Thoughts on ACME Electric Tow Dolly?

[ADOR]

I have been thinking about purchasing a tow dolly to take our 2013 VW GTI with us during road trips (actual car in the picture). I went to a local camping world yesterday and found a parked RV with the exact tow dolly attached. I parked my car next to it to find out if the ramp will clear the bottom of my car. It looked like it will NOT. Also, on the Q&A portion of Camping World's website, it clearly stated that the Loading Ramps are neither removable nor retractable. So, that will be a PROBLEM. Another problem is that this will only take tire size up to 17inches. I have 19inch wheel/tire.

I really like the Roadmaster Camping World, Item # 42252. Cost is $1,679, Freight Cost $500, plus assembly fee of about $600 (It was in one HUGE box and several smaller boxes). Total Cost will be around $2,779.

I found another manufacturer, ACME Tow Dolly with Electric Brake, SKU: 200. Ramps are REMOVABLE. Wheel straps "are completely adjustable from 13 inch to 20 inch tires", according to their website. Cost is $1,699, Shipping $349.99, TOTAL Cost $2,048.99.


Anyone have experience with the AXME Tow Dolly? Good or Bad? Any other company with removable ramps that you can recommend?.

I also looked into FLAT towing. But the cost is a lot more than Tow Dolly. Also with Tow Dolly, I will be able to tow a different car in the future, in case we decide to get another car (as long as it is within the Tow Dolly weight limit).

My Car next to Roadmaster Tow Dolly



ACME Tow Dolly with Electric Brake

[Campinghoss]

Baja Man----I think the comment ACME made on locking columns was in reference to steering wheels use to lock whether the key was removed or not. I remember some of my earlier vehicles being that way. Most of them now only lock when the key is removed. I think that is what they told me. Your thoughts are correct on the way it works. When I got mine home I put my Highlander on the dolly and had my wife drive around while I watched how it worked.
Travel Safe

[Baja_Man]

Since I am also interested in a tow dolly, I have made a few observations about American tow dolly and ACME.

ACME claims to have removed the articulating pans several years ago. This is a pan where wheels would sit and rotate during turns . The change was made, according to ACME, in response to most car makers eliminating locking steering wheels as part of the vehicle's security system. Not sure about that claim, as my newer cars, 2012 and and 2016, both have locking steering wheels.

The inverted language refers to......instead of turning the steering wheel to make the front wheels turn, the car is turned (with front wheels strapped in straight position) causing the front wheels/steering wheel to turn as seen in video.

My simple brain looked at it this way.....take a car that is sitting on flat level ground. If the front wheels/tires are glued down to the ground and I place a floor jack under center of rear axle, jack rear of car up off ground a few inches, and the slide jack and car to the right or left. The steering wheel will rotate in the same direction that the car is slide across the ground.

American: They claim to use a swivel table for front wheels (this is what ACME has removed from their dollies several years ago). No video on their website so no way to how it actually works. With a swiveling table. I would assume the front steering wheel is left in a locked position. There website makes no mention of this so I am not completely sure about this point.

Anyways, I am still looking for information related to swivel table vs non swivel table models.

[navcom488]

mowermech wrote:
Again, the front wheels of the towed vehicle are tied to the dolly. Tied very tightly, in fact. They can not turn side to side! they can not steer the dolly!
Yes, the video shows the steering wheel of the towed vehicle moving. HOW is it moving? What is twisting or bending under the vehicle to allow the steering wheel to move?
The video does NOT show the dolly wheels or the towed vehicle wheels turning, only the steering wheel. Until I see the vehicle front wheels steering the dolly, or the dolly wheels actually steering, I simply do not and can not believe what the video is showing and the narrator is saying!

With the wheels tied to the dolly, they are no longer the pivot point for the car steering axis, instead the car itself pivots or moves on its steering axis as the front wheels of the car remain fixed and track with the dolly. I believe the narrator in the video uses the term 'inverted" to describe the steering geometry in play here.

[mowermech]

Again, the front wheels of the towed vehicle are tied to the dolly. Tied very tightly, in fact. They can not turn side to side! they can not steer the dolly!
Yes, the video shows the steering wheel of the towed vehicle moving. HOW is it moving? What is twisting or bending under the vehicle to allow the steering wheel to move?
The video does NOT show the dolly wheels or the towed vehicle wheels turning, only the steering wheel. Until I see the vehicle front wheels steering the dolly, or the dolly wheels actually steering, I simply do not and can not believe what the video is showing and the narrator is saying!

[Campinghoss]

Again, got one, like it, fully understand physics, chemistry and dangles to the angles. Use the ACME behind my truck and motor home. I guess you just would have to see one in person to understand.

[RJsfishin]

mowermech wrote:

fpresto wrote:

RJsfishin wrote:
Imagine flat towing w/ the steering wheel locked in center position.
That is exactly how a rigid frame dolly works, you are dragging the tires around corners.

Could you explain what you are saying? The steering wheel is not locked and the wheels turn with the dolly. Exactly how are the tires being dragged? I am not sure that you know how the ACME works.

I am not surprised that anyone would not know how the Acme works. I have watched the video several times, and I still don't know how it works. SOMETHING under the vehicle is twisting, causing the steering wheel to turn, and I do not know what it is. Keep in mind, the wheels are strapped down tightly. What is twisting under there to cause the steering wheel to turn?
---------------------------------------------------------
If you have to ask me to explain what I am saying, then you will never understand.
Mowertek seems to be the only one that understands what is really going on here.
I had a Demco dolly w/ the steerable system, the best IMO. It could be locked in the center position for towing the dolly by itself. A couple times I forgot to unlock it,.....which would then make it exactly the same as a rigid frame dolly, such as the Acme. It worked fine, no real problem, except in a sharp turn, it would slightly drag the dolly sidewise,.......which you do not notice in the video because they don't show any sharp turns, nor do they want you to see.
it. But see it or not, the whole unit is under stress when in a turn,....severe stress in a sharp tur.
But no real problem,.....as seen in the reviews. So if it works good enuff for you, go for it. But don't ever think that a steerable wheeled dolly is not better.
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.

[Campinghoss]

I have had a ACME surge brake dolly for a while and pulled a Toyota Highlander for a few thousand miles and have never had a problem with wheels or bearings on the dolly. Personally I really like ours.

[mowermech]

fpresto wrote:

RJsfishin wrote:
Imagine flat towing w/ the steering wheel locked in center position.
That is exactly how a rigid frame dolly works, you are dragging the tires around corners.

Could you explain what you are saying? The steering wheel is not locked and the wheels turn with the dolly. Exactly how are the tires being dragged? I am not sure that you know how the ACME works.

I am not surprised that anyone would not know how the Acme works. I have watched the video several times, and I still don't know how it works. SOMETHING under the vehicle is twisting, causing the steering wheel to turn, and I do not know what it is. Keep in mind, the wheels are strapped down tightly. What is twisting under there to cause the steering wheel to turn?
I do not like the whole idea, and I would never buy the Acme dolly. The American Car Dolly is less expensive, it has turntable steering, and it is delivered right to your door, free, set up and ready to use. If I were to buy a NEW dolly, that is what it would be!
But, I will probably buy a used dolly that has steering and brakes.

[fpresto]

RJsfishin wrote:
Imagine flat towing w/ the steering wheel locked in center position.
That is exactly how a rigid frame dolly works, you are dragging the tires around corners.

Could you explain what you are saying? The steering wheel is not locked and the wheels turn with the dolly. Exactly how are the tires being dragged? I am not sure that you know how the ACME works.

[wbwood]

RJsfishin wrote:
Imagine flat towing w/ the steering wheel locked in center position.
That is exactly how a rigid frame dolly works, you are dragging the tires around corners. It works, but the steerable wheeled dollies make a lot more sense.
There is only one reason to make a rigid frame dolly, cheeeeeeeep !
And the only people that would buy electric over surge brakes, are the ones who don't know any better.

With the steering wheel unlocked, the steering wheel turns on the car. The front wheels sit up over the wheels of the dolly, there is still turning. No tires are being dragged around corners. watch the video....

[wbwood]

navcom488 wrote:

wbwood wrote:
We had and ACME tow dolly with the surge brakes. We don't have it anymore, not because we didn't like it. But because we no longer had a towable car at the time being. We sold it for what we paid for it as the prices went up a little on them. We will be purchasing another in the future as we now have a towable car. We loved ours...Fortunately for us, we live only an hour away from the manufacturer and pick up from them, saving the freight charge (which is now higher than it was a couple years ago). I don't think you will be dissatisfied with it. If you can swing the extra $100 for the surge (hydraulic brake) one, then I would go that way. No need to worry about a brake controller. They are really nice people and the owner quickly responds to emails.

wbwood: I'm looking at the ACME for my VW, towed behind our Winnie Aspect 30J. I see your rig is similar in length. I have no experience with dolly towing and have read all the negatives on them, but am thinking it might be the solution to our wanting to reduce the weight we are pulling with the E-450. Our current toad is a Chevy Equinox which weighs in at 4,400#.

Question: What sort of tongue weight did you experience with your car and did you feel the car back there? I guess I should ask what car you were pulling on the dolly. Our VW has a front axle weight of around 1180#, which translates loosely to a tongue weight of around 227# according to ACME website which says tongue weight is 10-15% of front axle weight. 227# is significant compared to the roughly 50# that our Blue Ox weighs. To stay with 4 down we would have to purchase another car, which is also in the mix....say a Smart Car or Mini.

We towed two different cars. One was a Toyota Yaris, and weighed around 2200lbs. The other was a Ford Focus and weighed over 3000lbs. Not an issue on either one and no, could not tell that they were back there.

[navcom488]

wbwood wrote:
We had and ACME tow dolly with the surge brakes. We don't have it anymore, not because we didn't like it. But because we no longer had a towable car at the time being. We sold it for what we paid for it as the prices went up a little on them. We will be purchasing another in the future as we now have a towable car. We loved ours...Fortunately for us, we live only an hour away from the manufacturer and pick up from them, saving the freight charge (which is now higher than it was a couple years ago). I don't think you will be dissatisfied with it. If you can swing the extra $100 for the surge (hydraulic brake) one, then I would go that way. No need to worry about a brake controller. They are really nice people and the owner quickly responds to emails.

wbwood: I'm looking at the ACME for my VW, towed behind our Winnie Aspect 30J. I see your rig is similar in length. I have no experience with dolly towing and have read all the negatives on them, but am thinking it might be the solution to our wanting to reduce the weight we are pulling with the E-450. Our current toad is a Chevy Equinox which weighs in at 4,400#.

Question: What sort of tongue weight did you experience with your car and did you feel the car back there? I guess I should ask what car you were pulling on the dolly. Our VW has a front axle weight of around 1180#, which translates loosely to a tongue weight of around 227# according to ACME website which says tongue weight is 10-15% of front axle weight. 227# is significant compared to the roughly 50# that our Blue Ox weighs. To stay with 4 down we would have to purchase another car, which is also in the mix....say a Smart Car or Mini.

[RJsfishin]

Imagine flat towing w/ the steering wheel locked in center position.
That is exactly how a rigid frame dolly works, you are dragging the tires around corners. It works, but the steerable wheeled dollies make a lot more sense.
There is only one reason to make a rigid frame dolly, cheeeeeeeep !
And the only people that would buy electric over surge brakes, are the ones who don't know any better.

[Campinghoss]

iyamtony wrote:
I See everyone say leave the steering wheel unlocked. Dont y'all think you should also leave the car in neutral? The dolly is going to rotate the front wheels going over humps and dips. Or am I just talking about the obvious. Maybe the book sez to leave it in neutral and I missed. I better go back read it again and pay closer attention.

The ACME says to leave the steering unlocked with transmission in park. Some of the other types which the dolly itself turns are known for hitting the door or front panel of the toad if you turn short. I don't know of any dolly that you should leave the transmission in neutral. The ACME is a little more expensive but well worth the money in my opinion.