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school me about tow dollies

M

midlam

New User
I am looking at car tow dollies on craislist

Are the tie rod type better than turntable type?
are the tire saddles adjustable?...can one tow a narrow wheelbase small car and then tow a 3/4 ton pickup?
 
I've always used the turntable type with good luck. They were made in the narrow gauge and the wide gauge. The narrow type are only good for small cars. The wide type can be used for anything. The one I used the table tipped and you drove the car on, then you strapped it down, and a way you go.
 
wide one is what you want. towing a 3/4ton pu would be iffy. I've never seen a bargin on one.
buying new gets you exactly what you want.
 

I helped my so move cross country a few years ago. He rented one like Bill Lisbon described. worked perfectly well.
 
I picked up an old home made one on Craigslist for $75. The wheel pockets are fixed and the ramps stow on the tongue. The downside is you have to leave the towed vehicle steering wheel unlocked so the unit can turn. I have the materials to add a turntable, but it still works fine as is.

I used to transfer cars occasionally for a friend with a dealership. He had both turntable and tie-rod style dollies. After using both (mostly hwy) I didn't see the advantage of the tie-rods...especially considering it was just more stuff to wear out.
 
The turn table type is much more stable when towing. Plus you can have one that is wide enough for a pickup or car. Another advantage with the turn table type is that you can lock the steering and not have issues.

The tie rod type are just like a wagon. So you are depending on the tow in for it to trail correctly. The turn table type have just a center pivot. It will trail better because of this fact.

Personally I prefer a trailer over a dolly. You have better control of the vehicle you are moving. Especially braking. If you are planing on using a dolly with a car pulling it then you are just asking for trouble. There are few cars today that are heavy enough to tow much of anything.
 
tow dollies are only good for front wheel drive small cars. I have seen a lot of small pickups and cars burn on fire to the ground that had rear wheel drive automatic that didn't take the drive shaft off before towing. also very hard to back up a tow dolly with the car on it. Me, I think it is much better to use a car carrier trailer with brakes if it is a heavy car , truck or tractor your towing.
 
(quoted from post at 20:43:57 12/16/12) I am looking at car tow dollies on craislist

Are the tie rod type better than turntable type?
are the tire saddles adjustable?...can one tow a narrow wheelbase small car and then tow a 3/4 ton pickup?
Click to expand...
put the small rear wheels of a self-propelled IH-101 combine on a car dolly and towed it 80 miles.....it weighs more than a 3/4 PU. :D
 
Useless comment unless you have more to offer. There are tens of thousands of tow dollies in use and I've never heard of an accident being caused by one. I'm sure there has been but it cannot be too common or they would ban them like they did three wheelers.

Charles
 
I have a tow dolly and use it quite a bit. I also have a car trailer, but the dolly works quite well for certain jobs.
Advantages:
1. Pulls easy
2. Uses less fuel, probably the same as #1
3. Nice to bring to an auction if you aren't sure if you are going to bring anything home.

Disadvantages
1. Cant see it when empty
2. Have to load things backwards or pull driveshafts.
3. More hassle chaining up than when you put a vehicle on a trailer.
4. Lights.
 
They are well known accident causers in the 4x4 community where towing a truck or jeep is common. The old fixed style that pull worse than a tow bar/flat tow are the type that cause the problem usually. Often no brakes on them. Usually pushes the arse end out on the tow vehicle when trying to slow down in a turn.

The turn table style don't seem to have trouble.
 
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