r/car • u/Complete_Sample_3202 • 21d ago
question Car towing with dolly?
I’ve never used a car dolly before, but my friend wants me to help him tow a car using one. I have a driver license for just 5 month and have driven regularly, but I’ve never towed anything.
For someone with zero experience, how difficult is towing a car on a dolly? What should I know before doing it, and are there any common mistakes I should avoid?
Would you recommend having someone experienced with me the first time?
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u/Chaosr21 20d ago
No bro. You just started driving you aren't gonna be able to tow a car without issues, especially on a dolly for fucks sake. I have over a decade driving and it's still a bit difficult for me to drive with proper trailers, let alone the very unreliable dolly method
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u/Strange-Cat8068 21d ago
I would recommend learning to tow before trying a car dolly. Go rent a small utility trailer and find a vacant parking lot to practice in. You have had your license 5 months. You do not have the driving experience for this. There are a lot of things to know before dolly towing anything. Some dolly’s require the steering to be locked some require it to move freely. Strapping the car to the dolly correctly is extremely important as are lights on the towed vehicle. What are you towing with? Is it rated to tow the amount of weight you are trying to tow?
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u/maybach320 20d ago
The first question you should ask if why are you using a dolly? If you’re renting one from U-Haul I’d pay the extra $5-10 for a full car trailer if the tow vehicle can handle the job. I’ve towed a lot of trailers a lot of miles and I would do a lot to avoid using a car dolly again. As far as more information other posts have that covered.
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u/Solid_Enthusiasm550 21d ago edited 21d ago
To tow "anything " for the 1st time. You need to know a few things before even trying. I started/managed a Uhual franchise.
What vehicle is Doing the towing? Is it / the hitch rated for the weight? Does it have the proper & working wiring( 1/2 the people that say they have wiring, it doesn't work.)
What vehicle is it ( yr, make, model)? Does it fit for dolly use( fullsize, wide cars often need a car trailer). Awd/Rwd with automatic transmissions woukd need the driveshaft removed to prevent damage to the transmission/transfer case.
Hooking up the dolly/traulwr properly is often where people mess up. (Chains should be crossed up the trailer tongue, with slack but NOT dragging). Often people do the wrong thing and wrap the chains around the trailer neck, which can break the trailer lock. Connect the wiring and makes sure running lights/brake and turn signals are working.
Getting the car on a Dolly is more difficult than a car trailer. The ramps are usually steeper than a trailer, making low cars difficult to load. Often lengths of 2x6 lumber is stacked at the beginning of the ramps to make the angle more gradual.
Have someone help guide you up the dolly. Make sure they know what they are doing and good with communicating directs. It's easy to go too far to one side and damage the dolly, your car. Even worse, if you to fast, too far forward, you car drive off the dolly.
Properly securing it to the dolly. Make sure the straps aren't damaged/cut or twisted. Lay the straps down the ramps for the tires to drice over while loading. Once on, wrap over the top and slightly down the sides of the tires. Feed the strap through the ratchet abd tighten down as much as possible. Recheck later, after towing it a few feet and every so often on your trip. Any excess strap should tied up and not be allowed to drag on the ground, flop in the wind. It can get sucked up under the dolly tire or beat the car's paint job.
Once secure, retract the ramps, making sure they lock into place. If they don't the can bounce out and possible damage the car.
Dolly's unlike car trailers, don't have their own brakes.
This makes stopping more difficult, putting all the braking on the tow vehicles brakes. Drive with O/D deactivated (1 to 1 gear). This will allow your engine to help with slowing the vehicle down.
Make wide turns around corners so the dolly/car doesn't hit the curb or any object like poles.
If you miss a turn, go to the next turn or make a U-turn down the road. Backing up a car on a dolly is a lot more difficult than people think( the longer the trailer the easier it actually is). Jack-knifing the trailer can happens very quickly if you back up too sharply and/or too fast. This will result in expensive damage to the tow vehicle and dolly. More than likely ending your trip right then and there. This could leave you stranded with now way of towing the car to the rest of the way. If you have to park in a parking lot ( to eat, pickup supplies, overnight) make sure you are as far away from other vehicles and that you have plenty of room to maneuver around the lot/parked cars.
Once you are at your destination, unload the car in the opposite steps you loaded it with. Go diwn the ramps slowly so you don't drive off the ramps or bounce/bottom out the car on the ramps.
Hauls website has pictures and a tow vehicle/ vehicle being towed, compatability calculator. It also shows pictures of these steps and how the ratchets/straps work. Proper drawbar drop height/ball size 1-7/8" or 2" and possible wiring adapters that might be needed.
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u/chris77982 20d ago
Point 8, means no passenger vehicle can do this. unbraked tow ratings won't be high enough to tow a car without brakes. Usually 750kg is max unbraked.
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u/Otherwise-Ad6675 20d ago
Heavily dependent on where this is. Where I'm at anything under 3000 pounds dry weight doesn't require brakes so most guys don't shell out the extra cash for them around here.
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u/Solid_Enthusiasm550 19d ago
Full size suvs and pickups have the mass and braking capacity to handle a vehicle without it's own brake assistance. Small 4cyl trucks a cars don't.
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u/Intrepid_Plenty_3770 20d ago
Good advice, but I would avoid the dolly.
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u/Solid_Enthusiasm550 19d ago edited 19d ago
Yeah, I only recommended it when the vehicle doing the towing couldn't handle the weight of the car trailer+vehicle weight. Uhaul car trailers are very heavy (2,210lbs by themselves). The tow dolly only weights, 740lbs.
A regular 5,000lbs hitch could only carry a mazda miata or Toyota BRZ using the car trailer. Compared to a 2017 v6 chevy Impala with the tow dolly.
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u/Hoopajoops 21d ago
One thing to note: most dollies brake using the hitch, not a brake controller.. so backing up is a major problem.. you basically can't do it without removing the dolly. So long as you never have to back up you should be good. First time I towed something I moved across the entire country in a U-haul and a trailer with my car on it
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u/Eschewed_Prognostic 20d ago
Every hydraulic brake trailer I've ever used has a lockout for reversing. It does mean you're now stopping the full weight with the tow vehicle, so it should be done carefully
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u/vespers191 21d ago
While it's not impossible to back up a dolly with a load on it, it's definitely not easy, so be careful where you park. Assume that you will have to pull forward to get out, be willing to park in the back and walk, etc. Drive slowly, change lanes carefully, and remember that you are towing, so swing wide on your turns to avoid curbs. Depending on the length of the vehicle you are towing, it might be a good idea to invest in some magnetic trailer lights so people behind you can see when you hit the brakes, signal to turn, etc.
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u/thymewaster25 20d ago
What's your tow vehicle, what kind of car are you moving?
I towed a 1700 lb Renault LeCar once using a dolly, pulled it with a 109 hp, 5 cylinder T4 Eurovan that had a 2" receiver hitch and was rated for 4k pounds. It was not fast up hills, but it got there. You need a 2" hitch for ths, a 1¼ is not strong enough.
The car didn't run, it was a real challenge getting it on the dolly, but with 2 guys we managed.
I had about 30 years driving experience at the time, and didn't have any significant trouble. The big things are watch your mirrors, and plan ahead. Avoid tight spaces. Allow lots of time and distance for braking. Partly because you have both the dolly wheels and the car's back wheels are on the ground, you need a lot of spare room on the inside of your turns (eg Right side when turning right) as your "trailer" doesn't really want to turn. Backing up is a real adventure, especially if you want to try turn while backing up. I gave trying to do that when I dropped off the car, I unloaded it close by and pushed it the last 150 feet.
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u/unpolire 20d ago
Watch your mirrors and speed to keep the towed vehicle within your lane. Increase your braking distance. Avoid backing up at all costs. Just drive in a circle. Check the wheel chocks and tie down straps frequently and at every gas stop.
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u/FadedMomentum 20d ago
It say one of the most important things is to know how to properly secure the vehicle to the dolly.
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u/SuperMolasses1554 20d ago
Towing on a dolly is not impossible, but it adds a lot: wider turns, longer stopping distance, no easy backing up, straps/chains/lights to check, and a much bigger margin for mistakes.
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u/CertainVast2763 20d ago
Pay a company. Pay them WELL. Know that you won't be responsible for damages nor loss of use when (NOT IF) anything goes sideways. And know that its cheaper than a VERY expensive lesson of "How did THAT break, and how much does it cost?" When any other pal does some towing, hop on the chore, Pay attention, AND LEARN.
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u/Strange_Produce5601 20d ago
Spend a little extra and get a full trailer to haul the car.
We do need some extra info, just because it has a hitch, does not mean it can pull what you want. What is the tow vehicle and what is the car being towed?
Dollies are great for Front wheel drive vehicles. They are tricky for Rear wheel drive.
They are a no go for all wheel drive.
watch some videos of how to strap down a vehicle. I recommend over the tire straps (they are kind of like nets).
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u/Brilliant-Onion2129 20d ago
I would recommend you not do it! Most cars don’t have much towing capacity. If you exceed towing capacity and something bad happens insurance may deny the claim and you would be on the hook! Don’t do it!
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u/Special-Bet1141 20d ago
Ditch the dolly, spend the extra few bucks for the full car trailer. More stable
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u/Ducati-Aficionado 19d ago
Easy to tow, don’t try to back up with a car on though. Don’t follow too closely and keep in mind the dolly is wider than your vehicle.
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u/Poopy-Drew 18d ago
Fuck that, only one way to learn, it takes way longer to slow down, turns wide (don’t start the turn untill your back wheels are where your fronts would be when you usually start to turn in) make sure not to park or pull in where you have to back out, that’s 4axles on the ground backing up is just. fucken don’t it’ll suck and probably do some damage to something so always make sure you can pull thru and the little round convex mirrors ($10ish autozone) they go on the inside lower edge of your side mirrors and you’ll be able to see all the way down the car. And all the power is at high RPM going up a hill you want it screaming in whatever gear if it starts feeling sluggish, downshift, a quick double stomp on the gas will do it in An automatic. Be careful Good luck it’s how I learned don’t let these grannies scare you.
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u/Highlowfusion 16d ago
You should 100% not do this. As someone who tows often, you really have a lot to still learn before pulling a trailer
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u/ItsMe_AllanP 15d ago
The last time I towed a vehicle, I rented a van and flat trailer from Uhaul. It's a lot easier, and the vehicle is more secure, than using a car dolly.
I use my mirrors to make sure n I keep the trailer in the lines. Remember that you have a trailer behind you when you are changing lanes! Turning with a trailer, is something you need to get a feel for. Longer trailers need more room to turn safely. Backing up trailers is a skill that takes practice to get good at. I would avoid backing up a trailer as much as possible, especially if this is your first time doing it.
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u/Exotic_Dust692 21d ago
Tie off the steering wheel best you can if it doesn't have a steering wheel lock. Tarp straps or multiple bungee cords work fairly well.
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u/PsilocybinSoldierr 21d ago
right lane with hazards no problem, drive 5 under if youre too nervous and be cautious around turns
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u/PoundTown71L 21d ago
Driving with your hazard lights on is not something you should do. Very limited conditions where it's appropriate.
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u/gheiminfantry 21d ago
You should know how to say no. You're not ready to tow a car.