towing a vehicle

EJ Shalaby · 08-20-2021, 04:27 AM

Hello,

We just purchased a thor 30fe and considering towing a small vehicle behind us so we can use the rv as a base (this would be a new purchase, I dont have the car yet). i've considered a direct tow of the vehicle but that means i have to commit to a specific vehicle and the cost is $3,000+ vs buying a car dolly to tow any small vehicle. <$2,000

that being said what are the pros and cons? what's the down side of a dolly?
is there a tow dolly anyone recommends?
should I consider new or used dolly if i go in that direction?
if used, anyone in Nor Ca selling one?

thanks,

MJC62 · 08-20-2021, 05:08 AM

Many different answers to your question. Try the search feature.
You will find tons of opinions and suggestions on towing a toad with a towbar (which is what we use) or others that use a dolly. Each method has it's advantages and disadvantages.
We tow a 4wd Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 4 down. I like the ease of hooking up with the Jeep.
As far as towing any vehicle with a dolly that isn't entirely true either. The vehicle would have to be Front wheel drive and it should state in the OWNERS manual it is ok to tow on a dolly

Popfla · 08-20-2021, 12:11 PM

We towed a Hyundai SantaFe on a Master Tow dolly for several years. It just got to be difficult for us old folks to load/unload the car, strapping and unstrapping it, connecting and disconnecting the dolly, and storing the dolly between uses. At some campgrounds with only back-in sites, we had to disconnect and manually move the dolly to the back of the site or the campground's remote parking lot. We finally bit the bullet, sold the SantaFe and the dolly, and now flat tow a Jeep. Somewhat expensive, yes. But a whole lot easier for us, and no need to store the bulky dolly.

Newf026 · 08-20-2021, 12:29 PM

I second the points above, the ease of hooking/unhooking was what drove us to 4 wheels down using a tow bar. We pull a Jeep Cherokee.

Ours is a Blue Ox tow bar that has very adjustable telescoping bars so hooking up takes less then 10 minutes (including checking that the blinkers are working) and unhooking is less than 5.

And yes, which ever way you go yes, you must read the owners manual to see if the car can be towed 2 or 4 wheel down. It is the ONLY accurate place to know this for sure (don't listen to any salesman) and it can also differ by year for a car model.

paulwadley · 08-20-2021, 12:42 PM

I recently decided to start towing and bought a tow dolly from Acme EZ Car Tow(Car Tow Dolly .com). The reason I decided to use a tow dolly was that I have a Ford Flex that is front wheel drive. I can drive it up on the dolly and strap it down. I can tow just about any front wheel drive car without any special set up on the vehicle. The cost of the tow dolly was around $2000 vs a Blue Ox or Road Master set up from $2500 to $5,000. The Blue Ox or Road Master set ups are much easier to use and quicker to hook up. You have to consider a braking system for them. The Car Tow Dolly I bought has a surge braking system built into it with disc brakes. I recently put over 6,000 miles on my new tow dolly. After the first trip of 5300 miles, I had to replace both tires due to wear. I was told you can expect to get between 5,000 to 10,000 miles depending on what you are towing and how you are towing it. I also added magnetic brake lights to use on my tow vehicle for extra caution and just plug them into my trailer wire harness. So far no real issues or concerns. It does take some time to get the car loaded properly on the tow dolly, but with practice it becomes easier. You have two wheel safety straps and two undercarriage safety chains to hook up each time to load and unload. When I am not using it, I store it standing upright to save space behind my motor home. It flips upright for storage.

Paul

JamieGeek · 08-20-2021, 12:57 PM

Search around as this has been asked many many times.

For us we have the EZE-Tow dolly simply because then we don't need a dedicated car for it.

We've towed quite a few vehicles with it: Focus Electric, 2 different Escapes, C-Max Energi, and a Chevy Bolt.

It really comes down to what kind of effort do you want while towing: Using a dolly can mean a good 15-20 minutes hooking up and loading the car including laying on the ground to put the safety chains on (hint: Use a yoga mat to lay on--much more comfortable) vs pulling up and hooking a few things...a couple minutes.

What is worth more to you: Dolly is a bit more flexible but more effort, flat tow is less effort but less flexible.

Pete'sMH · 08-20-2021, 12:58 PM

After watching one of my RV buddies use his dolly I decided it just wasn’t worth it. He’s pretty practiced in hook up and use but it’s still rather a lot of work. And he has to move and store the thing at home and at a camp site. Decided it was worth the extra expense to me for towing flat. We traded our second car on an old Jeep Wrangler and self installed the equipment. Towing was a snap with super easy hook up. Not long ago we decided the Jeep wasn’t the best choice so we sold it (at a nice profit) and bought a 2017 base Chevrolet Spark that’s even easier to hook up and tow. I self installed the Stay in Play brake system from the Jeep and an electric battery disconnect so the only prep the car needs is to flip two switches and leave the transmission in neutral. It’s tiny but actually more spacious and comfortable than a two door Wrangler. And dirt cheap too! I’d recommend going to a trailer store and have them demonstrate the procedure for loading so you can decide if it’s worth it.

Popfla · 08-20-2021, 01:24 PM

One thing I failed to mention earlier - - More than once with the dolly, we had to do all that setup/breakdown routine in pouring rain on muddy terrain. Not fun.

JamieGeek · 08-20-2021, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Popfla

One thing I failed to mention earlier - - More than once with the dolly, we had to do all that setup/breakdown routine in pouring rain on muddy terrain. Not fun.

Yeah been there: The yoga mat helps a lot with some of that. Not with the downpour but with unpleasant ground conditions.

TheGoodLife · 08-20-2021, 02:04 PM

We bit the bullet and bought a toad (used Equinox) with flat towing capability. As others have posted we didn’t want to have a dolly or trailer to deal with at a campground.

HMCSW · 08-20-2021, 02:09 PM

Look at GoodSam Dinghy Towing Guide for the year -years for cars. See if there are cars you like are on the list. We decided on 4 down. After reading about the tire wear I am more happy. Granted, the list of cars is shorter. We already had a 4x4 but it weights 6,000 pounds. We do tow it without much issue but looking for a second car a ton lighter.

JamieGeek · 08-20-2021, 02:50 PM

We've had our dolly for 6 years now and haven't had an issue storing it at our storage lot or a campground: It slides neatly under the rear of the RV in both places.

In many parks I just leave it hitched (especially if we get a pull-through site).

Frankly, that has been a non-issue for us (granted our RV is only 25 feet long so the addition of the dolly doesn't really "fill" a campsite like it would for a 30 footer or longer).

Its tongue weight is around 50 lbs and I'm still able bodied enough to walk it around fairly easily...

chunker21 · 08-20-2021, 03:53 PM

The easiest to tow, load, and with the widest range of what can be towed is a trailer. Flatbed, low sides, with the appropriate weight rating and you can tow anything, even the Caterpillar D-10 if you so desire. But doing so you have to figure the weight of the trailer when figuring your GCVWR. In Wisconsin a few years ago the family next to us had a Jeep Wrangler on such a trailer and I asked why not flat tow. His answer was the tires on the trailer were much cheaper than the jeep tires. To each their own. Get a larger motorhome such as big DP or big superC and tow a double stacker enclosed trailer and put 3 cars, 4 motorcycles, a couple ORV and a dozen or so bicycles. Others have covered the flat tow vs dolly tow so I won't add to that discussion.

chunker21 · 08-20-2021, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Yeah been there: The yoga mat helps a lot with some of that. Not with the downpour but with unpleasant ground conditions.

I used the yoga mat also but it's primary job was windshield protector.

LandKO · 08-20-2021, 04:28 PM

The decision to flat or dolly tow should be based on what you feel comfortable with. Previous posts have shown pro’s and con’s for each one.
It also depends on your personal requirements for the toad. Those requirements may change as time passes and that can affect what you tow.
In our case, we purchased our 30FE 3 years ago and our requirements at that time indicated we should flat tow a small 4WD vehicle. It needed to be able to carry DW’s mobility scooter and her walker as well as be able to carry 4 passengers.
At the time, we had a Yukon XL as our primary vehicle which I considered too big to tow behind a 32ft motorhome.
We were fortunate to find a used Jeep Liberty that came with a tow bar and integrated braking system. That worked great for the first year. Then our requirements changed. DW wanted an ebike that she could ride while camping. We ended up purchasing 2 ebikes, a fat tire one for me and a trike for her, both folding.
We traded off the Yukon on a GMC Canyon crew cab pickup intending it to be our primary vehicle as well as a toad. The folding bikes and the walker all fit in the bed nicely.
The Canyon works great as our toad, is well under the weight limits for for the motorhome and the towbar but ended up not as well as a primary vehicle. That’s a story for another time.

Chateau_Nomad · 08-21-2021, 04:25 AM

You're going to find there are as many preferences/opinions. How old are you? Good mobility? Switch tow cars often?

I already had a 2001Wrangler I bought nearly new... I found the exact stock tires that it came with new at a Walmart tire shop for $80 each installed. I self installed everything needed for flat towing myself. It's the classic 5 speed manual tranny... which means tow prep/disconnect is quick & painless.

BUT...Caveats:
My old Wrangler DOES NOT ride like the $50,000+ new Jeeps.
My Wrangler is a soft top... cannot be locked.
My Wrangler is SMALL.
My Wrangler gets 12mpg... and is NOT designed for freeways.

It's market value is an astonishing $10,000... more than I paid for it!! I've considered selling and getting a more comfortable vehicle... but we like to forest/off-road boondock frequently... and the old Wrangler fits the bill perfectly as an excursion/explore vehicle... you're hard pressed to get stuck somewhere.

Evaluate what you want your toad for. That will expand your vehicle choices. Then, consider your budget.

Many people have started with a dolly and never looked back. Other's preference/physical ability dictated going the flat tow route. Only YOU can decide what works for you!!

For instance, one of the things which "drove" me from towing a travel trailer to driving a motorhome was the amount of preparation/hitching/unhitching routine. I was worn out by the time we were ready to leave!! BUT... many, many people happily tow travel trailers... it was just no longer a joy for me.

taylorbob1 · 08-21-2021, 02:24 PM

Currently, new cars have become expensive, supply is limited due to computer chip shortage, thus finding the right vehicle for you is a chore.

Meanwhile, that has created inflated values for used cars.

So, if you are dead-set on purchasing a vehicle today, be prepared to over-pay.

I started with a tow dolly for my personal front wheel drive daily driver.
We used it on several trips.
For me, it was a cheap way to tow a vehicle but it was a hassle.

Last year (before the new & used car price run-up) we purchased a ‘20 Chevy Spark manual trans. Then DIY added a $400 base plate and have since towed 4-down.
IMHO, towing 4 down is the only way.
Much easier, and flexible.

**16ACE27** · 08-21-2021, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylorbob1

I started with a tow dolly for my personal front wheel drive daily driver.

IMHO, towing 4 down is the only way.
Much easier, and flexible.

The story of many current flat towing MH owners. Once you go flat, you can't go back.

Pete'sMH · 08-21-2021, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

You're going to find there are as many preferences/opinions. How old are you? Good mobility? Switch tow cars often?

I already had a 2001Wrangler I bought nearly new... I found the exact stock tires that it came with new at a Walmart tire shop for $80 each installed. I self installed everything needed for flat towing myself. It's the classic 5 speed manual tranny... which means tow prep/disconnect is quick & painless.

BUT...Caveats:
My old Wrangler DOES NOT ride like the $50,000+ new Jeeps.
My Wrangler is a soft top... cannot be locked.
My Wrangler is SMALL.
My Wrangler gets 12mpg... and is NOT designed for freeways.

It's market value is an astonishing $10,000... more than I paid for it!! I've considered selling and getting a more comfortable vehicle... but we like to forest/off-road boondock frequently... and the old Wrangler fits the bill perfectly as an excursion/explore vehicle... you're hard pressed to get stuck somewhere.

Evaluate what you want your toad for. That will expand your vehicle choices. Then, consider your budget.

Many people have started with a dolly and never looked back. Other's preference/physical ability dictated going the flat tow route. Only YOU can decide what works for you!!

For instance, one of the things which "drove" me from towing a travel trailer to driving a motorhome was the amount of preparation/hitching/unhitching routine. I was worn out by the time we were ready to leave!! BUT... many, many people happily tow travel trailers... it was just no longer a joy for me.

For real! I just sold my 2004 Wrangler unlimited for $17,000. Should have asked more given the response I had. It was a two door and still stock. Even so DW had difficulty getting in and out and we don’t go off-road anymore so it only made sense to sell it while prices are high. We bought a 2017 Spark and even at today’s inflated prices we were able to knock more than a year off of out RV loan with the difference. And we really like the Spark as a second car.

EJ Shalaby · 08-23-2021, 07:44 PM

I appreciate the feedback and still considering both options, I looked to installing a tow plate on a vehicle but it looks like you have to dismantle the entire front end to get to the frame then there is the lights etc. which is why a tow dolly seemed easier from not having a particle car to tow. fortunately i'm capable and physically able to move things around, but i can see the hassle of a tow dolly vs direct tow.

does anyone have a good resource to look at for installing a tow plate? maybe the video i watched was not for the faint of heart.

You may also like: