Info on using Tow Dolly

I have been using a Master Tow dolly for almost two years now. It has its own braking system so the only thing I needed to add to the MH was a brake controller. I had occasion to visit the MasterTow factory in Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg) and found them to be very reputable.

I looked at the added expense I was going to have to modify every new toad I would purchase and decided on the dolly. I have gotten to where I can unload or load the toad is just a few minutes. It may be easier to use a tow bar and tow 4 down but I have not reached the point where I would want to change.

Make sure that you get one with a braking system and add safety chains for your own peace of mind. I do not even know that the toad is back there when I am towing. I do check on it from time to time using my rear camera.

Curt

Curt, thanks for your reply. I went to a Master Tow dealer in my area. Of the two models they only carry the heavier duty one. Cost for basic unit is $925, with elect brakes $1070 and with surge brakes $1345. I have a brake controller unit in my P/U from when I pulled a travel camper so I'm going to assume that I can remove it and intsall it in the motorhome to use. According to the chevy owners manual there should be wiring already installed for a controller. Will have to get an adapter to mate the 7 pin on the motor home with a 4 pin on the dolly.

We used a Kar Kaddy about 6 years ago for our non towable Pontiac Grand Am and we will make a couple suggestions to help you. Look for a dolly with auto steer cornering to save wear and tear on the car tires and as others mentioned the hydraulic surge braking system. We figured why buy a new one so we shopped for a used one and saved about 50% on the cost. We sold it after a year and sold it for exactly what we paid for it, so all around it was a good purchase and easy and safe to use.

Just to throw in my .02 cents. I've towed both ways but prefer towing four wheels down. When we bought our first MH in 1997 we already had a fairly new care, a Pontiac convertible, that my wife did not want to part with. We bought a Kar Kaddy tow dolly and towed the convertible for a couple of years. When it came time to trade my car we bought a towable Saturn and had a base plate put on and bought a tow bar. Sold the tow dolly. We're now on our third MH and second towable car. We now tow a 2006 Chevy HHR. Most chevy's can be towed four wheels down without modification where Ford has not gotten around to doing that yet.

Would we go back to a tow dolly? Nope. The two dolly was approximately five hundred pounds of excess weight I was pulling around. Also, found with my bad back I had trouble sometimes pulling the thing around by hand when it was not hooked to the MH. I did run into some state parks that did not have a place to put it. Also, I had to carry a big log chain to chain it down when we were in a campground to keep it from walking away.

Everyone has their own prefrences and no one is right or wrong. It's just what works better for you.

Found this thread to be very interesting. Just bought a Master Tow Tow Dolly. This will be first trip towing a car. Usually, we tow a trailer and use our motorcycle but this year, because of recent surgery, we decided to tow the car. We really appreciate all the info all of you have provided. When we get home we will put our 2 cents in on our experience with a tow dolly.
Thanks All.

I think I've posted this web page in this forum before but can't remember where so here it is again.

www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s..._200329053_200329053

FastEagle