Tow Dolly VS flat tow

[northshore]

I have a 2013 Toyota RAV4 FWD that I believe can be towed with the use of a tow dolly. The RAV ("for us") is just an ok car, it doesn't live up to expectations, but that is another topic.
Is it better to flat tow VS tow dolly, for you that have experience with either or both methods please give your opinions.
If I decide to flat tow I will more than likely look for a Honda CRV 2014 or older. The other choice may be a, later model Ford Edge v6.
I will be towing it with my 2006 F 350 DRW hauling a Lance 1130 cab over camper.
All opinions are welcome, thank you

[Powertour]

camperdave wrote:

mowermech wrote:

Just keep in mind that there may be a huge difference between what others say can't be done, and what YOU can do!

Truth!

personally since were usually toadless, I find it best to rent a uhaul dolly the one or two times a year I want a toad. That's best for me.

In fact, that's not a bad idea if you are not sure, and already own the Rav4. Rent a Uhaul dolly for a trip and see what you think. It's only ~$50/day, and will give you personal experience instead of other peoples opinions.

I like the way you approach this! This coming weekend we cracked that nut by renting a car in our destination area thru Costco. $60-something bucks & we're good.... not having to be subjected to CA's 55-mph speed limit for towing is a good thing if you can swing it!

[northshore]

Carringb
Thanks for that heads up, its something I didn't think about. I'm pretty sure I'm leaning toward flat towing.

[carringb]

One more consideration... since you have a relatively short wheelbase compared to most RVs, and you must be using a hitch extension with the camper (?), you'll be able to easily turn sharp enough to put the fenders of the dolly into the door of the car. Even when I was dolly-towing my little Fiesta, I couldn't turn full-lock without things rubbing (it was a turntable model... maybe a steerable version would have cleared better).

[northshore]

Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate the insight on both sides of the question.
Ill take to heart all the comments about all the pros and cons and will have to decide pretty soon.
I do like the idea of renting a tow dolly from u haul for a trial run. Never gave that a thought until it was mentioned.
Thanks

[lane_hog]

robatthelake wrote:
I have also observed that finding a place to Store a Tow Dolly and the effort involved attaching the Towed vehicle onto those things appears to me to be just as difficult as installing and connecting any Tow Bar!

Never had a problem storing mine even in the most cramped of NPS campgrounds at Yellowstone, GC, Tetons, Zion, a KOA or three, or countless state parks. If we can land a 50 foot pull-thru, we don't even need to disconnect. On a 35 foot back-in site, you wouldn't even know the dolly was behind the motorhome unless you looked.

My wife can drive up the dolly ramps and secure the wheels just as well as I can, and has done so on trips she took without me.

Somehow, I can't imagine her trying to remove the front end of the Jeep to install a baseplate...

robatthelake wrote:

Now I am reading that they are only reliable for a couple of years !

Huh. My dolly is seven years old, and showing no signs of unreliability aside maybe from a set of tires now and then.

[happy2rv]

robatthelake wrote:
I’m reasonably mechanically inclined and as such have installed multiple Tow Bars And Baseplates on various vehicles over the last 20 or so years!

I can see that many people are uncomfortable installing their own hardware and that’s alright ,we can’t all be the same.

I have also observed that finding a place to Store a Tow Dolly and the effort involved attaching the Towed vehicle onto those things appears to me to be just as difficult as installing and connecting any Tow Bar!

Now I am reading that they are only reliable for a couple of years !

We had one installed and I installed the second one. We bought the Suzuki Aerio new and took it to the "professionals" to have the tow bar installed. It cost a small fortune, but I thought it was worth it. They had to take the entire front end off of that car to install the base plate. What I didn't realize until later was they only put half the front end back on. They left out the bumper core, no doubt because it would have had to have been modified to fit around the base plate. That meant the front bumper was a hollow piece of plastic. A piece of a tire thrown up from a car in front of me tore most of the front bumper off. Can't imagine what would have happened if we actually hit something substantial. We didn't own that car long...

I installed the base plate on our Ranger. It took a couple of hours but I would do it again. Not nearly as invasive as the Suzuki. I miss the Ranger. It was a great truck.

[robatthelake]

I’m reasonably mechanically inclined and as such have installed multiple Tow Bars And Baseplates on various vehicles over the last 20 or so years!

I can see that many people are uncomfortable installing their own hardware and that’s alright ,we can’t all be the same.

I have also observed that finding a place to Store a Tow Dolly and the effort involved attaching the Towed vehicle onto those things appears to me to be just as difficult as installing and connecting any Tow Bar!

Now I am reading that they are only reliable for a couple of years !

[camperdave]

mowermech wrote:

Just keep in mind that there may be a huge difference between what others say can't be done, and what YOU can do!

Truth!

personally since were usually toadless, I find it best to rent a uhaul dolly the one or two times a year I want a toad. That's best for me.

In fact, that's not a bad idea if you are not sure, and already own the Rav4. Rent a Uhaul dolly for a trip and see what you think. It's only ~$50/day, and will give you personal experience instead of other peoples opinions.

[mowermech]

IMO, there is no "better" or "best", there is only what YOU are willing to do, and what YOUR vehicle requires.
we towed our PT Cruiser on a dolly from Billings to Chattanooga and back. We did not experience much of what the naysayers and doomsayers tend to say.
we tow our Jeep Wrangler four down, and don't experience much of what the doomsayers and naysayers say. For instance, if anyone mentions using a fixed arm adjustable width Reese towbar ($165 at Walmart), there will be many negative comments, the first of which will be "You can't hook it to the motorhome by yourself, you WILL need help!" UMMM... Golly... I do that frequently, no problem.
Just keep in mind that there may be a huge difference between what others say can't be done, and what YOU can do!
Another "for instance" (aimed at me); if you want an inexpensive non-steering dolly, go for it. Personally, I will never own one. I want king pin steering (Demco KarKaddy, expensive) or a turn-table steering (American Car Dolly, Mastertow, etc., comparatively inexpensive).
Regardless of which way you go, there are many used ones available, often at half the price of new.
Good luck.

[Bumpyroad]

if you are going to flat tow, be sure to check the owner's manual for approval/instructions. that is the only valid source, not third party.
bumpy

[lane_hog]

(sigh)

We use a dolly, and have for about 13 years.

With a dolly, you don't a baseplate installed or a special wiring harness, which can run $1000 or more just to get it set up.

You won't need to spend $1000 or more on a supplemental brake.

If you tow once or twice a year, the dolly is a good option to consider. If you're out at least one week per month year round, flat towing is probably cost justified.

[happy2rv]

I would only consider Dolly towing as a temporary option. If you have a need to tow different vehicles on a regular basis, it is a viable option. Most, including us, find it much more convenient/expedient to flat tow.

We sold the motor home several years ago and we've recently re-entered the RV market with a travel trailer. But when we had our motor homes, we researched both and decided the convenience of flat towing was definitely our preference.

Research equipment options to understand the pros and cons of each brand and type of tow bar set up.

[DFord]

I've tried both ways and prefer towing 4 down.

You can do your research here at Motorhome Magazine's Dinghy Towing Guides - they have archives going back several years

I soon tired of dragging the tow dolly around. And heaven forbid, you get to a spot where you need to drop the car to turn around. My first venture into towing 4 down required a driveshaft disconnect back in the mid 80s and I'm still using it today when I tow my Aerostar. When I tow my HHR, all I have to do is pull a fuse, put the transmission in neutral and leave the key is the ACC position. The cost of equipping your towable car for towing can be a lot if you can't attached the bracket, wire the brake lights and setup a braking system yourself.

Neither the tow dolly or your 4 down towed can be backed up more than a couple of feet without causing damage so that's toss-up. Don't do it and be safe!

[STBRetired]

When we first started in the MH we towed with a dolly. That lasted about 1 1/2 years and we went to flat tow. Will never go back. Changing cars required buying new base plate. Everything else carried over.

BTW Love our Edge.