Tow Dolly Weight

[want-a-be]

If the car you are towing weighs 4000 pounds how much of that weight is on the dolly?
Thanks

[Ivylog]

way2roll wrote:

Ivylog wrote:
OP, Google will tell you how much weight and % on each axle for your car. Your CRV is 59:41 so with 200 lbs of stuff in it the front axle has 2065 lbs...took less than 2 minutes.

Doesn't the angle of lifting the front axle change the ratio?

Yes it does but it’s very little. You would have to know how much higher and the wheelbase.

[Up_DownDeCoast]

deleted

[DrewE]

way2roll wrote:

Ivylog wrote:
OP, Google will tell you how much weight and % on each axle for your car. Your CRV is 59:41 so with 200 lbs of stuff in it the front axle has 2065 lbs...took less than 2 minutes.

Doesn't the angle of lifting the front axle change the ratio?

It changes it very little for the angles we're talking about; the center of gravity does move slightly more towards the back axle, but not by much.

If you were to raise the front axle so that the car is vertical, then of course all the weight would be on the back axle (or, more likely, the back bumper). But for a couple of degrees, it's immaterial, and no different than the change due to going up a slight incline.

[way2roll]

Ivylog wrote:
OP, Google will tell you how much weight and % on each axle for your car. Your CRV is 59:41 so with 200 lbs of stuff in it the front axle has 2065 lbs...took less than 2 minutes.

Doesn't the angle of lifting the front axle change the ratio?

[Ivylog]

OP, Google will tell you how much weight and % on each axle for your car. Your CRV is 59:41 so with 200 lbs of stuff in it the front axle has 2065 lbs...took less than 2 minutes.

[G7ARYM]

This sounds like a question for the maker of the dolly. I know Demco has been helpful the few times I called them. Even if the maker of your dolly is no longer in business the weight numbers are probably close from others.

[dodge_guy]

Just curious if you are asking for how much weight a dolly can supoort? As in load rating of the tow dolly axle. If that’s the case then I would guess you’ll be OK at 2000-2500lbs!

[rk911]

certainly not the whole 4k. i assume you’re trying to determine the load on the dolly? how much weight can the dolly support? specs? once you know that you could drag it to a scale to weigh it “empty” then attach the toad and re-weigh. simple math will tell you the load on the dolly. but all of the weight...4k for the toad and whatever the dolly weighs empty counts towards the total amount of weight you can safely tow with the MH.

[emiddleb]

The only (1) doc I've ever seen on the topic says figure ROUGHLY 62% of the weight if front-wheel drive, 52% if rear wheel drive.

doc

Of course, ALL the weight still comes into play when towing. You can't expect that you could tow your 4000 lb car on a 3000 capacity hitch just because only 2400 lb are on the dolly 62%). Sir Isaac Newton still rules... inertia is still there when you try to start/stop. And this ignores the weight of the dolly itself.

[Up_DownDeCoast]

Hard to say exactly how much as it depends on the vehicle's weight distribution over it's front and rear axles. Typically cars towed on dollies are front wheel drive. Since the entire drive train is over the front wheels more of the weight is going to be on the front axle. Conservative estimate... more than half the weight is going to be on the dolly.

[Lwiddis]

Front engine or rear? Wouldn’t a scale be the best method to determine this?