Buying Tow Dolly - any brands good or bad?

[CountryB]

There is a guy in my state selling his Demco Kar Karry SS (less than half the cost of new). It has the hydraulic surge brakes (but drum not disc), however he says the only thing wrong with it is that the "steering stabilizer" is bad and that causes the dolly to track to one side.

Would a bad (seized) stabilizer cause the dolly to track off center? Is that a reasonable diagnosis? He says nothing is bent and he never hit anything or overloaded the dolly. The photo of the dolly looks good/clean.

I know it's "Buyer Beware" - I don't want to drive across the state to waste my time with a dolly that doesn't pull straight - unless his "bad stabilizer explanation" is reasonable.

What do you think?

[Waiter21]

EZ Tow. Great Dolly... I've got a little over 10,000 miles on mine with two coast to coast trips. (I haul a Camry on mine).

Its easy to load / unload with one person. I painted an orange stripe on the frame, When I load, I stick my head out the window and line up the drivers tire on that mark, and the car is centered every time. The removable ramps are low so I don't worry about ripping off the air dam under the car.

Mine has the brakes and 10 inch wheels, I had a leaking seal, on one of the wheels, and the axle manufacture sent me everything I needed to fix it, and gave me some good pointers for future maintenance.

The EZ folks are always helpful, and they're always looking to improve their dolly.

There is no swivel pan, it relies on the cars front tires to move a little and pivot. On extremely sharp turns it will skid the dolly sideways a little, but the same is true for the swivel pan dolly's.

With the removable ramps there's no need to worry about them hitting the cars rocker panels when going up steep curbs.

For the money, I think this is the best dolly there is.

[Terryshirley]

Wow. Lots of information on this thread. I use an acme ezee tow and love it. I did have trouble with the 10 in tires. I have tried to figure out when cornering what is happening to the car being towed. The dollie tires skid as needed. I don't know how to check if there is suspension damage on my caravan suspension. The van drives straight, doesn't make any unusual noises and tire wear is nominal. So am I missing anything. I'm thinking all is good

[Cooperhawk]

Over a period of almost twenty years we towed with two different Demco Kar Kaddy IIIs. Never a problem towing tow different VWs. A Jedda and a Passat.

Demco has rack and pinion steering so no need to leave steering unlocked, wide ramps, and is wide enough to handle almost any vehicle.

I purchased a new one in 2012 as I let the old one go with our old MH and just sold that one to go four down since my new car can be towed that way.
I purchased them from PPL Motorhomes in Texas and they were drop shipped to me.

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/...kaddy3_94-5999

[CountryB]

Originally Posted by Terryshirley

I use an acme ezee tow and love it. I did have trouble with the 10 in tires. I have tried to figure out when cornering what is happening to the car being towed. The dollie tires skid as needed.

I guess you have an older model if you have 10" wheels. The website says they have 12 wheels (rims) now.

Why would the dolly tire skid sideways? I would think no matter how sharp the turn, the tires on the dolly would still roll. Is the towed car's steering wheel at max turn (meaning steering wheel can't turn any further) when this happens?

Is this normal for all makes of dolly - or normal for "fixed frame" dollys?

[Waiter21]

Why would the dolly tire skid sideways? I would think no matter how sharp the turn, the tires on the dolly would still roll.

If I turn real sharp, the dolly cannot pivot enough to follow the turn, and the MH kind of drags the dolly tires sideways.. This isn't the norm as most turns are shallow enough that the dolly is able to pivot and follow the MH nicely..

[Polyian]

Originally Posted by CountryB

I glad I posted - I didn't know about the "pivoting". So I will look for a Dolly that pivots so I don't need to leave the column unlocked.

PS. I'm not sure how the column locks or unlocks on the Lexus. It doesn't have a key - it uses a FOB and just has a Start Button. With a Steering Pivot Dolly I won't have to worry about that.

Thanks!

Many of the newer vehicles don't have steering locks anymore. If you use a pivot pan dolly then you will need to lash the steering wheel. You don't want the car wheels turning on the pivot pan.

The Acme EEZ-Tow does not have a pivot pan and and was designed to handle vehicles without a steering lock. It handles turns by inverting the suspension. You see the steering wheel turn but the front wheels remain facing forward. From my experience there is no more stress on the vehicle doing this than pulling a vehicle around a corner on a tow bar. (I have done both flat tow and dolly)

There are pros and cons to each type of dolly, I suggest doing your own research and making a decision based on your needs. Look at the different brake options, weights etc.

In my humble opinion, if you have a choice then get a toad to 'flat tow', it really is easier and less hassle to connect and disconnect than loading and unloading a dolly. But again, it depends how you plan to use it. If you load and drive south for several months then a dolly is not a big deal, if you are touring and disconnect frequently it can be a pain in the a$$.

Another thing to consider is what to do with a dolly when parked...it takes up campground space. And tow dolly's also require some level of service, brakes tires etc. as in many ways they are another vehicle...in some locations they require separate license and insurance.

There are many things to consider in pulling a toad...take your time deciding. Having done both I will like go back to flat towing when I get another suitable vehicle to flat tow. With the current I have no choice but the dolly.

[CountryB]

Originally Posted by Polyian

I suggest doing your own research and making a decision based on your needs. Look at the different brake options, weights etc.

This thread "is" my research. My SUV weighs 4,180lbs. I can get a pivot-pan dolly (like the Master Tow), a steerable dolly (like the Demco Kar Kaddy), or a fixed-frame (non-pivoting) dolly like the Acme EZE tow.

So with those choices, I 'm trying to understand the Pros and Cons of each. I learn a little more with each post I read.

• The Acme EZE Tow (fixed frame) is about $2,000 shipped.
• I found a used Demco Kar Kaddy SS (steerable) for $1200 (i have questions about this in a post a few posts up).
• There is a local dealer near me with a Master Tow (pivot pan), its about $1400 new plus tax.

In my humble opinion, if you have a choice then get a toad to 'flat tow', it really is easier and less hassle to connect and disconnect than loading and unloading a dolly.

I don't have a vehicle that can be flat towed. I wish I did. Next vehicle will be, but that is probably several years away.

[Oldcary]

Acme and EZE-Tow are same. What I have and works for us towing a Honda Pilot.

[FarmerB4]

Originally Posted by CountryB

This thread "is" my research. My SUV weighs 4,180lbs. I can get a pivot-pan dolly (like the Master Tow), a steerable dolly (like the Demco Kar Kaddy), or a fixed-frame (non-pivoting) dolly like the Acme EZE tow.

So with those choices, I 'm trying to understand the Pros and Cons of each. I learn a little more with each post I read.

• The Acme EZE Tow (fixed frame) is about $2,000 shipped.
• I found a used Demco Kar Kaddy SS (steerable) for $1200 (i have questions about this in a post a few posts up).
• There is a local dealer near me with a Master Tow (pivot pan), its about $1400 new plus tax.

I don't have a vehicle that can be flat towed. I wish I did. Next vehicle will be, but that is probably several years away.

Why don't you look at American Car Dolly . American made . Delivered to your house already assembled . Capacity 6500 lbs ,more than anybody . $1695 delivered . Great car dolly . It is a pivot-pan dolly. Comes with electric brakes . Welded frame . 14" steel belted radials .
http://www.americancardolly.com/

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Cooperhawk

Over a period of almost twenty years we towed with two different Demco Kar Kaddy IIIs. Never a problem towing tow different VWs. A Jedda and a Passat.

Demco has rack and pinion steering so no need to leave steering unlocked, wide ramps, and is wide enough to handle almost any vehicle.

Demco does not have "rack and pinion steering". It does have a tie rod and stabilizer though.

[wheelsturnin]

Originally Posted by CountryB

I'm ready to buy a Tow Dolly to tow our Lexus RX350 (which has a 4,180 lb curb weight and GVWR is 5,660 lbs).

Are there any brands that you recommend (or to stay away from)?
- or are they all pretty much the same?

I see "EZ-Tow" (the one that has the surge brakes) and rated for 4,985 curb weight and sells new for $1800.

And "Demco Kar Karry 3" (has hyd disc surge brakes) and rated for towing a 4,800lb vehicle. Sells for $3,600

I have used a Demco Car Kaddy SS for six years to tow an Infinity EX35. We towed backwards as recommended by the manufacturer. You might check. My dolly had a max weight of 4700 lbs. Should work.

Easy on and off with a little practice.

Good luck. Always check the manufacturer recommendations.

[Kiawah]

I'll provide some facts, which support why I chose a pivot plan technology.

I just measured how much the pan pivots, when going around a bend. I measured the outside edge of the tire tray (where the tire has to sit inside of), and moved the pan from one stop to the other stop. This is the full range of motion that the pan will pivot. My pan pivots 8.25 inches stop to stop. So when the car is loaded on the pan straight on, and the tire is strapped to the pan, then it can easily move forward 4" or rearward 4". Now, in reality, my specific tire width on the car isn't to the edge, so without doing additional measurements and some math for the exact position of my tire in the tray, it has to be at least 3" of movement or (more).

I'm not a vehicle suspension design engineer, so I don't know how that much pressure (or 'give') differs from hitting a good sized pothole.

So my belief is, if I chose a fixed frame non-steerable design, that there would be somewhere between 3-4 inches of 'stretch' or 'push' stresses, that are placed on the cars suspension. The fact that the car wheels might turn, does not change the geometry of where the center patch of where the tire is strapped, held in place by the cars A frame and ball joint. That center point of the tire patch wants to move forward or backward as you go around a bend.

So what makes that 3-4" go away if I were to choose a fixed frame design? The only ways that I can think of is:
1.) The tires slip on the frame inside of the strap. One tire slips forward, the other slips backwards.
2.) The dolly tires actually crab (or scrub), and are pulled sideways 'inside' of where there natural track would have them. This is the same scenario when a typical (non-steering) tag RV turns. Since most of the weight are on the drive tires, the tag tires scrub when making a turn. RV's get around the tire wear problem by raising the tag wheels (actually taking air out of the tag suspension down pressure). Fixed axle travel trailers with 2 or 3 axles also have tire scrubbing problems. Is it the end of the world, nope. It is a problem however which I chose to eliminate.

Now possibly there is some other reason that I've never seen in writing, documented anywhere, or an engineer somewhere has explained. If someone can offer up a legitimate technical explanation how that 4" push and pull is eliminated, I'd love to understand it.

So understand how the different technologies work, and make your decisions on what makes sense for your situation, and how you intend to use it. For me I have plenty of storage space, so can't capitalize on the advantage to being able to store it standing on end.

If I ever get to the point where I am pulling just a single vehicle, then I'd go 4 down. Until then, perectly happy with dolly towing.

I should also address the concern of fenders denting the car. I don't have that problem. I have read that some have dented their vehicles, don't know the 'why' that happened on their particular car, dolly, and loading position. I use the rough tread markings on the ramps, which helps to ensure my vehicle is centered on the tray (I've measured). If I loaded toward one side of the other, then I'd certainly be closer to the fender on that side. When my pan pivots to full stop, I still have plenty of clearance between the dolly fender and the car on both sides (on both cars that I typically tow).

[twinboat]

I believe you figured out the Acermann effect. The inside wheel steers more then the outside one, because it has a shorter path around a turn.

http://what-when-how.com/automobile/...ng-automobile/

4 down towing is less stressful, because the wheels are rotating.