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Old 03-27-2017, 11:27 AM   #1
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Towing a Car with a Dolly

I've recently purchased a 30' Class A and plan to tow a car using a Dolly so the 2 rear tires will be on the ground. The car is a front wheel drive Honda CRV and my question is: Do I need to purchase a Dolly with Brakes? If yes, would you recommend Electrical Brakes, Surge Drum Brakes, or Surge Disc Brakes?
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Old 03-27-2017, 11:38 AM   #2
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Do you need brakes on the dolly ? That's up to you. It seems the law can be read many ways, as you'll soon see.

I would and do have dolly brakes, but my Class C brakes aren't as robust as Class As.

Surge, disk brakes, are simple, self actuating, self adjusting and work without any wiring or controllers. You could rip the trailer cord out and still have brakes.

Now get ready for the 4 down crowd to try and change your mind.
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Old 03-27-2017, 12:23 PM   #3
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We tow a Fiat 500L with a dolly on a 34' diesel pusher. We chose to buy one with surge brakes because the only thing we had to hook up was the lights. It is a self contained unit and works great. No special wireing and since you don't back one up with the car on it the surge brakes are no problem. Easier to sell if the need arises.
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Old 03-27-2017, 01:53 PM   #4
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States that require brakes would still require them, but a vehicle on a tow dolly doesn't necessarily fall under the same laws as a trailer. Some states, e.g. Florida, have specific regulations for tow dollys.

The laws of physics aren't any different, though. whether dolly or flat-towed or trailers, you have a bunch of weight behind you that needs to get braked to a stop. The coach brakes are designed to stop the coach alone, i.e. the coach GVWR amount. Anything above that is supposed to have its own braking. So yes, you really should have brakes on the dolly. Surge is the easiest - no brake controller required in the coach. Electric brakes are perhaps better technically, but you really are just looking for some brute force brake assist with the extra weight.
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Old 03-27-2017, 03:03 PM   #5
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Brakes for sure
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Old 03-27-2017, 04:54 PM   #6
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Surge disc brakes. You will notice the difference without.
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Old 03-27-2017, 05:52 PM   #7
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I use a tow dolly with electric box works great can even back it up
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Old 03-27-2017, 05:55 PM   #8
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Brakes for sure
I use electric, no problems
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Old 03-30-2017, 04:15 AM   #9
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I would. You do notice a difference. We tow my Mazda 3 behind our 37' gasser. Our first tripe we rented a hauler and could feel the trailer pushing as we stopped. When we bought one with surge brakes, it was a world of difference. Some states require brakes on any trailer over 2500lb, so if you travel you will need to be aware of it. We found a new Towmaster with surge brakes and LED light upgrades on craigslist for just over $1000.
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