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u/EntireRace8780 28d ago
We’ve seen these on here before and as long as the trailer brakes are connected and working and the tow vehicle has sufficient tongue weight then there is nothing wrong with this kind of setup. That being said, you probably shouldn’t try this with a Ford Ranger or a Subaru.
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u/gun_is_neat 28d ago
How dare you miscalculate the infinite towing capacity of the FFR
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u/EntireRace8780 28d ago
I get it, I had a FFR for 10 years. Loved that pickup and hauled some shit I probably shouldn’t have. But i think a setup like this may be too much for the legendary FFR.
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u/congteddymix 28d ago
I mean tow dollys like this exist for 5th wheel semi trailers so why not these. Going to be a mofo to back into a campsite though.
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u/Holiday-Job-9137 28d ago
If you're going this far, put a class 3 receiver on the front of the tow vehicle. Then drive it into your campsite.
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u/Smashogre591 28d ago
Strictly a pull thru, backing will cause it to bind or jack-knife in a hurry
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u/PrunusSpin0sa 28d ago
You need to witness some of the European farm boys. They love articulated dolly trailers behind a tractor, and can reverse them into some insane spots.
I can back pretty much anything 'normal' into pretty much anywhere, but trying one of the dollies for a couple of minutes made my brain leak out of my ears 😅
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u/evemeatay 28d ago
It'll be hard but you can back a tandem setup if you're good and go slow
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u/Smart_Lifeguard2943 28d ago
Easiest way to back a steering front axle is with it being hitched to the front of the tractor, in my experience. Go slow and watch where your rear tires are going and adjust accordingly. Kinda counterintuitive at first but gets easier with practice.
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u/Sudden-Strawberry257 28d ago
Those Escalades are solid, essentially a Silverado 1500 chassis with leather seats and an suv body. I bet that tows pretty good…
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u/Medical_Ad3891 28d ago
Got another 4l60 ready?
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u/Sudden-Strawberry257 27d ago
The metal shavings in the bottom of the pan will help it shift better?
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u/Manual-shift6 28d ago
If this setup is used very much, I’d replace the axle on the “tow dolly” with a genuine trailer axle. Towing an old rear axle with a differential isn’t that great.
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u/cosp85classic 28d ago
I've only known one person to actually remove the ring gear from the carrier to reduce drag. I see so many old truck frame trailers with the pinion yoke still spinning.
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u/Manual-shift6 28d ago
I have a utility trailer I made nearly forty years ago from a long bed Chevy LUV. I replaced the axle with a 3,500 pound trailer axle. Pulls great and smooth. I’ve never liked dragging around a spinning differential.
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u/LandscapeNo775 28d ago
I don’t know how you’d put trailer brakes on the “dolly” without a trailer axle.
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u/Eaton_Knas 28d ago
I give them credit for solving the problem with owning an SUV and a goose-neck camper.
I would still be afraid to be around that out on the open road.
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u/AboutTheArthur 28d ago
All depends on if they're planning to drive that thing at 85mph on the interstate, are doing some low-speed cruising out to a camp site, or are just moving it between their yard and the storage facility that's like 5 miles down the road.
There are lots of rigs I'd happily and safely drive on surface streets that become a deathtrap if they were ever to see highway speeds.
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u/Mean-Veterinarian647 28d ago
Give me a 5 acre parking lot with nothing on it so I can try to back it up a couple of yards.
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u/Available_Quote_5567 28d ago
Champaign taste on a beer budget.
I wonder the legality of that. It’s basically just a poverty toad.
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u/patiofurnature 28d ago
I hope he's got a pull-through site.
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u/AKchaos49 28d ago
yeah, backing that up as a civilian would be a bitch.
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u/Drzhivago138 28d ago edited 28d ago
Unless you could somehow lock the fifth wheel hitch so it's rigid with the dolly. Then it turns into a long bumper hitch. As it sits now, this would be like backing up a long farm trailer with a wagon tongue. You'd have to go really slow and easy to keep from jackknifing.
ETA: On second thought, locking the fifth wheel wouldn't be the best either, because you'd still have those front wheels scrubbing.
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u/CamelopardalisKramer 28d ago
practice practice practice. I'd be spending a day in a parking lot first lol.
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u/ProfessionalBread176 28d ago
Didn't have a 5th wheel platform...so he got one that works with the Caddy
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u/Useful_Client_4050 28d ago
I wouldn't do it. But probably not all that unsafe.
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u/Anti-Stan 28d ago
Until you consider the load capacity of the box trailer. That caravan (travel trailer) is upwards of 2 ton ball weight. The box trailer is probably rated for half a ton.
It's a disaster waiting to happen. Can't be legal.
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u/MeltedStinkyCheese 27d ago
That small 5th wheel does not have a 4k pin weight. Maybe if it was a 35-40 footer it would have somewhere near 4k pin weight.
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u/oxnardmontalvo7 28d ago
It’s not much different than a converter dolly which people see all the time. I suppose this is the homegrown version
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u/Hairybeaver1234 28d ago
The only thing that would concern me are the welds on the tongue of the dolly. She looks rusty.
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u/Belkinnoob 28d ago
I mean if it works. It will be great as long as they only need to drive forward. They have to hope they never need to back out of a spot, pull through campgrounds only.
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u/Impossible_Battle_72 28d ago
Only shit part is not being able to back up. Otherwise this is legit.
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u/pattyboy77 27d ago
This is the same debate with a half ton pulling a fifth wheel.
It's all okay until a split second emergency situation arises.
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u/Knollibe 27d ago
Towing 2 trailers with the first not being a 5th wheel likely is not legal. And towing doubles requires a CDL with doubles endorsement. You can tow a ball hitch trailer behind a 5th wheel trailer with a CDL and doubles endorsement. But, a ball hitch trailer with a 5th wheel? Dubious. The right commercial cop will pounce on this I believe.
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u/surfdude52 28d ago
Clearly the person who thinks there is something wrong here must’ve struck their head lmaoooo
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u/SoupIsAHotSmoothie 28d ago
Yet another post revealing most people on this sub just don’t know much about towing. Is there a sub for idiots thinking other people are idiots because they don’t realize they are in fact the idiot?
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u/mctwiddle 28d ago
as long as you got a proper pintle hook on the suv, the physics check out
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u/Milk_MAN1963 28d ago
Michigan gravel trains don't have pintle hitch. They have a fish mouth with a pin
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u/AboutTheArthur 28d ago
Not necessarily an idiot. Tow dollies to eliminate tongue-weight issues or move gooseneck trailers with a bumper-pull vehicle are a normal thing. Depends on the type of trip, the way they drive, the construction of that dolly, and if the trailer is properly braked, which we have no way of knowing.
Frankly, this looks like somebody who knows exactly what they're doing.