Flat Tow vs Tow Dolly

[AlwaysDreaming]

I bought a 2016 Ford Fiesta which according to Ford can be flat towed (4 Down) as long as you keep it under 70 MPH. The car weighs 2600 lbs. I am considering towing methods with my RV.

The RV is a Class C 22ft with a Ford E450 Chassis (Thor Chateau).

It appears to me that using a Tow Dolly (2 wheels down) would be easiest especially if I need supplemental braking system.

What is the advantages/disadvantage of Tow Dolly vs. Flat Tow?

Do I need a supplemental braking system for 2600 lb. car on a Tow Dolly?

Hydraulic Drum Surge Brake seems to be he simplest and most reliable system for a Tow Dolly compared to electric brakes on the Tow Dolly?

Any experiences with Hydraulic Drum Surge Brakes on a Tow Dolly?
Thanks for reading

[RedRollingRoadb]

AlwaysDreaming wrote:


How you handle supplemental braking with flat tow?
Can you back up with flat tow or tow dolly?
Thanks

Check out NSA Ready Brute with the Ready Brake. It is a surge operated brake system that uses a cable to acatavite the towed brake system. Add the ReadyStop emergency break away system and you are good to go.

If you DIY the routing of the cable for the brake can be a bear so be prepaired. Watch the videos and you can get a good idea. readybrake.com

As far as backing up, not so much.

[rr2254545]

gafidler wrote:
flat towing is sooo much easier

LOL took a guy across the street about an hour to back into his spot -some of the problem seemed to be the tow dolly but I am sure that was not all the problem

He get my all time life time award for getting into a parking spot

[STBRetired]

AlwaysDreaming,
I used to tow a Chevy Malibu on a MasterTow dolly with surge brakes. As you can see from my signature, I now tow a Ford Edge 4 down. The dolly worked OK and with the surge brakes was quite a bit cheaper than the 4 down tow bar and supplemental braking system. The dolly cost me about $1200 new and my Roadmaster setup with Brake Buddy cost me about $5000 installed. So why did I switch?

The dolly towed very well. I had no problems with stopping, even in a panic situation. I could hardly tell that the car was back there until it came to an uphill climb. Then the weight was noticed. The dolly becomes an issue when you are parked. You have to find some place to put it. In a long enough pull-through, you just leave it attached to your MH. On a short pull-through you have to unhitch it and push the tongue under the MH or pull the dolly around the side to leave it next to the MH. In a back-in site, you need to unhook the dolly and move it by hand to where ever you are storing it. At home, you have to have some place to store it until your next trip. All the moving around of the dolly becomes a pain. They are not light. I would guess 400 pounds. I never weighed the dolly without the car on it.

With the 4 down setup, I pull 2 pins, unhook the safety and breakaway cables and unplug the electrical cord. All that stuff stays attached to the MH. It folds up against the back of the MH and has a cover that goes over it all to make it look neat. Fast and easy and nothing to store. The Brake Buddy takes maybe 1 minute to install on the floor of the driver's side when leaving and maybe 30 seconds to unhook and put away when we arrive. Downside? $$$$$$$

We started with the dolly because we were not sure that we were going to tow a car on every trip. After a couple trips without the car, we decided that we will almost always take a car. Makes things so much easier. We take 10 - 15 trips each year (both retired) so managing the dolly got to be a real pain. After 2 1/2 years dealing with the dolly I switched to 4 down and could not be happier. If you are unsure, go on Craigslist and buy a used dolly with surge brakes. I sold mine for $750 so you can save some money that way. Try it for a while and see how you feel about it.

[AlwaysDreaming]

MDKMDK wrote:
If possible, flat tow. My opinion, based on doing the same research you're doing. It's easier, sometimes pricier, but a lot less hassle.

How you handle supplemental braking with flat tow?
Can you back up with flat tow or tow dolly?
Thanks

[gafidler]

flat towing is sooo much easier

[enblethen]

If I was to get a tow dolly, it would have brakes. Surge brakes work very good in most cases. Baking can be issue. Some surge brakes have a lever to allow baking with out operating the brakes. Using tow dolly, I would suggest light trailer hitch on toad for moving dolly around.
I would flat tow if possible. Auxilary braking is a good idea.

[rocmoc]

Flat Tow!!

rocmoc n AZ

[MDKMDK]

If possible, flat tow. My opinion, based on doing the same research you're doing. It's easier, sometimes pricier, but a lot less hassle.