Towing dolly

[rogerh]

Has anyone used a tow dolly? My Dakota Quadcab can't handle the large car transporters, and the smaller trailers are too narrow for my Plymouth.
Do tow dollys have electric brakes? My truck does not have the dash-mounted brake controller.
I'd really rather tow my car than drive it on a long trip (I don't have AAA, but I do have towing insurance thru Hagertys Insurance).

[Denver 59 Fin Convert]

Roger, I have used a tow dolly for my 59 twice with out any problems. It was for just short distances here in Denver though... I did tow a 73 challenger in a dolly behind my old 2004 Durango and it pulled fine, I had a 4.7 Liter engine with 3.92 geared rear end. But again it was a short tow of 20 miles. The dollys I have used did not have electric brakes on it.

I have seen some U-haul trailers that are pretty wide for our cars.
Ryder has trailers that are for pickup trucks.

When my car was painted it was a very tight fit on a small local flat trailer, about 4 inchs on either side to spare... I was scared that the car would shift on me. And to add that I had to haul it out of the mountains down a two lane road in driving rain...the pucker up factor was high that day!!

John Q.

[rogerh]

Maybe I need to try another UHaul outlet. The one I went to, the kid checked applications on the UHaul computer and said the smaller UHaul trailers would not handle my car's width,. Not only that, but they do not have electric brakes. (Should I argue with the guy?) The Plymouth weighs in at 3760lbs. Add to that the weight of the trailer and you come close to the weight of my Dodge Dakota.
For the first show, I must drive 150 miles each way on sometimes crowded Interstate....
For the second show, I need to cross the mountains into Eastern Washington.
I realise you brought your car out of the mountains, John, but it had no drivetrain in it, correct?
Eh, maybe I am just getting over cautious in my old age.
I can also check Budget and Ryder.

[Denver 59 Fin Convert]

opps your are right, I did not have the drive train in there. Good point!

John Q.

[Dick Koch]

Roger - I towed my 60 Desoto with a U-haul trailer from Marietta, Ga. to West Palm Beach, Fl. with no problems except the Desoto was so long it hung over the trailer and above 50 MPH it would start to sway. The tow vehicle was a Murcury Mountaineer (Explorer) with a V8 engine. The trailer was plenty wide enough. The trailer did not have electric brakes so I gave everybody plenty of room.
Dick.

[Dick Koch]

Roger - I towed my 60 Desoto with a U-haul trailer from Marietta, Ga. to West Palm Beach, Fl. with no problems except the Desoto was so long it hung over the trailer and above 50 MPH it would start to sway. The tow vehicle was a Murcury Mountaineer (Explorer) with a V8 engine. The trailer was plenty wide enough. The trailer did not have electric brakes so I gave everybody plenty of room.
Dick.

[Dick Koch]

Sorry - I didn't mean to stutter.
Dick.

[Fins59]

Some trailers have their own "self-contained" brakes. It's called a "surge brake" and with this brake you do not need a trailer brake controller on your vehicle. I used to have a travel trailer with this type brake.
On my trailer a covered cylinder was mounted on hitch. When stopping or slowing, the trailers weight would "surge" forward and engage the cylinder and force brake fluid to the brake shoes in the wheels.
I've seen car trailers with these type brakes. Weight of what you're hauling might be a factor. Might be something to check into.

When I bought my parts car one of my son's hauled it home for me with a tow dolly. Can't remember what kind of brakes dolly had or if any. Wouldn't be surprised though if some have surge brakes. It was about a 150 mile trip. He unhooked drive shaft on parts car. I would think if you towed it on dolly for a lot of miles with shaft hooked up, maybe you could damage tranny or rear end and odom would be recording miles,( unless you tow it backwards). I bought car mainly for tranny so didn't want to take any chances.

[Dick Koch]

Yes, the U-haul trailer I used for the Desoto had the Surge Brake setup.
Dick.

[Dick Koch]

Yes, the U-haul trailer I used for the Desoto had the Surge Brake setup.
Dick.

[rogerh]

t say I'm not too thrilled withthe idea of uncoupling the driveshaft every time I need to tow it...

[big m]

Roger, if you are towing your car trailer in hilly areas, keep in mind that the weight of your trailer and the car that you are towing should not outweigh your tow vehicle. Small hills are OK, but long grades can get you rolling at higher speeds, and the load will physically push your tow vehicle, and this force can cause trouble when braking if your tow vehicle is too light.

---John

[rogerh]

Exactly my concern. While a tow to Portland and back is very level, a trip over the Cascades to Ellensburg, WA involves an elevation change of 4,00 feet, I believe.
I remember towing a small pop-up trailer, loaded with my personal possessions, taking the east-west route thru Yosemite National Park, over to Lee Vining. I was young and ignorant.
I should have taken the hint when the fanbelt on my '86 Nissan Hardbody broke, cutting thru the radiator hose and all that, at the western edge of the Park. I got it fixed and continued to cross over the Park. The eastern descent is long, steep, and without guardrails. If my brakes were to fail, over the edge was a distinct possibility.
As I descended the eastern grade, I could feel the brakes becoming less and less effective.
I pulled over several times to allow them to cool. It wasn't that they were burning, they simply were overloaded with the trailer pushing me from the rear.

[Oldschoolcarguy]

I've always felt that trusting tow dollies or swaying trailers with surge brakes that were maintained by a "kid at the u-haul joint" was a scarier proposition than just driving my classic. I vote live the dream and driver her!

I'm throwing my two cents in as an attempt to psych myself up to drive mine from Orlando to Detroit for the Dream Cruise this year! - 2400 mile round trip

Let me know what you decide and how it goes. My trip is in August and I could use the input.

Ernie D.

"oldschool is cool"

[Ron Keij]

I vote live the dream and driver her!

I'm throwing my two cents in as an attempt to psych myself up to drive mine from Orlando to Detroit for the Dream Cruise this year! - 2400 mile round trip

Ernie D.
"oldschool is cool"

I couldn't agree more! Why did Exner make room for wheels in his design? Driving the car to a show is at least half the fun

Ron