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Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Yahoo Message Number: 76296
We are trying to figure out whether to use a dolly or wire up the Jeep for direct towing. The flexibility of a dolly appeals to us. Would appreciate comments on the down side of the dolly compared to straight tow wiring?

Thanks, Scott Gustafson
2007 Tribute

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76298
I have used a Demco KarKaddy SS tow dolly for a little over a year (to date I have towed a car on it >7,000 miles). Before that I flat-towed a Saturn for 7+ years. The Demco has hydraulic surge brakes, break-away brake actuation, and is foldable to reduce the storage footprint (the tow dolly wheels are also steerable which helps it in tracking). I went to the tow dolly because I wanted to tow our Cadillac DeVille and it was old enough that I could not see putting as much into making it flat towable as a tow dolly would cost (also, the tow dolly would tow virtually anything I might get in the future as long as it was front wheel drive) - good move on my part as I just replaced the DeVille - $0 to move to the new car as far as towing modifications. While many folks say that they hated their tow dolly and would never use one again, I love mine. I would say that I can put the car on the tow dolly or unload from the tow dolly in no more than five minutes longer than it took to hook up the Saturn for flat tow. With the tow dolly, I have not had the rock chipping of the front end of the car that I had with flat towing. I bought a fitted cover for the front of the Saturn and the windshield to prevint chipping - biggest problem was storing it when not on the car and the fact that you could not put it on or take it off if it was raining or had been raining without getting very dirty. If you include the time required to install or remove the car cover with the time required to hook up or unhook the car, I can do the tow dolly quicker.
Feel free to PM me with your phone number and I will be glad to call you and talk one on one if you would like, or I will be glad to try to answer any other questions you might have via the forum or e-mail.

Regards,

John

'06 Inspire DaVinci 51905
'12 Honda Pilot

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76299
I flat towed a 2000 Honda Odyssey over 70,000. I bent 3 Roadmaster tow bars, then switched to Demco after Roadmaster would no longer "repair" for free under warranty.
When I sold the Honda, I also sold the Demco tow bar.
I bought an American Tow Dolly because it was about half the price of the Demco SS. In three years I have had to replace the straps twice. The second time with Demco straps, these are going strong after two years. I kind of wish I had bought the Demco instead.
I have towed about 16,000 miles with the dolly and agree with almost everything John said.

Bob Wexler

SOB Full Timing

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76300
Scott --- I have a 2006 Jeep Cherokee Overland, and have a Demco towing system. I have a 2 wheel drive and am not sure if that was the reason for so many difficulties or what, but I had an on-going problem of the Jeep being dead every time I would stop (which was about every 2 hours)..... I left California and drove to Oregon, then to Chicago, and my Jeep died 11 times...... I cannot tell you how frustrating it was......... I kept taking it to various places along my route, from trailer servicing places to Jeep dealers, to motorhome repair places...... each time I brought it in, I spent a large sum of money with them claiming the problem was resolved, only to get on the road and have the Jeep die the first time I stopped for a break. I had to have a lube pump installed in the Jeep which is right behind the front framework of the Jeep - it pulls trans fluid from my coach...
Each place I took it to gave me a different story as to why the Jeep continued to die on me..... finally, in Chicago, Scotts RV, who specializes in big rigs with trailers, etc., figured it out and it has not happened again ---- they said there were 7 different connections that had to be wired correctly and only 5 were. Kevin Waite installed a "tow daddy" at the CC rally in Oregon to resolve the problem, but that didnt work either and I later found out it was an unnecessary installation.
Overall, Scott, I spent nearly $2000 over and above the cost of the actual Demco system, just to figure out what was causing the problem.
No one figured it out until I went to Scotts RV -- the guys there were just incredibly knowledgeable and patient and they fixed it for me.
I dont know if you have a 2 or 4 wheel drive, but great emphasis was placed on that when I was deciding which towing system to go with. by the way, I talked to several folks at campgrounds who were towing Jeeps, and they have all had issues with towing their cars...... dont know if any of that helps but thought I would tell you my experience, jan

06 Inspire DaVinci 51898

From: gustafsons140

To: Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 10:55 AM Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

We are trying to figure out whether to use a dolly or wire up the Jeep for direct towing. The flexibility of a dolly appeals to us. Would appreciate comments on the down side of the dolly compared to straight tow wiring?

Thanks, Scott Gustafson
2007 Tribute

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76301
We tow a 98' Jeep Wrangler on the ground with no problems. Transfer case in neutral, key on first notch to release the front wheels to self steer. Never any dead battery issue. Did install a separate set of magnetic tow lights, just much simpler then other options. Magnetic tow lights can be had cheap at Harbor Freight. Also have enclosed trailer to use if extra braking will be an issue. Very little preformance difference in towing on ground or in trailer. Often tow the trailer with the Jeep and side by side quad in it. Very hard to tell difference in performance. See lots of Wranglers behind rigs towed on ground.

Leonard

97' Magna 5418

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76302
Scott:

There are pros and cons to all systems. The one con I could not cope with was getting wet/muddy when it was raining while hooking up the dolly straps to the car/wheels. It was like putting snow chains on tires. Been there, done that, won't do that again.

Gil B

'05 Inspire
51322

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76304
Scott, I'm pretty sure a 4 wheel drive Jeep cannot be towed on a dolly. Only 4 wheels on the ground or 4 wheels off the ground. You didn't say what model of Jeep you were going to use, but be sure and read the manual before using a dolly.

Dan 06 Intrigue 11936

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76305
We direct tow a Jeep. We bought the Coach in January this year and a week later the Jeep. We put 10,000 miles on them this year. I wouldn't want the dolly because I saw too many people this year having to unload the vehicle then have to do something with the dolly. It seemed a lot more work putting vehicles on and off the dolly's. One couple, the woman was driving and they were yelling at each other until she drove to far up the dolly and rail of the dolly was behind the tire and in front of the body. They were real quiet then. I have the brake connected and vehicle brakes are a lot better then trailer brakes in my experience. These are just my thoughts and what I prefer.

07 Intrigue 12162
C13 Cat Allison
06 Rubicon LJ

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76310
Thanks Gil. That's is exactly the input I am looking for. I wouldn't have thought of that issue. Scott

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76311
Thanks Dan. I did check a website, Remco that indicated my jeep would dolly but will definitely check with the dealer service desk before buying Appreciate the thought, Scott

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76313
Thanks for the information Jan. Is your Demco system a dolly or tow bar unit? Scott

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76314
I would like to hear from somebody that had a dolly and opted to change to a direct tow bar setup. Would like to know why you didnt like the dolly. Thanks again, Scott Gustafson

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76315
Dan

My 4 wheel drive 2005 Jeep Liberty can be towed either 4 on the ground or on a dolly. That is because it has a manual transfer case. When the transfer case is placed in neutral with the lever both the front and rear axles are no longer connected to the transmission. After placing the transfer case in neutral the transmission is placed back in park to keep the transmission from rotating from any friction. The ignition key has one stop immediately in front of the run position that disconnects everything in the vehicle therefore there can be no battery drain. The steering wheel is not locked and you cannot remove the key.
I have towed a Cherokee and Liberty over our ten years of full-timing and these two vehicles were made with flat towing in mind as was the same vintage Saturns. However virtually any 4 wheel drive vehicle with a manual transfer case should be towable 4 on the ground.
The more recent Libertys are a different story. Last time a took a look at a new Liberty it could not be towed all four in the ground without doing something to it but it was several years ago and I can't remember what it was. It seemed to have something to do with their having placed the ignition switch back on the dash and the new keyless vehicles. Too bad, they are so easy to hook up.

Don Seager

2004 Allure 31046

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76322
We tow our 98 Jeep Wrangler 4 down. Very easy operation and easily done by one person. We use Blue Ox Avanta LX with the ball in socket design. The ball in socket means the car doesn't have to be exactly behind the coach - can be off center. Much more forgiving... The shop that installed the base plate and such, also wired the Jeep for towing.
We went with this vs. using a tow dolly or trailer for the simplicity and only needing to hook up the Jeep instead of the tow dolly then the jeep. By the time Kim is back to the coach from checking in, the Jeeps disconnected and ready for her to drive it to the site.
Some of the campgrounds we've stayed in didn't have alot of room for the coach much less, the Jeep and trailer/dolly. Just one less thing to worry about.
Bill, 05 Intrigue, #11881

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76324
I HAVE RACECITY RVPRODUCTS DOLLY....WILL PULL MOST ANY VEHICLE AND GOLF CAR OR MOTOR CYCLEOR 2 CHECK WEB SITE.... RICH KEKLAK 40CC #10739



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From: gustafsons140

To: Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 3:03 PM Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Thanks for the information Jan. Is your Demco system a dolly or tow bar unit? Scott

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Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76326
I can't imagine how you can bend a Roadmaster tow bar. I belong to a 4x4 club with about 150 members who have motor homes; and about 5 of those members use trailers and none use dollys.

Dan 2006 Allure 31348 with CJ-7 flat towed for about 7 years.

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76327
Scott

Check out the motor homes you pass and note how many are flat towing jeeps and how many jeeps you see on a dolly. I can't remember seeing a jeep on a dolly.

Dan 2006 31348
 

Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 76331
Scott- I agree with Bill- a tow bar is the best for me. Very sinple to connect for towing and it tracks well- Love my Blue Ox. Less to worry about and when in camp don't have to worry about what to do with the dolly. Many of the camps we stay at I have to back in- so much earier.

Robert, 2007 Tribute #81042

From: Bill

To: Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 8:52 PM Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Dolly for the towed, appreciate pros and cons....

We tow our 98 Jeep Wrangler 4 down. Very easy operation and easily done by one person. We use Blue Ox Avanta LX with the ball in socket design. The ball in socket means the car doesn't have to be exactly behind the coach - can be off center. Much more forgiving... The shop that installed the base plate and such, also wired the Jeep for towing.
We went with this vs. using a tow dolly or trailer for the simplicity and only needing to hook up the Jeep instead of the tow dolly then the jeep. By the time Kim is back to the coach from checking in, the Jeeps disconnected and ready for her to drive it to the site.
Some of the campgrounds we've stayed in didn't have alot of room for the coach much less, the Jeep and trailer/dolly. Just one less thing to worry about.
Bill, 05 Intrigue, #11881

Quote from: gustafsons140"

> We are trying to figure out whether to use a dolly or wire up the Jeep for direct towing. The flexibility of a dolly appeals to us. Would appreciate comments on the down side of the dolly compared to straight tow wiring? >

Thanks, Scott Gustafson
2007 Tribute
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