4 down vs dolly

[Charles L]

two 12 inch spare tires for the dolly. Dolly tires rarely get over 10,000 miles wear. While they are load range E and tough/durable there is always the chance of damaging one since the dolly is wider than the rv. I guess I do everything overkill. about 15 pounds each and fit in the trunk.

[twinboat]

I have 14" tires on my dolly. They lasted over 35,000 miles and 5 years.

I replaced them proactively because I upped the weight of my toad. This is my 3rd toad in 6 years of travelling.

No tail light or brake mods needed on the toad or RV. Dolly has lights and disk, surge brakes.

We have fixed ramps and can load and strap down the toad in 5 to 10 minutes. Saftey cables are run thru the wheels so no crawling under the car.

[hewebb]

Last year we towed with a dolly. I am a little older and getting around to complete all the things necessary to get it going was a real pain in the a**. Switched to four down with M & G braking. It is so much easier and quicker. I would never consider using a tow dolly again.

[Roy-c]

Have done both. Caravan on a dolly and now Wrangler 4 down. Much prefer the 4 down. Way less aggravation to hook and unhook and all brakes on toad work.
As far as backing up is concerned it is a non starter, you won't back either up easily. I can unhook and rehook the jeep in minutes. No big deal.

[chunker]

As you can see many opinions on the subject. Answer, "it depends"!. If you travel a lot like we do and don't stay in any location for more than a few days, dolly towing is s real problem. It's harder to hook up, much dirtier, dolly storage issues. But if you travel 2x a year from south to north, a dolly may not be a problem. Less cost, more available toads. Flat towing does cost more to set up but hookups and disconnects are much easier and no equipment to store. But the available vehicles to flat tow is smaller and getting smaller. Some vehicles require a 52 step process to set up. Others like a Wrangler 3. So "it depends" on your style of travel and desires in toads.

[Ted Lambert]

Originally Posted by Charles L

two 12 inch spare tires for the dolly. Dolly tires rarely get over 10,000 miles wear. While they are load range E and tough/durable there is always the chance of damaging one since the dolly is wider than the rv. I guess I do everything overkill. about 15 pounds each and fit in the trunk.

Wow be prepared
The Sky is going to fall.

I never carry a spare except for the toad.
All the motor homes I would remove the spares!
I like to travel light and spare tires are heavy.

I never had a flat while rving and that I started to do in the 60,s

[rickemo]

Originally Posted by grindstone01

I understand with a flat tow of 4 wheels down, that most people can't the rig back up. For that reason alone, a tow dolly would be a better option.

This is true, I learned the hard way while backing up just a few feet in a Walmart parking lot after being blocked by a delivery truck. I always try to park in a lot away from other vehicles with an exit plan in place but this time it didn't work out. The front bumper of our jeep wrangler hit the corner of our Jayco Melbourne and cracked the fiberglass at the turn signal. Not major damage, but it sure was a lesson learned. I'm very aware of this fact now and try not to get into a situation where I need to backup while towing the jeep. Never towed with a dolly, it seems to be more work than flat towing, but if your vehicle can't be flat towed it is your only option.

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by Ted Lambert

Wow be prepared
The Sky is going to fall.

I never carry a spare except for the toad.
All the motor homes I would remove the spares!
I like to travel light and spare tires are heavy.

I never had a flat while rving and that I started to do in the 60,s

I don't carry spare tires either. My Jeep Renagade toad didn't even have one.

My Ridgeline came with one so we now have one.

As far as the dolly, its a standard ST 205R 14. Wal-Mart has them in stock.

[geordi]

You cannot back up with a tow dolly or 4-down.

I've done both methods, as well as 4-up on a proper trailer. The best method is the 4-up. It doesn't matter what vehicle you have, and all the road wear is on the trailer not the car.

Tow dollies CANNOT have the load adjusted for proper tongue weight, this has been a problem in the past that has resulted in fish-tailing and trailer sway. Very unsafe. I've had two incidents with a dolly that resulted in near-wrecks, caused by their ease at swaying.

Towing 4-down is easy if you have a Jeep, my current Jeep is set up for this. Downside is that the bar can get stuck in position making disconnection difficult, and it still puts wear on the tires and running gear of the toad.

4-up... The only downside is that you have to park it somewhere. But you can carry more stuff, the trailer can have a box on the front for your grill or other toys - tools and such as well.

[fletch460]

If you are towing 4 down and have 4 wheel dr you can back up a few feet with care. I got in a bind at a gas sta and had to back up. Put DW in jeep ,started, showed her where to go. Out of 4 wd, power steering still worked. Backed RV slowly while she steered straight back. Works Still prefer 4 down. Try hooking up dolly in muddy campground

[Charles L]

Originally Posted by Ted Lambert

Wow be prepared
The Sky is going to fall.

I never carry a spare except for the toad.
All the motor homes I would remove the spares!
I like to travel light and spare tires are heavy.

I never had a flat while rving and that I started to do in the 60,s

Originally Posted by twinboat

I don't carry spare tires either. My Jeep Renagade toad didn't even have one.

My Ridgeline came with one so we now have one.

As far as the dolly, its a standard ST 205R 14. Wal-Mart has them in stock.

Wow you two must really be bored. Some like having a spare tire and others like you do not. I am sorry this bothers you enough to post on this.

What does it have to do with the original post?

My dolly has special size tires 12r145 LRE so I carry two. They last about 10k miles. Hold on to your seats buddy. I have a spare under my RV and a spare in my Jeep Now this next tidbit of info may send you off the deep end and really should ruin your day. I have a compressor and a pneumatic/hydraulic jack rated for 9 tons in case I need it. I am never overloaded so I bring whatever I may need. But to ease your minds I am switching to 4 down with only one spare for the rv and one for the Jeep. Is that ok with you?[/QUOTE]

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by Charles L

Wow you two must really be bored. Some like having a spare tire and others like you do not. I am sorry this bothers you enough to post on this.

What does it have to do with the original post?

My dolly has special size tires 12r145 LRE so I carry two. They last about 10k miles. Hold on to your seats buddy. I have a spare under my RV and a spare in my Jeep Now this next tidbit of info may send you off the deep end and really should ruin your day. I have a compressor and a pneumatic/hydraulic jack rated for 9 tons in case I need it. I am never overloaded so I bring whatever I may need. But to ease your minds I am switching to 4 down with only one spare for the rv and one for the Jeep. Is that ok with you?

[/QUOTE]

What does your post have to do with the OP ?

I carry a phone and credit card, much lighter and less work.

[Charles L]

I answered questions based upon my experience with towing for the original post. Now back to the regularly scheduled programming post # 1.

[Waiter21]

As mentioned,

Dolly offers versatility. i.e. most FWD can be towed without any special modifications, at the expense of convenience when loading / unloading.

4 down offers easy / fast hookup / unhook at the expense of limited vehicles that can be towed this way and the expense of modifying the vehicle in order to tow it.