I purchased a Fleetwood class A and am thinking of buying a tow dolly so I can pull my Mazda CX9. Please advise me of the positives and negatives. OR... is there a conversion kit of some kind that will allow me to pull my CX9 as a dually? I have a tow bar. Any advise appreciated.
Have a look here to see if your vehicle can be made to tow 4 down.
As far as tow dolly is concerned, I would check about towing it 4 down first. I used a tow dolly once... only once. As soon as I got back home, I hadn't even disconnected it from the motorhome yet and I had an ad with pictures on a local used "for sale" website and 4 days later I danced a jig as it was being towed away by a new owner.
Pros : Only pay for dolly and straps, assuming you have a front wheel drive vehicle. Pretty much any single drive axle vehicle can be put on it.
Cons: More work involved in getting everything together. Safety chains from dolly to motorhome, straps holding vehicle on dolly, safety chains from vehicle to dolly in case straps fail. Attaching the safety chains from vehicle to dolly will probably mean you'll have to crawl under a bit, which you won't like if it's raining and/or cold. Another con is that the dolly itself adds weight to what you're towing, so you're not just towing a ____# vehicle but also a _____# dolly. It'll have an effect on your gas mileage and stopping distance. Add in that it's another set of tires you'll need to maintain and the space it'll take at a site when you're camping and storing.
dieharder wrote: Have a look here to see if your vehicle can be made to tow 4 down.
As far as tow dolly is concerned, I would check about towing it 4 down first. I used a tow dolly once... only once. As soon as I got back home, I hadn't even disconnected it from the motorhome yet and I had an ad with pictures on a local used "for sale" website and 4 days later I danced a jig as it was being towed away by a new owner.
Pros : Only pay for dolly and straps, assuming you have a front wheel drive vehicle. Pretty much any single drive axle vehicle can be put on it.
Cons: More work involved in getting everything together. Safety chains from dolly to motorhome, straps holding vehicle on dolly, safety chains from vehicle to dolly in case straps fail. Attaching the safety chains from vehicle to dolly will probably mean you'll have to crawl under a bit, which you won't like if it's raining and/or cold. Another con is that the dolly itself adds weight to what you're towing, so you're not just towing a ____# vehicle but also a _____# dolly. It'll have an effect on your gas mileage and stopping distance. Add in that it's another set of tires you'll need to maintain and the space it'll take at a site when you're camping and storing.
not sure I understand some of your cons. I have never had to crawl on the ground to hook up my dolly ever. Other than straps, hooks to the receiver just like any other towed device including safety chans and electric. Takes me 10 minutes to hook/unhook car from dolly. Longest part is straps. If the site is big enough I usually leave it on the ball at the site. Smaller site I tuck it under the rear. Biggest con for me is in a back in site I have to unhook it all before I can get in the site and move the dolly by hand. However no real different than tow bars except moving the dolly.
I have used both...I now am using the tow dolly, the only disadvantage that I can think of is you have to get on the knees to hook the safety chains around the towed vehicles axle....some don't like the tow dolly, but I having been using the dolly for 2 yrs and have had no problems...I used a tow bar for 30+ years, and it is true the tow bar is a little easier to hook up, but preferences is what makes the world go around...a couple more things...unhooking the tow dolly to back into a space...stowing the dolly when you get home, I put a ball on my riding lawn mower and I have no problems at home...it is a matter of preference, tow dolly or tow bar...I have had good luck with both...if you don't want to spend the $ for the base plate, tow bar, lights, and brake, then get a tow dolly with brakes...but research the toad you are going to use, ..some can be towed 4 down, and some can't be put on a dolly...confusing isn't it...research...good luck
dieharder wrote: Have a look here to see if your vehicle can be made to tow 4 down.
As far as tow dolly is concerned, I would check about towing it 4 down first. I used a tow dolly once... only once. As soon as I got back home, I hadn't even disconnected it from the motorhome yet and I had an ad with pictures on a local used "for sale" website and 4 days later I danced a jig as it was being towed away by a new owner.
Pros : Only pay for dolly and straps, assuming you have a front wheel drive vehicle. Pretty much any single drive axle vehicle can be put on it.
Cons: More work involved in getting everything together. Safety chains from dolly to motorhome, straps holding vehicle on dolly, safety chains from vehicle to dolly in case straps fail. Attaching the safety chains from vehicle to dolly will probably mean you'll have to crawl under a bit, which you won't like if it's raining and/or cold. Another con is that the dolly itself adds weight to what you're towing, so you're not just towing a ____# vehicle but also a _____# dolly. It'll have an effect on your gas mileage and stopping distance. Add in that it's another set of tires you'll need to maintain and the space it'll take at a site when you're camping and storing.
not sure I understand some of your cons. I have never had to crawl on the ground to hook up my dolly ever. Other than straps, hooks to the receiver just like any other towed device including safety chans and electric. Takes me 10 minutes to hook/unhook car from dolly. Longest part is straps. If the site is big enough I usually leave it on the ball at the site. Smaller site I tuck it under the rear. Biggest con for me is in a back in site I have to unhook it all before I can get in the site and move the dolly by hand. However no real different than tow bars except moving the dolly.
Sounds to me that you don't have a backup holding the car on the dolly in the event the straps go. Most of the time, you need to crawl underneath to get said safety hooked up to the axle to hold it on.
Though I have never had either, I would think a pro would be the dolly would have brakes and you wouldn't have the expense or hassle of hooking up a braking system on the vehicle.
a con might be that it is another thing to maintain and buy plates for.
Just my thoughts.
Ron & Charlotte
WD8CBT since 1976
28' Prowler & 05 Ram QC LB
I started with nothing and I still have most of it left
I never fail, I just succeed in finding out what doesn't work
I used a tow dolly for over 25 years. Demco with surge brakes. During that time I had 3 different MHs and lots of different cars. When everyone came along we towed a station wagon, when just a few, a smaller car. Once on a short tow to San Diego I even towed the van (yes, way overweight). It was easy, never had a problem, other than a blowout, but that happens, and only once was I asked to park the dolly off site. Then, the park helped unhitch, and returned the dolly at checkout using a small tractor.
Now I tow 4 down, it is easier to the back and knees.
Happy Trails.
dieharder wrote: Have a look here to see if your vehicle can be made to tow 4 down.
As far as tow dolly is concerned, I would check about towing it 4 down first. I used a tow dolly once... only once. As soon as I got back home, I hadn't even disconnected it from the motorhome yet and I had an ad with pictures on a local used "for sale" website and 4 days later I danced a jig as it was being towed away by a new owner.
Pros : Only pay for dolly and straps, assuming you have a front wheel drive vehicle. Pretty much any single drive axle vehicle can be put on it.
Cons: More work involved in getting everything together. Safety chains from dolly to motorhome, straps holding vehicle on dolly, safety chains from vehicle to dolly in case straps fail. Attaching the safety chains from vehicle to dolly will probably mean you'll have to crawl under a bit, which you won't like if it's raining and/or cold. Another con is that the dolly itself adds weight to what you're towing, so you're not just towing a ____# vehicle but also a _____# dolly. It'll have an effect on your gas mileage and stopping distance. Add in that it's another set of tires you'll need to maintain and the space it'll take at a site when you're camping and storing.
not sure I understand some of your cons. I have never had to crawl on the ground to hook up my dolly ever. Other than straps, hooks to the receiver just like any other towed device including safety chans and electric. Takes me 10 minutes to hook/unhook car from dolly. Longest part is straps. If the site is big enough I usually leave it on the ball at the site. Smaller site I tuck it under the rear. Biggest con for me is in a back in site I have to unhook it all before I can get in the site and move the dolly by hand. However no real different than tow bars except moving the dolly.
Sounds to me that you don't have a backup holding the car on the dolly in the event the straps go. Most of the time, you need to crawl underneath to get said safety hooked up to the axle to hold it on.
I run a 10k# ratchet strap around the tow hook on the car. Nice and easy and right in front. Not sure about other cars but the Jetta's tow hook screws right in front under the bumper. Easy.
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