Community Forums

riverforest · 01-12-2019, 11:13 AM

towing a small car on a tow dolly. the dolly has brake lights. do I also need Magnetic Brake Lights for the towed car ?

RRR · 01-12-2019, 12:07 PM

Technically no. IMO increase the visibility and safety yes. I did when I dolly towed.

I felt that getting the lights up higher near where others expect to see them increases visibility. There is just too many drivers that are not paying attention. That and dolly lights seem to always have a burned out bulb, though sealed LED's have reduced that.

ScoobyDoo · 01-12-2019, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riverforest

towing a small car on a tow dolly. the dolly has brake lights. do I also need Magnetic Brake Lights for the towed car ?

There is a specification about how close to the end of a load the taillights must be. Bet that the back of most cars would need lights if a CMV was pulling it. But LEOs do not pay attention to RVs....

Lakehouse 2 · 01-12-2019, 04:07 PM

We used magnetic lights in addition to the dolly lights, in fact we still use them when towing four wheels down. We had an intermittent issue with the dolly lights when we purchased it new. On the day we discovered the issue we had driven about 300 miles in the rain, all the time thinking we had the lights on. During a walk around check at a fuel stop we discovered the problem. Luckily there was a Walmart near by and we able to buy magnetic lights and continue our trip. We like being able to check the lights as we are driving. The wife can look out the back window and see them and when I'm turning I can check in the mirrors to insure they are working. Safe travels.

travelinJ · 01-12-2019, 04:36 PM

We share this concern. We tow with a dolly, the dolly now has reliable lights (another story). Typically we do not drive after dark if it can at all be avoided. That said we have prepared for the eventuality by installing a trailer light receptacle that accepts 5 or 4 pin trailer and a 7 blade RV. In this way a 7 Blade adapter can be used for magnetic lights and 4 pin for the dolly at the same time. I am considering a wireless battery powered light bar to avoid stringing wires.