Community Forums

Cookiesx5 · 03-28-2012, 10:15 AM

We are just getting back into the RV grove again and are interested in going the tow dolly route this time. Is anyone using the Stehl tow dolly? What do you think about it? Pulling it behind 37' Class A 300 hp Cummins turbo.

Thanks!

DAN L · 03-29-2012, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookiesx5

We are just getting back into the RV grove again and are interested in going the tow dolly route this time. Is anyone using the Stehl tow dolly? What do you think about it? Pulling it behind 37' Class A 300 hp Cummins turbo.

Thanks!

we bought a new stehl dolly and didn't use it for 18 months. on our first trip, it wore out both tires in about 600 miles.

we found that it had 3/4'' toe in.

after 2 trips to truck alignment shops and 2 sets of tires, it is finally straight.
the stehl people would not talk to me or either of the alignment shops.

if you are buying any dolly, check the alignment with a tape measure before paying for it.

get a spare wheel and tire from stehl. their rims do not have a standard offset.

palehorse89 · 03-29-2012, 03:20 AM

I bought a new stehl tow dolly and used it for 3 years,the bearings that are in the wheels are junk due to fact the dolly is made in china. I am lucky I never had a road problem before I replaced the races and bearings. Other than that issue it worked great. My advice after using a dolly for 3 years is tow 4 down if you can, a lot less hassle. good luck and safe travels.....

HeapBigEngin · 03-29-2012, 02:33 PM

May not be relevant to you, but we use a MasterTow dolly with surge brakes....and we tow through the mountains here frequently. It has a swivel plate that allows the toad to follow the mhome tracks very nicely. It absolutely tows like a dream and has not shown any unusual tire wear problems. It also has external wheel bearing lube zerks to eliminate the hassle of removing wheels, etc. to service them. Once one gets the hang of cinching the wheels, securing safety chains, etc., it is a pretty quick job of getting the toad secured. FWIW.

Mr_D · 03-29-2012, 02:45 PM

We have a Demco KK-460, great dolly and have had no problems. Would buy another one if I needed to. Galvanized and the wheels steer.

Cookiesx5 · 03-30-2012, 09:27 AM

Thanks everyone for the input. I believe after much research we will be giving the Master tow a try. I should have it for the next trip. I will let you know how it goes. I was four down last time we were in the RV mode and it worked great. Problem this time is I will be using two different vehicles and don't really want to fit both of them for four down, We will see!!!

Steve N Sal · 03-30-2012, 09:46 AM

We have the Demco KarKaddy SS and love it. A bit pricey but a great dolly. Wheels steer, tongue folds for smaller footprint when storing, galvanized construction just a nice unit. Would buy one again no questions asked. JMHO

TROONORTH · 03-30-2012, 09:06 PM

Has anyone had any experience with the 'Roadmaster' dollies? They are retailing for about $1500. I want to tow my '95 Olds convertible and would hate to lose her!!

Hikerdogs · 03-31-2012, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TROONORTH

Has anyone had any experience with the 'Roadmaster' dollies? They are retailing for about $1500. I want to tow my '95 Olds convertible and would hate to lose her!!

We've had a Roadmaster dolly for going on 12 years. We originally used it to tow our Buick LeSabre. After about 25,000 miles we switched to a Jeep Wrangler. Since the Jeep can't be towed on a dolly we invested in all the goodies to tow 4 down. The dolly now sits in the garage waiting for the time we start to tow the Buick Lucerne.

We have the 2000-1 model with electric brakes. They now sell for $3,000.00 - $3,200.00. The RM3477 is the less expensive model that sells for $1,600.00 - $1,900.00. Be aware that if the place you buy them from doesn't have them in stock shipping can be expensive. I've seen shipping coast as high as $750.00

The main differences between the 2 are that the 2000-1 has tilting self loading ramps and steerable wheels. The RM3477 has ramps that need to be extended for loading and unloading, and uses a swivel plate for steering rather than steerable wheels. The 2000-1 also has a few other goodies like lockable storage compartments, and built in safety chains.

An earlier post made the statement that "a swivel plate that allows the toad to follow the mhome tracks very nicely". The rear wheels of the towed vehicle may follow close to the tracks of the rear wheels on the motorhome, but like any trailer the wheels of the dolly will cut the corner shorter than the motorhome. Only a trailer (or dolly) with steerable wheels will allow the dolly itself to follow in the tracks of the motorhome

lilgreek7 · 04-06-2012, 09:21 PM

I have the Acme EZE tow dolly and its works great. It also has the brake system on it and has never needed new tires in two years of traveling. We will be selling it because we have decided to pull our Jeep, which is the best for 4 wheel down towing. It is quite costly to get the set-up for the pull behind rig. I believe we are leaning toward the Blue Ox system. Just saying...

Mr_D · 04-06-2012, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

An earlier post made the statement that "a swivel plate that allows the toad to follow the mhome tracks very nicely". The rear wheels of the towed vehicle may follow close to the tracks of the rear wheels on the motorhome, but like any trailer the wheels of the dolly will cut the corner shorter than the motorhome. Only a trailer (or dolly) with steerable wheels will allow the dolly itself to follow in the tracks of the motorhome

Yep, we've towed our '05 Ody both on a dolly and now four down. I have to watch it when towing four down as the Ody cuts the corner, whereas the KK-460 follows the MH almost exactly.

Pogo · 04-15-2012, 03:15 PM

I bought a good used 2004 MasterTow 77T dolly with surge brakes. The seller went over everything with me and gave me all of the paperwork. It tows great and once I learned the hang of it, loading and unloading is easy. I would recommend one, for sure.
I also got one of those $50 hand dolly things to manuver the tow dolly around the yard. It's a lot easier than wrestling it by the tongue.

DutchStar38 · 04-16-2012, 07:41 AM

I've had my Master Tow dolly (80THD) for years and not a problem with it. Mounting/Dismounting the car is no problem. After a few times it becomes second nature. One thing I ensure is that after mounting I back away and then check each item for safety and proper installation. Just like I do the MH prior to pulling out, I walk around and check each item for safety/storage like ensuring antenna is down, power cable is stored. Amazing how many times I see rv'ers heading out with TV antenna up. The tow dolly is stored in my garage when not in use at home.

Scarab0088 · 04-18-2012, 11:57 PM

A few of us have the Acme EZE tow and have had great success. It is lighter than most all others (about 400lb), has disc surge brakes, and no turn table. And, it ships to your house assembled except for the fenders tires and lights ("eze" to finish).

We just finished a 2300 mile trip towing a compact SUV with no problems.

It's just simple and "eze" to use.

Good luck