How much hassle to hook up a car dolly?

[ajrallen]

Can someone with experience tell me about how long it takes to hitch a car dolly to a Class C, and then load up the car, do the chains etc.? Likewise how long does it take to disconnect everything? I'm sure it takes longer the first time, but say on the 3rd or 4th time how long do you think?

Thanks!

[Oldme]

We have a Acme.
The first time it took awhile to get it where I liked it.
The last time we used it, it took less than 10 min.

Hint,
Take reflector tape and mark on the folly the center line of
your tires centered on the dolly. Also mark the ramp center line.

[Big_Katuna]

I'm guessing that 95% off dolly users switch to four down eventually.

True life scenario. We pull into Rv park about dark. Only one on that exit.
Pull in, register, no pull thrus. Office person stays it a tight park so says to unhook here.
Have to unload car, park dolly in parking space be cause wife wont drive car with trailer, follow golf cart to space, back in, drive back to office, get dolly go back to space.
In the AM reverse process. So you better have a hitch on your toad.

I had a few other unpleasant stories about tow Dolly's but I'm tired of typing on my iPhone.

I tow a Honda Element. No pumps, no brake pump. I use a Ready Brute tow bar and can hook up in a few minutes. No trailer to push around, no tires spinning loading in the rain, no dirty tie downs to mess with, no worrying about dolly tire hitting gas pumps or curbs as the dolly tracks wider than the motorhome, no extra set of wheel bearings to deal with or another set of tires and spare to deal with.

[GraciesDaddy]

Full disclosure: I am a "not-yetter" in the realm of RVing. I don't have a coach... Yet. I don't even have a toad... Yet; which will likely be a Chrysler Town & Country.

My approach is this: I do not care to have a lot of extraneous junk — i.e., hitch receivers, transmission pumps, brake assists, etc. — on my toad. The ability to just pull the vehicle, as is, onto a dolly, hook the chains and straps and plug in the brake light cable(s) (with the plug conveniently hidden under the grill) is nothing short of heaven for me.

But that's just me. :C

[mowermech]

OP, as you can see, some folks swear by a dolly, and some swear AT the dolly.
All you can do is try it and see if you have the fortitude to deal with it.
It really DOES come down to YOUR choice!
Strangely, in spite of all the hyperbole about how terrible it is to use a dolly, there is always a market for used ones. Try it, and if you just can't stand it, you can sell the dolly without too much of a loss, especially if you buy used to start with.
good luck.

[willald]

Actual time for hitching up and unhitching with a dolly vs 4 down may be fairly close, depending on various factors. The big difference between the two is this:

1. With the dolly, you're going to be crawling around on the ground more when hitching up and unhitching (to attach chains underneath car, for example). With a 4 down setup, the things you attach, unhook are higher up, eliminating the need to crawl on the ground like you sometimes have to do with a dolly. That bothers some folks, but not others.

2. With the dolly, the things you have to do (put on or remove straps, hitch dolly to MH, etc) typically will involve working with things that have the potential to get you much more 'dirty', especially if its wet out or raining. Hitching up and unhitching a 4 down setup is typically not quite as 'dirty'. Therea again, some folks will be bothered by that, some will not.

3. Get stuck just ONCE in a spot where you have to back up and have to unhitch, re-position, then hitch back up, and you will see where the huge difference is. 'Tis much more complicated and more of a 'PITA' to do that with a dolly setup than 4 down.

Like already said, its a personal preference thing, each approach has its pros and cons. As I alluded to here, though, there's a lot more to consider than just the actual time it takes to hitch up or unhitch.

[Hikerdogs]

Like others have said it generally took between 8 and 10 minutes to hook the dolly on the motorhome, load the car, strap down the wheels and add the auxiliary lights to the back of the car.

The time spent loading and unloading is somewhat dependent the brand and model dolly you buy. We had a Roadmaster 2000-1 and were towing a Buick LeSabre. There were no ramps to connect, disconnect, or store. They were an integral part of the platform that self extended or stored. Also there was no need to crawl under anything to strap down the wheels. It had built in lockable storage compartments for the straps and safety chains. We used it for over 5 years and 25,000 miles before switching to a Jeep Wrangler 4 down.

We are semi avid off roaders so we were renting a Jeep at almost every destination. After a few years it seemed pointless to tow a car half way across the country, then leave it in a parking lot while we explored the outback in a rented Jeep.

Originally I had intended to use the dolly for the Jeep. After reading through the owners manual I found a 4 wheel drive Jeep couldn't be towed on a dolly unless the driveshaft was disconnected. So I sold the dolly to a friend that uses it to this day.

If you haven't already purchased a dolly research as many of the makes and models as you can before doing so. There are a lot on the market and like most things you get what you pay for. Initial purchase price shouldn't be the only consideration. Many times the features incorporated in the more expensive models save you a considerable amount of time, grief, and money over the period of ownership.

We're still towing our Jeep 4 down and intend to for the foreseeable future. However if things change and we no longer like the off roading we'll probably trade the jeep for a little more luxurious ride. If it just so happens the new vehicle can't be towed 4 down we'll go back to a dolly without hesitation.

[DouglasC]

Crazy Ray wrote:
We used a tow dolly ONCE. ONCE was enough.

X2

Have been towing 4 wheels down for 20 years since getting rid of the tow dolly. The only way I'd ever consider using a tow dolly is if I needed the flexibility of being able to tow different vehicles from time to time. If only one vehicle needed to be towed, towing 4 wheels down is the way to go IMO.

[mowermech]

Big Katuna wrote:
Not fun in the rain and or mud and the tires start spinning going up the ramp. Also driving in rain then stopping and dealing with dirty, wet straps.

I brought a car home on a trailer once. When I got home, after miles in snow and rain, I had to wash the car before I could drive it!
I had the same problem with my Jeep, towing it with a towbar. After a few miles in the rain, the Jeep was filthy, and I hated to touch the towbar!
Bad weather is a bad thing, no matter HOW you are towing!

[BTPO1]

About 10-15 minutes to put the car on and hook everything up. If it is wet outside it is going to wait to get done. JMO

[dbates]

KarKaddy owner for 9 years. It usually takes about 8 minutes to load (without help longer if DW tries to help) and 5 to unload.

Yes, at 75 it’s getting a little harder to get down and up from my knees but still doable and you'll get wet in the rain either way.

I also usually get pull-throughs and only twice in 9 years & 51,000+ miles have I ever had to park the dolly off site.

Dave

[Big_Katuna]

Not fun in the rain and or mud and the tires start spinning going up the ramp. Also driving in rain then stopping and dealing with dirty, wet straps.

[Crazy_Ray]

We used a tow dolly ONCE. ONCE was enough.

[helperzack]

About 15 minutes here too. I have a rubber foam knee pad to kneel on, I think it came from the garden department at the store. Have never had the need to lay down while attaching the dolly or vehicle.

At campgrounds I normally get a long pull through site, then you don't even have to disconnect the dolly.
After a few uses you will get the hang of it and even know exactly where your tires need to be lined up. I hang my head out the drivers window when entering onto the ramp so to see my exact spot.

On the straps, mine were folded over and sewn together on the very end. That made it a bit difficult when trying to thread it through the ratchet. I unraveled the sewn in thread, then unfolded and heated the end with my heat gun for a flat edge (no fold) much easier now.

[rr2254545]

Time is one thing but kneeling or laying down in the wet or snow to tie down the wheels, is what I saw as a huge drawback

4 down for me now