So what's better, dolly or flat towing????

[vettenuts]

One thing to look at, even if you don't do your own work, is what is required to install the tow bar to the car. When I saw how much the front of the car had to be modified, including cutting out large sections of the radiator baffles, that was enough for me. I went with a dolly even though my car can be flat towed.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by rgmiller32

For me the dolly was best. I can take either vehicle that I want with no changes to either vehicle. Also the wife's vehicle is a leased vehicle and this way I do not have to replace the front bumper cover and the paint work at the end of the lease.

rgmiller
Do you ever get somewhere and realize you brought the wrong vehicle?
That would be a heartbreaking dilemma , (or a revolting development)!

[Easyrider]

Being able to tow different vehicles is the one really great advantage of the dolly, other than that I can't really think of any. But for someone that knows they are going to use different vehicles for different reasons while rving it's the logical way to go. We knew we would only need our Captiva while rving, it's an automatic, 4 door, all wheel drive, economical and comfortable, so no worries about wishing we had something else to tow. But if we thought we might need to seat more than 4, haul a bunch of stuff, or do some serious off roading, then being able to tow different vehicles for different occasions might have made me lean towards a dolly. So it really comes down to what works best for the particular situation for towing. There is no right answer that covers everybody.

[kalynzoo]

I've done both. I now find flat towing easier on the knees and back. Once you do it enough both systems are reasonably quick. The dolly's greatest asset is the ability to change cars more often, and not modify a car you don't intend to keep for a long period of time. You can even tow a borrowed, leased or rented vehicle. Just you and your wife, take the small car, traveling with the grandkids, take the big car or van. Some vans don't fit on the dolly well, just mentioning. JMHO

[70gsconvt]

Well, we won't be towing either of our other two vehicles, that's why I'm buying something else. My truck is a long bed, crew cab, diesel 4x4 and the wife has a Hyundai Veracruz AWD that can't be towed at all.

The Malibu seats 5, weighs around 3300 lbs, gets decent fuel economy, and can be flat towed. I may even go to a 2007 because you could get a 4-banger in it and get even better mpg's.

[rgmiller32]

Mel s
No wrong vehicles because there is no government motors. 1987 convertible for the nice weather, suv for the rest of the time or even the full size pick up if wanted. I can use the dolly with the class A or with the pick up to get other vehicles. Even tow the sons car to the drag strip if need be. No modifying to any vehicles.so far 5 different vehicles no modifying to any of them.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by rgmiller32

Mel s
No wrong vehicles because there is no government motors. 1987 convertible for the nice weather, suv for the rest of the time or even the full size pick up if wanted. I can use the dolly with the class A or with the pick up to get other vehicles. Even tow the sons car to the drag strip if need be. No modifying to any vehicles.so far 5 different vehicles no modifying to any of them.

rgmiller
I get get the idea, (and the many reasons some prefer dolly towing).
Since we travel often and camp often in many different locations I prefer the convenience of a dedicated 4 down toad....(the hassle of loading/unloading a vehicle and parking my dolly in campgrounds every week or so got to be really OLD really FAST).
IMO this "dolly vs flat towing discussion" is like the "Ford vs Chevy argument" and has right or wrong answer.
To each their own.
Mel
'96 Safari, '07 ION toad

[osok]

When I used a dolly the brand was ACME EZE and I was happy with how it performed and really happy concerning the price. Just wanted to pass this along so if you chose to use a dolly. Once in a while I see one for sell and these can be picked up at a nice discount as with all brands. If you chose to go with a dolly be sure it has brakes. Check this sites classifieds or your local craigslist.com to find used in your area.

[kjburns]

Originally Posted by mel s

Gma-n-Gpa
WOW!
North of $3K for the equipment necessary to flat tow?
Either somebody saw you coming, or prices have gone up...(a LOT)!
In 2010 I spent less than $1200 to set up my new to me '07 Saturn ION for 4 down towing.
I'm sure you will like it.
Mel
'96 Safari

I would expect that $1200 did not include braking for the toad. The equipment for flat towing is generally not transferable if one buys another car. With new brackets, built-in braking and lighting, it's easy to drop 3k per towing setup.

While I prefer flat towing, I appreciate the one shot cost of my current dolly. The dolly has its own brakes and if I change cars, I don't have to modify a thing. My current car was a surprise. The owner's manual did not state that it wasn't towable. Since I like the car, I opted to buy a dolly. It's kind of a pain, but I like the car enough to put up with the dolly.

[Scarab0088]

Best luck to the OP

Which ever method is picked - please consider getting supplimental brakes on the toad.
Not required in many places but smart and safe.

We dolly tow for many reasons including the cost (a full set-up with brakes is more $ for flat towing), installation (cutting the fascia on the car and bolting on baseplates in the critical crunch zones of a car) and no new equipment when swapping cars.

We have hooked-up/disconnected along side friends that flat tow and found it takes a very similar amount of time...and, no they did not have supplimental braking

And the wear and tear on the bottom end of the car's driveline - and risk of rock stikes on the front of the car are good enough reasons for us to avoid flat towing.

Finally, there is no reason to get dirty when loading a dolly - if the dolly and car is set-up for the tow.
If someone can spend the time and $ to install baseplates, lightwires, and such - installing a set of easy to reach safety chains on the car should be no problem.

Safe travels

[70gsconvt]

Thanks everyone for making the choice more confusing than ever .

[70gsconvt]

Well, I picked up a 2007 Kar Kaddy SS last night. Always kept indoors for $1300. It does have the original tires, so I'll probably replace those, but overall I'm happy with the purchase.

[KenNJ]

We went back and forth several times with our decision on this recently but, we did decide to go with the Acme Tow dolly for a few reasons.

1. I spoke to someone who actually owned and used this tow dolly. They loved it and recommended it. That was a big deal for me even though this same person now tows 4 down.
2. I did not want to purchase another vehicle at this time. We have one car paid for and another we lease. We would like to tow either car if we choose and with the dolly we can do just that.
3. When you purchase the tow dolly with surge brakes your initial towing equipment purchase is done. No car wiring installation, no toad braking system needed, no tow plate needed, no tow bar system.
4. The dolly is light weight, compact and pretty easy to store at your campsite. We were recently at Disney's Fort Wilderness and saw car dolly's at several campsites.
5. Between the wife and I, we can setup or tear down the towed car from the dolly in a short amount of time. For the price and effort required, not a bad approach for us.
6. When our lease expires next year we already know we can lease a different car without having to deal with a base plate or wiring install. We also know the car we want will fit on the dolly without any other investment. We like the flexibility because we do change cars every three years with our lease.
7. When things change you can easily sell the dolly on EBay or Craigslist.

I think this is really a situational approach based on your needs at the time. Down the road we may switch to 4 down but for now, we are very pleased. I just placed the order so our dolly should be here in another week or so.

Hope this helps

[Scottybdivin]

I have never used a tow dolly but I just pulled our F150 crew cab 4 down for the 1st time and it was really easy. We unhooked at the entry gate of the state park and scouted for the best campsite and the best way to get into it. I used all high end equipment and did the install myself. It cost around $2300, but I was quoted $3500 to have it all installed. I actually enjoyed the work.

To me using a dolly is relative to using a trailer. You have to load/unload the vehicle and tie it down, and then deal with the trailer/dolly at your campsite. It seems like a piece of equipment that one would use when flat towing is not an option.