Tow dolly choices?

[Time4Us]

I am changing towed vehicles again and rather than invest in another baseplate I'm on the verge of purchasing a tow dolly. I'll be towing a VW Beetle. I have narrowed the choices to American Car Dolly with EZ Brake and the "EZE-TOW" Tow Dolly from ACME Trailer. Both come in under $1500 which is all I am willing to spend. It would cost far less to invest in a baseplate, lighting equip., and tow bar adaptors so $1500 is the limit. I'm looking for owner feedback on these units. From what I can see the EZE Tow does not utilize a pivot yet they claim it is easier to maneuver than the competiton and will not damage the towed vehicle. Any thoughts?

[RVThere]

Have you pulled with a tow dolly before?

I did for 10 years and now that I flat tow, I would NEVER go back to a tow dolly. I was constantly dealing with:

- damage to the toad from being forced to make tight turns in gas stations (tow dolly fenders hitting into the sides of the minivan)
- lights on the tow dolly that would never work
- finding a place to store the dolly in most campsites (and at home when you're not traveling)
- needing my 'pit crew' of 3 sons to crawl under the toad to hook up the chains
- not being able to back up (not that you can back up with flat towing but you can unhook way eaier if you need to back up).

[DutchStar38]

I have a Master Tow 80THD dolly. The only problem was a learning issue about cars with a low front cowling. I had to make small ramps that raise the dolly ramps for loading/unloading a car with a low cowling. I used 2 pieces of 2 x 8 pieces 24 inches long. Other than that, I can load/unload the car within minutes. As far as backing up, yes it is impossible unless you onload the car. When I get to a camp ground I normally try to get a pull thru but if I have to back in then I unload the car and then in less than 30 seconds I detach the dolly and roll it back into the site and then back the RV into the site. I have made extremely sharp turns and no marks on the car yet. Basically, because the dolly is very wide. As a matter of fact I have actually gone thru a Taco Bell drive hru for lunch on one trip. I'm quit fine with a tow dolly rather than modifying my car for towing.

[fatguy57]

I had an American Car Dolly which I purchased preowned locally. It performed well and so did the electric brake system. I did have to install a tail light converter on my MH and use a separate flat 4 pin connector to hook up the dolly, not really a big deal, I do most of my own installs. The wheel wells does pivot on this dolly and the ramps are removable. It is well built and tracks nicely. It has grease fittings for the wheel bearings-easy maintenance. I used it for a year and then changed my dinghy which I could tow 4-down. I sold my American Car dolly for actually a little more than what I paid. Maintain it and it keeps its value nicely. I recommend it.

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

Why not get a trailer? You can get a brand new one for the price of a tow-dolly, and their useful for other things as well. You can get a used one for quite abit cheaper then $1500.

You can back up very easily. We've been towing a trailer for over two years and so far have not had any problem regarding stowing it somewhere. I disagree with RVThere's comment about "most campsites." On the contrary in our case it's been the opposite. Most of today's campgrounds & campsites have pull-thru's or are deep enough, or wide enough to keep the trailer within the site.

[Jimmyzw22]

I recently had this same dilemma on what tow dolly to buy as we have a new beetle and can't damage the cowl. I am planning to tow across state lines and didn't want to install a brake controller in the rv. I bought the American Car Dolly and our shakedown trip is this weekend. It appears to be well made and I like the EZ Brake, just hope it all works right. I also had to get a converter for the four prong trailer wire due to the Holiday Rambler Blinker/Tailight issue.
I will let you know how it goes.
This is also our first trip in our new to us 2002 HR Endeavor 40PBT. Got the flooring all done and we are ready to go. Holiday Rambler 40PBT Laminate floor install

[Time4Us]

Great job on your new interior, looks marvelous! I'm anxious to hear how your new dolly performed. I'll be placing my order either Monday or Tuesday based on the comments I've seen to my post.

[Jim13]

We bought a used Master tow that had a spare tire mounted on top of the tow arm and had to remove cause our Prius has the low cowl as mentioned. It worked out pretty well on the trip we took. I checked into the DMV about brakes, ours does have, but the lady emailed me the page from the law books and since Florida does not require liscense or brakes that other states cannot make you have them it's whats required in you home state. If you need the lights and you have a Harbour freight close by I recommend checking out their prices compared to other places.