Tow dolly what do I need

[kidkasha]

I have a fleetwood Discovery w/ 275HP CUMMINS Turbo Diesel with Allison 6-Speed Electronic Transmission. I want to get a tow dolly for my 2012 Ford Fusion which can run 4 down. The MH can tow 5000 lbs, and the ford is about 4500 lbs. I am confused as I checked at CW and was told installation is about $3500. for what they said I needed.

I am not cheap, but thrifty as I saw tow dolly's on Ebay for around $500. What else do I need to complete a tow package, and how should I start and what are my possibilities. All and any input is acceptable I am not sensitive to good and bad comments as I am an Insurance salesman.

[Effy]

PastorCharlie wrote:

jerseyjim wrote:
IF you can tow 4-down, forget the dolly. 4-down is easier and cheaper. What you need is a baseplate and towbar. More than one company makes them...I use BlueOx for my baseplate and Roadmaster for my towbar. Then you have a choice of using magnetic lights or a diode kit for your toads' brake and marker lights.
I would suggest you not doing it yourself...at least this time. Check with an RV dealer or Camping World. Most likely under $1500 for everything.
IMO with your motorhome and the weight of the Ford Fusion, one of those "aux. braking systems" are not needed at all. But that's MY opinion.

Most all states require a braking system.... the MH will probably stop it on normal terrain but the LE will also stop it and give an invite to their justice center.

I hear this a lot on this forum that law enforcement will fine you etc etc. I would love to hear one documented instance where a MH was stopped pulling a toad simply to validate they had supplimental brakes. It's not required in a lot of states, hence why they manufacture and sell tow devices without them. You guys crack me up. Good idea? depends on your setup. Required? depends on state and set up.

[rthoma1]

I am very happy with my Karr Kaddy SS. I tow a Prius and 4 down is not an option. I have never had a problem towing or loading with the Karr Kaddy and with a dolly I can change cars without buying a new plate. I just keep a foam pad for my knees while hooking up the chains. I watched a guy with a cheap dolly fighting to get his car on the dolly he needed extra ramps to get his car on the dolly without scrapping bottom. A good dolly just like a good tow bar system makes all the difference.

[wny_pat1]

kidkasha wrote:
I am confused as I checked at CW and was told installation is about $3500. for what they said I needed.

I am not cheap, but thrifty as I saw tow dolly's on Ebay for around $500. What else do I need to complete a tow package, and how should I start and what are my possibilities. All and any input is acceptable I am not sensitive to good and bad comments as I am an Insurance salesman.

There are other places than Camping World to buy towing equipment. I just brought a brand new Ready Brute tow bar on ebay for just over $500. It replaced a Blue Ox Aventa LX which I bought brand new on ebay for about $400. I bought the base plate on ebay for just under $300 and had my neighbor install it. He owns a body shop. Only charged me $100 for installation. Took about a hour and a half installation. He gave me some electrical wire to make up my pigtail to hook up lights on the back of the car, which I installed my self. For supplemental brakes, I picked up a Ready Brake system on one of the motorhome forums that has classified. Got it for the price of shipping. Lets see, that is about $2500 less than what you were quoted, but I had to do some hunting around and a bit of labor to boot!

You can also get some really good deals at http://www.hitchtrader.com/. It is a towing buying and selling classified site operated by Blue Ox. They always have good stuff for sale on there, even new stuff. Even tow dollies now and them.

[PastorCharlie]

kidkasha wrote:
Please tell me what parts that is needed for a four down tow on my Ford fousion, so I can check out out cost.

Basis Are:

Base Plate
Tow Bar
Brake System
Wiring kit

Other Items On Some Makes and Models


http://www.blue-ox-towbars.com/?gclid=CPWG4rv6rLgCFcue4Aod1UgAwA

http://www.hitchsource.com/rv-towing-c-149.html

http://www.brakebuddy.com/

http://www.brakebuddy.com/Towing-Laws

[PastorCharlie]

jerseyjim wrote:
IF you can tow 4-down, forget the dolly. 4-down is easier and cheaper. What you need is a baseplate and towbar. More than one company makes them...I use BlueOx for my baseplate and Roadmaster for my towbar. Then you have a choice of using magnetic lights or a diode kit for your toads' brake and marker lights.
I would suggest you not doing it yourself...at least this time. Check with an RV dealer or Camping World. Most likely under $1500 for everything.
IMO with your motorhome and the weight of the Ford Fusion, one of those "aux. braking systems" are not needed at all. But that's MY opinion.

Most all states require a braking system.... the MH will probably stop it on normal terrain but the LE will also stop it and give an invite to their justice center.

[kidkasha]

Please tell me what parts that is needed for a four down tow on my Ford fousion, so I can check out out cost.

[dbates]

I've been using a Demco KarKaddy dolly for over 8 years & 47,000 miles. If done properly one person can load, tie down the toad in less than 10 minutes and never have a problem with loose straps. Unloading can be done in half that time. Campground storage has never been a problem either.

The only drawbacks with a dolly are if you have problems getting down on your knees to strap up and if your getting too old moving the dolly around for storage.

Anyone interested in the proper procedure send ma a “private message” and I’ll responded.

Dave

[jerseyjim]

IF you can tow 4-down, forget the dolly. 4-down is easier and cheaper. What you need is a baseplate and towbar. More than one company makes them...I use BlueOx for my baseplate and Roadmaster for my towbar. Then you have a choice of using magnetic lights or a diode kit for your toads' brake and marker lights.
I would suggest you not doing it yourself...at least this time. Check with an RV dealer or Camping World. Most likely under $1500 for everything.
IMO with your motorhome and the weight of the Ford Fusion, one of those "aux. braking systems" are not needed at all. But that's MY opinion.

[tatest]

A good tow dolly designed for regular, continuous use, with lighting and brakes, will cost $2000 to $2500 through lower cost online retailers, as much as $3700-4000 from a full price RV store. Add a couple hundred for connecting cables, vehicle lighting equipment such as magnetic lamps, and drop bar and bal for the hitch receiver. Another couple hundred for brake controller and instalation if you choose electric brakes. Thus the cost, compared tonequipping for Four-Down, is more of a toss up.

$500 tow dollies are sold for occasional short tows of light vehicles, often without consideration whether the tow is safe or legal. They are not designed for extended use, may even be sacrificial, resold cheap after one trip. Use of low cost marginal equipment is common in the lower levels of the used car business, but I don't think you want to be there with a carvyou own and care about.

If towing will be an occasional thing, rather than buying a junk dolly, you might cosider renting a good (though probably well used) dolly from the likes of U-Haul or Ryder.

[bsinmich]

We towed with a dolly for 8 years and have been 4 down for the past 11 years. When our daughter went along we could get a car on the dolly in 15 minutes and fasten it down. When it was my DW & myself it took a lot longer and we would not speak for the next couple hours. We can now put the hitch on the Saturn, plug in the cable for the lights, battery, and brake, and be ready to go in about 5 minutes. If I ever have to go back to a dolly the MH will be gone. I have 45 years as an insurance salesman.

[Geocritter]

traveylin wrote:
Check your wheel base clearances to match vehicle with dolly. I had a great offer from a known source till I checked the car out side wheel dimension and found that it would not fit inside the dolly wheels. Car is a sienna pretty wide track and not suitable to dolly towing because of it. I believe u-haul has some tables that can help with this issue

I checked my new dolly by pulling my 2005 Dodge Caravan straight into the driveway, next I took two 4' long 2"X4"s and pressed each on edge against the outside of each front wheel and measured the distance in between. My dolly measured 77" wide and my wheels measured 74" wide, a tight fit but it should work. I also like the fact that the tow dolly isn't wider than it needs to be. BTW I tried to rent a 77" wide tow dolly a few months ago from U-Haul and according to their books my van was too wide. I wonder now if the van was too wide for the dolly or too wide for U-Hauls attorney's?
Steve

[PastorCharlie]

Being that you are an insurance salesman you will want the BEST insurance you can buy in a towing device. 🙂

As has been shared by others you are confusing what you have in mind. Do you want to tow 4 down or use a dolly? The two are totally different systems.

If a dolly you need one with brakes and the proper tow hitch and a lighting system.

If a 4 down tow you will need the proper hitch, tow bar, lighting system, and braking system.

If you want the easiest one to use then go with the 4 down tow and have the towed vehicle wired for the light system. I use the Blue Ox tow bar and Brake Buddy and they are a snap to use and only takes one person 5-10 minutes to hook up or unhook. There is no need to find a place to store the dolly with this system nor two people to hook up. The quality of insurance...er...towing equipment if often reflected in the price you pay. Also you probably will need to be sure the towed vehicle had adequate liability insurance as I understand the MH insurance does not cover the towed vehicle should there ever be an unexpected separation of the two.

[traveylin]

Check your wheel base clearances to match vehicle with dolly. I had a great offer from a known source till I checked the car out side wheel dimension and found that it would not fit inside the dolly wheels. Car is a sienna pretty wide track and not suitable to dolly towing because of it. I believe u-haul has some tables that can help with this issue

[Effy]

PapPappy wrote:
With a tow dolly, you will still need brakes, and a light package (either tied into the vehicle, or magnetic type that are placed on the trunk or inside window).

Not true on either point. Perhaps in some states but not all. In some states the lights on the dolly are sufficient as are no brakes if the weight is within a threshold. Not saying it's not a bad idea to have brakes on the dolly or extra lights for that matter, but they are not required.

This is a confusing question. You talk about a dolly, which requires no installation, and then talk about installation of $3500 which seems high for a 4 down or dolly set up.

Dolly is simple, hooks to a ball on your receiver, drive the front wheels on the dolly, strap it and go.

4 down tow bars require plates installed to your towed vehicle as well as the hardware (tow bars) light and brake hookups, battery disconnects if required etc.

4 down is defnitely easier once it's set up, both can be comparable in cost, Dolly is more versatile in that you can use just about any vehicle, but it's an extra axle to care for as well as a place to put it. Tow bars are specific to that vehicle.

Either way $3500 is robbery.

[Geocritter]

I shopped used tow dolly's on craigslist around Austin TX for a few months. All the $500 ones weren't equipped with brakes. To get a TD with brakes put me in the $1000-$1200 range. I finally found a TD with brakes that needed some minor repairs for $500, so I snapped it up. Nobody wants to repair anything anymore, if you're at all handy you can find some very good deals.
Steve