Leaning toward dolly again

[taboky]

Was all set to get the ReadyBrake system for our Explorer. However, with gas prices as they are, I am leaning towards a dolly. I have a company vehicle, Dodge Grand Caravan and don't have to pay for gas for personal use. I am thinking the money saved in gas will outweigh the convenience of flat towing. Since they replaced the vehicle every few years, a dolly would allow me to use any front wheel vehicle the get me.

So, does it look like a no brainer? Did I miss something?

BTW, if I go with a dolly, I am leaning towards the Demco Kar Kaddy SS.

[Dadeaux]

It's always more fun to use other people's money I would stay with the company car.

[wardy]

OPM is always better!

I have had the same dolly you're thinking of getting for 5 years and I would get it again. The only negative is that it's a bit heavy do to the folding joints. For me at least it's never been an issue.

[GaryKD]

Hi taboky,
I tow with a dolly and 4 down (not at the same time). I have the same dolly you are considering. For me, either way is no big deal. It is just a different set of tasks. I've never had the difficulties mentioned by other threads. You are missing nothing, go for it.

One comment on the Kar Kaddy SS, is when I made my purchase (05) they came with Carlisle tires. While I have had no problems, these tires are not the best and should be looked at carefully.

[taboky]

Thanks. Always good to hear from others what I am thinking Only problem I see is Demco lists the max width of the vehicle to be 76". The Caravan in 78.6". However, in the video they have on the website, they are towing a Caravan. Maybe I'll shoot them an email.

[TXiceman]

Having used a dolly and also towed 4 down, if I were to go back to a MoHo, I'd go with a dolly.

Ken

[RVNeophytes2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman Having used a dolly and also towed 4 down, if I were to go back to a MoHo, I'd go with a dolly. Ken

A newbie adding 2 cents' worth: I enjoy towing with a dolly, we can choose what to haul.

Once I installed handle-locking hardware, it has stayed secure, no matter what.

One safety note for dolly users: tire pressures are critical, as is checking lug nuts. I'd thought the 65 psi sidewall rating for the tires was too high, guessed at 50psi for the relatively light load imposed by DW's Crosstour. The tires scanned at 145F after an hour; bringing the pressure up to 60psi brought them back to a safe range of 95-100F.

[akadeadeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taboky Was all set to get the ReadyBrake system for our Explorer. However, with gas prices as they are, I am leaning towards a dolly. I have a company vehicle, Dodge Grand Caravan and don't have to pay for gas for personal use. I am thinking the money saved in gas will outweigh the convenience of flat towing. Since they replaced the vehicle every few years, a dolly would allow me to use any front wheel vehicle the get me. So, does it look like a no brainer? Did I miss something? BTW, if I go with a dolly, I am leaning towards the Demco Kar Kaddy SS.

We have a MasterTow dolly. Whatever you do, find one that you can test whether your vehicle can fit on it. They are not all the same. Our toad would not fit on a Kar Kaddy. It was not wide enough for fender clearance on turns, and it scraped the bottom spoiler when we tried to get the car on it. The MasterTow 80HDS (surge brakes) had plenty of room. And, we have had not problem with it. I added a swivel jack to the tongue and that made it easy to maneuver.

Also, pay attention to toad weight and carrying capacity of the dolly. The Kar Kaddy was not rated as high, if you need the capacity, as we did.

And, we have not yet had any problems with storing it at campgrounds after we un-hook. People warned me about this, but I guess we have been lucky.

Don

[FATMANAR]

When I travel by myself I take my veh. and use a dolly. When I take a friend we usually take thier veh. so a dolly is my answer. It's nice to have the ability to change between what veh. you take with you. Just make sure that you have one with brakes. I have a A and my F150 will push from time to time without brakes. I learded this the hard way by forgetting to hookup properly. I have the "wide" Stelth dolly and I can haul anything I want on it.. It's only a couple of inches wider, but they make a difference sometime....Happy Trails...

[Mutt]

A friend of mine uses the wide Model Stehl. Not sure what the weight rating is/are for those units. But, you can purchase one with electric brakes for around $1,000. His looks reasonably sturdy and he tows the Ford Freestyle van. Good luck with your purchase/decision.
David

[Poptop]

What kind of a thread would it be if everyone agreed? I've towed both with a dolly and four down (as said above, not at the same time) and for me I was glad to see the dolly get sold. I didn't like to mess with the dolly at the camp site or at home. I can hook up and un-hook my Jeep faster than I could with the dolly and the vehicle. If the dolly works for you then by all means go for it.

[justimagination]

......Sounds like a plan to me, as for storage @ campground, I simply unhood the dolly and slide it under the rear of the m/home, no problem. Good luck and travel safe.
David G.

[Sequim Guy]

Four-down or dolly is always a tough decision. I decided to go with a dolly because I wanted to be able to take either of our vehicles, and the most obvious to me was price.
Having only paid $1200 for my EZE-TOW, delivered to my house! And it came with surge disk-brakes, so no electrical dash unit to buy. It has low-profile tires and fenders so nothing ever gets bent, and it's got a 80" deck.
The few extra minutes I spend hooking it up are well worth it and when I slide it up under the back of the MH in a campground, it only sticks out about 24".
I am more than happy with my dolly and my small investment.

[RVNeophytes2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taboky Was all set to get the ReadyBrake system for our Explorer. However, with gas prices as they are, I am leaning towards a dolly...

Yes, I'm quoting a bit out of context: taboky was considering taking a company car with him on the road... However, a car salesman yesterday added new insight, remarking that it's a windfall for him when he receives a toad: it gives justification to offering much less on the trade-in.

So, the price of 4-down includes towbar, tow attach points on the toad, braking, AND a lower resale value.

If similarly a dolly were priced in the $10-15K range, no one would use them.

Food 4 thought