Dolly Tow 2017 VW Beetle (auto)

[JTHarley]

Has anyone dolly towed a new beetle. I'm going to pick out a dolly and I believe "clearance" is an issue with some of them. Leaning toward a mastertow or acme right now but was hoping for some wisdom from the forum as i begin the search. Thanks......

[mowermech]

http://www.americancardolly.com/

Note that the price delivered to your door is $1695.
If you want the brake control, it is an additional $120. The brake control is mounted on the dolly. No controller is required in the towing vehicle!
Note to the cynical: No, I don't get any reward of any kind from American Car Dolly for touting their unit. I simply believe it is quite likely the best bang for the buck in the U.S. today!

[JTHarley]

Ok, now it’s between a master tow with electric brake and turntable platform (new) or a used Demco but I’m having a hard time finding one in Michigan.

[FunTwoDrv]

Yes... put it in Park and lock the doors. The biggest issue we had was dealing with the safety chains. There just isn't anywhere to attach them to that's convenient. So based on some feedback from this site, we were able to wrap them in foam and run them through the wheels. Made life much easier. I can do everything without laying on the ground.
By the way, we purchased the Demco used and added the spare tire and stone guard. The car stays very well protected but, still gets really dirty traveling in the rain. LOL!
Good Luck,
Gary

[JTHarley]

FunTwoDrv wrote:
Jim,
We have been towing a 2010 Beetle convertible on a Demco SS. Probably done about 7k miles so far. The combinations works great!

Gary

Thanks Gary......Do you lock the steering on a Demco?

[FunTwoDrv]

Jim,
We have been towing a 2010 Beetle convertible on a Demco SS. Probably done about 7k miles so far. The combinations works great!

Gary

[JTHarley]

Thanks mower, I will be using the dolly to simply drive straight thru from michigan to st. augustine florida where the house is. I'm also leaning toward a turntable type of dolly that will allow the steering wheel to remain locked and thus have no drain on the batteries or need for a disconnect switch. I'll look up the other ones you mentioned for comparison.

I'm going to take the vw about an hour away to a dealer who sells Towmaster to make sure the front end doesn't hit and if it is close I know I can use a 2x6 to extend the ramps. The VW has about 8.5 inches of clearance on the front bumper to the ground.

[mowermech]

a "turntable" style dolly (Mastertow, American Car Dolly, etc.) is, in my opinion, an adequate choice.
A dolly with king-pin steering is a better choice, although more expensive (DEMCO Kar Kaddy is, IMO, the best).
I have seen good used KK dollys, with surge brakes, for sale for anywhere from $750 to $2500. A new one, however, is a budget buster.
The American dolly is about $1500 (I haven't checked the price recently), delivered to your door, set up and ready to go.
The Acme dolly is a fixed platform unit. The cost is comparable to the American, but you have to pay shipping and assemble it. Personally, I would never buy any fixed platform dolly. That is, of course, just my opinion. There are those who swear by them.
Good luck in your hunting.
By the way, I towed a 2006 PT Cruiser convertible on an older Demco Kar Kaddy from Montana to Georgia and back, with no problems. The fenders did not hit the car at any time, nor did the ramps contact the rocker panels. BUT, the dolly did not have brakes, so I sold it. Now I realize that selling it was an incredibly stupid thing to do! In the year that dolly was built (late '80s or early '90s), there were two versions, a wide one and a narrower one. Mine was the narrow version.