Uses of Tow Dollies and Tips in Choosing the Right Tow Dolly for Your Vehicle

Ah, the joy of living in an RV. You get to travel to different places without worrying about sleeping accommodations or animals stealing your food. You also do not have to worry about the rent! Now, that is one life worth living.
But like all good things, living the RV life has its disadvantages. For one, lugging around a 12,000-pound motorhome on an expressway can give you confused looks from other motorists.
Not to mention the fact that using your RV just to buy an ingredient you forgot to put on your grocery list consumes so much time, energy, and the most valuable resource for RVers－fuel.

Related Read: Tips for Saving on Fuel while on the Road

This is the reason why most motorhome owners opt for another car that they can take along for errands or short-term trips to explore the area where they would stay for a while.
But of course, like the RV, you have to lug around the additional vehicle as well. In order to save fuel and manpower, owners opt to have their car towed at the back of their RVs.
How do they do that? Enter the tow dolly.
Tow Dollies and Their Uses
Most RV owners use tow dollies instead of other towing devices such as four-downs, tow bars, and trailers because of their efficiency.
To be able to use a four-down, you must get professional help in installing the auxiliary brake system. It adds additional costs to already expensive equipment (more expensive than tow dolly in most cases). The same is true when using tow bars.
As for the trailer, it is only recommended if you have other “toys” lugging around, such as kayaks or motorbikes. Trailers require a higher cost to maintain because they are way heavier than the other options.
On the other hand, a tow dolly does not have installation requirements. You can install it in a jiffy and use it on any car. It gives minimal to no damage, both to an RV and an ordinary car. No need to drill, poke, or damage a part of your vehicle to use it.
Tow dollies are used to lug around either manual or automatic cars. Using a ramp, tow dollies elevate the front wheels and use the rear wheels to move the car forward.
Why is this important? It has something to do with the odometer. Older cars have an odometer that is still moving even with the ignition off because the front wheels are still rolling. This leads to increased mileage and in time, can damage the engine.
In short, using tow dollies provide a simpler, no-frills way of towing your vehicle. You can assemble and disassemble it all by yourself.
Choosing the Right Tow Dolly
In picking what type of tow dolly to invest in, you must consider a lot of factors.

Related Read: Know Before You Tow – Dinghy Installation

• Cost (both purchase and maintenance)

A brand new car tow dolly can cost you around $800 to $3,500. You can look and buy one secondhand for a cheaper price if you do not plan to use it that much (for example, you only use your RV during vacations) or rent one out.
What would cost you more, though, is the maintenance required, specifically the tires. Tow dollies, regardless of the type, consist of two tires that would take up the bulk of the work of the car’s front wheels.
And just like any other tires, these tow dolly wheels experience wear and tear all the more since they carry additional weight while on the road.
Aside from that, tow dollies would require additional support if the car weight exceeds that of what the dolly can tow.
Some towing companies recommend having a buffer of 750 pounds between the weight of your RV and the second vehicle to ensure safety when traveling. Otherwise, you might have to purchase additional brakes and other safety equipment.
Other RVers who use tow dollies have an RV specific GPS wherein they can easily plug in the size of their motorhome plus the length of their dolly and the second vehicle. The GPS will automatically recommend routes where they can squeeze in.
While the GPS is only an accessory, you may have to consider investing in one to avoid doing trial and error while on the road.

• The car you want to tow

Other considerations you need to think about when it comes to car concerns aside from the weight is the type and model. As mentioned before, older vehicles are more highly encouraged to be towed using a tow dolly more than any other equipment.
The reason is that modern vehicles are commonly all-wheel drive ones. Meaning, their odometers run if the rear wheels are moving.
To remedy the odometer issue, you might have to make modifications, such as removing the drive shaft. The drive shaft is the car part that connects the wheel axle to the transmission and engine. Without it, your wheels would freely spin when rolled.
The only problem with this is that drive shaft removal must only be done by a professional mechanic. Aside from that, the consequences of removing the drive shaft may not be covered by your warranty and insurance.
To know if your vehicle is tow-able using a tow dolly, ask your vehicle manufacturer. Double-check the terms of your car warranty in case it is still covered so that you would know up to what extent you can tweak your car to accommodate the dolly.

• Type of dolly

There are two types of tow dollies available in the market today: mounted front wheels dolly and central pivot dolly.
The mounted front wheels version is the tow dolly that perfectly acts like the front wheels of your car. They are safer to use during twists and turns since they lessen the likelihood of the second vehicle hitting the rear end of your RV.
The central pivot dolly, on the other hand, is the tow dolly version commonly used by towing rentals like U-Haul. It has almost the same features as that of mounted front wheels.
The only difference is the source of the pivot whenever there are turns. Obviously, this one has it at the center. Because of this, your towed car can sway around while moving and turning which can cause scratches at your motorhome bumper.
But since it is the go-to tow dolly for most tow rentals, you can still be assured that it is safe and efficient on the road.

• Ease of use

The huge downside of tow dollies is the fact that loading and unloading the vehicle may take some time－at least, on the first try. Experienced tow dolly users can do the process in no more than ten minutes; a huge difference from the 30 minutes they allotted the first time.
Also, setting up the tow dolly itself can break the back－literally. You may need to squat down to attach it to the rear end of your RV. Not to mention that you also have to check the underside of the second vehicle to check for dangling car parts that could be damaged once it is strapped to the dolly.
If you consider yourself not up to the task, then you might have to consider other options or have someone do it for you every time you travel.
Another problem you might encounter with tow dollies (and possibly trailers as well) is the slippery ramps. Loading your vehicle in damp ramps can cause accidents. Thankfully, this can be easily solved.
These are just a few of the things you have to consider in case you plan to purchase or rent a tow dolly. Of course, you must weigh your other options well in terms of the convenience and the costs involved. Happy RVing!


Author Bio
Ainsley Henry is a car enthusiast, though she doesn’t own so many vehicles. She just loves all things related to vehicles, and has an immense auto fondness because of her engineer and automotive technician father. When she’s not busy helping her dad, she writes articles for https://costfigures.com/.