Tow Dolly - Braking system?

[Irish Reb]

Thinking about using a tow dolly to tow our Honda Fit. Is it necessary/required to have a braking system?

[DonDee]

Yes.

[cuemaker]

I have a demco 450ss and it has hydraulic brakes. bought used for $1400..

[gman69]

Originally Posted by Irish Reb

Thinking about using a tow dolly to tow our Honda Fit. Is it necessary/required to have a braking system?

i tow my Honda Fit on an Eze Tow dolly that has surge brakes on the dolly. works great. have towed the Fit over 10K miles on the dolly with no issues. the brakes work great (they are discs on the dolly.)

Have decided to sell the dolly and go to 4 down only because of the tow bar is a bit easier to use.

[RTinVa]

I have a Kar Kaddy SS bought last Fall. Seems to work very well. It has surge brakes.

Saw on another thread (cannot find it) that Canada requires brakes on each axle that is on the road. This means I need a brake system for the car that is on the dolly as well. Wonder if I have the DW drive the car and tow an empty dolly with the DP if that would satisfy the requirement when we are entering and in Canada? Talk about making visits from the US a bit more of a challenge.

[Libero]

Originally Posted by RTinVa

I have a Kar Kaddy SS bought last Fall. Seems to work very well. It has surge brakes.

Saw on another thread (cannot find it) that Canada requires brakes on each axle that is on the road. This means I need a brake system for the car that is on the dolly as well. Wonder if I have the DW drive the car and tow an empty dolly with the DP if that would satisfy the requirement when we are entering and in Canada? Talk about making visits from the US a bit more of a challenge.

I believe your information is incorrect. Well it is for Ontario anyway and I suspect for the rest of the provinces. Each province has its own Highway Traffic Act, the same as in the US states, I have seen all the towing statutes and have never seen such a rule you have cited.

In Ontario for example:

Any house trailer >3000 lbs requires brakes. And when a vehicle requires brakes, the law says only 1 axel needs a brake.

Different rules for towed vehicle:

Brakes are not required for a towed vehicle. It does not matter if the vehicle is being towed with a tow bar or a dolly. Brakes are not required by law on a dolly when it is towing a vehicle.

One might assume if the dolly was >3000lbs, then the trailer rule would apply.

[jarwiebe]

Here is a useful link if you will be towing in Canada.
Camping Canada Campgrounds Towing tips

[Libero]

Originally Posted by jarwiebe

Here is a useful link if you will be towing in Canada.
Camping Canada Campgrounds Towing tips

Suggest people check current Provincial/Territory Highway Traffic acts if they want the current skinny. The above referenced information is at least 14 years out of date and the towed automobile rules are not included therein. Note the specifics re dollies in the MOT site I indicated below.

Here is a site for ON but each jurisdiction has its own laws. Note it is very much different info than that outdated 3rd party referenced site has.

Note the rule about the axle wt on the trailer "when the trailer is attached to the tow vehicle" not the wt of the trailer. Interesting way to state this.

"http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/recreational-vehicles/part3.shtml"

[RTinVa]

Originally Posted by Libero

Suggest people check current Provincial/Territory Highway Traffic acts if they want the current skinny. The above referenced information is at least 14 years out of date and the towed automobile rules are not included therein. Note the specifics re dollies in the MOT site I indicated below.

Here is a site for ON but each jurisdiction has its own laws. Note it is very much different info than that outdated 3rd party referenced site has.

Note the rule about the axle wt on the trailer "when the trailer is attached to the tow vehicle" not the wt of the trailer. Interesting way to state this.

"http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/recreational-vehicles/part3.shtml"

Thank you all for the information. I did look at the last link and found the requirements to be what I would consider very reasonable. It is good to know that the information seen on another forum her on IRV2 is not correct. Had me worried. I do have a light bar for the car as well. Thank you all again and safe travels! Spring is almost here!