Toads and Reverse...

[riverforest]

I dolly tow, but think flat tow also limits/forbids you from backing up. I haven't got into a spot where I would have to back up while dolly towing yet, but before I got the dolly I did have to make a u turn because of an accident on the highway and could not do it without backing up half way threw the turn. so many things to watch out for like pulling into gas stations, rest stops, campgrounds with only back in spots left. has anyone got into a spot where you had to attempt to back up. any stories to tell ?

[Pigman1]

Originally Posted by riverforest

I dolly tow, but think flat tow also limits/forbids you from backing up. I haven't got into a spot where I would have to back up while dolly towing yet, but before I got the dolly I did have to make a u turn because of an accident on the highway and could not do it without backing up half way threw the turn. so many things to watch out for like pulling into gas stations, rest stops, campgrounds with only back in spots left. has anyone got into a spot where you had to attempt to back up. any stories to tell ?

Go to http://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/no-ba...ad-422466.html and read the 92 posts. Some say you can't or shouldn't and there are those of us who do it.

[riverforest]

Originally Posted by Pigman1

Go to http://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/no-ba...ad-422466.html and read the 92 posts. Some say you can't or shouldn't and there are those of us who do it.

oops.. looks like I missed that thread, but thanks for pointing it out. it is mainly about 4 down, think dolly may be different ?

[Pigman1]

Originally Posted by riverforest

oops.. looks like I missed that thread, but thanks for pointing it out. it is mainly about 4 down, think dolly may be different ?

Yes, definitely. In fact it will be different depending on if your dolly has a rotating platform or the front toad wheels tie directly to a fixed platform that doesn't articulate. I have no experience with that but it would be fun to practice with a dolly setup and see how it reacts.

[Waiter21]

Backing more than a couple feet will become a tangled mess. The dolly wants to go one way and the car the other.

[redcolorado]

I have had 1 case in 10 years and 50,000 miles that I had to disconnect to turn around. You would think a large truck stop on a corner would have access to both streets, this one did not. I did not see it until I was committed to exit where there was a 8 inch curb drop off. I did not want to chance damaging the leveling jacks so I disconnected, repositioned, reconnected and departed through the exit. Took about 5 minutes.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Most anything can be done with enough skill and patience, but backing a car on a tow dolly will challenge most people severely. It's effectively a short tongue wagon that lacks steerable front wheels. The risk of pushing the car sideways against the dolly fenders or the whole dolly against the coach is high, so best avoided if possible. Having a spotter with radio communications to the driver is almost a must.

[hohenwald48]

Disconnecting takes me about 2 minutes and reconnecting takes another 3. I can't imagine why I would ever attempt to back up my toad.

[Pigman1]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

Disconnecting takes me about 2 minutes and reconnecting takes another 3. I can't imagine why I would ever attempt to back up my toad.

Can you spread that out a bit? 2 minutes to disconnect the straps on the wheels/frame... 2 minutes to run the ramps down... 2 minutes to back the toad off and park it. 2 minutes to disconnect the safety chains, electrical connections, disconnect the actual hitch and breakaway... 2 minutes to push the dolly off and park it out of the way... 2 minutes to get in the RV and make the necessary jocky to get it to the point where you can hook up again... Then 2+2+2+2+2+2 minutes to reverse the above efforts. Five minutes? I don't think so.

[twinboat]

Once the car is off the dolly, it can be backed anywhere. Its just a trailer.

My ramps are fixed and they tilt by removing a pin and safety collar. 20 seconds.
Straps off in 20 seconds each. Safety cables, thru the wheels, off in 20 seconds each.

Get in, start car and back down the ramp. Reverse steps once turned around.

[grumpy0374]

Bottom line, and the question you should ask yourself, weather dolly or 4 down, is it worth possibly doing a lot of damage to the toad/dolly/tow equipment if you screw up in backing? Aside from the damage, you've screwed up your trip.
Is it worth it to save 10 minutes of your time? If your confident, then go for it.
I'm confident in my abilities, but won't even think about backing with our 4 down set up. If I dollied, I'd still take the extra 10 minutes to unhook and do it properly.
Just me and my 2 cents worth.
Grumpy

[mythplaced]

DW and I had it down like a racing pit team. Got the unhooking and moving process down to under 25 seconds.

But you would be surprised how long 25 seconds feels like when you are blocking 4 lanes of traffic.

[riverforest]

Originally Posted by twinboat

Once the car is off the dolly, it can be backed anywhere. Its just a trailer.

I'm thinking about getting a hitch for my toad just to move dolly around. Like if I drop RV off for service then drive the toad home and pull dolly home too.

[riverforest]

Originally Posted by mythplaced

DW and I had it down like a racing pit team. Got the unhooking and moving process down to under 25 seconds.

But you would be surprised how long 25 seconds feels like when you are blocking 4 lanes of traffic.

That's FAST. I'm at 10-15 minutes by myself, but I just bought the dolly so maybe I'll get faster.