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Old 10-21-2013, 09:30 AM   #1
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Tow dollys

We are new to RVing and have just brought a 2000 36' Coachmen class A. I am looking at buying a new Acme to dolly. Any thoughts on this dolly? Will be towing a 2014 Chev. Impala. Do I need to wire this up to the RV lights.
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Old 10-21-2013, 09:42 AM   #2
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Old 10-21-2013, 09:51 AM   #3
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Howdy and welcome to the forum. I would assume that dolly would come prewired and all you have to do is plug into the receptacle at the rear of the motorhome. Now your coach may have a 7 pin receptacle and the dolly will probably just have a flat 4 wire cap so you'll probably have to purchase an adapter. They sell them at WalMart and just about anywhere they have trailer supplies. Good Luck and Be Safe!
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Old 10-21-2013, 09:55 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Holsappl View Post
We are new to RVing and have just brought a 2000 36' Coachmen class A. I am looking at buying a new Acme to dolly. Any thoughts on this dolly? Will be towing a 2014 Chev. Impala. Do I need to wire this up to the RV lights.

The Acme is a good choice, utter simplicity. If your Coach has a hitch then it will also have wiring for lights. If it is a round plug you can buy an adaptor that plugs in into your plug, and has a 4 prong that the Acme plugs into, all done at that point have fun.

This one is on Amazon <$7 Reese Towpower 74607 there are several other brands also, Wal-Mart, Auto Parts Stores.

As an after thought, be sure your hitch is rated for the weight you are pulling. If the Coachman is a Gasser it will likely have frame extensions and perhaps a lower limit than expected.
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Old 10-21-2013, 10:53 AM   #5
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Congrats on the Coachmen and the smart plan to dolly tow. Your car will be happy, up high away from rock strikes, there will be no miles added to the car's drive line, and you can change dingy car's in the future without any problems with change-over of towing equipment on the car (base plate, brakes, and lights).

Autoweek says the 2014 4 door Impala weighs about 3,800lb, so a check of the hitch capacity is smart.

The EZE-Tow has very good lights and these need to be connected to the RV for day or night towing...The EZE-Tow uses a flat 4 pin connector. Extra lights are a good idea, but not required in many states, so a check with your laws is smart too.

I have an EZE-Tow and have found it very EZE to use and the most affordable option for towing a dingy...just 2 things to remember:
~The EZE-Tow does not have a pivot pan or steering axle, so you must unlock the car's steering to make turns (just like a flat tow car).
~Be sure to check the wheel straps for tightness whenever you can - web-strap does stretch (just like any dolly or trailer load).

Best luck
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Old 10-21-2013, 02:56 PM   #6
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Welcome.

I too just joined the EZE Tow Dolly family.
There are other posts on this also.

Yes there is a flat 4 pine trailer connector for lights on the dolly.
EZE now ships with LED lights also.
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Old 10-21-2013, 03:55 PM   #7
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Old 10-22-2013, 01:13 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Holsappl View Post
We are new to RVing and have just brought a 2000 36' Coachmen class A. I am looking at buying a new Acme to dolly. Any thoughts on this dolly? Will be towing a 2014 Chev. Impala. Do I need to wire this up to the RV lights.


you gotta have either surge brakes or electric brakes on your dolly.
i use additional tow lights on the rear of the car from uhaul. they attach using the upper lip on the trunk.
i tried the harbor freight lights but they kept falling off.
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Old 10-22-2013, 09:20 PM   #9
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DEMCO Kar Kaddy SS

Has anyone towed a Jeep Grand Cherokee on a Demco Kar Kaddy tow dolly? I am looking into buying one but would like an experienced point of view?
Thanks,
Paul
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Old 10-23-2013, 01:13 PM   #10
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I have used the EZE-tow for about 18 months and 7500 miles. It does tow very well and the surge disc brakes work great. The only negative is that it is a pain to load! The EZE-tow doesn't have a "cradle" for the front tires like other tow dollys. If you watch the ACME video take notice that they tell you multiple times that "it is very import that you drive your toad up straight against the front bar and that the toad is centered". This is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Try getting all this done in the rain! Also EZE-tow provides safety chains for the car to the dolly so make sure that you use them. The straps will stretch and one side or the other of your toad tires will pull away from the tow dolly front bar even with the steering wheel unlocked when you make 90 degree turns.

I am considering selling my EZE-tow and buying an American Tow dolly because it loads like a Demco Kar Kaddy but is about 1/2 the price. They both have the tire cradle design which is easier to load and helps keep the front tires in place while towing. I don't have any feedback on the American Tow dolly but it does have electric brakes and a controller that will connect to your brake lights.

My other option is to have someone fabricate tire cradles to add to the EZE-tow. I'm looking into this as well.

BTW. I also use magnetic lights on the back of the toad because the dolly lights fell off the first year. EZE-tow did send me replacements under warranty but I had to pay the shipping.

I'm not trying to discourage you from buying an EZE-tow. Most owners love them. I just want to know what I have experienced after using mine for a period of time.

WM
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Old 10-23-2013, 01:24 PM   #11
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We just sold our old motorhome and tow dally. It was Demco but about twenty years old. I researched tow dollys for about a week and came to the conclusion that this was the best deal out there.

The Kar Kaddy 3

I had to assemble parts of it. Fenders, ramps, ect, but not too bad at all. We have used it now and it is the Cadillac of dollys in my opinion. It is wider than our old one and has disc brakes and LED lights. We tow our 2012 VW Passat Diesel, a 3400 lb car and you hardly know it's there.
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Old 10-23-2013, 03:08 PM   #12
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In the interest of full disclosure...just a word of caution about Tow Dolly's with fixed ramps. Can be a problem for cars that have a low sideboard:



The video shows a Stehl dolly, but it's the fixed ramps that could be the problem.

Safe travels
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Old 10-24-2013, 05:48 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wimberleyman View Post
The straps will stretch and one side or the other of your toad tires will pull away from the tow dolly front bar even with the steering wheel unlocked when you make 90 degree turns.


My other option is to have someone fabricate tire cradles to add to the EZE-tow. I'm looking into this as well.

WM

I have only pulled mine a short distance as an initial try-out and a combination of not being on straight enough and straps not properly installed gave me the "pull away" situation. My first thought was "yikes" but realized it was not going to go anywhere, second thought was tire wear. When the car is on at any angle what-so-ever the rear tires are going to side track to some extent and wear quicker.

I have not seen any complaints about abnormal rear car tire wear, but if that vehicle is not straight, it is there.

I am going to devise some kind of wedge for the rear of the front tires. Something easy, first thought is, perhaps a short wood 4x4 or 4x6 to drop between the rear strap hookups and the tires so they will draw in and block from behind the tires.
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Old 10-24-2013, 05:56 AM   #14
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When using a dolly check your tie down straps and safety chains often

You will need lights on the Impala, I recommend either a standard Diode kit or Add-a-lamp as these do not have wires lying on the paint job messing it up by slapping against it as you drive, they also do not grow legs and walk off like mag-lights can do.
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