Using a tow dolly

[hurricane0226]

Would like to know how many use a tow dolly instead of using the tow bar. I have the Ford V-10, on a 36 foot coach. Looking at both options, so would like to know pro's and con's of each one. Thank you.

[GTN_and_Catz]

More of the same ...
We do both - depending on where we're going and what we think we'll need when we get there or on the way. The Lexus needs the dolly and the jeep is fine 4 down.

The key as far as the tow dolly is concerned is to get the best tow dolly and not settle for a cheaper one. Best bang for the buck: Demco KarKaddy SS.

[king_yankee1]

We have both setups, my grand Cherokee has tow bar and dw's sebring is on tow dolly. Prefer the towbar, just easier.

[traveylin]

Saw a cheap dolly available at the I 10 Atchafalaya rest stop in Louisiana. It was pulled over on the truck stop side. Looked like the driver side bearing failed. Just needs a new axel. For free...

[Dachristianman]

One thing that I've not seen in this thread is that with a dolly, you always have an item of value. If you purchase a $1500 dolly, after using it for years, it'll still have quite a bit of value, whereas a 4-down setup is tied to the vehicle that it was purchased for.

I can also use my dolly if I purchase a car at the auction or if a friends car breaks down saving the cost of a tow making it a useful tool outside of RVing.

The dolly has versatility, but 4-down has ease. It's all up to the decision that is right for you.

Tom

[BennieH]

We have also towed both ways. We have a good dolly - the Demco Kar Kaddy SS (like others have said, a good dolly is important and not the cheapest!).
I find towing either way not to be a problem and can be ready to go in 10 minutes either way.
With the dolly, just about any front wheel drive vehicle can be towed without removing fuses or installing switches.
Biggest downside is one more thing to store.

[racer99]

My 2 cents= I think the people that don't like the tow dolly and went to 4 down, may have bought one of the aftermarket tow dollies that are cheap pieces of junk, If you get a Demko SS it will do you good and you'll be happy with the versatility they offer, no such thing as having a problem with strapping or room at camp ground, some that complain never even tried a dolly, we are in our 70's and don't get around that good but we never are in a hurry so if it takes 10 minutes to hook up so what, I use a 24" rubber pad to kneel on and if straps are tightened right you will never have them come loose-maybe 3 cents
pauperspride.blogspot.com

[OldDoggy]

Went with a KarKaddy SS and it handlers our Chevy Malibu just fine. On and off easy and quick, plus it folds up for storage. A little pricey but you will not regret making the investment for the mobility of having your car along. 2004 Hurricane 30Q on a F-53 with the V10 is our road castle. Just Another Old Doggy, Don

[tahiti16]

We went tow dolly instead of towbar for a couple reasons, 1 no one made plate for our 199 BMW 323i and a custom plate was $750-850 we paid $650 used for the dolly complete with surge brakes and lights.

Now we traded in the BMW for a Kia Sorento, not 4 down towable, and can still tow. If we spent the money on the BMW it would have been gone with the car. Dolly gives more options, like buy what you like vs. what can be towed 4 down.

We have towed cross country and through the mountains with none of the tracking issues or parking problems beyond 1 more thing to fit into our spot. Some places even have a place to park your dolly or trailer so you don't deal with in the spot.

[dbates]

We've been pulling our 2004 Vibe (can’t be pulled 4 down) with a Demco KarKaddy SS since we got our 1998 30' Itasca with a 99 Ford V-8 (now 10 years). I like my Vibe so well that I didn't want to & couldn't afford to replace it. A dolly is not as big of a problem as some say on this forum and we've been well pleased with it. I can load it by myself in less than 10 minutes and unload in less than 5 minutes. If strapped down correctly you'll never have a problem with the straps coming loose. It tracks the MH perfectly so you’ll never know it’s back there but you can't back up any better with it than you can 4 down. We’ve never had a problem storing the dolly at a CG and never had additional charges. At home the SS tongue folds back and the ramps fold up to reduce its storage space almost 50%. As said by others above it’s a little messier strapping down in bad weather or in the mud but a piece of plastic to put you knees on helps.

All that said, it is according to how old you are and how good or bad your legs are. I’m going on 76 and it’s getting harder to get down then back up to hook up so I know 4 down may be better for me in the future but I still love my Vibe.

Dave

[TomB_]

For us, it was a compromise. We needed our mobility scooters, & the van we use to transport them is front wheel drive. A tow dolly was the logical choice.
Warts & all, it is the choice we made.

[bsinmich]

My daughter has an Enclave and it is towable but she says not until it gets 300,000 miles on it. They tow the SILs Tahoe. The Enclave weighs close to 5000# and if you add another 6-700 for a dolly you have a real heavy load.

[topflite51]

Have used both and prefer 4 down, however tow dolly is more versatile.

[eric99]

We switched from dolly to 4-down and love it!

The ease with which we can hook up and unhook is incredible! Once you go 4-down you'll never look back.

You'll have to make sure you buy a vehicle that can be towed 4-down. Not all can.

Dolly is heavy and will need to be unhitched unless you get a pull-through site.

If you need to tow multiple vehicles then a dolly is the way to go.

[Godsey97]

I would love to sell out Dolly and go to 4down, however, I like the versatility of being able to take our choice of vehicles depending on the needs of our destination. We have a 2 door Jeep we typically take with us which is fine for the 4 of us, but this May we are going to Pigeon Forge with a 5th person and the jeep is impractical, the Saturn Vue or the Ford Fusion will work though. We (the DW and I) can pretty much load the car on the dolly and have it strapped down in under 10 minutes.

As we get older and become Full-Timers or Most-of-the-Timers, we may buy a new car/small SUV and set it up 4 down so we don't break a hip getting up and down off the ground.