Considering Towing with a Dolly? WATCH THIS FIRST!
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2023
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In this video I share my experiences towing my Jeep Wrangler on a Stehl Tow car dolly behind my class C motorhome.
If you’re considering purchasing a dolly, you may find this information useful.
Have you had a good or bad experience with a dolly? If so, leave a comment.
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#towdolly #rvlife #jeepwrangler - Розваги
My boat trailer has surge brakes, never had a problem backing it up anywhere.
I have the same dolly w surge brakes. Mine has a hole in the tongue at the spot where the collapsing occurs, you put a 1/4" pin in the hole to block the tongue from collapsing while backing. A quick story, I needed to tow a junker to the junkyard for scrap. I called first to confirm their front lot was wide open enough for me to maneuver once I got there. They said, yes, but when I arrived, there was not much room. I asked where I should unload, the guy said to back it in over there. It was not possible to put it "over there." I went inside and told the guy that no one can back a car on a dolly up in there. He says to me, "No, YOU can't back a dolly in the there". ( It was uphill and on a gravel road). I left and took it to another yard.
Thanks for the tip about the hole in the tongue! I’m going to look for that on mine now. I can’t even back uphill without a car on it without it locking up.
. @@MyGraceFilledJourney I just checked my dolly, the hole is on the "driver's side" , I temporarily use the pin that secures the tow ball latch. Of course, we must always remember to remove the pin before going forward, of course, I've "never" forgotten (wink).
I run an RV park and the big problem I see with these dollies is people tend to forget to do regular maintenance on them which results in about 5 a year coming into the park with completely ruin wheel bearings on 1 or both wheels
That’s a good reminder. I actually just greased mine for the 1st time a couple months ago
I appreciate that I'm a little late with this comment. Here in the UK we call "surge brakes" overrun brakes, ours have an automatic reverse system built in to the brake drum that requires no action from the driver. You just put your vehicle in reverse gear and go, don't even need to open the door. Saves a whole lot of hassle, especially when in traffic.
That sounds like a better system.
They’re just starting to put ABS on some new travel trailer electric brake systems in the US. That will improve safety.
In Australia, there is a cap that you lower to stop the surge break operating for when you reverse. When you're done, raise it for normal operation.
Sounds like a better design.
Very informative 🙂
Great video, I’m purchasing the same dolly with surge brakes. As for backing up, my 3 axle boat trailer has surge breaks and it has a solenoid that is activated by your reverse backup light that is in your 6 pin connector for lights and it will disengage brake fluid flow and prevent brake activation.
Thank you! That sounds like a useful feature for backing up. These dollys aren’t too hard to move around by hand fortunately.
Great info I plan on using a dolly to tow my vehicle.
Glad it was helpful!
Forgot to mention the dolly is much wider than normal vehicles, this comes into play on very narrow lanes like Texas has been in the habit of making lately. Ive noticed Semis have about 1-2 ft of clearance or less on many DFW interstates and highways.
Congrats on 400 subscribers.
Thank you! I make videos for the people I know in real life, but I’m humbled that other people watch them as well.
When I pull mine empty it sways a lot, so I got a shorter hitch and also shimmed the hitch inside the receiver and with a U bolt clamped in place to avoid any movement that amplifies with speed, still does but is not perceptible on the truck. I made my ramps detachable so they can be removed when empty. A dolly is a good alternative to a car hauler but if I don't have the place to store a big trailer. Thanks for sharing.
Good ideas👍🏻 Detachable ramps would be nice.
Nice video… thanks for the info. Your voice is so calm… I subscribed.
Thanks for subscribing, and for your kind words😊
Thanks for sharing this video I love it
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very helpful! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
A motorhome towing a micro car behind kind of defeats the object of refusing a caravan.
Most surge brakes if not all have a lockout function or key for backing.
If you left the steering wheels unlocked, the plate they sit on would not need to swivel as much as it does with the steering wheels locked. Something you would have to do if the plate was mounted solid.
Just a few what ifs: it seems like the ramps would have a travel position where they would slide forward some, it looks as if they are in a channel from the front in the video. What if the steering was unlocked so the front tires could turn in the jeep to relieve stress. I used a surge brake trailer that was the best trailer brake set up I ever pulled, it had a lever by the master cylinder that you flipped to keep it from working when you wanted to back up. The Jeep has the capability to be flat toed or even like you are towing it (some vehicles can't even be towed as you are, you would have to pull the rear driveshaft) which was either a plus or cheaper for them. I don't know where the speed sensor is but does the odometer show the tow miles?
Some great thoughts! I’m not sure if towing has added miles to the Jeep, I’ve never looked. My guess is no since the ignition is off while towing. This particular dolly is a budget friendly no frills option to tow. It would be nice if it could do those things you mentioned, but it just doesn’t. There are different companies that have ones with removable ramps for example. The steering wheel is supposed to be locked or in my case, tied off with the seat belt according to the instruction manual. I would greatly prefer flat towing, however the cost of my dolly was $1,200 (used). When I no longer need it I could sell it for almost that much. The cost to flat tow, equipment + installation is around $4,000. You could reuse the tow bar on a different vehicle, but all the other equipment is specific to that vehicle and a pain to remove. I couldn’t justify spending that on my old Jeep.
You can not back a car dolly loaded because the dolly will go one way and the vehicle on the dolly will go another ! Other than that thanks for the info about hauling
This is normal behaviour. B-double trailer truck drivers back up. Yes its harder, but not impossible
@@darekmistrz4364 absolutely correct but the skill level of a trucker and the skill level of someone that does this every once in a while is very different
I’m in the market for a small toad. What’s the best option, lightweight, roof space for a kayak rack?
Can you actually tow a 4x4 or an awd on the tow Dolly without removing the drive shafts?
That varies greatly depending on the specific vehicle. AWD on a dolly, never. 4x4 on a dolly, depends, any year jeep wrangler- Yes. Transfer case in neutral, transmission in park.
@@MyGraceFilledJourney got it.
If you are not traveling far you can put the transmission in the top gear and tie the clutch pedal down so the engine is not engaged with the transmission. That way the gears turn and throw the gear-lube around and lubricate the transmission while moving. Doing that for long distances will wear out the throw-out bearing.
If you have an automatic transmission, they make special tail-shafts that have an oil pump and is designed to pull oil out of the transmission pan and pump the oil to keep everything lubricated while moving. Just have to remember to keep it in neutral while towing.
Beyond those two things, removing the drive shaft from the rear differential and tying it up out of the way is your only other alternative.
Towing a car dolly empty lower air pressure to 10lbs it won't jump around so much they have no suspension
Surge brakes with a car on dolly down steep hills will brake the wieght from car forced foward
Why not just flat tow the Jeep?
$3000-$4000 to set up a vehicle to flat tow. $1,200 for my dolly. When I’m done with the dolly, I could easily sell it for nearly what I paid for it. Setting up the jeep to be flat towed would add little value to it when selling it. I don’t plan on keeping that vehicle long enough to make that investment pay off. The dolly will work with my next vehicle with no modifications. It’s not for everyone. There are compromises with everything. It’s working for me for the time being.
@@MyGraceFilledJourney for the same $3,000 to $4,000 (or less) you should be able to find a good used trailer. But the entire Jeep on a trailer and most of the foibles involved with a dolly are gone. A bonus would be finding a trailer that's exactly the right size for the Jeep you own. Tow dollies are best reserved for use with a lightweight front wheel drive vehicle.
Did you really tow a Jeep on a dolly? That will cause transfer case damage. A Jeep must be towed all 4 wheels on the ground or all 4 off the ground.
DON'T BUY A DOLLY UNLESS THE WHEELS STEER ON IT!
I have the same dolly. You need to put a grease fitting on the center kingpin that will cut down the noise grease reduces friction