Tow dolly without brakes

[Larrysr1957]

I will be renting a uhaul tow dolly for a trip I will be taking I am pulling it with a 1998 35 ft. Bounder the vehicle being towed is a Lincoln MKX I will be traveling at approximately 60 mph 400 miles each way does anyone see any problems with this setup

[ferndaleflyer]

Pastor Charlie the biggest dolly manufacture in the country is in Fayetteville, NC and they sure sell a lot of them in NC without brakes. I have one and we have towed our Camry all over the country with it with out incident. Now have a Honda CRV and it tows just fine also

[lonewolf80]

Zig, thanks for the clarification on the Master Tow. Mine is 6 or 7 years old.

[Executive45]

Wow! Seems a couple of us have our panties in a bunch today. Be nice or get put on Santa's naughty list..:):) .Dennis

[Passin_Thru]

Uhaul uses them because they are cheap. I am a professional driver. Drove Tractor Trailer and then pulled boats TTs and enclosed trailers and I don't like them. One has O control over how much they apply. In an emergency on wet or snowy pavement, you are simply in for the ride!. So you like them. So what? go ahead a buy them.

[STBRetired]

The AWD version should not be towed on a dolly. It can cause damage to the transfer case. FWD can be dolly towed, or all can be towed 4 down. Check the Owner's manual for 4 down procedure.

[zigzagrv]

lonewolf80 wrote:
Zigzagrv, are you sure your Master Tow has surge brakes? I also have a 80T and the brakes are electric.

The 80T is available with either electric or surge brakes. I opted for the surge brakes for simplicity.

[Mr_Mark1]

mowermech wrote:
Mr. Mark, are you towing your Lincoln on a dolly? If not, what does your Manual say about towing 2 wheels down? Is it acceptable, not recommended, or absolutely forbidden?
It sounds like you are towing 4 down. If so, your success at that is totally irrelevant to the discussion at hand, which is about dolly towing.
But, thank you for your input.

I'm so bad. :R

The manual states that the 2017 MKX's can be towed four down no matter the powertrain/transmission configuration.

I looked in the owner's manual and there is no mention of using a tow dolly. They mention if I want to pull a trailer with the car or towing four down behind the motorhome but nothing on a tow dolly.

It will be interesting to hear what the OPer's manual says on his MKX.


MM.

[hohenwald48]

I think most states require brakes on a tow dolly if the vehicle on the dolly is greater than 3,000 lbs. I don't think tag, registration or titles have anything to do with it.

That Lincoln is likely well over the 3,000 limit. You need to check your hitch rating also as you may exceed that too. The Lincoln is no lightweight.

I also think brake requirements are for trailers, 5th wheels, 4 down and dolly towing are not necessarily the same. So what you do towing with one method may not be legal when towing with another method.

Additionally, the motorhome chassis manufacturer may have supplemental braking requirements that have nothing to do with the laws of any state.

[lonewolf80]

Zigzagrv, are you sure your Master Tow has surge brakes? I also have a 80T and the brakes are electric.

[mowermech]

Mr. Mark, are you towing your Lincoln on a dolly? If not, what does your Manual say about towing 2 wheels down? Is it acceptable, not recommended, or absolutely forbidden?
It sounds like you are towing 4 down. If so, your success at that is totally irrelevant to the discussion at hand, which is about dolly towing.
But, thank you for your input.

[Mr_Mark1]

ArchHoagland wrote:

mowermech wrote:
It occurs to me to wonder: Can the Lincoln MKX be towed on a dolly?
If it is front wheel drive, probably yes.
If it is AWD, probably no, unless the rear driveshaft is disconnected.
If it is rear wheel drive, quite possibly no, unless the driveshaft is disconnected.
OP, you need to read the Owners Manual to find out!
Good luck.

That's what I was wondering too. Could look it up on Remco but there is no year stated for the Lincoln.

I have noticed in the past that REMCO was not correct on their towing information. You have to look in the car owner's manual.

Our 2017 Lincoln MKX is an AWD model. There is a detailed procedure to follow for set-up. We have a push-button transmission that needs to be put into 'neutral tow' for towing. So far, no problems as we've towed it about 3,000 miles.

Motorhome magazine offers their towing guides on line. You can pick the 'year' guide that you need from the list.

Safe travels,
MM.

[zigzagrv]

I have a Master Tow 80T with surge brakes. Until recently I really didn't know if they worked, since I hadn't made any 'emergency' stops.
Well, on a recent trip, traffic came to a sudden stop. I hit the brakes (ABS) hard on the motorhome and heard tire screeching. It was the tow dolly's surge brakes doing their job. THEY WORK!

[malexander]

I like the surge brakes, both on my tow dolly and my boat trailer.

[ArchHoagland]

mowermech wrote:
It occurs to me to wonder: Can the Lincoln MKX be towed on a dolly?
If it is front wheel drive, probably yes.
If it is AWD, probably no, unless the rear driveshaft is disconnected.
If it is rear wheel drive, quite possibly no, unless the driveshaft is disconnected.
OP, you need to read the Owners Manual to find out!
Good luck.

That's what I was wondering too. Could look it up on Remco but there is no year stated for the Lincoln.

[Stim]

Two months ago I bought a 2016 Kia Sportage from Hertz Car Sales in Winter Park Fl. (got great deal too!!)
I rented a U-Haul Dolly there and towed the SUV 130 miles home with my 2004 Chevy Silverado X-cab. SUV stated weight is 3300 lbs.
I drove semi's (all variety's) for many years but never used a tow dolly.
The SUV towed like it wasn't even there! A couple times when looking in rear view mirror I was startled thinking why is that guy following so close!
I ran 65-70 mph though the dolly was marked 55 mph. SUV wasn't that heavy and dolly had 12 ply tires so I felt safe.
The dolly did not have surge brakes.
Just an after note- with the tire straps, vehicle safety chains and ramp storage/securing make sure you double check everything!