Community Forums

SiteCR · 08-16-2010, 06:27 AM

Update -
Could not find a tow dolly in Alabama until I convinced one guy to order one.
Triple L sales ordered me the Master Tow w/ Surge Brakes.
So far since 25 Nov we've put 7000 miles on the dolly.
Pretty easy to move around by myself, hookups are quick except tucking away the excess straps take a bit of time to make sure they won't come lose.
turns easy (have had to come very close to U Turn a few times and made it)
towing a 09 Hyundai Sonata.
came w/ LED lights work great
wish it had come w/ chains to hook to car for safety reasons. luckily from towing my jeep 4 down in the past I had safety cables I've rigged to dolly.
recommend the master tow w/ surge.
cheers

gad · 08-16-2010, 06:58 AM

I have found 2 units that appear up to the task of bring along both the motorcycle and the car. The RaceCity HDXL and the Landgrebe TD40. Both seem similiar in design. Looking for folks that are using these. How the handle, turning etc.

swamphog · 08-17-2010, 05:24 AM

I found it in the Motorhome mag (sept. 08)
the tow dolly company that makes the dolly that you are able to pull the bike (or golf cart/ atv) & car is named tantem web site is www.tandemtow.net what the heck here is the ph. # too9 1-866-223-1016
yep it takes you to the site GAD stated
www.racecityrvproducts.com same company.

JJ99 · 08-19-2010, 08:54 AM

Hi. I too have a tow dolly. I bought a Forest river dolly which has electric brakes and the platform which swivels when you turn. I set the brakes so I can feel them grabbing but not too much. I have been very happy as I can tow any front wheel drive vehicle. I currently tow a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr or a 2002 Honda Accord. A couple of things I did when I bought it. I had the dealer install radial tires and provide me with a radial spare. It came equipped with bias tires which I don't consider safe. The radials are bigger in size and the fenders had to be modified to accommodate the radials. I suggest changing the tail lights to LED's if not so equipped. In addition I also mount magnetic-mount tow lights on the back of the car for extra visibility. My motor home is equipped with both the 7 pin all in 1 plug and also the 4 pin standard trailer light plug. On our Honda I quickly found out the brake lines are dangerously close to where the dolly straps would be and so I have had to get under the car and feed the strap around the brake lines which was a minor pain in the butt but took only a few extra moments. (I have done it in the pouring rain many times..just expect to get very wet) With the Lincoln I have no such issues and the straps slip over the wheels easily. Gotta think safety all the time. Make certain the tow straps are tight at all times. Best to stop and check every couple of hours. I have never had any issues with a strap loosening but best to check. I find I can load and unload the dolly in 5 or 10 minutes. At first I thought it would be a huge pain but it has just become part of the routine before leaving home or an RV site. Obviously I prefer a pull-thru site but unhooking the dolly and backing into a site is really no big deal. I have never towed 4 down so I can't compare. I realize a tow dolly is not for everyone but I have grown to appreciate the convenience and flexibility mine has offered. Good luck and happy towing.

SiteCR · 08-20-2010, 06:16 AM

Update -
we developed a tire issue (cupping) pretty bad on one tire and slight on the left one. we're not sure if tires were slightly canted or the road was so bad.
haven't replaced the tire, they only have 7700 miles on them.
watching carefully. Carlisle tires

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiteCR

Update -
Could not find a tow dolly in Alabama until I convinced one guy to order one.
Triple L sales ordered me the Master Tow w/ Surge Brakes.
So far since 25 Nov we've put 7000 miles on the dolly.
Pretty easy to move around by myself, hookups are quick except tucking away the excess straps take a bit of time to make sure they won't come lose.
turns easy (have had to come very close to U Turn a few times and made it)
towing a 09 Hyundai Sonata.
came w/ LED lights work great
wish it had come w/ chains to hook to car for safety reasons. luckily from towing my jeep 4 down in the past I had safety cables I've rigged to dolly.
recommend the master tow w/ surge.
cheers

whem2fish · 08-20-2010, 06:48 AM

myself i bought a stelth tow with elect brakes have more than 30,000 miles on it tow a 4 door chevy truck with no problems added safty chains to front and rear pan i tie to a frames (maybe overkill) added a hand crank boat winch when i need to tow a friends car to shop
dave

Robsons · 08-30-2010, 05:24 PM

Thought I'd toss in my 2 cents of experience...

I bought a MasterTow dolly and have driven it behind our MH for the past 6 months and over 17,000 miles. I decided to get the dolly instead of 4-down because we were doing a single big trip and then selling the MH and all the support stuff. The dolly allowed me to dodge having to do anything to our minivan and was basically plug-n-play to use with the RV.

The first few attach/detach times took extra effort and double checking but we got into a pretty smooth groove after some break-in time. I am to the point where I don't need any help steering/directly to get the van up on the ramps and I center my car everytime. Attaching the straps takes a couple of minutes more than a 4-down setup would but isn't too bad.

My only hindsight suggestion would be to make sure that the tires are well balanced. After only a few thousand miles I could see that the tires were getting all chopped up. I just let them go and they got pretty bad. Eventually I replaced the tires and had them balanced and they still look like new after some significant driving.

Last thoughts. I bought a dolly w electric brakes and installed a brake controller that worked with my RV's brakes. I also have the LED light package which is very bright compared to the regular bulbs. Never had any trouble moving the dolly around the campsites or the occasional time when I had to detach to get into a parking spot. Slightly more work than 4-down but no long term investment in my car was required.

Overall, very satisfied with a tow dolly and with the MasterTow 80THD in specifically.

DAN L · 08-30-2010, 11:10 PM

update:
my new stehl tow dolly wore out the original set of tires in 600 miles between vancouver, wa and reno, nv.

i found that the toe in was 3/4''.

i got that fixed at a truck alignment shop in reno for $120.
the new 13'' 8 ply tires cost me $150. they are hard to find.
before you buy a tow dolly, check the toe in with a tape measure.

the new tires are wearing better.

george85643 · 09-02-2010, 06:45 PM

whem2fish, I assume thiis is a rear wheel drive truck. Do you tow with the rear wheels on the dolly ? I tow a rear wheel drive Mercedes on a dolly with the rear tires on the dolly and have not had any problems or tire wear. One of the responders claimed this is not a acceptable practice but did not say if he had actually tried it. have you had any problems ?

Elkhartjim · 09-02-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by george85643

whem2fish, I assume thiis is a rear wheel drive truck. Do you tow with the rear wheels on the dolly ? I tow a rear wheel drive Mercedes on a dolly with the rear tires on the dolly and have not had any problems or tire wear. One of the responders claimed this is not a acceptable practice but did not say if he had actually tried it. have you had any problems ?

Contact the tow dolly manufacturer and get their recommendation. Do not tow backwards but of course its totally up to you. I've driven 29000 in the last three years and I can not recall seeing one vehicle being towed backward. JMHO of course.

whem2fish · 09-03-2010, 06:15 AM

i tow with front wheels on dolly drive shaft disconected
dave

Alcazar · 07-03-2014, 01:30 PM

I have a 2014 Stehl tow dolly. Hooked it up to my class c and went for a spin with a 98 VW Jetta on the dolly. Towed ok but noticed 2 things wrong after getting home. First the steering pulled to the left on the moho whenever I applied the brakes. I have not isolated this to the moho or the dolly at this time. The second thing was the pan did not return to straight once we when on a sharp turn. I loosened the pivot bolt, which was too tight, greased it and tighten it to the point of being able to turn the pan by hand but not so loose the bolt is sloppy. I have yet to test it. I will update later on this. I did find that if there is a real sharp turn made the pan can get stuck against the spindle on each side. Unknown at this time if the weight of the car will cause it to straighten out on another turn.