Tow dolly wanted

[markbragdon]

I need a good tor dolly for my wife’s Buick Envista. Need recommendations/wisdom on this subject. What works/doesn’t work for you? Thanks.

[Tallybird]

Yes times 2 please. The other Donna has a cousin of the other Donna’s Buick, a trailblazer. Mark FWIW so far my research says I’m going oversized. Meaning buying one to handle more weight. Pros and cons to both surge braking and electric. Discs are better. If you’re flat towing then surge is ok. If you’re doing hills and mountains then electric is better because they don’t have a tendency to lock up on the downward slope. Donna did this research! When she showed me the price and the cost of shipping because no one sells them here I almost had a heart attack! Nearest dealer is in Gainesville, not a bad drive for either of us if you’re heading south. FWIW

[wandermore]

After reading up on them, I bought one of these from another WOG member last year to try out with my wife's FWD XC90:

https://stehltow.com/

I wanted to see how I liked using a dolly compared to trailering like I do with some of our other vehicles.

It works very well and I don't have any complaints. It is a little bit more effort to hook up than a towbar (depending on your brake system) and a little less than a car hauler. They bounce around if you need to tow it unloaded, but I don't think it will do any damage, especially if you air the tires down a little.

After hearing about all the recent towbar casualties, I feel the dolly may be more secure over the long haul. It seems that towbars fail even if properly used. It took much longer at first, but now in about 5-6 minutes I can get it ready to roll if the dolly and vehicle are nearby.

I make one stop about 100-200 miles down the road to double check the straps. I have perfected the technique on the wheel straps and have not needed to retighten them the past 4 or 5 times I have used it. I will keep using the dolly (just dragged it to Florida and back) and will also keep using the trailer when I need to bring more things or know the destination requires reversing.

If you are coming through TN, you are welcome to test it out and see how you like it.

[markbragdon]

Originally Posted by Tallybird

Yes times 2 please. The other Donna has a cousin of the other Donna’s Buick, a trailblazer. Mark FWIW so far my research says I’m going oversized. Meaning buying one to handle more weight. Pros and cons to both surge braking and electric. Discs are better. If you’re flat towing then surge is ok. If you’re doing hills and mountains then electric is better because they don’t have a tendency to lock up on the downward slope. Donna did this research! When she showed me the price and the cost of shipping because no one sells them here I almost had a heart attack! Nearest dealer is in Gainesville, not a bad drive for either of us if you’re heading south. FWIW

Good to know. Going downhill with surge brakes was never on my radar. Thanks.

[markbragdon]

Originally Posted by wandermore

After reading up on them, I bought one of these from another WOG member last year to try out with my wife's FWD XC90:

https://stehltow.com/

I wanted to see how I liked using a dolly compared to trailering like I do with some of our other vehicles.

It works very well and I don't have any complaints. It is a little bit more effort to hook up than a towbar (depending on your brake system) and a little less than a car hauler. They bounce around if you need to tow it unloaded, but I don't think it will do any damage, especially if you air the tires down a little.

After hearing about all the recent towbar casualties, I feel the dolly may be more secure over the long haul. It seems that towbars fail even if properly used. It took much longer at first, but now in about 5-6 minutes I can get it ready to roll if the dolly and vehicle are nearby.

I make one stop about 100-200 miles down the road to double check the straps. I have perfected the technique on the wheel straps and have not needed to retighten them the past 4 or 5 times I have used it. I will keep using the dolly (just dragged it to Florida and back) and will also keep using the trailer when I need to bring more things or know the destination requires reversing.

If you are coming through TN, you are welcome to test it out and see how you like it.

Thanks. The reason I never wanted a dolly was finding a place to store it while camping. But now the wife wanted a new car that she picked out. So…tow dolly time. Thanks for the info.

[wandermore]

Same boat here. She wants a familiar car to drive when navigating unfamiliar places. I just want to keep her and the boys safe and happy on our travels. :-)

I haven't had an issue yet storing or pushing it around at various parking spots.

[barryOne]

We have the Master Tow Dolly with surge brakes and I can attest to the stopping power with surge they work we tow a Kia Sorento and in about 5 or so minutes have it ready to go. I use the basket-type straps and I like them. As for parking it, I haven't had a problem finding a spot for it to sit Just my 2 cents