tow dolly vs. Tow bar

[real4u2c]

Ok All,

Tow dolly vs. tow bar, I need feedback on what the consensus is using to tow behind a Class A. My Class A is 2004 Fleetwood Pace arrow 37c with the 8.1l gas engine, I believe its a max tow of 5000lbs. I am not towing over that weight toad combined I am trying to stay under 4500lbs. I have never pulled anything behind my home on wheels, so any and all input is welcome. Especially when I am about to make a huge to me monetary decision.

[tropical36]

Effy wrote:

et2 wrote:

racer99 wrote:
We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich

Seriously? A 4 down tow system isn't much more than a dolly. Ther're other more logical reasons people make that choice. Being wealthy or medium salary is a really poor example. I've not noticed as you've indicated.

Agreed, what a silly post. My MH is about as entry level as it gets and I opted for 4 down. It really wasn't any more money than a decent dolly and certainly wasn't $4k, less than half of that. The real reason is that using our dolly for a year was a miserable experience. Has absolutely nothing to do with people towing 4 down being wealthy. It's about what's easier.

I'll have to agree and someone has been going for a ride or getting bad info. I have less than $1500 in my complete setup, brand new and yes I did do it myself, but we're not talking rocket science here, either. Whether or not we can afford is one thing and throwing money away is another.

[Dutch_12078]

racer99 wrote:
We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich

Not true at all! We tow 4-down with our 2001 34' gasser and would never dolly tow if we can avoid it. Our entire tow setup, including a Remco transmission pump, came to about $2200 including the pump, tow bar and brake system, light setup, and base plate. We bought this setup for our older 2002 RAV4 in 2008, and in 2011 moved all but the base plate to our then new 2011 RAV4, with only the base plate purchased new. I did my own installations and reinstallations, each in about a day.

As for an increase in dollies on the road, have you also noticed the significant increase in RV's on the road too? Seeing dollies more often is not surprising, since we're in the midst of a rapid growth period in the industry, with September having the largest number of RV shipments in 40 years...

[dubdub07]

racer99 wrote:
We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich

What in the world is this mumbo-jumbo? I cannot agree with this at all....

[gutfelt]

Sam Spade wrote:

jpmihalk wrote:
Dolly towing opens up a lot more possibilities for tow vehicles as basically any front wheel drive vehicle can be dolly towed.

ANY vehicle can be dolly towed.
If it is rear wheel drive, you just back it onto the dolly.

Not true lots of vehicles can not be used with a dolly and must be trailered

[doc_brown]

Bob & Ann wrote:

Mile High wrote:
Tow dollies have to be stored, they are a pain to load, they have cheap ST trailer tires and Chinese wheel bearings, but they tow vehicles that can't otherwise be towed. It's like

Flat tow eliminates the tow dolly, self storing towbar on the MH and hidden base plates for most cars. Get the right flat tow vehicle (such as Wrangler), and they are tow ready without all the electrical concerns and battery cutoff and other stuff.

X2. Flat tow with a breaking system is the easiest and safest way to go. We too enjoy the Jeep Wrangler.

X3, have always owned jeeps so we flat tow. I never considered a tow dolly because of the storage issue primarily.

[real4u2c]

I ended up with 4 down and installation of the base plate on my Pontiac G6 was a *itc!.

[John___Angela]

I guess one thing to mention though is some provinces and states require TOAD brakes though. Since many dollies have brakes this should in all fairness be considered in the cost. Brake buddy's etc are pricey puppies.

[dubdub07]

Mr.Mark wrote:

Effy wrote:

et2 wrote:

racer99 wrote:
We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich

Seriously? A 4 down tow system isn't much more than a dolly. Ther're other more logical reasons people make that choice. Being wealthy or medium salary is a really poor example. I've not noticed as you've indicated.

Agreed, what a silly post. My MH is about as entry level as it gets and I opted for 4 down. It really wasn't any more money than a decent dolly and certainly wasn't $4k, less than half of that. The real reason is that using our dolly for a year was a miserable experience. Has absolutely nothing to do with people towing 4 down being wealthy. It's about what's easier.

X2

Actually, since I am retired military and do not have money raining down in my home, I chose my TOAD's for 4 down towing and did all the work myself and ended up doing 3 vehicles myself to be towed 4 down for about $1800. My KarKaddySS was $2300. So........class warfare without facts is just empty. Towing both systems, 4 down is easier no matter how much you make and cheaper, as I have shown. Unless you travel with a concierge that hooks it up for you.

Bill

[Mr_Mark1]

Effy wrote:

et2 wrote:

racer99 wrote:
We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich

Seriously? A 4 down tow system isn't much more than a dolly. Ther're other more logical reasons people make that choice. Being wealthy or medium salary is a really poor example. I've not noticed as you've indicated.

Agreed, what a silly post. My MH is about as entry level as it gets and I opted for 4 down. It really wasn't any more money than a decent dolly and certainly wasn't $4k, less than half of that. The real reason is that using our dolly for a year was a miserable experience. Has absolutely nothing to do with people towing 4 down being wealthy. It's about what's easier.

X2

[Sam_Spade]

et2 wrote:
A 4 down tow system isn't much more than a dolly.

BUT.....that dolly costs you ZERO dollars to change it to a new/different toad.

Adding the 4-down hardware to each subsequent vehicle....however many that might be....will be a LOT more costly. And you have to worry about 4-down compatibility too when considering changing toads.

[Effy]

et2 wrote:

racer99 wrote:
We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich

Seriously? A 4 down tow system isn't much more than a dolly. Ther're other more logical reasons people make that choice. Being wealthy or medium salary is a really poor example. I've not noticed as you've indicated.

Agreed, what a silly post. My MH is about as entry level as it gets and I opted for 4 down. It really wasn't any more money than a decent dolly and certainly wasn't $4k, less than half of that. The real reason is that using our dolly for a year was a miserable experience. Has absolutely nothing to do with people towing 4 down being wealthy. It's about what's easier.

[stickyeye]

What a ridiculous statement. Class warfare still alive and well.

[et2]

racer99 wrote:
We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich

Seriously? A 4 down tow system isn't much more than a dolly. Ther're other more logical reasons people make that choice. Being wealthy or medium salary is a really poor example. I've not noticed as you've indicated.

[racer99]

We tow on a dolly & have used it on 3 different vehicles, if you notice most wealthier people cut down tow dollies while the medium salary person usually is satisfied with tow dolly, I guess if you have 80k to dish out for a MH another 4k is nothing for towing BUT if you have a 2005 or older MH you are probably a tow dolly person- We have noticed the increase in tow dollies on the road in the last few years-just my 2 cents Rich