Archive for the ‘Dinghy Towing’ Category

Most long-term and fulltime RVers avoid using tow dollies by insuring the car they tow is capable of being towed 4-down. A tow dolly simply adds more equipment, maintenance and steps in the hitching process.

However a tow dolly is and acceptable alternative to 4-down towing when you want to use your vehicle on vacations or other short-term travel. With that in mind here are a few tip for using a tow dolly.

• Read the manufacturer’s instructions that came with the tow dolly before doing anything. If you rented the tow dolly, you should have received a manual from the rental company.
• Make sure the hitch and receiver are rated to tow the combined weight of the tow dolly and vehicle and the appropriate size trailer hitch ball is used. The manual should specify of the required trailer hitch ball. Also check the manual to see if the tow dolly has surge breaks because this will affect the required capacity for the trailer hitch.
• Engage the parking break on the tow vehicle before any loading or unloading.
• Check safety chains for proper attachment.
• The dolly should be securely hitched to the tow vehicle and on a level ground before driving the car on off.
• Drive the vehicle onto the dolly with its front wheels. Attach the lights to the back of the vehicle and test the blinkers and break lights. These lights are usually magnetic and attach directly to the top of the trunk.
• Secure the car to the tow dolly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This usually involves straps over the car’s tires.
• Stop after a few miles of travel to check the tie down straps and readjust/tighten as required. Always check the straps at each stop.
• Remember to make wider turns when towing. Do not make sharp turns or U-turns. Turning too sharply may cause the towed vehicle to come in contact with the tow dolly fender causing damage to both the vehicle and dolly.
• Do not attempt to back the loaded tow dolly. Backing can damage the tow dolly and the towed vehicle.
• If you experience excessive sway, stop when safe to do so and check the tie downs and for mechanical problems or flat tires.

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Fellow RVer Don Sinclair offers today’s tips.

One of the first things you might hear from a seasoned driver towing a toad is “relax, you won’t even know it’s there”. And as you gain experience, that may become partially true as it does indeed become second nature with experience as time goes by. But don’t be fooled by that statement, You MUST know it is there to drive safely.

I began hauling my toad, a 2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4 x 4 using the four wheels down method. If you are going to haul a toad four wheels down, in my opinion the easiest way to haul any toad, there are some things you need to learn before you embark on that first trip.

First and foremost, choose and install a brake system in the toad. I use and love my ReadyBrake system, which is a simple surge brake set up that can be purchased and installed for about $400 to $500. Never tow a toad without additional braking capability.

Then familiarize your self with hooking up and unhooking, Don’t do it once and think you know how. Tow it around a place with limited traffic to start out as practice. I like to go to an industrial park on a Sunday morning for this purpose. It’s quiet and with little traffic you can pull over, or into a parking lot for example. Be sure to unhook and hook up the toad under different conditions. You will encounter all kinds of different positions in the real world, so try and create some of the frequent ones to practice. Park on a slight uphill incline and unhook and hook up. (I’m not talking a hill here,
just a slight incline. Then do it the opposite way so the rig is below the toad on a slight decline. You will run into these situations in a campground or a parking lot and you need to experience for yourself the way the toad behaves under these conditions.

In one case, the incline, the weight of the toad is pulling on the hitch and you may have to ease it forward slightly to pull the pins. In the other, the weight of the toad is pushing on the hitch and may have to be reversed slightly.

Also try unhooking and hooking up when the toad is at a slight angle to the motor home. You will have to do this in some campgrounds, so you might as well see what problems this can present in the quiet of a parking lot on a Sunday morning. Once you are confident that you can handle hooking and unhooking, you are better prepared for your first trip actually towing.

Also prepare a step-by-step list of the procedure you use to both hook up and unhook and then follow it every time. That way you won’t leave the pins on the hood of the toad like I once did. Include activating and deactivating the braking system in this list as well.

Visit Don Sinclair’s Website St. Albert

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