Tow Dolly OR flat tow?? your opinions?

[Jmsx2]

I flat row my 2013 Jeep Wrangler. Flat tow is the way to go. Just make sure the toad you plan to use can be flat towed.

It cost a few bucks on the initial set up. But man is it worth it.

Good luck.


John & Janine
Pazzo the Maltese
2014 Georgetown 328 TSF
2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (Toad)

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[vabege]

There are strong opinions for both a dolly towed dinghy and a four down towed dinghy. Everyone approaches this question from his or her own set of circumstances. Personally, I tow with a Demco Kar-Kaddy SS and have done so for six years. Very satisfied with my choice. My approach was to find a dinghy that was comfortable to drive and ride in and then determine what I needed to do to have it tag along on our trips. A lot of folks approach this from the entirely opposite direction. I will say that there is no right or wrong way to tow a dinghy but whatever way you choose needs to make you comfortable going down the road.

[Vegasmailman]

I just find it so much easier towing flat. You don't have to worry about the dolly once you get to camp ground. Disconnect and go. You definitely want to tow flat is you able to. Happy travel.

[wana65stang]

Originally Posted by Vegasmailman

I just find it so much easier towing flat. You don't have to worry about the dolly once you get to camp ground. Disconnect and go. You definitely want to tow flat is you able to. Happy travel.

Is it really easy as " disconnect and go" don't you have brake controllers ( appliers?) inside and ?? inquiring minds want to know

[A32Deuce]

Some people don't believe in that stuff. Could not believe it when I read it here!

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[A32Deuce]

Believe in a higher authority to save them!

[grumpyoldman]

Originally Posted by cub22908

Never used dolly but flat towed many years. I would never dolly. Have a friend who used a dolly and it works fine but a LOT more hassle than flat. Either way works but flat towing is a lot easier.

X2 on the hassle. You have to lay on the ground to get the straps around the wheels to tie it down. Not fun when it has been raining. Also you cannot backup with a tow dolly. (It had a warning sticker stating that fact.)

[Bubbamace]

I use a Roadmaster Tow Dolly and I am extremely happy with it. It has built in electric brakes and I bought a set of extension trailer lights at Harbor Freight for nearly nothing. I have towed my Honda CRV with it and will tow my wife's 2015 GMC Terrain FWD. I just bought a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited four door and I can't tow it on my Dolly according to the Owner's manual. Thats okay because its right at the limit of 5,000 lbs, so I'm not sure I want to tow it. Maybe someday I will buy a diesel pusher that has a higher towing limit.

As far as hooking up, I find it is very easy to hook up the straps. The more you do it, the easier it is. One person on this forum mentioned observing a person hooking up a tow dolly in the rain. I've watched someone hook up a toad using a tow bar/4 wheel down and I have to say that I wouldn't want to do either in the rain, but I have. You are going to get wet either way. lol. I also have backed up approximately 20 feet with my CRV on the dolly without jackknifing to get out of the sand, so its not impossible with a dolly.

I guess like most people have said...it all depends on your circumstances. Both work just fine.

[BusyRetirees]

I cannot comment on dolly tow but can comment on Rvers who have dollies. Majority have asked about flat tow. We flat towed two vehicles and loved the convenience. Dolly towers complained about hook up and storage. Dolly advantage is that you can tow any vehicle and have limited back up ability. Disadvantage is hooking up and storage of dolly when on site. Flat tow advantage is ease of hook up and unhooking. Disadvantage is no backing up and selection of vehicles. Your choice. When we had a Class A, we chose flat towing for convenience. We did not regret our selection.

[oldsmasma]

For us the limiting factor was the flat towable toads. Without going the second car route we didn't like any of the available options when we bought our new vehicle. Haven't bought a dolly yet but probably will. For now we just call Enterprise. We could also borrow our son's race car trailer if it was available.

[Bubbamace]

Originally Posted by BusyRetirees

I cannot comment on dolly tow but can comment on Rvers who have dollies. Majority have asked about flat tow. We flat towed two vehicles and loved the convenience. Dolly towers complained about hook up and storage. Dolly advantage is that you can tow any vehicle and have limited back up ability. Disadvantage is hooking up and storage of dolly when on site. Flat tow advantage is ease of hook up and unhooking. Disadvantage is no backing up and selection of vehicles. Your choice. When we had a Class A, we chose flat towing for convenience. We did not regret our selection.

Busy retirees reminded me of a couple of other things about owning a tow dolly. First of all, the price. Owning a tow dolly is not as expensive. Initial price is lower for a new dolly. The other thing is storage. We rent a storage space and store our dolly behind and partially under our motor home. When we travel, I park in front of our campsite with our hazard lights on and unload our toad, then disconnect the dolly. I then push the dolly to the back of our pad so I can reconnect the dolly at my convenience. That way when it's time to leave the dolly is ready to go. You will have to be strong enough to push the dolly to your space or use a device to do it. I'm 63 and use braces on both of my legs, so you don't have to be too strong to accomplish this.

[retiredchief]

Thanks to everyone for your responses!!


We bought a 2016 Chevy Malibu. The one you can actually pull 4 down. We did a lot of research in making our decision. The vehicle weighs just about 3100 lbs. That's 2300 pounds less than the previous toad weighed. So I'm saving a lot of weight.


After considering everything we have decided to go with the blue ox base plate. We had that on our previous toad and really liked it.


Thanks for all of your feedback and input.


You guys are great!!!

[helferdm]

Tow dolly for us. We've had 4 Class A motorhomes and four cars. One tow dolly. Tow dollies cost less than fitting a car for flat towing and, while flat towing may be more convenient, the dolly has saved us a bunch of money over the years. BTW, we've never had a problem finding a place to put it when parked.

[KennyGolub]

I had a tow dolly and didn't care for it much. Switched vehicles and went with the blue ox for four down towing.


Ken

[Navy81]

I'm currently on my first trip flat towing and LOVE it. I have a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and complete Blue Ox setup with Patriot. MUCH easier and more comfortable towing than Stehl dolly with electric brakes and Mini Cooper because it's shorter, not as wide, and no crawling under dolly yoncnnect safety chains. Complete connect and disconnect (including Patriot) in less than 10 min.

If anyone wants to buy a tow dolly near aarlington, VA, please let me know!

[Psomaki]

If your toad can be towed flat, do it that way. We've put lots of toad miles on a 2010 Honda Fit Sport and now tow a 2013 Honda CRV. Same Roadmaster rig on the MH for both - different base plate for the CRV though. Roadmaster was very helpful to our mechanic. Free advice - get a good proportional brake servo unit for the toad, with a break-away switch. Great for peace of mind and required in some states, plus reduces strain on the tow setup when braking.

[AquaMan]

Currently on our first trip with our Acme tow dolly and after 800 miles on day one, I really can't tell it's back there, really! I have to check camera to make sure. First time hookup took about 15 minutes once I had it hitched up. Pretty sure I can get it to under 10 easily. Never felt like it was pushing me or dragging behind, was very smooth in the braking, not like most surge units I've felt with.


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