Community Forums

EddieM · 07-17-2020, 02:58 PM

Ok gang, I need some info to keep my head from exploding.
We have a 35' Class A MH and need to tow our car. The total length of our "caravan" will be 50+ feet, depending on the upcoming purchase of a tow dolly. I am leaning toward the EZ Acme tow dolly because you can stand it upright.
One additional piece of info is that we live in a MH community, which will NOT allow a tow dolly to be kept there.

So, my concerns are

Gassing up this 50' caravan. We have mastered the gassing up of the MH, but this new addition is going to make it much more difficult to find gas stations that can accommodate us, especially of the major highways. Any suggestions? I would hate the idea of unloading the car, then the dolly, so that we can fill 'er up, at whichever gas stations that there might be. And then detaching the car from the dolly and then the dolly from the MH, so we can more easily position ourselves at the gas pump.
Storing our "stand up" dolly, when not in use, would need to be kept on private land, not at our MH community. The possibility of it being stolen is not a thrilling one.
When travelling, especially in state and national parks, I can only imagine the "fun" I will have in finding a long enough piece of flat land, so that I can unload the car, then drive the dolly with the MH to the camping site. And then finally unhooking the dolly.

Please do not recommend not having a towed vehicle or renting a vehicle. Our travel plans would not afford the price of a rental. And we need transportation for our upcoming 3 month trip.

I'd really appreciate all info that will be forthcoming.

Thanks
Eddie M

Waiter21 · 07-17-2020, 03:27 PM

#1. No problem. We normally use Flying J truck stops that are equipped with special "RV" lanes. Also, when fueling at other locations, we usually scope out the prospect and attempt to use the outside islands that are easy in/out. I always stop /fuel in a position that I cannot get trapped by other vehicles.

#2. Not sure about storage. Will the RV park allow you to store it under the RV? This is what we do when we have our dolly with us.

#3. Never had any problems finding somewhere to load/unload

NOTE: I'd recommend that your toad have a hitch so you can tow the dolly with the toad

Flyer15015 · 07-17-2020, 04:03 PM

Eddie,
Having owned an EZ Tow dolly, and making several trips from Denver to Florida, towing a dodge minivan behind our Jayco 33SS class "C", I can tell you that I will never own another one.
1. Little bitty tires skid severely when making the turns.
2. If you don't put 90 #'s of air in them the tires will wear out in about 5k miles.
3. If you do put 90 #'s of air in them the tires will wear out in about 5K miles.
4. You CANNOT back up with a tow dolly. Although I have done it for about 6 ft. in an absolutely straight line, and THAT'S IT !!!!!!!!!!!!

I dumped my EZ Tow after 4 trips, as I got tired of buying tires.

I bought a used "Master Tow" dolly off Craigs list in Denver for $300.00 and up rated the tires to good car sized radials.
The nice thing is that the deck swivels and the tires do not skid in a moderate turn.

As far as gas goes, we always fill up at Pilot or Flying J if possible, however there are some stations in residential areas we know about and can get in and out of with relative ease. Sometimes we just have to wait till someone gets out of the way.

Towing a car on a dolly will teach you to think well in advance about what your doing, and plan your moves very carefully. Otherwise you will be unloading the dolly a lot to get out of untenable situations.

Happy Trails,
Mike in Colorado

Steve43 · 07-17-2020, 04:11 PM

As previously said, no problems. We have towed for over 35,000 miles and not had an issue. Most of the time, we ask for a pull thru and don't even detach. Biggest issue, pulling/inserting the tilt pin and using the tire webs. Have gotten much better doing it (can do it now in 3-4 minutes) but it took time to plan it out. But it still requires crawling under front of car to insert/remove tilt pin. Yours may be different. And yes, we look for Flying J mostly because they have RV islands but I have learned to just wait, no matter how long it takes, to get the outside pump when no island is available. Really, with a 35' MH, you have to worry more about the tail swing rather than the car not following. It falls right in behind!!
I store mine in a storage shed, either flat or winch it up the side if I need space. 7 miles away but still close enough.
Steve

phoneman01 · 07-17-2020, 04:57 PM

Just curious.....What kind of vehicle are you towing?

twinboat · 07-17-2020, 05:33 PM

Have a welder build a hindged hitch on the back edge of the dolly.

Turn the dolly around and plug the hitch into the MH receiver and stand it up back there.

5winds · 07-17-2020, 06:18 PM

Here is our experience using a dolly. Those things are HEAVY ! Try moving one around the yard or campsite by hand. When you get to campground you must find a home for it (if you detach) again, by hand. We made 1 trip with one, got home and promptly sold it !
Four us, the answer was to flat tow, sooo much easier. We were able to purchase a suitable used car that was fun to drive and easy to tow. I realize that is not an option for everyone but it worked for us.

Cheers

twinboat · 07-17-2020, 07:12 PM

It took 6 posts, this time, before the 4 down posts started.
Happens every time.

Its a post about TOW DOLLYS, not 4 down towing. We all are aware of 4 down towing and choose not to do it.

Crasher · 07-17-2020, 09:12 PM

When I towed with a dolly, I found the tires that came with them were rated to carry the load, but they would heat up to almost hot to the touch in 50 miles. I upgraded to a slightly larger size with more capacity. They ran just warm to the touch. Go for a tire that gets you at least 20% safety factor. They will run further and not blow out due to rolling resistance heat. I suspect after you have made a few trips and had to deal with storing it offsite and other issues, you will figure out a way to get a toad that can be towed 4 down.

DbleDutch · 07-17-2020, 10:06 PM

Eddie M

I am also a novice at dolly tow with 2 trips. On our first trip the camp site was short, but had a curb on the end. Unhooked dolly and rolled it up against the curb, then backed the RV up over the dolly tongue, pretty easy. Second trip the site was long with no stop and left dolly attached and backed dolly only into the site. We have unloaded at the site or remotely, the same with loading. Only a few extra feet are needed in addition to your length, but not being in a main driveway is key. Whatever is convenient and safe.
Dollies are not licensed or registered in AZ, so are an easy target for theft. We do not have the issue as stored in our backyard. Can you tuck it under your MH for storage?
The car and dolly follow well behind our RV and track on corners, so if you have gas stops figured out, you may just be taking the 2nd pump and block the first with your Toad. Large stations are always the best.
Ours is an American Car Dolly, with removable ramps and swivel bed. I liked the removable ramps because then only the dolly wheels extend behind the RV when the RV is backed over it. The dolly was the inexpensive way for us to bring our Trax on trips we wanted a Toad.

Many times we are boondocking down Forest roads and I do not take it then. I am concerned the gravel roads will cause issues with the lubed swivel bed, caking gravel in the lube. Anyone have experience or advice on swivel dollys on gravel roads?

Eddie M safe travels to you and enjoy the trip.