Newbie to Dinghy towing....which dolly?

[Baja_Man]

New to Class C ownership. We now want to tow one of our vehicles which is a 2012 Scion XB automatic. I will be contacting Toyota to verify it can be dolly towed but I believe it can.

Weight of Scion is about 3000#. It sits low to ground like other small cars in this category.

My rig is in my sig.

I've read about Demco, American Tow Dolly, Tow Master, Kar Kaddy, and ACME. They all vary widely in pricing and brakes. From $1495 to over $3K. Some with electric drum/shoe brakes and some with surge disk brakes.


Weight of dolly is important as I do not want too add additional towing weight if not necessary.

Cost is also a factor, but not if it means low quality (i.e., you get what you pay for).

What type of brakes....disc surge or electric drum?

Anything else I should consider in my decision?

Thanks

[FunTwoDrv]

As for lights, although the dolly has bright LED tail/brake lights, I added a LED tail light below the license plate on the bug and routed the wires up into the truck. I have a rechargeable 12v battery in the truck with a connector. I just plug the light in when we are traveling. When the battery needs charging, about every two weeks, I plug it into a small charger we keep in the RV.

Gary

[wbwood]

I've mentioned this numerous times before, here and elsewhere. But one of the things that those who are "anti-dolly" keep mentioning as a negative about dolly's, is storing them. Below is a picture of our ACME tow dolly stored on our campsite. Our motorhome backs up over at least 2/3rds of it. Making use only need less than 18-24" of additional length to our motorhome.

[Mich_F]

JumboJet wrote:


Does anyone that uses a tow dolly add extra lights to the car, or hook into the car lights?

I haven't added lights, but many have done so. I imagine something like this would work nicely on a lot of vehicles.
E Z mount tow light kit

[JumboJet]

I did a lot of research today of various tow dollies. I purchased the Acme Tow Dolly with the surge brakes. Two reasons - 1) disk brakes that need no adjustment. 2) oil bath hubs: "Hubs and bearings never need lubrication or service."

Instructions say to check the brake fluid as the disk pads wear.

I have never towed a car with my Motor Home, but have needed a car several times when I have made a trip.

Several years ago I bought a Stehl that had NO brakes. I sold it because I did not want to tow without brakes.

I am looking forward to towing my Honda Accord or my daughter's Hyundai Sante Fe.

Does anyone that uses a tow dolly add extra lights to the car, or hook into the car lights?

[Community Alumni]

Looks like I will have some good options before we get a dolly for the MINI.

[Mich_F]

We got home Sunday from our second mini trip using our tow dolly. We spent 3 nights in Melbourne, Fl. which was about a 320 something mile round trip. My wife went to a Price is Right show last Fri. night (I opted out :B)

All went fine again with the dolly. Those adjustable straps can be a pain. I had for some reason, been putting the hooks on first and then laying them over the tires. That was stupid. I realized if you lay them out first as they should go over the tires, then drape them over the wheels, it will go much easier.

The chains through the wheels seems a much better idea than trying to secure the chains to some other point on the car - no laying down required. I think I'll get some type of quick disconnect for the innner connection, and eliminate having to thread the shackle. The clear plastic hose on the chain helps keep things from getting scratched.

[wbwood]

Campinghoss@51 wrote:
We have well over 10 k on our Acme. The straps stretch the first few times you use it and you do need to stop and check them a couple of time at least. That is true for all dolly straps when new. I have the older straps for my primary and the newer adjustable straps for my back ups just in case.
I pull my jeep four down and I do agree it is easier than the dolly but by using the dolly I can tow whatever I want and do not have to worry about which car to buy as a tow. As long as I can unlock the steering wheel and it is FWD I don't care. I primarily use our Toyota when we are not going to the beach but I can also tow the Lincoln if we desire. I just like the freedom of the dolly.

I liked the old straps over these newer adjustable ones. Our 2016 Ford Focus steering wheel doesn't lock, so we don't need to use the key on it. That's nice. I'm amazed in the differences in the ACME dolly's just over a couple years (from the other one we had)

[wbwood]

Mich F wrote:
I used my Acme tow dolly last weekend, for the first time. It was only 140 miles or so round trip, but most of that was on I 95. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my first tow dolly experience went. I used their safety chains,running them through the wheels and I secured them to the front angled cross piece. I used their hook on one end and a quick connect and shackle on the other end. I needed the shackle because the quick connect was too thick to go through the chain links.

When I got to the campground to unload, one of the tie down straps had loosened considerably, and the chain on that side was actually holding the wheel on We had to move the car forward a few inches, to allow me to get the ramps on.

On the way home I stopped after about 5 miles and then after another 3 miles or so to check/tighten the straps. Didn't have any issues with either strap loosening, for the rest of the trip. On the trip to the campground, I had only made one stop to check the straps, and that was after about 5 miles. These straps are obviously brand new, and had never been used before. They probably stretched some ?

Putting the chains through the wheels didn't require laying on the ground. I thought my biggest issue was dealing with those adjustable straps and getting them on properly. I assume it will get better/easier with more practice, although I must admit, I was thinking it would most likely be a lot easier towing 4 down.

Yes they will stretch when new. They advise to stop after the first 50 miles to retighten.

[Campinghoss]

We have well over 10 k on our Acme. The straps stretch the first few times you use it and you do need to stop and check them a couple of time at least. That is true for all dolly straps when new. I have the older straps for my primary and the newer adjustable straps for my back ups just in case.
I pull my jeep four down and I do agree it is easier than the dolly but by using the dolly I can tow whatever I want and do not have to worry about which car to buy as a tow. As long as I can unlock the steering wheel and it is FWD I don't care. I primarily use our Toyota when we are not going to the beach but I can also tow the Lincoln if we desire. I just like the freedom of the dolly.

[Mich_F]

I used my Acme tow dolly last weekend, for the first time. It was only 140 miles or so round trip, but most of that was on I 95. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my first tow dolly experience went. I used their safety chains,running them through the wheels and I secured them to the front angled cross piece. I used their hook on one end and a quick connect and shackle on the other end. I needed the shackle because the quick connect was too thick to go through the chain links.

When I got to the campground to unload, one of the tie down straps had loosened considerably, and the chain on that side was actually holding the wheel on We had to move the car forward a few inches, to allow me to get the ramps on.

On the way home I stopped after about 5 miles and then after another 3 miles or so to check/tighten the straps. Didn't have any issues with either strap loosening, for the rest of the trip. On the trip to the campground, I had only made one stop to check the straps, and that was after about 5 miles. These straps are obviously brand new, and had never been used before. They probably stretched some ?

Putting the chains through the wheels didn't require laying on the ground. I thought my biggest issue was dealing with those adjustable straps and getting them on properly. I assume it will get better/easier with more practice, although I must admit, I was thinking it would most likely be a lot easier towing 4 down.

[wbwood]

FunTwoDrv wrote:
Safety chains...what a pain!! Our Demco has them as well. We tow a VW and there's no easily accessible mounting point. I know they are important so, I lay on the ground and thread them over the lower A arms. This is the only negative with using this dolly/car combination.
Never thought about threading the chains through the wheels. I'll check that out.

Gary

I don't think my chains would be long enough to go through the wheels (although they may) and to the points to place them on the dolly. It would still require laying on the ground and putting the chains in the slots on the dolly.

[FunTwoDrv]

Safety chains...what a pain!! Our Demco has them as well. We tow a VW and there's no easily accessible mounting point. I know they are important so, I lay on the ground and thread them over the lower A arms. This is the only negative with using this dolly/car combination.
Never thought about threading the chains through the wheels. I'll check that out.

Gary

[wbwood]

Mich F wrote:

wbwood wrote:

Mich F wrote:

wbwood wrote:

Mich F wrote:
After almost 4 years with my current MH, I finally got off the fence and ordered an Acme tow dolly with surge brakes, just this past Wed. Not looking forward to towing a car, although I've towed boats a number of times with previous motorhomes, it should be nice to have a smaller vehicle wherever we stop. :B

We think you will like it. Towing a car is easy. The hard part is remembering that it's back there.

With previous Class Cs of 22' and 24' I never had the need for a toad. This one at 32 1/2' is so much longer that there are many places it just can't go. I find a lot of times I have to back up, particularly in gas stations, that won't even be possible with a toad, so I'm not looking forward to that part. So many gas stations down here in the southeast, are not RV friendly, let alone RV/toad friendly. 😉

You are correct about gas stations and why we look for the big ones on the interstate. Particularly Flying J (bonus when they have RV lanes). Our Class C is also 32.5' long. And it's not only gas stations that you have to worry about, but its anywhere that you can get yourself into while towing anything (whether dolly or flat). You can easily find yourself unhooking/unloading in order to back up some and turn around.

We finally towed with the new ACME tow dolly this past weekend. Around 400 miles total (round trip). It performed well. I liked all the new changes with the exception of the adjustable tow straps. I much prefer the older ones. I noticed that when we got home that the outer actuator cap was missing. I know when I was hooking up the two dolly to come home, that I was sitting on top of that area while hooking up the safety chains/wiring. Not sure if I made it come loose or not. But anyway, I went onto ACME's website to order a new one as I remembered them selling them. They wanted $19.99 for the set (inner cap and outer cap) plus $11.99 flat rate shipping! No freaking way! Amazon had one for less than $2, but wanted over $8 for shipping. Found another place online, Pacific trailers, that had them for $1.64 each. I ordered 2 of them (to have a spare)and shipping was $4.11. $7.39 total price. Much better!

Unfortunately there aren't any Flying Js or Pilot gas stations until you get up around central FL. I got my dolly last Tues and got it set up last Thur and Fri. Only towed my wife's car for a few blocks. I crawled under the car to set the safety chains for the first tow - that won't happen again. I'm using their chains and added a couple of quick links and 2 shackles and will run the chains (inside some clear hose I had around the house) through the wheels and secure them to the front cross piece of the dolly.
Earlier today I got a reservation for Thur. through Sat. nights at a state park that's only about 60 miles from the house. It should be a good test run for the dolly.
That certainly sounds like a rip off for those caps. Did you lose any brake fluid? You could probably get the inner cap at any trailer supply shop, for considerably cheaper I would imagine. I don't think the outer cap is all that important

The inner cap remained...the outer is just a dust cover for the most part. As far as the chains, its a little cumbersome. I found it easier to do it from the front. I'm going to get a mat to use also.

[Mich_F]

wbwood wrote:

Mich F wrote:

wbwood wrote:

Mich F wrote:
After almost 4 years with my current MH, I finally got off the fence and ordered an Acme tow dolly with surge brakes, just this past Wed. Not looking forward to towing a car, although I've towed boats a number of times with previous motorhomes, it should be nice to have a smaller vehicle wherever we stop. :B

We think you will like it. Towing a car is easy. The hard part is remembering that it's back there.

With previous Class Cs of 22' and 24' I never had the need for a toad. This one at 32 1/2' is so much longer that there are many places it just can't go. I find a lot of times I have to back up, particularly in gas stations, that won't even be possible with a toad, so I'm not looking forward to that part. So many gas stations down here in the southeast, are not RV friendly, let alone RV/toad friendly. 😉

You are correct about gas stations and why we look for the big ones on the interstate. Particularly Flying J (bonus when they have RV lanes). Our Class C is also 32.5' long. And it's not only gas stations that you have to worry about, but its anywhere that you can get yourself into while towing anything (whether dolly or flat). You can easily find yourself unhooking/unloading in order to back up some and turn around.

We finally towed with the new ACME tow dolly this past weekend. Around 400 miles total (round trip). It performed well. I liked all the new changes with the exception of the adjustable tow straps. I much prefer the older ones. I noticed that when we got home that the outer actuator cap was missing. I know when I was hooking up the two dolly to come home, that I was sitting on top of that area while hooking up the safety chains/wiring. Not sure if I made it come loose or not. But anyway, I went onto ACME's website to order a new one as I remembered them selling them. They wanted $19.99 for the set (inner cap and outer cap) plus $11.99 flat rate shipping! No freaking way! Amazon had one for less than $2, but wanted over $8 for shipping. Found another place online, Pacific trailers, that had them for $1.64 each. I ordered 2 of them (to have a spare)and shipping was $4.11. $7.39 total price. Much better!

Unfortunately there aren't any Flying Js or Pilot gas stations until you get up around central FL. I got my dolly last Tues and got it set up last Thur and Fri. Only towed my wife's car for a few blocks. I crawled under the car to set the safety chains for the first tow - that won't happen again. I'm using their chains and added a couple of quick links and 2 shackles and will run the chains (inside some clear hose I had around the house) through the wheels and secure them to the front cross piece of the dolly.
Earlier today I got a reservation for Thur. through Sat. nights at a state park that's only about 60 miles from the house. It should be a good test run for the dolly.
That certainly sounds like a rip off for those caps. Did you lose any brake fluid? You could probably get the inner cap at any trailer supply shop, for considerably cheaper I would imagine. I don't think the outer cap is all that important