car dolly choice

[rdthompson1]

For years we have done 4 down, but looking at the choices etc etc we may go to a tow dolly on a new car. I spotted an add for Acme-Tow-Dolly-Company on line and wonder if anyone would have any experience with them or could offer any other useful information about buying a dolly. We mostly go North for summer, South for winter.

[wbwood]

Just put another few hundred miles on it without issue...still liking it..got asked about it yesterday here in Myrtle Beach.

[wbwood]

gonervn501 wrote:

wbwood wrote:

OldRadios wrote:
The Acme has surge breaks which can be locked off for backing up. We are purchasing one and they are on sale right now for $1,200. I looked at the Demco and it is nice but it can't stand up on end so will take up more room in the garage. It also costs twice as much.

In order to be able to stand it up, you will need 4"x4" blocks. This is so the lighs won't be crushed.

If I might ask did you make your purchase of the Acme product and are you satified? I'm currently looking and so far my first choice is the Acme Tow Dolly. Probably will make the purchase next week.

Yes,we purchased one back in April. Used it in May to tow to Destin Florida and back.. About 1200 miles round trip. Worked great. I've never used a tow dolly before and I was nervous about it the first few hours. But after a few adjustments and figuring it all out, it was great and no issue at all. Without rushing, we can have the car loaded and ready to go in 10 minutes or less. When we got to our site at Destin, I unhooked the dolly and pushed it to the back of the site. The car was already unloaded near the front entrance of the campground. Then I was able to back the RV over the top of the dolly to just about the tire fenders. My wife guided me and made sure I didn't hit the dolly. A good bit of the dolly was covered by the RV. People mention about not having a place to put the dolly on site. You will have to be in already tite site to not be able to store. And like I said, yo can store it in upright position, which will leave you needing less than 2' of space for it. Which is not much more than what you need to back over it.

If you are able to pick it up from them at the manufacturer, do so. They are very thorough and helpful when going over it with you.

[gonervn501]

wbwood wrote:

OldRadios wrote:
The Acme has surge breaks which can be locked off for backing up. We are purchasing one and they are on sale right now for $1,200. I looked at the Demco and it is nice but it can't stand up on end so will take up more room in the garage. It also costs twice as much.

In order to be able to stand it up, you will need 4"x4" blocks. This is so the lighs won't be crushed.

If I might ask did you make your purchase of the Acme product and are you satified? I'm currently looking and so far my first choice is the Acme Tow Dolly. Probably will make the purchase next week.

[jokaj]

I bought an American dolly specifically to tow my Prius. I towed it from So Cal to northern Montana. Worked out well. It has a swivel plate so,your vehicle can track the RV well. I also purchased the electrical brake controller option. Basically the electrical brake controller box plugs into the RV (4 pin) and the Dolly's electric brake plugs into the controller box. The controller box has a sensitivity adjustment for the brakes. It is tied into the RV brake lights. You have to make sure your steering wheel locks or your doors will meet the dolly fender in a tight turn. I use two ratcheting tie downs to secure the steering wheel. Be aware that certain cars don't have a locking steering column. Dolly has drum brakes. My car is so low I haven't had a chance to find a place to attach a safety cable under the Prius. Right now I just use the tow hook in the front. The dolly comes with two safety chains to attach to the RV. The ramps are removable and mounts onto the front of the dolly. So far, I am pleased with it. Painted steel I believe so expect some paint to come off under normal wear and tear.

[OldRadios]

I've never seen the American. I will have to check it out. The Acme I borrowed had heavy duty hydraulic surge disk brakes. I can't imagine though that electric drum brakes would work as well. Especially since they are tied into the break lights. The hydraulic surge uses the change in forward momentum to increase the amount of breaking as needed. Can't see how an on/off break light is going to do that but maybe there is not much difference.

[mowermech]

Yes, I know you love your Acme.
I rather like the American, with the built in electric brakes and controller.
Sure, it is a couple hundred more, but it is delivered right to my door, if I order one, and it STEERS, which is an absolute requirement, IMO.
But, my Demco is working just fine, I don't NEED a new dolly.
Again, I have nothing more to say.

[wbwood]

mowermech wrote:
The American Car Dolly can have a brake controller attached to the tongue for an extra $120. No need to install a brake controller on the dash of the coach.
See here:
http://www.americancardolly.com/ez-brakes/

The ACME uses a built in surge brake...it's on sale now for $1199.

[mowermech]

The American Car Dolly can have a brake controller attached to the tongue for an extra $120. No need to install a brake controller on the dash of the coach.
See here:
http://www.americancardolly.com/ez-brakes/

[wbwood]

OldRadios wrote:
The Acme has surge breaks which can be locked off for backing up. We are purchasing one and they are on sale right now for $1,200. I looked at the Demco and it is nice but it can't stand up on end so will take up more room in the garage. It also costs twice as much.

In order to be able to stand it up, you will need 4"x4" blocks. This is so the lighs won't be crushed.

[OldRadios]

The Acme has surge breaks which can be locked off for backing up. We are purchasing one and they are on sale right now for $1,200. I looked at the Demco and it is nice but it can't stand up on end so will take up more room in the garage. It also costs twice as much.

[rdthompson1]

Thanks for the advice everybody.

[wbwood]

The one that movermech recommended looks like a nice dolly as well. Don't know anything about them, so I can not vouch for them. I have heard many people recommend ACME before when we were looking. Price is not too far off between the two. ACME is about $100 cheaper. But that doesn't include delivery to you. Deliveryy is a couple hundred bucks, but you can pick up free from their business in Kernersville, NC, which I did. They will even help you load it. I picked up with our SUV so didn't have that luxury. Oh yeah, I noticed that the American one mowermech has electric brakes. That will require you to have a brake controller. If you don't have one, it's an additional cost. The Demco's are expensive. If you are gonna pay that much, you might as well pay a little more and go four down.

[mowermech]

I will not have any dolly that is not steerable. My nearly antique Demco Kar Kaddy meets that requirement.
IF I were to get a new dolly, it would be this one:
http://www.americancardolly.com/
I like the price, I like the integrated brake controller, I like the swivel table, and I REALLY like the fact that they deliver it right to your door!

[dbates]

I'd suggest that you look at the Demco KarKaddy SS. It's fully galvanized so no rust or paint problems in the future. Its tongue folds back and the wheel ramps fold up to reduce storage space by almost 50%. They have surge brakes so no brake controller is needed and can be used with any other vehicle that has hitch. They also have life-time lubricated wheel bearings and their customer service is exceptional. Their suggested retail price is higher but Google it and you’ll usually find them selling for less.

Dave