Archive for the ‘Motorhomes’ Category

Today’s tip is from the forum at FTRV.com

LindaH says:

If you have a toad that is towable 4-down, either “as is,” or with an after-market add-on (such as a lube pump or a transmission disconnect), towing 4-down is much preferrable over towing with a dolly.

One of the disadvantages of towing with a dolly is what to do with the dolly when you’re at an RV park.  It may not be a problem if you stay someplace for a long time, but if you move every few days, it could quickly become a PITA to take the car on and off the dolly and then to find a place to store the dolly if the site isn’t big enough for your RV, your toad, and the dolly.

Another thing to consider is what happens if you get yourself into a position where you have to unhook the toad in order to back up a long way (and sooner or later, you’ll get into this position).  With a toad 4-down, it’s a simple matter of unhooking the toad, having one person drive the RV and one person drive the toad.  However, with a tow dolly, you have to drop the dolly along side the road, leave it there and come back for it later.  That could REALLY be a PITA!

JungleJom says:

It is true that many people have problems storing their tow dollies in SOME RV parks. Using a tow dolly is usually a much more inexpensive way of towing than outfitting a towed vehicle for four down towing. The problem mentioned by the other post is really not that big of a problem, even if you do get in a situation where you need to unhook and drive the towed vehicle, just have a trailer hitch on your towed vehicle and hook the tow dolly to it if that happens. Tow dollies are very easy to move around by hand and can be turned around easily.

The advantages of the tow dolly is that you do not need to outfit your towed vehicle with any special equipment to tow it, you can trade in your towed vehicle without having all that expense a second time, and the front end of your towed vehicle as well as the windshield are higher off the road and don’t catch quite as much road debris coming off the MH tires.

Pretty much a matter of how much money you want to spend to outfit your towed vehicle and how long you plan to keep it. I used tow dollies for many years and never had a problem. I don’t see any more work to hooking up a tow dolly than a vehicle being towed 4 down, and most being towed 4 down also need a braking system on them, and a good quality tow dolly comes with brakes that just need to be plugged in. As I watch some trying to hook up their braking systems, I sometimes have to wonder WHY would they go to all that trouble every time they hook up.

What do you think? add your comments.

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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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