Tow bar or Dolly?

[bord1niowa]

We now have a motorhome and will be toading. Any thoughts on whether a tow bar or dolly may be a better solution? Looking for any input. Thanks!

 

[mnsprk]

I personally prefer a tow bar, been using one since 2001. Hooking up is very easy and you don't have an extra set of wheels to park some place.

Just remember with either one you can't back up. Also be sure you car/truck can be towed 4 wheels down. If you use a dolly it will have to be a front wheel drive vehicle since the don't recommend towing with the rear axle on the dolly.

 

[DaveInTN]

I would say the answer to that depends on whether you currently own the vehicle you want to tow, and if so, what it is capable of. If it is capable of being pulled 4 down without mods, I'd do it that way. Otherwise, if it's at least capable of being towed on a dolly do it that way. And if I had to go out and purchase a car to tow, I'd get one towable 4 down as I personally think that's easier.

Motorhome Magazine publishes a list of towable cars each year. The lists are linked here:

http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/

Scroll down on the right side and look for Dinghy Guide.

 

[rapriebe]

We definitely prefer towing 4 down. The car we have is too heavy to tow 4 down and we didn't want to have to deal with a tow dolley. We purchased a second smaller car so we could tow it 4 down and it's so convenient. Here's a great site to check and see which cars are towable. Go to www.remcotowing.com and just click the online vehicle chart in the center of the page to find your desired car.

 

[AuburnJen92]

I have a four wheel drive jeep, so we had to go with a tow bar. I absolutely love it. It is easy, quick and very manageable. Blue Ox is what we use. It is worth every penny. Don't scrimp, get the good stuff so you don't have any issues.

 

[LONE-STAR]

I dont have a motor home I pull a toy hauler. But to me if you had a small car I would get a trailer long enough to put the car and a golf cart on. That way you could also back up.

 

[4mickey2]

tow bar is what we use. when we use it, which isn't often. tow dolly is what my folks use and it really seems to be a ?? well, not fun. plus they pay more at tolls because of the extra axle (wheels).

trailers are great, too. but, if four down or dolly is your option, i like 4 down.

 

[bord1niowa]

I guess for now with this car, for the next 2 years anyway (or less) it looks like it'll have to be a tow dolly based on recommendations from these 2 sites. May get a different car later and that may change things.
I'm going to guess it's better to have a dolly with brakes of some kind on it?

 

[DaveInTN]

I'm going to guess it's better to have a dolly with brakes of some kind on it?

I would definitely want brakes. That's a lot of extra weight for the motorhome to stop. Without brakes I think it would lengthen your stopping distances and times too much.

 

[des1954]

I dont have a motor home I pull a toy hauler. But to me if you had a small car I would get a trailer long enough to put the car and a golf cart on. That way you could also back up.

This is what my DH wants to do. We have an Aluma trailer we tow the Gem with. The trailer is rated to haul a small car like the Honda Fit, et al. The only modification we need to do to the trailer is put heavier duty tires on it to haul a small car. The plus to having the utility trailer is, it comes in handy for things other than hauling vehicles.

When you tow 4 down, don't you have to limit the amount of miles you drive? I heard you can go about 250 miles and then have to stop & give your toad a rest for about an hour. Does anyone remember "Disney Donna"? She & Jay had a brand new vehicle (don't remember what kind) catch fire while being towed because they ignored the "take a break" rule. Someone with more knowledge about this, feel free to chime in. But I remember reading that somewhere about the need to stop every 250 miles or so.

 

[mnsprk]

But I remember reading that somewhere about the need to stop every 250 miles or so.

It depends on the vehicle, there are not many that have mileage limits. We tow a 4wd GMC Canyon and it has no limitations.

 

[DaveInTN]

It depends on the vehicle, there are not many that have mileage limits. We tow a 4wd GMC Canyon and it has no limitations.

That's correct. My Acura MDX is towable 4 wheels down as long as you follow a simple pre-tow process to prepare the transmission, and if towing more than 8 hours in a day you stop and recirculate the transmission fluid before continuing. I've towed as much as 750 miles in a day over the past 3+ years without any incidents.

Most towable vehicles are even simpler than mine, but I needed a 7 passenger toad that weighs under 5,000 pounds so my choices were pretty limited.

 

[ChateauFive]

We got a tow dolly two years ago to tow the Chevy Equinox it worked great. I just bought a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited so I have to do 4 down now. The tow dolly is just time consuming and you have to stop after the first 5-10 miles to check your straps...that's kind of a pain. I now have a tow dolly for sale

 

[we3peas]

We tow 4 down also. we have a saturn vue that had a simple mode made. We only drive at 62 mph while towing (our sweet spot for gas mileage). We can go 7 hrs and then to stop to recirculate the fluid in the car. We rarely go anywhere without the toad now. Currently we are on a great American road trip with the family. We have driven up to 14 hours in a day before to get to where we need to be. Driver needs to stop every 3-4 hours anyway so not a problem. The benefit of a tow bar is that he can hook it up by himself if he needs to. With a dolly I don't think he'd do it without a spotter.

www.curbcrusher.com (our travel blog)

 

[ftwildernessrick]

I guess for now with this car, for the next 2 years anyway (or less) it looks like it'll have to be a tow dolly based on recommendations from these 2 sites. May get a different car later and that may change things.
I'm going to guess it's better to have a dolly with brakes of some kind on it?

I have used both, but have used a tow bar since late 80's. Pro's - with a tow dolly it can be easily used with almost any front wheel drive car. Con's - you have to do something with it once you get there & some campgrounds won't let you keep them on your site - they will have a dolly 'corral'.

When you decide to go the tow bar route, put it on a vehicle you plan on keeping for several years, since when you change vehicles, the only things you can swap is the tow bar itself, safety cables, & the light hookup cable.

As far as brakes, basically every state has a law on the books that you are supposed to have supplemental braking over anything being towed above 3500 pounds.

Try to find a used (but good) tow dolly - they are out there.

My tow is a 4 door,4wd, Dodge Dakota that I carry my golf cart in the back bed. It has a recessed selector button on the 4wd control that you push that completely disengages the drive train for towing. I also had my mechanic remove the steering lock, so I don't have to leave the key in the ignition in the unlocked position.