Tow Dolly for Equinox

[WFretz]

I have to tow our Equinox ( 2018 ) to florida behind my 1999 Fleetwood Flair. I will probably rent a tow dolly and wondered if anyone has towed an Equinox via dolly, and what, if any, issues you encountered!

[HarryStone]

Never towed a large vehicle, but I would be only concerned with the width. But I just checked, and it's only 73 inches wide. As long as it's FWD, and not AWD, you should be fine.

[WFretz]

Thank you Harry... yes, it's a FWD, and not AWD....
Have never towed a car behind the old gal and wondered if this was towable...

[twinboat]

Check the owners manual for recreational towing. It should mention if it can be dolly towed.

I towed a Kia Soul, then a Jeep Renegade, and now a Honda Ridgeline on my dolly.

The FWD Honda didn't mention dolly towing but mentioned tow truck towing with front wheels up. That was good enough for me.

[BillJinOR]

The equinox 2wd or awd is one of the few 4 down towables left in Chevy
Dolly towing from my research memory is ok for the 2wd not the awd. The caution I would look at is if it has electric parking brakes , they may need to be disabled as many “auto set” after a period if the transmission is in park as it is on a dolly.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by WFretz

Thank you Harry... yes, it's a FWD, and not AWD....
Have never towed a car behind the old gal and wondered if this was towable...

Are you set on a dolly? If not, the Equinox is towable with all four wheels on the ground. I just dumped my dolly and that car for an Equinox and set it up for flat towing.

I'm slow and ten minutes to connect or disconnect is a good time. The dolly took a far longer amount of time due to having to get it centered on the dolly, placing the straps on each wheel, and securing the safety chains underneath. Then there is the whole thing of having to stop after a few miles to tighten the straps and fix a strap if it slipped to one side. And then storing everything.

If this is an occasional need a dolly is fine. For me, the price of the dolly would have paid for a big chunk of the flat tow equipment because when the motorhome moves, the car goes with it.


I just saw this on U-Haul's site:

Capacity
Max Load: 3,450 lbs. when towing a front-wheel drive vehicle, 3,900 lbs. when towing a rear-wheel drive vehicle.

Empty weight: 750 lbs.

750 lbs to muscle around? My back is no longer that good.

FWIW,

Ray

[WFretz]

The Equinox is a lease.. I'm not putting the money or effort into a tow bar for it and then turn it in in a year.... only option left for me is the Tow Dolly, which is why I'm asking

[BillJinOR]

https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam...ers-manual.pdf
This is from the 2020 Equinox recreational towing page in the owners manual page 344 has the info you want
Always look at the manual and look for “recreational towing “ what seems to be the industry code words for 4 down. I’ve always found dolly towing info as it relates to how a tow truck should move your disabled vehicle.

[WFretz]

Thanks Bill.. that was extremely helpful!

[NXR]

Originally Posted by WFretz

The Equinox is a lease.. I'm not putting the money or effort into a tow bar for it and then turn it in in a year.... only option left for me is the Tow Dolly, which is why I'm asking

Makes sense. I've got a 2020 Equinox Premier that I bought used. A buddy with a 2019 leased Equinox LT decided to do the whole flat tow setup and will just buy the car out.

Ray

[cataska]

Towed a 2012 2wd on a uhaul dolly from texas to ca. 1400 mi no problems,

[HarryStone]

Originally Posted by WFretz

Thanks Bill.. that was extremely helpful!

I'm glad you got the info you needed. Too many times, a tow dolly question turns into a tow 4 down debate.

[WFretz]

I just measured the hitch on the back of my Flair, and it's like 24-25 inches off the ground. Anyone know what the height requirement is for a Tow Dolly?

[BillJinOR]

My American dolly Ball height spec is 16-17”