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Al Lipscomb · 01-29-2021, 09:54 AM

When I received my "Made in America" tow dolly the "title" document was printed half in Chinese. Not sure what parts are made here, but it sure looks like most of it was not. The instructions are mainly a collection of videos, if you call in for support you will be told "its in the video, watch that." The problem is they have made design changes to the dolly and the videos are from different versions. What is true for one will not be true for another. Their "innovation" seems to have involved removing components to make it cheaper.

The ratchets are low quality metal and have bent and distorted. I have had the hooks on the straps completely unhook from the dolly and trash the retaining clips. I have verified that the straps are installed to match the videos, but they still come lose. I would not recommend this product. Towing a car is not something you want to do when you cannot trust the equipment and I just don't trust this dolly.

Charles L · 01-29-2021, 10:26 AM

Something must have changed for sure. I had one for a couple years. I towed a camry from Virginia to California and back. Over 6000 miles in a month. The only problem I ever had was hooking up and unhooking was a hassle. The 12 inch tires were tough as can be load range E but only get around 10,000 miles per set. They are fully welded, not bolted together. I never saw any Chinese instructions. I am sure some parts like the lights could be chinese. I thought the dolly was good. Now I tow a jeep 4 down. Much easier.

RandDescape · 01-29-2021, 12:45 PM

What year is the subject dolly and was it a direct factory purchase?

I had a 2016 and it was great for the 4 seasons we used it (now tow 4-down).

All materials were in English including the manufacturing doc. It wasn’t really a title if I remember since it doesn’t get its own license plate.

Mine was a new direct from factory model.

- Richard

NXR · 01-29-2021, 04:07 PM

You bought it from cartowdolly.com and using Acme Tow Dolly Company acmetowdolly@gmail.com to contact them by email, right?

I used to have one, a 2019, and last May they ran a GoFundMe to try and raise funds. That gave me a bit of pause because I knew they were a one-product company. https://www.gofundme.com/f/tow-dolly-manufacturer-in-nc

This is sad to hear.

Ray

Bikinjim · 01-29-2021, 04:24 PM

I bought a new 2015 model and picked it up at the factory in NC. The company owner worked directly with me when picking it up and gave me a very thorough demonstration. I used the dolly for a season before going 4 down but I didn’t have any issues with the dolly itself and thought it was a quality piece of equipment. Sorry to also hear that things have changed.

MarvinG · 01-29-2021, 05:56 PM

I’ve put close to 10,000 miles on mine, bought it used. My tires are still good and I’ve never had any of the problems mentioned by the OP.

If I needed another one I would purchase from the same company since I am very satisfied with mine. Even purchasing used, I had enough paperwork to get it registered and keep a current tag.

chs · 01-30-2021, 05:37 AM

I bought an Acme used from a neighbor that was only used 2 times but sat in his garage for 2 years. First time out the brakes froze up on one side. I looked into rebuilding it with new bearings, one rotor and new pads and found that I had to buy the parts from one of the companies that make the axles and brake systems on RV's (forget which one though, sorry) After finding out the cost, I removed the braking system and sold it without brakes. They advertise that the brakes use car parts. That's only the pads, nothing else.
The moral of the story is, if you buy it use it, don't leave it lying around to corrode. I now toad tow a Jeep.

Al Lipscomb · 01-31-2021, 07:30 PM

Yes purchased it in 2020 from the factory web site. We made it back home after our 4,000 mile trip. The final leg, from Huston to Tampa was done after my first post and I decided to make it a final "test case" for the dolly. Despite careful setup, the straps on the passenger side shifted a lot from their original positions. The tires had moved back unevenly from the front of the dolly. I think for shorter trips it might work, but I am pretty sure we are going to transition to flat towing.

twinboat · 01-31-2021, 07:52 PM

If you car has locking steering, it must be unlocked and the front tires free to steer.

Even then, due to front end geometry, the wheels are going to walk around, pulling on the straps, on that type of dolly.

Al Lipscomb · 02-01-2021, 05:41 AM

They "walk around" enough to cover the slots to install the ramps. Since one tire will still be all the way forward, getting the car square so that the ramp can be put back on is a pain. The way the thing is designed there is no natural place for the tire to settle.

ETA: Interesting in reading the responses how many people no longer use it but now tow "4 down".

Over the years it seems the dolly has undergone a lot of changes. In the instructional videos there are at least 3 major changes evident.

NXR · 02-01-2021, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Lipscomb

They "walk around" enough to cover the slots to install the ramps. Since one tire will still be all the way forward, getting the car square so that the ramp can be put back on is a pain. The way the thing is designed there is no natural place for the tire to settle.

That happens because the dolly and car are not in a straight line behind the motorhome. Get in the habit of just doing a straight run for twenty feet or so and that problem goes away, if you're not already doing that. Turn the motorhome steering wheel just a bit and the car will not be straight behind.

Quote:

ETA: Interesting in reading the responses how many people no longer use it but now tow "4 down".

I think you'll find that your observation can be applied to any dolly. We started off with a car I loved but that could not be flat towed. A dolly can be a pain to get the car aligned, strapped down, and safety-cabled up, especially in inclement weather. Then there is the "stop after a few miles and crank the straps down" thing. And the "move that multi-hundred pound thing around" thing. But a dolly works well and is a WHOLE lot cheaper than a new car and the flat towing equipment.

For us, I had driven my relatively new car a whopping 36.5 miles in three months in 2020 after COVID lockdowns hit. So I gave it to my kid because I was burning calendar warranty for no good reason and they were driving a fourteen year-old car with 150,000+ miles. I then bought a used car that could be flat towed and installed the equipment by myself.

Ray