towing front wheel drive vehicle

[dsa3778]

Can anyone tell me if you need to lock the steering wheel when towing a vehicle on a tow dolly? We have a front wheel drive Toyota Highlander and are planning on towing it behind the RV on a tow dolly (2 front tires on the tow, 2 back tires on the ground). Some people said we need to lock the steering wheel, some say you shouldn't. Does it matter?

[willald]

Caddywhompus wrote:

dsa3778 wrote:

mowermech wrote:
EDIT: I should have mentioned that I have a Demco dolly with steering.
I would really like to see one of those Acme EZE tow dollys that have the vehicle steering do the steering for the dolly. I find it difficult to believe! Seeing is believing. When I see it, I will believe it.

I too am having a hard time wrapping my head around this - so towing a car without wheels locked will steer a tow dolly that does not pivot?

I have worked with the static, non-pivoting car dollies in the past. I hate them. Yes, they rely on the cars steering wheels to be free so you can go around corners. The concept is similar to using a tow-bar and towing with all 4 wheels on the ground, and the car will steer itself as it track behind the motorhome. The difference is simply lifting the front wheels up and putting the dolly underneath.

I hate them because they are a pain in the butt. You have limited turning radius before the fenders of the dolly will actually hit the vehicle itself. They handle extremely poorly, and I also found it hard to keep the car strapped down because constant relative motion always had the straps working loose. (I would tighten them at every gas stop). Given the choice, I will never use a static car dolly again, nor would I recommend them to anyone.....

Caddy, check out the videos on Acme's web page of their EZE tow dolly in action. This is an example of a non-pivoting dolly that works really, really well. I think they have a video or two on Youtube as well that shows it as well.

Mowermech: If seeing is believing, check out the videos I mentioned above, you will see it with your own eyes, like I did when I owned one. 🙂

Until I saw, used an Acme EZE dolly, I would have agreed with Caddy that a pivoting dolly is a better choice. However, the way Acme has designed their EZE dolly kinda changes things.

It will turn in as tight a radius as you want, and the fenders will NOT hit the towed vehicle. I know, because I owned one and saw it with my own eyes. I didnt believe it, either, so one day I hitched it all up, went to a parking lot and tested it out. I could literally turn to the point the front of the towed vehicle was about to touch the back of the MH, just about a 90 degree angle. There was ZERO contact between the dolly and towed vehicle when I did this. Has to do with how they use a little smaller wheels, fenders on the dolly and where they are positioned.

..All this, in a dolly that costs almost half as much as many pivot table dollies, weighs half as much (yet still can handle 5,000 lbs of car), AND with its low profile and detachable ramps, can stow almost completely under the back of a MH. Takes up less space behind a MH than the ridiculously over-priced Demco Kar Kaddy SS with its folding tongue and ramps. There is no question, if we ever go back to towing with a dolly, it will be with an Acme EZE dolly.

I too had problems initially with the wheels working out of the straps. However, after I learned how to do it correctly using a few techniques discussed on these forums, that was not a problem.

[Caddywhompus]

dsa3778 wrote:

mowermech wrote:
EDIT: I should have mentioned that I have a Demco dolly with steering.
I would really like to see one of those Acme EZE tow dollys that have the vehicle steering do the steering for the dolly. I find it difficult to believe! Seeing is believing. When I see it, I will believe it.

I too am having a hard time wrapping my head around this - so towing a car without wheels locked will steer a tow dolly that does not pivot?

I have worked with the static, non-pivoting car dollies in the past. I hate them. Yes, they rely on the cars steering wheels to be free so you can go around corners. The concept is similar to using a tow-bar and towing with all 4 wheels on the ground, and the car will steer itself as it track behind the motorhome. The difference is simply lifting the front wheels up and putting the dolly underneath.

I hate them because they are a pain in the butt. You have limited turning radius before the fenders of the dolly will actually hit the vehicle itself. They handle extremely poorly, and I also found it hard to keep the car strapped down because constant relative motion always had the straps working loose. (I would tighten them at every gas stop). Given the choice, I will never use a static car dolly again, nor would I recommend them to anyone. They are cheap because they are simple, but you get what you pay for.

Find a modern conventional tow-dolly with pivoting platforms for the cars wheels, lock the steering wheel and remove your keys. Everything will work better. They invented these as an improvement to the above.

[dsa3778]

mowermech wrote:
EDIT: I should have mentioned that I have a Demco dolly with steering.
I would really like to see one of those Acme EZE tow dollys that have the vehicle steering do the steering for the dolly. I find it difficult to believe! Seeing is believing. When I see it, I will believe it.

I too am having a hard time wrapping my head around this - so towing a car without wheels locked will steer a tow dolly that does not pivot?

[Caddywhompus]

The answer has to do with the dolly you are using. If it has a pivoting platform under the front wheels, then the vehicle's steering MUST be locked for the trailer to function correctly.

Cheaper dollies may not have the pivoting platform, and these types rely on the vehicles steering to be unlocked in order to turn around corners. In most cars, you have to leave the keys in the ignition and have the ignition unlocked at all times because otherwise the wheel wheel lock at the first turn you make.

[willald]

Check the manuals that came with your dolly, as it really depends on the tow dolly.

If the dolly you have is like many and has a 'pivot table' or platform the vehicle sits on that rotates/pivots, then yes, you need to lock the steering column. However, as you've already indicated, your vehicle already has such lock and will lock automatically as soon as you start towing. Sooo, if this (pivot table) is the kind of dolly you have, you don't have to worry about it.

OTOH, if you have a dolly like the Acme EZE tow dolly that does not use a pivot table, in that case the dolly instructions will tell you to leave the steering column unlocked, so front wheels can pivot/steer. This is not as common, but such dollies are out there.

[ryhed]

I for one wouldn't want it to try and steer behind me.

[dsa3778]

So do we want it locked while we drive? Someone told us we don't want it to lock and now we are unsure what we need to do, or if we are just stressing about it for nothing! We figured that wheels lock and that is how you normally tow!

*Sent this before seeing Mowermech reply...you answered my question, thanks!

[mowermech]

When I load my PT Cruiser on the dolly, I don't worry about it, I just shut the car off, and remove the key. If the steering lock engages, fine. If it doesn't, it probably will sooner or later as things move while it is being towed.
I have had no trouble in several thousand miles of towing.

EDIT: I should have mentioned that I have a Demco dolly with steering.
I would really like to see one of those Acme EZE tow dollys that have the vehicle steering do the steering for the dolly. I find it difficult to believe! Seeing is believing. When I see it, I will believe it.

[JRS___B]

But you only have to turn the wheel a couple of degrees. In the last several vehicles I have owned, even the slightest movement is enough to engage the lock.

[dsa3778]

It doesn't lock automatically, you have to turn the wheel until it clicks (locks)

[JRS___B]

Doesn't the steering wheel automatically lock when you shut off the engine?