7. Shift the transfer case to N (Neutral). See “Shifting into Neutral” under Four-Wheel Drive on page 9‑43 for the proper procedure to select the neutral position for the vehicle.Two-wheel-drive vehicles should not be towed with the rear wheels on the ground. Two-wheel-drive transmissions have no provisions for internal lubrication while being towed.
Dolly.com doesn’t rent towing equipment, but it can help with other parts of the moving process. Use the company’s online marketplace to book moving help by the hour.
A car trailer is the better option if you’re traveling long distances, are nervous about towing a vehicle, and want to minimize the wear and tear on your vehicles.Your vehicle’s curb weight refers to how much the car weighs once the manufacturer moves it from the assembly line to the street curb. You can usually find a reference to your curb weight via a simple Google search (e.g., “2015 Honda Accord curb weight”).
The good news is that most rental companies can help you identify which towing option works best for your situation. Even better, you can get most of the information via a simple Google search. So don’t let the terminology stress you out.Car trailers are better from a wear-and-tear perspective because the towed vehicle never makes contact with the ground. As a result, your odometer stays dormant, your tires don’t lose any tread, and your drivetrain is unaffected.
Don’t stress too much about the weight, though. The company you rent your towing equipment from will usually tell you if you don’t qualify for a trailer.
It really comes down to your comfort level. If the idea of using towing equipment scares you, it’s probably not a better option than shipping your car or driving it yourself.
Car trailers and tow dollies are tools for towing one of your vehicles behind the other (or behind your moving truck). Think of them like two childhood games: piggyback rides and the human wheelbarrow. It’s easier to get your car onto a trailer than to hook it up to a tow dolly, pure and simple. For example, U-Haul lists a minimum of 23 steps and reminders to load your car dolly, but only 19 for loading your auto transport trailer. We’ll get into other differences below, but you get the idea. A car trailer carries your entire vehicle from one location to another, while a dolly lifts two wheels and leaves two on the ground.We should also point out that you’ll probably need to do this part yourself. Many companies (U-Haul included) won’t help you load your vehicles onto a car trailer or tow dolly for liability reasons. So it’s important to get a sense of how difficult they are to use.
Move.org offers a free, all-in-one solution that provides you with a personal concierge who will assist you in setting up all those services (and more!). From finding the best mover in your area, to forwarding your mail to your new address, our moving concierge removes the hassle of self setup and helps you save money.
Car dollies are like the human wheelbarrow. You load the two front wheels onto a mini-trailer called a dolly while the other two wheels stay on the ground. It’s not quite as hard on the towing vehicle, but both automobiles rack up wear and tear on the trip.Car trailers and tow dollies are popular alternatives to transporting your vehicle with a car shipping company. A tow dolly is a two-wheeled towing device that lifts your front tires off the ground. A car trailer (sometimes called a flatbed trailer) carries your entire vehicle during transport. Tow dollies cost about half as much as car trailers but add more wear and tear to your automobile—and are harder to drive.
Actual numbers can be tricky to pin down because of how many variables are at play—both with your vehicles and the towing equipment. But in general, a car trailer is about twice as expensive as a tow dolly.
Car trailers are easier to haul than tow dollies. While it takes practice to pull anything behind your vehicle, trailers have two features that make towing easier:Both options come with a bit of a learning curve, but car trailers are easier to handle than tow dollies. In making this determination, we looked at both how difficult it is to connect the trailer or dolly to your tow vehicle—and how easy it is to drive. We say a minimum because a dolly can require quite a bit of trial and error after the initial loading process to ensure it will drive properly. U-Haul also recommends checking your tire straps at every stop—not counting specific checks at 5 and 50 miles. You’re actually transporting two vehicles plus a trailer or dolly. The trip will be hard on the towing vehicle—and in some cases, it’s also tough on the towed vehicle.Car trailers are like piggyback rides. You load your entire car into the trailer and piggyback it all the way to your new location. It’s hard on the vehicle doing the towing but relatively pain-free for the car you’re hauling. To illustrate, we asked U-Haul—a popular moving company well-known for consistent pricing—to tell us how much it would cost to rent its car trailers and tow dollies. It costs about $1,500 to ship a car in an enclosed trailer, according to Move.org. Costs range from about $820 to ship a small car a few hundred miles to $2,040 to ship a large truck across the country. Most damage from car towing results from driver error. For example, if you don’t realize you can’t take turns as sharply as you can without a vehicle in tow, you’re likely to drive over a curb or two. This is a reminder that driving requires 100% of your attention. You don’t have to choose between a car trailer and a tow dolly if you don’t have the money to hire a car shipping company. Another affordable option is to drive the car yourself.When it comes to both car trailers and tow dollies, there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all. To find the right fit, you need to know several things about your vehicle, including the following:
Is it better to flat tow or dolly tow?
Your choice really comes down to cost, convenience, and distance. A tow dolly is the way to go for low costs, small vehicles, and local moves. A car trailer is the better option if you’re traveling long distances, are nervous about towing a vehicle, and want to minimize the wear and tear on your vehicles.
Depending on the towing equipment you rent, your towing vehicle typically needs to be at least 750 pounds heavier than the combined weight of the car you’re towing and the trailer or dolly.There’s more to moving than getting your belongings from A to B. If setting up insurance, internet, utilities, or home security services while planning your move makes you hyperventilate, we’ve got an answer for you! A tow dolly is ideal for short distances or within the same state because it’s more affordable, and there’s less wear and tear than on a long-distance trip. “Do one thing every day that scares you,” said Eleanor Roosevelt. Wise words from the former first lady, but it isn’t necessarily the most prudent advice for towing a car.
Can a tow dolly go long distance?
Towing dollies are suitable for front-wheel drive vehicles. Although a towing dolly can work for long-distance moves, it’s not the preferred method. The better option for long-distance towing is using an auto transport or “car hauler,” which is essentially a trailer designed specifically for carrying vehicles.
When it comes to distance traveled, some methods of transportation are better than others. You wouldn’t take a plane to get across a tiny lake, but you also wouldn’t swim the Atlantic to get from New York to London.The fact that a tow dolly doesn’t come with brakes and can’t go in reverse also makes things tricky. Accidents happen when drivers make lots of unusual turns because they can’t figure out how to straighten their dolly. For example, if you used a tow dolly to travel from Rochester, NY, to Los Angeles, CA, you’d have thousands of extra miles on just the rear tires. That can be inconvenient down the road if you end up making two different appointments to change your tires. It can even cost money if you decide the hassle isn’t worth it and replace all four tires (even though two of them still have a couple thousand miles of tread left). Car trailers are often heftier than dollies. This is important because your towing vehicle has to be heavier than the combined weight of the towed vehicle AND the auto transport trailer or dolly.The cheapest towing method is a tow dolly. Depending on how many days you need to rent one, a car tow dolly is about half as expensive as a car trailer, according to quotes obtained from U-Haul.
Tow dollies are designed for towing front-wheel-drive vehicles. All-wheel-drive, four-wheel drive, and rear-wheel-drive vehicles can be transported, but the driveshaft has to be disconnected. There is also a weight restriction for a tow dolly. Front-wheel-drive vehicles have to weigh less than 3,450 pounds, and rear-wheel-drive vehicles less than 3,900 pounds.There is no such problem for car carriers. Vehicles are loaded onto the carrier, and the experienced driver will have no issues trying to back up and maneuver the trailer.
If your car is a standard model then open car transport is suitable. Whereas, if your vehicle is high-value, unique, custom, classic, vintage, or modified, enclosed car transport is a better option.
If you want to tow a rear-wheel-drive car, you have to take out the driveshaft and place it forward on the tow dolly because of front clearance issues.
How safe are tow dollies?
A tow dolly is designed to protect your car from wear and tear on the highway, but that’s not their only advantage. Additional security reinforcements like safety chains, tire straps, and our very own galvanized disc brakes make driving a tow dolly much safer and more enjoyable.
According to a report released by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the average car weight tips the scales at more than 4,000 pounds, which means there will be lots of car owners who can’t use a tow dolly to move their car. Let’s give you some examples:Clearance issues are another consideration, as some vehicles are low to the ground or long in the front. It could mean that some components get dragged while towing, causing damage to bumpers, undercarriage parts, and body kits.
You may have noticed that we’ve mentioned using a trailer several times in this article. Let’s look at whether this is a viable alternative to using a tow dolly.
There’s a bit of a learning curve for both a dolly and a trailer, but a trailer is easier to handle. To begin with, it’s much easier to load and unload. A car trailer is more straightforward to haul than a tow dolly. However, it does take practice to pull anything behind your vehicle.
In contrast, an auto transport provider can move a little faster. There are some restrictions on the speed an auto transport trailer can travel, but they are not as low as a tow dolly. Flat towing, also known as four-down towing or dinghy towing involves attaching a tow bar to a suitable car, SUV, or pick-up and letting the vehicle roll along behind the towing vehicle on its own four tires. The typical cost to rent a car dolly is between $40 and $60 per day. The price depends on several things such as the location, whether the trip is one-way, and if the dolly will be picked up and dropped off at the same site.It is possible to tow a rear-wheel-drive vehicle on a tow dolly, but you’ll have to disconnect and remove the driveshaft so you don’t damage the transmission.Whether this option suits your car will depend on its make and model, its weight, length, and ground clearance. Dollies aren’t designed for every kind of car.
Companies that rent tow dollies include U-Haul, Budget Truck Rental, and Penske Truck Rental. Apart from U-Haul, most dolly rental companies only allow you to use the dolly behind one of their rental trucks. It’s not usual for you to be allowed to tow with a rental dolly behind your car.
With a car trailer, you load the entire vehicle onto the trailer and piggyback it to your chosen location. It can be hard work for the vehicle doing the towing, but for the vehicle being towed, it’s a walk in the park.If you’re towing a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicle, you’ll need to disconnect the rear axle. To do this, you first have to find the point underneath where the driveshaft connects to the differential.
What can go wrong with a tow dolly?
Tow dollies can cause problems when it comes to clearance. As tow dollies can only hold your vehicle from its front-drive wheels, if your car is long from the front, low to the ground, or has a ground effect the components may drag along the ground during the tow.
In this article, we’re going to explore what towing your vehicle entails, compared with using an auto transport company. Spend a few minutes reading what we’ve got to say, and you’ll have all the information necessary to make an informed decision about the cheapest way to tow a car long distance.Park the dolly as close as you safely and reasonably can to the front of the car you want to tow. Try to get it on flat, level ground. Leave the dolly in park, and secure the parking brake.
From a wear and tear perspective, a trailer is better than a dolly. The reason for this is that the vehicle you’re towing never makes contact with the ground. Your odometer never changes, your tires don’t lose and tread, and your drivetrain is unaffected.
Tow dollies are designed for front-wheel vehicles. Your vehicle should also have a 5000 pounds “curb weight” or less. To clarify whether you can tow your car using an auto transport dolly, it’s best to consult your vehicle owner’s manual.Hooking a vehicle up to a dolly is a complex undertaking, especially if you’re totally new. You also have to make sure the drive wheels have extra security to reduce any accident risk. Towing a rear-wheel vehicle is problematic because of the front clearance issue.
With an auto transport company, your vehicle is collected from outside your home and loaded onto a car transport trailer. No wheels of your car touch the ground, and it is transported safely to your chosen destination.
Clearance can be an issue if you’re considering towing using a dolly. If, for example, your car is long in the front, low to the ground, or has ground effects, some of the car components may drag on the ground.
Choose auto transport and you get several options to consider. Depending on your needs an auto transport company can tailor their service to meet your requirements.A dolly trailer, tow dolly, or car dolly is a trailer with two wheels that lifts only your car’s front wheels. When you tow a vehicle using a car transport dolly, the car’s rear wheels stay on the ground.
When you hook up the dolly, make sure you’ve got the right hitch and that it’s the right size. Then plug in the lights and make sure they correspond to your towing vehicle.
You need a ball hitch and a trailer lighting receptacle on the towing vehicle to tow a dolly. Not all trailer lighting receptacles are the same, so make sure the dolly and lights match your car. If they don’t match, you’ll need an adapter. The tow rig rental company generally provides this, or you can buy one at your local auto parts store.
If you ever need to move a car across the country, across state lines, or from one city to another, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at SGT Auto Transport. Our shipping advisors are waiting to hear from your on (864) 546-5038. Alternatively, you can use our Live Chat option.
Get a friend to help you while you drive the vehicle onto the dolly. They can guide you as you drive very slowly, making sure you’re as well-centered as possible. When your car is in the correct position, apply the parking brake, shift into park or both.
Auto transport, on the other hand, is a much safer option. Your vehicle is safely secured onto an auto transport trailer. You can travel to your final destination in a much safer way too. Why not sit back and relax on a train, plane, or bus, safe in the knowledge that your car is being safely transported to its final destination.
We’ve already explained that maneuvering a tow dolly is very difficult. If you need to back up to set the towed vehicle down, you’ll find it very challenging.If you ever need to move your car across the country, there are many different options available. Driving yourself is one of the most obvious. It certainly seems a cheap and easy way to do it. A big downside is the wear and tear a road trip will entail. Your dolly may also have a connection to use your tow car’s lights. Your owner’s manual should have details on where and how to plug it into your towed car’s electrical system. The simple answer is no. A truck is far too heavy to be towed with a dolly. Tow dollies are designed to carry no more than 3,450 lbs, or 3,900 lbs if the vehicle is rear-wheel-drive.
When it comes to auto transport, minimal effort is required on your part. The carrier company will load and unload the car. You just need to check your vehicle over before it’s loaded and upon delivery to ensure everything is in order.Hooking up a car to a tow dolly is also more complicated than loading a vehicle onto a trailer. You have to leave two wheels on the ground when you use a tow dolly, and the drive wheels must be extra secure to ensure the car stays on the dolly.
The transit times are very different when you compare a tow dolly vs. auto transport. When you tow a dolly, you have to maintain a slower-than-average speed to ensure the safety of yourself, the tow vehicle, and other road users.If the dolly you’re using comes with clamp-on or magnetic tail lights, make sure you lay them out of the way. Also, keep the connection for your car’s lighting safe.
Using a tow dolly for a long distance is not a good option. It will put your car through a lot of wear and tear, especially the vehicle’s rear wheels. Towing an elevated vehicle long distances may also undermine the structural integrity of your car. Luckily, you have plenty of other options, one of which is hiring an auto transport company. Another option that many people consider is to tow it from A to B. The cost of a car dolly trailer ranges between $2,000 to $4,500. The actual price depends on features such as materials used, the dolly’s towing capacity, and the type of brakes. This is a considerable outlay for a one-off journey, but there is the option of renting.
Trailer sway is a serious issue and one of the main problems with a car dolly. It is a risk when you drive at high speed and in bad weather when the roads become very slippery.
A tow dolly is an affordable option, especially if you’re thinking about renting. There are, however, other costs to take into account. There will be the cost of fuel to consider, accommodation, food, and drinks along the way. Don’t forget to add the cost of additional wear and tear to the bill as well.
Tow dollies typically have light built-in. However, some have a second set of lights you magnetically attach to your towed vehicle or clamp to the bumper. Use a thin layer of plastic or cloth to prevent any damage to your paintwork.
Your dolly should come equipped with nets, straps, chains, or a combination of all three. These are key to securing your vehicle to the dolly. Lay these out, so they’re ready to wrap around the tires when you need them.A car trailer is more expensive than a tow dolly, but there will be less wear and tear on your vehicle. A trailer is also safer to tow, and you can use it to transport a wide variety of vehicles.You can’t carry as much weight with a car dolly as you can with a trailer. Typically, a front-wheel or all-wheel drive car can’t exceed 3,450 pounds. A rear-wheel-drive car can’t weigh more than 3,900 pounds.
However, you have to take into account the extra strain being put on the vehicle that’s doing the towing. And because a trailer weighs much more than a dolly, it can get close to or even exceed your vehicle’s towing capacity, adding extra strain.
You can now wrap the nets around the tires and secure them. Alternatively, if you’re using chains or straps, wrap these around your axle. There may be a hook you can use, or you can connect directly to your car’s tow tongue or D-ring. One significant problem with car dollies is something called trailer sway. This is a fishtailing movement that occurs when you drive at high speeds. It’s also one of the leading causes of towing accidents and something more likely to happen if you drive when the weather is bad. Driving during bad weather is dangerous because the roads get slippery, and it’s more difficult to control the vehicle. When you tow a car with a dolly, two wheels are left on the ground, which means more wear and tear on those tires. The longer you use the dolly, the more wear and tear because more weight is being put on the tires when one end of the car is lifted.When a car is loaded onto a carrier trailer, there is minimal risk of wear and tear on your tires. If you choose an open trailer, your vehicle is exposed to the elements, but the risk of damage is virtually non-existent.
When you use a tow dolly, you must hook your car up correctly before you start towing. If you want to know how to tow a vehicle on a car dolly, here are the steps you must follow:When you tow a car using a dolly, the rear wheels are on the ground, and they have more weight on them because the front wheels are lifted. Over time, this means there is some risk of additional wear and tear.
We’ve already looked closely at using a tow dolly, but to understand whether auto transport is the better option, you need to appreciate the differences between these two options.
There are no such restrictions on auto transport. An auto transport company can move vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and weight. Heavy cars, long, short, and modified vehicles are no problem for an auto transport provider like SGT Auto Transport.Compared to a car trailer, a dolly is very difficult to maneuver. If you use a trailer, all four wheels of your vehicle are off the ground, which means you can back it up if necessary. This is not the case with a tow dolly. It is nigh on impossible to back up a tow dolly, which can be a problem if you need to back up to drop your vehicle in the correct place at your final destination.
Tow dollies are ideal for shorter distances, for example, within the same state. They are a more affordable option, and you can expect less wear and tear than on a long-distance journey.
If you’re about to travel with a tow dolly for the first time but aren’t very familiar with how to safely operate your RV with a car tow dolly, we’re here to help. We’ll address the safety, security, and must-have steps for using a tow dolly so you feel confident before your next road trip.
Before you hit the road, it’s essential to feel comfortable and confident about transporting your car on your tow dolly – and nothing provides peace of mind quite like tow dolly safety. By taking a few extra safety precautions, you and your tow dolly will be ready to take on your next adventure. Transporting your car on our galvanized disc brake tow dolly is incredibly safe, but it’s always best to take extra care on the road. In the end, you’ll feel more secure and happy during your travels! If you’ve ever wondered whether or not tow dollies were a safe method of vehicle transportation, we’re here to clear the air once and for all – tow dollies are completely safe and secure. In fact, car tow dollies are a more secure means of transport compared to traditional flat-towing. A tow dolly is designed to protect your car from wear and tear on the highway, but that’s not their only advantage. Additional security reinforcements like safety chains, tire straps, and our very own galvanized disc brakes make driving a tow dolly much safer and more enjoyable.Driving on the open road can be exciting and adventurous, but sometimes the highway is an intimidating place. Other drivers might not be as mindful of your RV and tow dolly as you are, so it’s essential to be ready for anything. That means taking additional precautions when it comes to operating your car tow dolly.At Car Tow Dolly, we design our tow dollies to be 100% secure and easy to navigate during assembly, loading, and use. The reinforcements of our safety chains, wheel straps, and galvanized disc brakes are only some of the features that make our tow dolly the best of its kind.
Another essential part of tow dolly safety has nothing to do with the dolly – it’s all about your driving! As easy as it is to push the accelerator, you must follow certain rules of the road when towing your vehicle. Otherwise, you’ll face difficulties while you’re driving!
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You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!iRV2.com RV Community – Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you’ll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it’s totally FREE! The tow assist device could also make hooking up to a trailer easier. It could move a trailer around by itself, or be guided using a handle, eliminating the need to reverse and line up with a hitch, the patent application states. While GM has not indicated production plans, this would give the automaker an answer to rival Ford’s driver-assist features for connecting a trailer. Automakers are always looking to one-up each other by increasing the towing capacity of their pickup trucks, which has led General Motors to contemplate a wild towing solution.An external unit like this gives drivers more flexibility, GM claims. It envisions customers using the device to tow heavier loads than their vehicles would otherwise be capable of. That eliminates the need to buy a certain vehicle just for occasional towing use, but it assumes drivers will be conscious of what they tow. Increasing towing capacity too much could put a load in a weight range that requires a CDL, regardless of what vehicle the driver is towing with.
Why can't you reverse with a tow dolly?
The vehicle-in-tow must be loaded facing forward (front wheels on tow dolly). Loading the vehicle-in-tow backwards can cause the tow vehicle and tow dolly “combination” to begin WHIPPING, which is violent and uncontrollable sway.
GM recently filed a patent application for a tow-assist device that boosts a vehicle’s towing capacity. Published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 21, 2023, but originally filed Oct. 21, 2019, the application is for a “tow assist system” based around a wheeled booster unit that couples between the tow vehicle and trailer.Electric motors would drive the tow-assist unit’s wheels, potentially with one motor per wheel to simulate a differential by altering the amount of power going to each wheel. Traction shouldn’t be a problem because the unit will carry most of a trailer’s tongue weight, GM notes in the patent application. The motors would be powered by an onboard battery pack, which could also be configured to help power a trailer, or even help charge the tow vehicle via bidirectional charging, which GM is starting to roll out in electric trucks like the GMC Hummer EV. GM didn’t say how much horsepower or torque the unit might produce.
The unit would have up to four wheels and hardware that allows it to couple with the hitches and a vehicle and trailer. Patent drawings also show a fifth-wheel attachment for towing those types of trailers. By turning its own wheels, the unit would supplement the tow vehicle, using onboard sensors to determine how much power to apply. It could also brake itself to assist with trailer braking, according to the patent application.
This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.Also remember that RV GPS systems are not foolproof. They have steered us wrong a number of times over the years. They help, but we still are sure to watch the road signs.
So in summary, whether to tow four down or with a tow dolly (or trailer) all comes down to your personal preference, needs and budget. That’s why we went into so much detail in our Finding the Ideal TOAD blog post .
Note, there are a LOT of different tow dollies out there and each of these would have different procedures for properly loading. So this process and the time involved can vary a bit. A four down towing hook-up is generally faster and easier than loading onto a tow dolly.
No, but it really is going to depend on the size of your RV and where you plan to camp. Our RV is 36 feet long (35’10” to be exact) and so far, we have had no problem storing our tow dolly on our site at campgrounds. If necessary (not often) we can slide the dolly under the rear of our RV up to 80%.
Update. in 2016 we broke our own rule of seeing the parking lot exit before entering a parking lot at a hotel. This resulted in needing to unhook the car and tow dolly. Then a five point turn with the RV before reconnecting. All together the delay was only 15 minutes because I was very experienced with the process by then.As an aside, we like that our RV also has a built-in rear camera. This allows us to keep an eye on the MINI and tow dolly while driving. The rear camera also helps a LOT when backing the RV. Especially true when backing the RV with an empty tow dolly because the short tow dolly and long RV wheelbase gets tricky.
Do tow dollies damage cars?
Using a tow dolly for a long distance is not a good option. It will put your car through a lot of wear and tear, especially the vehicle’s rear wheels.
Our tow dolly also has built-in surge brakes which was important to us. Plus, being lightweight and not having a swivel deck makes it easier to move by hand which is very important. You will often want/need to disconnect the dolly if you are going to be backing into a campsite. Roadmaster and Demco are other popular tow dolly choices.Update 2022. Our current RV is a Class C RV, and we mostly just travel with e-bikes on the back. But we still tow our Jeep with it four down sometimes.
Is it better to flat tow or use a dolly?
Your choice really comes down to cost, convenience, and distance. A tow dolly is the way to go for low costs, small vehicles, and local moves. A car trailer is the better option if you’re traveling long distances, are nervous about towing a vehicle, and want to minimize the wear and tear on your vehicles.
Some campgrounds, where space is at a premium, may charge extra for you to store your tow dolly (or trailer) separately if it doesn’t fit on your site. But so far we have not encountered that.Of course, a truck might be your preferred runaround vehicle. We saw a guy in Santa Fe who was driving a big tag axle coach with a cruiser lift on the back for one Harley. He was also towing a full size truck four-down with a second Harley in the bed of that truck. I guess he found the towing combo that worked for him!
Yes, it does take more time and is a little more work to load the car onto the tow dolly than simply hooking up direct to the RV with a four down towing solution. But it is not a difficult process. It takes me about 10 minutes to load onto the tow dolly and 4-5 minutes to unload now that I am practiced at it.
If you have a much bigger RV it may pose more of a problem but not necessarily. Many campgrounds offer large sites that can easily accommodate RVs, dollies and a towed vehicle. You may need to call ahead to check RV site sizes for peace of mind.Plus the Jeeps were more expensive than we wanted to spend on a TOAD and gas mileage on the MINI is awesome (30 mpg) which helps offset the coach mileage of 7 mpg. This is a point worth considering. Doing all of your errands and exploring in a gas guzzling truck might not be ideal if fuel economy is important to you.
Do I put my car in neutral when using a tow dolly?
Whether you are using a dolly or flat towing the vehicle, leave the transmission in neutral and tow. You don’t have to have any special equipment or leave the engine running.
Don’t expect to get it done that quickly on your first try! It took me much longer in the early days when I was new at it. The first time took me about 30 minutes.
Tow dollies are primarily used for front wheel drive cars as the drive wheels are elevated. Rear wheel drive vehicles are generally not as well suited for tow dollies. But some rear drive cars can be mounted backwards in a pinch.
Do I put my car in neutral when towing with dolly?
Whether you are using a dolly or flat towing the vehicle, leave the transmission in neutral and tow. You don’t have to have any special equipment or leave the engine running.
After all, this is about helping you create a fun, adventurous life. One that enables you to really explore all of the places you’ve always wanted to see. And in the way that is most enjoyable for you!
What cars should you not tow with a tow dolly?
Rear wheel drive vehicles are generally not as well suited for tow dollies. But some rear drive cars can be mounted backwards in a pinch. Four wheel drive vehicles generally must be towed four down or on a trailer. Most four wheel drive vehicles cannot be towed on a dolly.
To help offset this, we do nearly all our planning with an RV specific GPS which allows you to plug in the specific dimensions of your RV/setup and guide you to roads and places that are friendly to your vehicle. This can reduce the likelihood or need to turn around at all.d) Protecting the car – Our Cooper S is a low profile vehicle. We felt the tow dolly would do a better job of protecting the MINI while being hauled around the country behind our RV!
When towing a car on a dolly, just like towing four-down, you cannot use reverse. If you end up in a sticky situation, you could certainly unhook a four-down vehicle more easily. You would not need to figure out what to do with the tow dolly.
Yes, more than three years later, we were still happy with our choice of everything in our setup. We enjoy our Tiffin motorhome, MINI, and tow dolly. The combo works really well for us. That said, if we had chosen another vehicle (say a Jeep or a Honda CRV – both very popular TOADS) and were willing to spend the extra $, we would definitely have more seriously considered towing four down.
It’s a good place to start. And, if it’s time to consider switching out your car or truck to something else (as we did) the article will help you get clear on what vehicle will best satisfy your personal needs while maximizing your travel experience.Yes, if you are prepared to make the $3-4k investment in the setup. Especially if you plan on keeping your same vehicle as your TOAD for a while. And, of course, you have a vehicle that is well suited to being towed four-down. It is a great option and we would certainly recommend this path for others who felt it was a better fit for their needs.a) Our choice of TOAD – a Mini Cooper S Convertible. A tow dolly was our preferred option largely BECAUSE we chose a MINI. We are both car lovers so having a fun TOAD and especially a sporty convertible was very high value for us. One of our favorite ways to explore an area is to go out for a long drive. We love hugging scenic, curvy roads with the wind in our hair and a smile on our faces. And, we’re almost always in favorable weather. So it’s pretty hard to beat!
