tow dolly brakes electric or surge

[keysbottles]

I need to tow a car/truck with a MH.  Pulling is not a problem but I assume stopping can be an issue, especially on wet pavement.  I'm looking at tow dollies with brakes.  Does someone have experience with electric or surge brakes?  Which do you prefer?  Thanks  Don

 

[1shemp]

Electric.

 

[highdesertranger]

like shemp said electric all the way. the problem with surge is the get applied a lot when the tow vehicle slows down but not braking. also when you put it in reverse the brakes get applied. electric brakes only come on when you depress the brake peddle. highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

Electric. I had a tow dolly with surge brakes that I pulled my Geo Tracker with. Going down mountain grades, the dolly brakes were on the whole way down. Sold it as soon as I got back home.

My motorcycle trailer has electric brakes. World of difference.

 

[keysbottles]

Looks like electric is the answer. I never occurred to me the backing or down hill issues.  Thanks

 

[keysbottles]

Looks like electric is the answer. I never occurred to me the backing or down hill issues.  Thanks

I finally found a tow dolly w/ elect. brakes.  It's a Stehl brand, looks new.

I now have another issue concerning towing with the dolly.  Can I tow a rear wheel vehicle with the back wheels off the ground?  I get mixed information on this.  Some say that with the heaviest axle in the rear I will get sway, the same as when loading a trailer heavy in the back.  Any one have experience with this?

 

[highdesertranger]

it depends. why do you want to do that? does it have an automatic? highdesertranger

 

[keysbottles]

it depends.  why do you want to do that?  does it have an automatic?  highdesertranger

yes,,,, nissan frontier 2WD auto tran ...trying to avoid buying another tow vehicle

 

[highdesertranger]

yep you can't tow that with the rear wheels down unless you put a driveshaft disconnect on it.

some problems with towing with the front wheels down,

the wheels must be pointed perfectly straight ahead. if they are off a lot the vehicle absolutely will not pull straight. if they are off a little it will scuff your tires(premature wear) . it is close to impossible to get your wheels straight.

if a tow truck driver needs to tow front down they will simply leave the key on to keep the steering column unlocked. but they usually only tow it that way for a short distance. it's obviously not an option for long distant towing.

by far your best options are a driveshaft disconnect then you don't even need a dolly or a true trailer to put the whole vehicle on.

highdesertranger

 

[keysbottles]

that's what I was afraid of.  thanks highdesertranger.  Looks as if I will be looking for something towable.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I've done some 'flat towing' and I am not a fan. Rather than buy another vehicle that you can flat tow, have you looked at a car hauler trailer?

Pros and cons to either solution. 

Flat towing, you can't back up very far, and you have extra tire and drivetrain wear, plus, with some of them you are expected to stop every 100-500 miles and start the engine to recirculate the fluids in the transmission. Plus you need some way to have brake lights on the back, and something like a 'brake-buddy' to activate the toad brakes. The steering lock must be unlocked, which means you may have to supply a charge line to the toad's battery, and some toads will register all towing miles on the odometer...it depends on the vehicle.

Hauling on a trailer means you will have to load and unload and deal with straps or chains all the time, but the wear on the toad, and dings from the MH tires, are reduced to almost minimal. Sometimes that trailer will be in your way when un-coupling everything at a park or campground. But, you can always back a trailer.

It all depends on what your plans are.

 

[rm.w/aview]

I need to tow a car/truck with a MH. 

  Looks as if I will be looking for something towable.

What is your Motor Home rated for regarding towing a vehicle? The GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating), towing capacity, and the hitch rating come into play here. Not knowing this info I'll still show some items, the description is within the title of each page...
http://www.motorhome.com/index.php?s=dinghy+towing+guides
https://www.bigtextrailers.com/car-hauler-trailers
http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/car-trailers/diamond-floor-car-trailer/
https://www.prolinetrailersales.com/open-trailers/car-trailers
https://www.prolinetrailersales.com/enclosed-trailers/enclosed-car-trailers