Car in tow, what's yours?

[Wrpt58]

Originally Posted by billnagle6900@gmail.com

Dolly Rental is $58 a day.... one month would pay for flat towing setup.
That was easy.
I guess an option would be to find a used one....I'd rather not have to manhandle a dolly at every stop....flat towing is the plan for me.

Bill

I tried dollying, but like the easier connection, quick disconnect, and not having to find storage for dolly. Even with connecting/disconnecting the braking unit.

[Wrpt58]

I tow a 2015 Nissan Versa note, all manual, even Windows and locks. Self installed base and matched tow bar. Installed extra tail lights and wired to a 7 pin plug on front, using the extra hot to power the Brake Buddy classic aux braking unit.
I don't know it's back there without looking at the rear camera.

[nautiquecowboy]

We bought a little Mitsubishi spider that we pull on a dolly works really great for us

[Maxjr758]

17 Thor CHALLENGER 37 TB
Acme EZ-TOW 15 Ford Edge SEL pictured.
Traded for 18 Ford Explorer XLT
Didn't know the Edge was back there coming down Old Fort Mountain I-40 East. 7 miles 6% grade.

[Calman]

Tow a car!!!

I have a 6x10 trailer with a fold down ramp to tow my 2003 GL-1800 trike. A lot of places allow me to park the trailer/trike alongside the RV since I'm only there for a day or two.

[gmtech16450yz]

Here's a crazy thought...

Leave the "toad" at home and either use a ride sharing service or rent a car. I personally have never seen the need to tow an extra vehicle except for dirtbikes, boats or watercraft. Obviously everyone's RV usage is different. I just see SO MANY people in RV's towing another vehicle and it seems like it's something that people think is almost required.

I especially don't understand when I see a huge SUV or truck being towed behind an RV. If you need another vehicle when you're parked, does it really have to be one that weighs 5k or 6k lbs? IF you use a second vehicle enough to warrant it, at least tow a cheap, light, little car like the all manual Nissan Versa someone above mentioned.

Or like I suggested, use a ride sharing service or rent a car. If you're anywhere near a decent sized city, you should be able to Uber or Lyft a ride pretty much whenever or wherever you want. And you wouldn't have to... Use more fuel, limit yourself to towed vehicle speeds, put additional wear and tear on a towed vehicle AND the towing vehicle, pay extra every time you go over a toll bridge or road, and not to mention safety issues in emergency situations.

Just a thought.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by gmtech16450yz

Here's a crazy thought...



Leave the "toad" at home and either use a ride sharing service or rent a car. I personally have never seen the need to tow an extra vehicle except for dirtbikes, boats or watercraft. Obviously everyone's RV usage is different. I just see SO MANY people in RV's towing another vehicle and it seems like it's something that people think is almost required.



I especially don't understand when I see a huge SUV or truck being towed behind an RV. If you need another vehicle when you're parked, does it really have to be one that weighs 5k or 6k lbs? IF you use a second vehicle enough to warrant it, at least tow a cheap, light, little car like the all manual Nissan Versa someone above mentioned.



Or like I suggested, use a ride sharing service or rent a car. If you're anywhere near a decent sized city, you should be able to Uber or Lyft a ride pretty much whenever or wherever you want. And you wouldn't have to... Use more fuel, limit yourself to towed vehicle speeds, put additional wear and tear on a towed vehicle AND the towing vehicle, pay extra every time you go over a toll bridge or road, and not to mention safety issues in emergency situations.



Just a thought.

Depends on how you use your RV to me. We’ve never had a toad until we decided to snowbird in Florida. We’ll be in one park for a month at a time and feel the need for mobility. When we are “touring” we rent cars or bring the mopeds. Toad will be a manual transmission 2014 Ford Focus with a Blue Ox baseplate on a Roadmaster tow bar. Plan to self install.

[gmtech16450yz]

Absolutely. If I was parking my RV in one spot for a month I'd definitely want another puddle jumper vehicle with me.

I guess my point was I see so many RV's towing another vehicle, and a lot of times a really big, heavy vehicle that I always wondered if it was really necessary in all those cases.

[JamieGeek]

We did the rental thing for a season and found it to be more of a hassle than just bringing a car along. Haven't really used Uber, Lyft, or a cab.

Most of our RV'ing is really sight seeing instead of camping and thus 99% of the time we need to be able to get out of the campground. I figured the cost of the dolly was about 2 seasons of rental cars.

On top of all that, the past two vehicles we've pulled behind the RV had a plug--"free" gas at the campground (yeah well ok I do have to pay for a 50A spot LOL).

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

We did the rental thing for a season and found it to be more of a hassle than just bringing a car along. Haven't really used Uber, Lyft, or a cab.

Most of our RV'ing is really sight seeing instead of camping and thus 99% of the time we need to be able to get out of the campground. I figured the cost of the dolly was about 2 seasons of rental cars.

On top of all that, the past two vehicles we've pulled behind the RV had a plug--"free" gas at the campground (yeah well ok I do have to pay for a 50A spot LOL).

Now that’s a clever approach! I drove Volts for several years before I retired and typically only bought gas about 3 times a year since my employer let me charge at work. Sometimes I wish I kept my last one.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by pete'smh

now that’s a clever approach! I drove volts for several years before i retired and typically only bought gas about 3 times a year since my employer let me charge at work. Sometimes i wish i kept my last one.

Here we were in Missouri charging up the C-Max Energi:

[gmc]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

Depends on how you use your RV to me. We’ve never had a toad until we decided to snowbird in Florida. We’ll be in one park for a month at a time and feel the need for mobility. When we are “touring” we rent cars or bring the mopeds. Toad will be a manual transmission 2014 Ford Focus with a Blue Ox baseplate on a Roadmaster tow bar. Plan to self install.

We also started with a toad when we started the snowbird routine... 3+ months of uber or rentals would have been a bit on expensive side - and no where near the convenience.
We don't always tow - depends on the trip purpose and length - but its a nice option to have.
2010 Jeep Wrangler is the current toad...
2017 Ford Explorer to be set up eventually...

[The Gritz Carlton]

When Uber will drive me over the Ophir and Big Bear Pass, I will leave the Jeep at home. We are big explorers and love the roads less traveled. 90% of the beauty is off the beaten path and a four wheel drive away. Maybe I'll sign up as an Uber driver, rent from myself every day and write-off all of the expenses.

[petefoss]

How do you read tow dolly specs? I have a friend who has a Stehl ST80TD for sale. Is GVWR the weight of the dolly plus vehicle (2990) and payload capacity the max vehicle weight (2450)? That sounds very low???

https://www.southernohioequipment.co...-4Sj%7Cb2.html

Pete

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by petefoss

How do you read tow dolly specs? I have a friend who has a Stehl ST80TD for sale. Is GVWR the weight of the dolly plus vehicle (2990) and payload capacity the max vehicle weight (2450)? That sounds very low???

https://www.southernohioequipment.co...-4Sj%7Cb2.html

Pete

The way I read all of those specs:

GVWR: Total maximum weight of the dolly + axle of the car
Payload capacity: maximum weight of the car's axle on the dolly
Axle capacity: maximum weight the dolly's axle can handle (note larger than GVWR so you're good)

Also note that GVWR = Payload capacity + dolly weight (2450 lbs + 540 lbs = 2990 lbs)

If you are looking for a spec that would include the total weight of the car I would assume that would be GCWR (just like GCWR is max RV + trailer weight, or tow vehicle + trailer). Of course, though, GCWR isn't listed in that link.

[petefoss]

Thanks for interpreting Jamie.

My Colorado truck is about 4400 pounds curb weight so probably OK even with a 60:40 weight distribution. Wife's Cruze should be no brainer.

Pete

[petefoss]

Well we towed the Colorado over 2K miles over 3 weeks using a Stehl dolly rent-to-own from a friend. Worked great. By the end of the trip we had it down to 5 minutes to load and strap down. 11 times in 21 days will get you efficient. The only thing I didn't like is the self imposed requirement to check the straps after a few miles every time we loaded up. Only once they were seriously loose since the truck was not all the way forward when we strapped down.

[TyCreek]

Originally Posted by petefoss

Well we towed the Colorado over 2K miles over 3 weeks using a Stehl dolly rent-to-own from a friend. Worked great. By the end of the trip we had it down to 5 minutes to load and strap down. 11 times in 21 days will get you efficient. The only thing I didn't like is the self imposed requirement to check the straps after a few miles every time we loaded up. Only once they were seriously loose since the truck was not all the way forward when we strapped down.

It only takes once ... what'if?

[petefoss]

It was still safe I believe.

[JimSpy]

Well, we're PLANNING on towing my wife's 2004 T-Bird with our Gemini, but I gotta do some weight calculations to make sure. I think it's within parameters, but we have some pretty steep mountain roads to contend with. I'll get back to ya.