prodigy controller is solid, and it gives you more control in different situations. Surge brakes are simpler, but electric just feels like a better fit for towing.

[Campinfan]

Thank you all for your valuable input. I went with electric brakes and my toad does have a hitch so I can move the dolly around as well as mounting a small platform carrier. 

[Campinfan]

I went with the electric brakes. My toad has a hitch on it so I like the idea of using it to move the dolly. Thank you all for your valuable input.

[ferndaleflyer]

I have used a Master Tow dolly for years with no brakes.  Never a problem.  Got our toad set up with a Roadmaster tow unit and after spending all that money went right back to the dollly.  Brand new, used once, tow bar sitting in the garage.

[ahbain]

Do you still have this? We just bought a Jayco 32' MH and will tow a Jeep Gladiator. We live in east TN. Looking for used tow dolly.

[Campinfan]

Thank you all for your answers. It took me awhile to get back here and find my post. I wanted to buy a Maverick (FWD) to tow but cannot find any. Looking for an inexpensive FWD vehicle. I am going to sell my 2016 F350 diesel since I no longer need it. Hate to say goodbye to it as it has less than 76K on it and brand new tires but I no longer need a truck like this. 

[Grit_dog]

Not sure what this has to do with your tow dolly choice, but….

Either or will be fine. Neither will provide full braking ability of the toad but disc/surge will be the best. And likely most expensive. 
Personally I wouldn’t care if it had brakes at all if towing a small car. But to each their own. 
and make sure you’re set on dolly vs 4 down before spending the money maybe?

[enblethen]

If you opt for either tow dolly or trailer, I suggest having a hitch on toad. This allows for the toad to move dolly or trailer around.

[Y-Guy]

IMHO onethe plus side for Electric is the ability to manually trigger the breaks if the trailer gets squirrelly behind you, then you can brake the RV/trailer once its under control. I do appreciate the simplicity of surge brakes on my boat trailer though.  I'd agree with @bobndot though, it's really a toss up.

[craig7h]

I have used a Roadmaster tow dolly for many years and many thousand miles. My dolly has the electric brakes. The reason I chose that type was less weight on the tong. For me less weight made it easier to move around by hand. You have to remember that, yes you can back it up without a car attached but most of camp sites you will have to unhitch and move by hand. Once unhitch its easy to move and store. One other thing keep in mind you can not back up with car attached.

[groover1]

You might be surprised how far I have backed mine up.  A high mounted camera on the back of a motorhome makes is possible to see much more how the car and tow dolly are positioned and what steering actions are required.  Backing up an empty tow dolly is a piece of cake with that eye in the sky.  Try it sometime.

[bobndot]

As far as i have read over time  its 50/50.  Owners are happy using either or. 
See what dolly’s are on the market and which models offer the easiest to use.  

Whatever brakes it has, i would choose the easiest one to load and unload.