towing dinghy

[beachgramma]

What type of tow dolly/bar is most commonly used. Do the brake lights have to be rigged up through the vehicle that is being towed. I am finding this confusing. Thanks in advance for your help

[Teacher_s_Pet]

As far as the tow lights, on our last two toads I have purchased 3 wire 12v bulb holders that snap in to the light housing I then drilled about a 1 1/8" hole in the housing to receive the holder. I use 4 conductor trailer "zip wire" to connect front to back with wire ties to the frame. This way the wires run from the plug at the front of the toad to the tail lights without connecting to the toad's wiring harness. If you are looking at a tow dolley make sure the vehicle you want to tow doesn't have low or excessive overhang at the front or problems might occur loading due to the tires not being on the dolley before valance of the toad contacts the dolley. Blocking the dolley to load and unload every time isn't fun.

[enblethen]

I use a Roadmaster towbar system. I like not having to load and unload a trailer or dolly. I chose a vehicle with the ability to be towed four down.
If you have a vehicle that is not able to be towed four down, you may look at a dolly. If you decide on a dolly I would suggest putting a light trailer hitch on the toad so you can move dolly around with it.
A towbar setup requires brake lights to be on the toad. This can be achieved in different ways. You can wire into the toad's brake lights, add magnetic lights either wireless or wired, or add additional lamps and sockets. I wired into the toad's system with diodes as designed by Roadmaster.
No addition lighting is required when using a tow dolly. The lights on the dolly is sufficient.

[Snomas]

Go to Dinghy towing on this site or iRV2 forums and study the two methods and then decide what you want to do. I prefer towing 4 down using Roadmaster tow bars and brackets with tail lights wired thru the Explorer. You will find many people also prefer Blue OX tow equipment. It's like Ford or Chevy debates!

[Executive45]

A tow bar attaches the towed vehicle to the motorhome. A tow dolly is a small trailer the front wheels of the towed vehicle rest upon to prevent damage to the towed vehicle's transmission while towing. Both have their places.

A tow bar, most times, stays on the motorhome while the baseplate tabs stay on the motorhome. It's easier to hook up and unhook and takes up very little space as it stays attached to the MH.

A tow dolly many times must be unhooked and put somewhere other than your site. Sometimes you can unhook and slide it under your coach depending on the model/brand you have.

Lights can either be hooked up through the towed vehicle's lighting system or externally mounted. The external ones are held in place by large magnets, so unless you're towing a Corvette they will work properly. Best price is at Harbor Freight. If hooking through the towed's lighting system, diodes are necessary. These are small one way switches that allows current to flow to the lights but not back through to the coach.

IMHO, both should be used with a braking system. Many tow dollies come with brakes but the cheaper ones do not. The best combo for a tow bar is the ReadyBrute from Night Shift Auto. It has a braking system built into the tow bar so you don't need an auxillary system such as a BrakeBuddy or SMI. Use the ReadyBrute tow bar with either a Roadmaster or BlueOx baseplate....

Ask any question that wasn't answered...hope this helps..Dennis

[rk911]

a tow dolly would be used if the vehicle cannot be flat towed (all 4-tires on the ground) or if you have multiple vehicles that you'd like to tow. but be careful...just like some vehicles cannot be flat towed some vehicles cannot be dolly towed.

if you want to tow an existing vehicle you need to know what your towing options are...flat, dolly or a trailer. if you're looking to tow a vehicle you do not yet own you need to determine how that vehicle can be towed.

but in general many (maybe most) folks prefer to flat tow as it's a lot less hassle to hook-up and disconnect. and it's also one less set of wheels to have to deal with at your destination.