Tow Dolly or Car Trailer???

DrivingMissLazy · October 13, 2006, 08:44:36 AM

I did not like having to stow the tow bar anytime I used the toad or even unhooking it to move the toad. Just convenience more than anything else and not having the tow bar on the front of my Toyota pickup all the time.
Richard

Quote from: H3Jim on October 13, 2006, 08:19:31 AM
DML,

Why is the tow bar that stays on the bus better than the tow bar that stays with the towed?

Thanks

busguy01 · October 13, 2006, 10:11:20 AM

Also the tow bar on the front of the car is UGLY!!! You also will find that you bark your shins on it from time to time. Don't ask how I know this!
JimH

Dave Siegel · October 13, 2006, 10:30:50 AM

WOW! Looks like I piped into a conversation that appeals to lots of folks. I have to agree that I think it would be better to tow four wheel down. It seems like the kit to lube what ever it lubes is about $500-$600 plus labor.

Is Blue Ox the better of the hitches out there? I also remember seeing something about a "self Centering" hitch. Does that make it easier to hook up?

I also like the idea of not adding any more to the pulling weight than I have to. Like someone just above pointed out, our 671 isn't the meanest bear in the woods.

Dave Siegel

gumpy · October 13, 2006, 10:39:05 AM

Dave,

Do a search here on Blue Ox. There were some posts about them awhile back. They're a top notch company and their customer service is first rate (I know, because one of the posts is mine

)

Craig

Eagle · October 13, 2006, 11:18:10 AM

I have had every brand of tow bar out there I think and Blue Ox is one of the best with the best customer service that I have seen. I like the Aventa II 10,000lb class IV rating

Dave Siegel · October 13, 2006, 11:24:35 AM

I tend to agree with the appearance of the Blue Ox. But when I start adding up the prices it goes like this:

1: Tow Bar (From $499 Camping World Falcon) to ($799 Blue Ox)
2: Tow Brackets about $400
3: Lube Pump from Remco $649
3: Labor to install brackets $225
4: Labor to install lube pump $$200- $300

That suspiciously looks like $2400. Can that be right?

Dave Siegel

Nick Badame Refrig/ACC · October 13, 2006, 11:36:40 AM

Dave,

Sounds like the price is in the neighborhood..... Unless you can do the install yourself.

I preferr the Roadmaster All Terrain tow bar because you can attach your car from any angle or uneven surfaces.

They also have the self alligning feature. and the towbar stores on the back of the motorhome.

Nick-

bernie · October 13, 2006, 01:49:09 PM

hi dave
if you get a tow dolly make sure it has brakes on it. the first one i had did not have brakes, and you could feel the toad trying to push you when stopping. i have one with brakes now and i can't hardly tell its behind me,make sure you have a camera to keep tabs on the toad. i was turning around and ran out of room and had to unhook everything,it was a pain, but only took a few min. to do it. read your owners manual, it will tell you if you can tow with the wheels down
good luck
Bernie

jaybe_2 · October 13, 2006, 02:16:22 PM

Four wheels down is the best way to go!!! You can hook and unhook your car a lot faster. I will not say it is cheaper because it is not, but better almost never is. Look at Roadmaster products it is nice stuff and the Remco pumps are bullet proof. If the dolly is looking good price wise go rent one from U-haul for a few days and try it. Keep in mind you will have to find a place for it when not in use.

Ross · October 13, 2006, 03:23:58 PM

I bought my Roadmaster Stowmaster on eBay brand new with brackets for $650. Installation should be easy for anyone converting thier own bus. I went with the Stowmaster (stows on the toad) because I tow the jeep with different vehicles, not just the bus. Each vehicle has a different hitch height so to compensate for that, I just use a different ball mount. With a motorhome mounted bar you can't do that.

Ross

H3Jim · October 13, 2006, 04:01:32 PM

and further confirmation of a bus nut, I don't want the tow bar ruining the lines of the beautiful bus. I'd rather have it on the towed.

Stan · October 13, 2006, 06:08:30 PM

My experiience: For a few years I loaded my sports cart on a tandem trailer. The result was zero damage to the car while towing but most campgrounds made me park the trailer in their parking lot and not on my site. I was pulling the trailer with a bus with manual steering and backing up was a cinch.

When I got a forty foot bus I was overlength so I bought a Toyota with manual transmission and towed four wheels down. I spent a lot of time at the car wash after every long trip getting the oil of the car and I had to replace a couple of park/signal lights in the front bumper that were hit by stones and gpt mumerous stone chips on the car front..I don't think there was any more wear and tear on the car than the same number of miles being driven. It was almost impossible to back up in a straight line and completely impossibe to back around a corner, even with a back-up camera.

If I was doing it again I would trailer an expensive sports car and tow four down with an ordinary car. There are many more options now for four down towing than when I started in 1979.

DrivingMissLazy · October 13, 2006, 06:51:15 PM

Stan, to back up a tow dolly I found impossible.

I did find that with a second person in the toad, four wheel down, I could back around a corner. Janet would sit in the Toyota, with it running so that she had power steering, and I would slowly back around in the Flying J parking lot so that I could get out. This was only when I was blocked in from the front.

I suspect I scrubbed some rubber off the front tires of the toad during this maneuver, but she did try and keep the wheels pointed in the direction we were going. At least I was able to get out without unloading the toad and then unhitching the dolly and manually moving it out of the way.
Richard

Quote from: Stan on October 13, 2006, 06:08:30 PM
My experience: For a few years I loaded my sports cart on a tandem trailer. The result was zero damage to the car while towing but most campgrounds made me park the trailer in their parking lot and not on my site. I was pulling the trailer with a bus with manual steering and backing up was a cinch.

When I got a forty foot bus I was overlength so I bought a Toyota with manual transmission and towed four wheels down. I spent a lot of time at the car wash after every long trip getting the oil of the car and I had to replace a couple of park/signal lights in the front bumper that were hit by stones and gpt mumerous stone chips on the car front..I don't think there was any more wear and tear on the car than the same number of miles being driven. It was almost impossible to back up in a straight line and completely impossibe to back around a corner, even with a back-up camera.

If I was doing it again I would trailer an expensive sports car and tow four down with an ordinary car. There are many more options now for four down towing than when I started in 1979.

Rick Brown · October 14, 2006, 09:46:04 AM

My vote goes to the tow dolly. I tow a Blazer with front wheels down. On/off time is a couple of minutes. The dolly weighs less than 500 pounds and I carry a 6 foot 2x4 that I sometimes use to position the dolly if I have to back up.
-Rick Brown in Reno

JackConrad · October 14, 2006, 10:12:16 AM

We tow our Grand Cherokee 4 down (auto/4 wheel drive). We use a toad mounted Roadmaster towbar with "invisible" brackets. After unhitching, it only takes about 3 minutes to remove the rock guard, towbar, and quick conect brackets from the toad.
We made our rock guard by cutting down an old MC-9 cap and adding brackets to attach it to the tow bar bracxkets on the Grand Cherokee. This guard extends slightly past eaqch side of the taod as well as slighly above the hood and to the bottom of the air dam under the front bumper. This is our first trip using the rock guard and it has made a big difference. Jack