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Tow dolly. Yay or nay.

xtraoldestock

xtraoldestock

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Used one for the first time. Found it to be quite efficient. Easy to load and unload. Car had no drivetrain so that helped Your thoughts.
 
Like anything they have there +'s and -"s. Got my first one in 1988. A Tow Master.Towed a Jeep all over behind a motorhome. We used it, so did the neighbors,friends, relatives and so on.
Installed a winch on it.About 20 years later sold it for what I paid for it.Some you can stand up to store. Mine did as it had removable ramps. I have one back east that has been making it's rounds being used. I hope it's still there when I go to get it and my PT Cruiser this summer. But if I would have the space to keep it, I would get a 16' trailer.
 
Nothing wrong with them if that’s what you have. I’ve used them before when it was all I had access to. I have an open 18’ closed deck trailer now. I needed to be able to haul things without axles and tires.
 
since you asked, to be honest

I used the dolly's a few times in my younger years
now I just prefer a trailer, it's a safer & smarter choices
especially over flat tow & no back up options
not having to disconnect the driveline (Unless it's a manual)
or the car getting miles, wear & tear put on it needlessly
& attaching **** to the front bumper
or magnetic lights, sitting on the car or wiring to have brake lights
are all negatives

even behind my motor home, I had a trailer

But they served their purpose
sometimes you gotta' do what you gotta' do
& IMO for a shell of a car (not much value)
I see no harm, if the wheels & studs are all good
for shorter distances, long distances I wouldn't
 
Short distance maybe. Renting a transporter is only $55 around here and I find them safer for the road.. Just me.
 
Well,a lotta people go pretty far with them(Penske,U-Haul,etc.) never really liked them all that much for long distance. But, sometimes they’re the best option. Helped set up many of them over the years, but always cringed.
 
Flatbed/trailer/dolly...…. but years ago moved a few with a tow bar. Was made by Jerr-Dan. It just clamped to the bumper. Talk about scary! I think it's still in my buddy's shop somewhere. Hadn't thought about it in years
 
Know your equipment.

I've used a $380 ebay dolly to tow dozens of cars and trucks across the state of Florida for over a decade with my 2000 Dakota R/T.

Fully understand how everything works, the straps, the ratchets, the ramps, the pivots, etc including the brakes of your tow vehicle with a towed load.

I also mounted a removable winch on mine. Basically creates a tow truck.

I LOVE having a tow truck at my disposal.

Check your local statutes. In FL a device designed to only tow a vehicle and nothing else does not even need to be registered as a trailer.

Agree the worst thing is not being able to back up, along with wider that normal turns.
 
tow dollys have their ups and downs.
ups are very easy to use and tow with,
and can also be backed up if you go slow and the car you are towing doesnt have a loose front end.
( it may be due to skills as well,as i was one of the few that could back up gamma goats in the army.)
they dont need to be registered nor even have fenders.
they are Way lighter than any trailers.
they dont take up hardly any storage space in your way.

downs are over the road people will not give you as much room,
nor pay attention like they will if you are using a trailer.

you will always need to make Sure that the tires/vehicle being towed/ that are on the ground are good enough to get you safely where you need to go.
you should Always have an Extra safety chain going from the car being towed to the truck towing it.
and you will need spare tires for the tow dolly,
And 1 in case the vehicle you are towing gets a flat.

if you are new to using a tow dolly,
after the first 2 blocks of turns you should pull over and check your straps !
if they arent put on properly they can pop right off in turns and allow the car to exit stage left or right Off the dolly.
again always go with the extra safety chain mentioned before.

you can use tow dollys for any vehicle if its built right,i own 3,
2 are reg normal car tow dollys and the 3rd is a massive homebuilt dolly that you can drop a 5 ton truck on it and chain it and go.
some guys use the towbars on these Big Trucks but i prefer having full restraints.

also,some states may require that you use an Additional set of lights on the vehicle being towed/aka
magnet lights.
you can still get these over the counter at Uhauls and so forth.
do NOT buy any that have the Thin factory wiring/like the Harbor freight ones do.
the wiring is garbage and rots inside the sheath.
the led lights are fine but the wiring is deffo substandard.
 
In lovely California, if the car has a wheel on the ground on a public road it has to be registered and insured, even on a tow dolly. Flatbed is best here.
 
Let me tell you about the time I was using a tow dolly on the '71 Charger and the left wheel came off and went into a lake.
 
Brought a 73 Scamp back from Atlanta to Michigan years ago (Blown /6 - paid $75.). Clamp on tow bar behind a 1976 Malibu. No issues that I recall, but I doubt I’d do it again.

I currently share ownership of a tow dolly from years ago, but have not used it in a long time.
 
Cured the non-backup problem.Drilled the swivel plate and dropped pins in to keep it ridged.Back up,pull pins.Go on your way.Used it a few times.The need to back up didn't come up too often.
 
The reason you can't back up with a dolly, is that the platform or cradle that the car's wheels sit on pivots on the frame of the dolly. This helps with turn radius, although you are still limited and could possibly run a dolly wheel or fender into the door/fender of the towed vehicle if not careful.

This basically acts as "caster", and will immediately jacknife in reverse. After it reaches full lock, it will create the situation described above.

I've considered a pair of heavy steel hitch pins through holes drilled through both cradle and frame portions of the dolly to allow limited backing.
Even then, you'd be backing a "trailer" with an extremely long wheelbase.
 
...and agree on double, even triple checking the straps securing the towed vehicle's wheels to the dolly. I've had them move several inches in only a couple blocks.

In addition to spares for all three vehicles and an extended set of basic tools, I also carry a manual comealong, a big pry bar, extra chain with interchangeable ends and grade 8 bolts, 12v mini-compressor, fix a flat/slime, a scissors jack, and several 18" 4x4 sections.
 
you just described most of the contents of my truck bed.
all you missed was the farm jack,the cheater pipe and the multiple 4 way lugwrenches.
chuckles profusely....its true tho,being prepared will save you when you need it.
 
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