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Old 01-04-2012, 06:59 PM   #15
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I am not so sure I would consider 4 down easier. You have to have the special tow brackets installed on each vehicle you tow as well as a dinghy brake system installed.

With a dolly, you can tow multiple front wheel drives vehicles...unmodified...and use a surge brake system on the dolly. It also gets the front of the dinghy up higher so that it does not catch all of the road debris thrown up by the coach.

Been there and doe that with both. How many of you that are preaching 4-down have actually used a dolly as well.

Ken
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Old 01-04-2012, 08:40 PM   #16
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Big advantage to dolly is less wear and tear on toad. While the odometer doesn't record mileage the front suspension, transmission, power steering rack, etc. do get a workout. Not to mention the washboard roads and potholes.
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Old 01-04-2012, 09:05 PM   #17
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I have done both and will stay with the 4 wheels down, Blue Ox is my choice.
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Old 01-04-2012, 09:07 PM   #18
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Quote:
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Big advantage to dolly is less wear and tear on toad. While the odometer doesn't record mileage the front suspension, transmission, power steering rack, etc. do get a workout. Not to mention the washboard roads and potholes.
Why would the front suspension. power steering, rack etc. get a "workout" when on a dolly? The suspension would get a little workout but no where near what driving would. The power steering would never enter in to it either.
In fact there is more wear on those components when towing four down.

I've done both with the same vehicle ('05 Odyssey) and I'm still on the fence. On a dolly really isn't much different in setup time and no wear on the drivetrain. You do have to find a place to store the dolly, but the Demco KK-460 folds so it's not too bad. But it does weigh about 600#'s and it's hard to move on gravel.
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Old 01-04-2012, 09:56 PM   #19
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Mr-D said:
==================================
But it does weigh about 600#'s and it's hard to move on gravel.
=======================================

Kinda reminds me of my old girlfriend....anyhow....

I'd suggest 4 down. More expensive for sure but well worth it.
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Old 01-05-2012, 04:22 AM   #20
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You can NOT tow any Subaru on a Dolly. It will mess up their all wheel drive. Since you got the Forester, your only option for towing is four down or four up on a trailer. That being said, I think the Forester will make a great toad and while it does add tow milage to the car, it is not recorded on the odometer.

I currently tow on a dolly. It is fine for me right now. You have to think about where to put the dolly at your destination but I have never found that to be too much of a problem. If I have to move it far, I hook it to the trailer hitch on the car and tow it. If I was FT, I would probably tow flat. The problem is you have to get the base plates installed. I still commute and change cars every few years. Big expense if you are not planning to keep the toad for many years of travel. With the dolly, just drive the new car on and strap it down. No changes or additions needed, expect to make sure you don't buy an all wheel drive.

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Old 01-05-2012, 04:36 AM   #21
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Towing four down is preferred as you don't have to buy a dolly, use a dolly, hook up the dolly, store the dolly. If you plan to tow the same car (and your car allows it)for quite sometime then four down is the way to go.

If you don't want (or can't) to modify your car for towing, or you want flexibility in what car you take when, then go with the dolly.
IMO this is the total answer to the question. We don't want to fit out a car to tow so dolly. We don't need a small car to rig to tow 4 down so dolly. We trade every 3 years so cost to keep switching 4 down expensive so dolly.
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Old 01-11-2012, 02:00 PM   #22
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Towed 4 down for many years then bought a car needing a dolly so made the switch two years ago. I just bought a 4 down towable toad. The dolly is just too much work to manage plus the loading and strap-in process takes too much effort. And the heavier car and dolly cost extra fuel. The cost of the dolly vs base plate/tow bar/brake system is about the same. This is what works for us.
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Old 01-11-2012, 02:18 PM   #23
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Quote:
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Towed 4 down for many years then bought a car needing a dolly so made the switch two years ago. I just bought a 4 down towable toad. The dolly is just too much work to manage plus the loading and strap-in process takes too much effort. And the heavier car and dolly cost extra fuel. The cost of the dolly vs base plate/tow bar/brake system is about the same. This is what works for us.
Greg
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But, with a dolly you don't have to buy new baseplates and switch the braking system and wire the toad although I do wire my toad into the dolly so I have lights on it.
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