Who says you can't back up with a dolly?

[JamieGeek]

"Here, hold my beer"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyilC09edoo

Of course they had plenty of room to maneuver to keep the dolly/car straight. If you're in a tight spot you might not have the left/right room that the RV would need to correct the car/dolly angles.

[pstandiford]

The dolly we had swiveled so the toad would follow the MH better. It was essentially a wagon. This one does not appear to swivel so it is more like a trailer. But regardless, this guy has had practice or is very lucky.

[Bob Denman]

You are my hero!

[JamieGeek]

That appears to be a Master Tow Dolly which has a swiveling pan (if you maximize the video and watch closely you can see the car turn with respect to the dolly and then the motorhome turns to compensate for that).

[Chance]

Maybe the video was recorded going forward and played backwards?

That’s impressive given MH has such long rear overhang.

My father could back up wagons on the farm a long distance. He said it just took practice. I tried it a few times and could go a little distance but only if fairly straight. Compared to a dolly, it was helpful that wagons had long tongues and his pickup a short rear overhang. Wagon wheelbase was longer than that of a car, which also helped. Using a tractor made it a little easier than a pickup. There’re a lot of variables that may help or make it more difficult. Skill is essential in any case.

Cool video.

[TurnerFam]

While this might be worth a 'try', if you're bound and determined(!) to back your car and tow dolly all that far....I might have taken the route of just moving the car and tow dolly out of the way, backing the RV by itself all the way out, then backing the RV back to the car and tow dolly, so that I could then simply drive FORWARD all the way out!

maybe that seems a little crazy, but it probably would have taken less time, and much less risk...(unless their car was disabled and couldn't be moved off the dolly, or back onto it, who knows...)

[Chance]

With rear MH cameras that allow a better view of the dolly it’s probably easier and safer to avoid jackknifing than it used to be. Not saying it’s a good idea, just not as bad an idea as it once was.

[TheDustyGeek]

Depending on circumstances, I do this with just our dolly and our 38' MH when we have back-in sites although sometimes it's just faster and easier to disconnect the dolly and put them in the site separately, then reconnect. It's really just like any other trailer, the only problem is that the tail of the vehicle has a lot more swing than smaller tow vehicles, so it's really easy to jackknife it if you're going too fast and not paying close attention.

When you add the car too, while clearly not impossible that looks like you're just asking for problems as there are too many pivot points to keep track of and adjust for. That said I have backed the full combo (MH+dolly+car) a few feet on occasion, such as overshooting the gas pump, but not this far. If you came in straight, it should back up straight maybe 10 feet or so before enough error creeps in and starts to swing the car or dolly enough to make a difference.

[lwmcguire]

Other than backing up a few feet to get turned I don't think backing makes sense or is safe

[EA37TS]

They wouldn't be doing that if that dolly had surge brakes.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by dstankov

They wouldn't be doing that if that dolly had surge brakes.

As long you don't try to push the dolly uphill the surge brakes do not apply. On a Mastertow dolly it takes about 100 lbs force on the tongue to apply the surge brakes. There is also a shot in the surge brake adapter where you can insert a 3/8" common screwdriver than negates the surge brake application.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Beau388

As long you don't try to push the dolly uphill the surge brakes do not apply. On a Mastertow dolly it takes about 100 lbs force on the tongue to apply the surge brakes. There is also a shot in the surge brake adapter where you can insert a 3/8" common screwdriver than negates the surge brake application.

I just sold my Master Tow with surge breaks. Any attempt to back up will activate the surge brakes. I know, I tried (without the car on the dolly) while moving it from one place to another using my riding mower as the tow vehicle.

[telcoman]

on mine you can lock out the surge brakes. mInd you I have yet to use it. I do have a rear view camera.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by lwmcguire

Other than backing up a few feet to get turned I don't think backing makes sense or is safe

I have enough trouble going forward... without anything in tow!

[EA37TS]

When I was on active duty I used to tell my soldiers they could do anything they thought their career could handle. I believe, in the world of RV'ing "you can do anything you think your wallet can handle".

Brings a new perspective on things when one thinks about it.