^ I’ve towed with both the dolly and the hauler and never had any towing problems with the dolly other than they’re nearly impossible to back up because the car would need to hinge in the center.
As long as it’s not AWD I’d go with the dolly just for the big weight savings over the hauler. Even empty I could really tell that thing was behind my Expedition, so they have to be pretty heavy.
EDIT: Uhaul lists the autotransport at 2000 lbs empty. Tack on a 3k to 4k lb vehicle and that extra 2k is significant.
You probably didn’t have things balanced right. Sway is almost always caused by insufficient tongue weight. The last boat I had would sway real bad if we had taken on a decent amount of water and I forgot to pull the plug when we left the launch ramp. The water would shift to the back, taking the weight off the tongue, and every little turn or wind gust would start the sway.
I towed that Fiero to a couple races at 80+ on a dolly smooth as could be. Pulled my wife’s old Prizm around on one once too.
I towed a Cressida with a tow dolly on an xterra to NYC and then towed a VR6 Jetta Back.
I towed my MINI behind my rents RV to NC and Back on a dolly
the ONLY time I had a bad experience with my parents dolly trailer was towing a Malibu from the buff to NT over 40 it went all over the place but I had the drive wheels on the ground as the rear end was locked up. and i didn’t care about the car.
I pulled cars with a dolly on the back of my 4cylinder 5 speed s-10 with no problems. Ok I lied hills were a problem and I had to crawl up them lol.
Dolly’s are great because you don’t pay for them when they are Unloaded going through tolls! That saves you money right there plus the money you save in gas pulling 350 pounds over a 2K pound trailer.
I have never found any documentation on if dollies are legal, what lights are required on them or the car being towed, if they need to be registered, inspected, or even have a title. That being said I’ve towed to Canada and back with no problems several times.
Never had a problem with stability, but I do get better gas mileage with a full two axle trailer (no ramp effect catching air under the towed car). Unloaded they are not free through the tolls.
The only problem I have had with dollies is towing cars with the steering wheel lock removed, and that was only around tight corners, residential corners, gas stations, etc.
It was a few years ago a friend and i went to Virginia beach to get a car. We “ordered” a Dolly down there so that we would not have to pull it all the way down there.
Hooked the Civic Hatch on it and made the ~10hr trip back in a 1974 GMC Pickup.
The view out the back window.
does that explorer have the v8?? if not that to tow cap is not 6K. My dads mountaineer with the 6 in it had a rating of 4k IIRC. I could not notice the tow dolly when empty, that full size trailer is a whole other issue.
our V6 AWD Mountainer had a 3500 cap, we never planned to tow anything with it so we did not get the upgraded towing package or it would have been able to tow 5K
To answer some previous questions. You do need plates for the tow dolly and you do not need the vehicle being towed on it registered. I asked at DMV and if a trailer touches the road it needs to be registered. The only exceptions are machines that are just being towed to job sites; like cement mixers, log spliters, etc.
I have hit 90mph towing my charger on the way to the track without any stability problems.
sorry that someone i know isnt exactly my age. He wants to mod his car, he knows i can do the work, and he knows i have the knowledge and equipment at my disposal.
when i actually saw the car, i advised him that it wasnt a good canidate for modding, and that he get another. he found another car that is a perfect starting point out of state, this obviously requires that he goes and gets it.
Since HIS mother is flipping out on HIM about what HES doing, i thought maybe it wouldnt be a bad idea to get the proper information to show her that were not doing something horribly illegal that will land us in jail.
this is what is commonly refered to as “easing a persons concerns”
she doesnt have to worry about her son getting arrested for a multi state highway crime spree (towing a vehical)
he doesnt have to listen to her bitch about it
i dont get looked at as being “lucky her son didnt get arrested”
i personally do not NEED her vehical for anything. She has an SUV, her son needs a tow vehical, its a rather simple concept that he would ask his mom if he could use hers for the job
kinda like the old incest joke: why go down the street to get something when all you need to do is go down the hall?
or have you never asked your parents if you could borrow one of their vehicals ?
Brought my beretta back from southern PA with a dolly. Though I was using a silverado with the towing package. Could barely feel it was there and still got 17mpg for the trip.
I asked at the DMV office and they said that if the trailer touches the ground it needs to be registered. The only exceptions are for equipment like cement mixers and log splitters. That is why mine is currently registered. I am not sure about other states but that is how it is in NYS.
Edit: Either they changed it or I was scammed at the dmv. According to this a tow dolly does not need to be registered.
