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Lessons From A Tow Dolly Newbie
By Jack Kean
Posted
07/2011
After moving up to a 32-foot Class C from a much smaller Rialta (21 feet), we quickly decided on the need to tow our car for increased mobility at our destinations. Unfortunately for us, neither of the cars we currently own could be towed four on the ground. That meant either a new car or a tow dolly. We opted for a tow dolly. Used tow dollies are out there somewhere, but my searches didn't find anything close enough to our home so I began looking at new ones.
A few months later, Camping World had a Roadmaster tow dolly on sale, and compared to the prices I had seen, it was a reasonably good deal. The Roadmaster tow dolly is a well-respected name, and it was advertised for around $1,500. I called the closest Camping World (80 miles) and made arrangements with a knowledgeable technician to drive over on the following Monday.
Everything that has happened since that conversation has been a learning experience for this tow dolly newbie. After arriving at Camping World around 9 a.m. as requested, I learned that the knowledgeable technician had a family emergency and would not be in. Lesson: Monday is not the best day for any type of service. You may disagree, but much can happen over a weekend, and Mondays seem busier in any event.
Lesson: Just because your new tow dolly's specs say “electric brakes” doesn't mean you won't have to buy electric brakes. If your RV is not already equipped with electric brakes for a tow, you will need to purchase a system and have it installed to safely stop your tow dolly. While the system only costs a little over $100, it had to be wired into the RV.
After 7 1/2 hours, which included an oil change for motor and generator, I was ready to take my new tow dolly home. Lesson: If you don't have the car you will be towing with you, you will not know how to properly and safely use your tow dolly. After asking about the proper usage of the tow dolly, I was given a very short course in how to load and attach my car. It is the difference between theory and reality.
In a couple of weeks, we were ready for our first trip towing a car. I dutifully read all instructions given and the car's manual on towing. With some trepidation, I drove my car up the ramps and onto the tow dolly. The tow dolly has a pin that you remove to get the ramps to the ground and when your car is in place, it pivots back in place. That is the theory. In reality, my car wasn't heavy enough to make the tow dolly pivot back into place. Of course, it cannot be used until the ramps are off the ground.
Fortunately, a neighbor had a very large screw clamp that I was able to use to force the tow dolly into the proper position to reinsert the pin. Now, all that remained was to properly utilize the straps to securely attach the car. Lesson reminder: Have your tow car with you when getting you tow dolly in order to see exactly how to secure vehicle. After some time and effort, I finally managed to attach the car and drive it around the neighborhood.
Luckily, except for the light that fell out, we were able to travel without further incident. On our way out of Gulf Shores, Alabama, we got Camping World to inspect the tow dolly. They replaced the nuts designed to hold in the light. They discovered a bolt that was not in place on one of the ramps and tightened the nuts on all.
Final lesson: The more you know about tow dollies, the safer you will be.
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Jack's RV website is: http://www.rvfunandfacts.yolasite.com.
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