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Old 02-02-2020, 01:10 AM   #1
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Dingys

We have recently purchased a Thor Palazzio and we need information or help on deciding on flat tow or caddie tow.

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Old 02-02-2020, 01:16 AM   #2
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Congratulations and welcome.

What kind of information are you looking for? Recommendations on which "is better"? (I think by "caddie tow" you mean using a tow dolly or dolly towing).

Do you already have a car to tow? If you do then it may already dictate how you tow it (it may not be dolly towable, or four down towable for that matter).

In general flat towing is much easier as you just hook up the tow bars and you're off. You are limited to the one car you setup, however, and it can be a bit more expensive.

Dolly towing you can pretty much tow any front wheel drive car without modifications to the car. It is a little bit more involved getting the car on the dolly, strapping it in, and hooking up the safety chains.

In either case you can't really go backwards so you have to be careful where you go (especially when fueling up).

By asking this question you're going to get all kinds of different answers.

Personally we use a tow dolly since most of the cars we've towed have been leases and I didn't want to set them up for four down only to turn that car in and get another. (We've towed 4 different cars on our dolly.)
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Old 02-02-2020, 01:26 AM   #3
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Welcome to the forum!
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Old 02-03-2020, 02:33 PM   #4
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We tow a 2015 Chevy Equinox flat behind our Palazzo, no problem
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Old 02-03-2020, 03:03 PM   #5
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We used to flat tow a Ford Explorer, but it can be problematic when you need to back up. The last couple years we have used a car trailer and it has worked very well.
It sort of depends on where you go, if there is room for the trailer, that works well. Where we go I haven't had any issues with having the trailer in the way.
There have been numerous times that I have had to back up that saved me considerable time unhooking and rehooking because I can back can up.
So now I'm looking for an enclosed trailer so I wont have to clean the tow so often......
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Old 02-03-2020, 03:24 PM   #6
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I think, and this is merely me, that a trailer or a dolly in this day and age is a compromise.
Unless you are on a strict budget that requires you own a vehicle which requires a trailer or dolly, I'm pretty sure new technology and an adequate tow bar will allow me to disconnect in about fifteen seconds and reconnect, depending on my ability to center the tow'd in well under a minute.
I'm not sure backing up is more than a skill which needs acquired through practice. I'm sure a trailer is much easier to backup, but as some of us have followed a certain recent thread, we know trailers aren't always welcome in rv parks.

Op,
No one can tell you what's best because there's too many options depending on too many variables, the biggest being budget.
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Old 02-03-2020, 03:39 PM   #7
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Good points, but consider the processes if you have to back up, first lets assume that it takes no time to hook up and unhook. You have to get out of the M/H, walk back to the toad, get in and set the break, get out unhook, get back in the toad move it out of the way, get out, re enter and reposiition the M/H, (about this time there are 6 people waiting for you to get out of the way) get out of the M/H re enter the toad, hook up and re enter the M/H. Depending on how fast you can run, 5-10 minutes is my guess........
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Old 02-03-2020, 03:45 PM   #8
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Didn't we just have a thread on this topic?

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Old 02-03-2020, 03:53 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 16ACE27 View Post
Didn't we just have a thread on this topic?

We always have a thread on this topic.
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Old 02-03-2020, 03:58 PM   #10
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I've never been one to do it with malice, but is it considered rude to tell a new member with no prior posts, how to use the search engine?

It was my first thought, but I went ahead and told them it was entirely their own decision and I alluded to people without skills assuming no one else has skills, nor can aquire skills.


It think perhaps we should just lead them to a search.
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Old 02-03-2020, 04:21 PM   #11
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https://freedomhauler.com/
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...IihxTh1D1rqdS8

Towing is just a matter of thinking what will work or what almost works and then making it work.

These aren't new.
A double hitched, one big caster wheel in the rear, model has been around... Maybe longer than cars have, but at least 100 years.
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Old 02-03-2020, 04:37 PM   #12
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there are a lot of vehicles towable 4-down, what type, size, brand do you like?
The Palazzo really doesn't care which one you choose.
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Old 02-03-2020, 11:54 PM   #13
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We flat tow a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. We have had Jeep products for 20 years so flat towing was a no brainer for us. It was time to upgrade the wife's Jeep Commander so we bought the Trailhawk as her everyday driver with an eye toward towing it 4 down. Bought the class A the following spring and set it up for flat tow before we drove it home from the dealer. Pro's and cons to both methods flat or dolly tow, each has it's merits. You will have to decide what works best for you.
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Old 02-08-2020, 07:38 PM   #14
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Dinghys

I prefer trailers but that's mostly because I have so much experience with them from farm to boats to travel trailers before going motorhome. So we tow a Rav4 on a 14' Featherlite behind our ACE 27.2; total weight towed right at 5k lbs.

I like the ease of backing up; the avoidance of alterations to the dinghy, and reduced wear and tear. We avoid new install costs if we change dinghy. I also favor a dinghy that is capable if towing its trailer if we need to leave motorhome for service on the road. The Featherlites are pricey but very well made and durable.
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Old 02-08-2020, 07:51 PM   #15
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I suggest towing 4-wheels down, don’t have to mess with parking ($$) your dolly. We’ve been towing this way for 4 years. Be sure to check to see if you vehicle is compatible for tow 4 down.
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Old 02-09-2020, 02:18 AM   #16
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The owners manual will let you know if the vehicle can be towed 4 wheels down. We tow a 2008 Honda CRV with our Palazzo. We can hook up or detach in 5 minutes or less which is nice. Blue Ox tow bars recommend not backing up to prevent damage to the bar mechanism or your vehicle.
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Old 02-09-2020, 03:32 AM   #17
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Welcome to the forum. I have been using a dolly for 2 years. Only takes us 10 to 15 minutes to load up and go. The right way is what's right for you.
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Old 02-09-2020, 01:02 PM   #18
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'94 Mustang

Wife and I looked into buying a car to tow and decided to make our Mustang Convertible towable. To the Mustang I added: a drive shaft disconnect, tow plate, brake light set and air brake braking system. After using it for a while we added a battery charger and tire pressure monitoring transmitters. To the Palazzo we had Camping World install the air brake connection. I used the electric brake wire in the Palazzo's trailer connector to wire a led in the dash. Wire in the connector runs from connector to the dash. When the Mustang's brakes are applied the led comes on.

If I had to do it again, I'd look into an air breaking system that doesn't have to be connected/disconnected every time we hookup/unhook. Problem is there isn't much spare room under the hood. I had problems finding a place to install the battery charging controller and it's tiny.
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Old 02-09-2020, 02:22 PM   #19
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Love your Mustang. Beautiful vehicle
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Old 02-10-2020, 04:48 PM   #20
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Towing

There's a little more to it than just how you tow. Do you want to damage the front of the vehicle you are towing, trading them in later can guarantee you won't get anything for it on a flat tow system vehicle. But on the happier side, you get to drive around an area with a front bumper showing you don't live there, car service places just love that.
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