Anyone used a car dolly to transport an old car (long distance)?

I have used one for many years and hauled many vehicles at that distance.Trouble free.Spend the extra few bucks on good tires with a good side wall and good rear tires on the car your towing.I also recommend driveshaft removal and lock the towed vehicles wheel straight ahead.Check everything over and then check it again and you should be all set.I purchased a good used one for $500 and all i ever did to it was add good tires and new light bulbs.I also rigged up a winch because alot of the cars i tow dont run and it makes them easier to load.For me its a money and time saver.

 

I've used tow bars, dollies, and trailers - ALL without drama...and I've done a lot of hauling! As stated earlier, if you are using a tow dolly, make sure the straps are in PERFECT condition, they are attached correctly, and that you have a chain attached as backup, if a strap breaks!

Do NOT backup with a loaded dolly or a tow bar. They are not meant to BE backed up! You MUST forecast your moves in a parking lot, truck stop, or convenience store/gas station. Plan ahead! All of these towing choices are perfectly safe WHEN COMMON SENSE IS APPLIED, and thousands of vehicles are towed like this every day.

Failures of any of the three are usually a result of using a damaged dolly, tow bar, or trailer; damaged or sub-par straps; or using passenger car tires on a dolly or hauler. Or, not tightening the damn trailer ball!!!

The ONLY towing failure I have had personally, is when the axle on the pickup I was towing shot out from the truck at 60 mph, taking the tire, wheel, backing plate and brake drum WITH it! No notice, no indications of upcoming failure, nothing! The rear axle bearing on that pickup melted, so there was no recovering that truck, where I was at.

 

I have used both and also prefer the full trailer - from u-haul or others. Never had problems with the dolly - just always kinda looked at it and scratched my head - if ya know what I mean...

 

We used one last year to haul a '57 Dodge wagon from San Francisco area back up to Washington, about 2000 miles RT. Only problem came from the State Police in California- we were going 65 MPH and in little letters on the bottom of the truck speed sign it said "cars with trailers". We tried to get them to realize that we were in a Dodge TRUCK but it din't work...he was a nice guy, though! Best one was hauling a '37 Chev 1 1/2 ton truck home on the same dolly- tires were HARD and flat, anyhting over 35 and it bounced so hard the rear wheels were off the ground. My buddies who were following rolled out of their car when we got home, they were laughing so hard....

 

i wouldn't. one time I used one only going twenty miles or so. the right rear wheel bearing took a shit and desided to lock up on me. It was at night and you could see the the hub glowing when I pulled over. i can still smell the greese burning!!

 

I towed a front wheel drive ricer from Ontario to Nova Scotia, then it came back behind a rental truck, then to northern Ontario behind my V6 minivan, all without problems. I kept to the speed limit and out of overdrive and had no handling problems at all. You will likely have more problems with the towed car than the dolly itself, things like tires and bearings as already mentioned. Make sure the dolly can handle the weight of the car, and brakes would be nice. Make sure the tie down straps are in good conditoin and keep them tight. Make sure the car is all the way foreward before tightening the straps because if it rolls further forward after you're on the road the straps might loosen - mine did because of this, my fault. As with any trailer, you need good wheel bearings and tires (keep checking the bearings for heat and the tires for pressures), and good safety chains on the tongue as well as a second set between the towed car and the dolly. Spray some lube on the turntable and don't back up if you can avoid it and everything should be OK. A trailer would be ideal but in my case, I got the dolly for a good price and I don't trust a lot of the places that rent them so the dolly made more sense. However, the car I towed was light and small so your results may vary. Just my 2 cents worth, a nickle with inflation.

 

Piece of cake! But like my brothers before me, SAFETY FIRST!! good rubber,grease,X driveline!!

 

All I can add to this is, watch that the fenders of the dolly don't hit the side of the car being towed when you turn.


JOE