I own one of these, I tow a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country minivan behind our Diesel class A Motorhome. For the most part I like it, I wish I owned something I could flat tow like a Jeep Gladiator etc. but for now, I am stuck dolly towing which I do hate BTW :-) As described in this video this dolly is well built and having surge disc brakes is a very good option... All tow dollies compared to flat towing suck badly, I did make one modification to my ACME Dolly that I feel is an oversight on the company's part, that is when vehicle is loaded the front tires are perched onto a 2"x2" square tube beam which you can see clearly in the video, I went on Amazon and purchased a 48" x 12" x 1/4" thick aluminum diamond plate and cut to size and self-tap screwed it in place. Now my front wheels are on a nice flat surface and not sitting on a 2" square tube beam. What problems have I had with this dolly using it 5 times and about 7k miles? Had to replace 3 tires, I keep two spares because of this and if you own one of these dollies you need to carry at least one spare! The 12" 10ply E rated tires are the best you can get in a 12" trailer tire. I am afraid to tow this thing at night for fear of a flat. the problem is the dolly tires run in the part of the road where all the road debris is, tread ground off one, tread separated on another, and large bubble on inside side wall on another and was not from an impact. This dolly should have 13" tires where you can have a much better choice of tire and also be a much more substantial tire. I spend a lot of time while towing looking at my dolly tires in my rear-view mirror. I do plan on getting a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) in short, the 12" tires suck! and I've tried a few different brands. When I purchased this dolly, the manufacture had a special deal that included a spare tire and a spare set of wheel straps, well I already referenced the tire issues and I am now throwing away both my original wheel straps as they are badly damaged, I take a lot of care when installing them and maybe all dollies eat up these wheel straps, I did read in a review that this particular dolly requires a lot of adjustments... When I put my vehicle on and take off, I drive maybe a mile or two, get out and ALWAYS have to tighten them up and I find 80% if the time I stop for fuel or a break of some kind I check and have to tighten them up again... just part of owning a dolly? BTW. Wheel straps are $207.00, I am seeing ridiculous part prices on ACME web site like $20 for a wing nut! , bearing and seal wheel kit $228, $403 for a brake caliper! If you need brake or wheel parts, go to auto parts store and buy parts for a 1997-2000 Kia Sephia, also buy tires and wheels for Amazon or other online venders, they want $219 for one tire w/rim Bottom line is if you have to use a dolly this is the best priced non-pivot model by far and is somewhat a pain in the ass, but I am thinking they all are in one way or another, the ramps do suck having to carry them around but actually install very easily. when putting back on trailer the wing nut is not enough to hold in place, I use a small ratchet strap around them as they don't stay in place.
The tire issue is what I’ve been experiencing as well. I’ve had to replace two tires in just over a year so far (less than 1000 miles). I always have the dolly tires up to the proper sidewall pressures and cruise at 65mph. The first flat was a catastrophic type disintegration and it completely destroyed the fender and wiring for the LED light. I didn’t have a spare and thankfully we were near a big city where I could get one. The second time I don’t think it was the tires fault per se as a piece from the destroyed fender somehow bent down while driving and literally shaved off almost all of the tread from the tire! We arrived at the campsite and I noticed it. So lucky it didn’t pop! FWIW, there are 155R/12 LT (light truck) tires that seemed beefier than the ST145R/12 E-rated ones. But they are hard to come by. Those LT’s are what I had the second time with the tread shave off incident, but I’m confident they would of lasted a long time if that wouldn’t have happened. This tire issue is annoying. I now carry two spares as well.
You make very very good videos... constant flow of information... no repeating... no uhmmmm... uhmmmm... uhmm... nice work dude... appreciate it very much
Short and to the point, Excellent! Ive been renting Uhaul Dollys for years and I was never asked if my steering wheel locked or not! I had no idea there where pivot and none pivot models. You learn something new every day! HAH!
I had one of these for towing my 2022 Toyota Camry, due to the fact the wheels are required to move in a turn the basket straps had to be retightened every 200 miles as they would loosen in the turns. I sold it as soon as I returned from a trip to upstate NY. I might add $2022 of damage was done to my car due to the car getting turned on the dolly because the wheels would be misaligned from turns. I have replaced it with a Master Tow brand that has a pivoting platform for the wheel of the car to rest on that doesn’t require the wheels to move on top of the dolly.
Seen several videos on tow dollie’s which I have but have yet to see one that they covered speed rating of the tires. Tires on mine were only rated for 55. Replaced those with tires of an 80 mph speed rating
One thing to consider is the height of the towing vehicle and the angle of the dolly. If the angle is too steep the car or dolly can bind when turning.
Well you just saved me time and money,thanks. I am looking to buy cars at tow yard auctions and never know what car will be there so it looks like a full trailer will be needed
Nice review! I purchased the EZ Haul model that's exactly like the one u reviewed but w power coated black paint, I love the thing, it's well built and tows my '06 impala w no problems so far. Do watch out though buying the right ball hitch for ur dolly, tongue height is very important for the surge brakes to work right, I had to buy a special drop down ball hitch to lower the hook up height from my motorhomes hitch receiver ;)
@@MojaveNarrows it cost me about $2200 and shipped outta North Carolina, delivered it right to my house on a semi truck. Fully assembled except for the tire covers. They bolted right on. I’ve added 2 extra orange lights up near the front part on the V frame near the hook up point. Safer now and was easy since it had a license plate light to tap for power.
@@MojaveNarrows make sure ur steering wheel is >unlocked< it has to remain that way since this type of dolly has no turn plate for the front wheels to spin on. The tires themselves turn so if u make a lot of sharp turns getting outta a rv park or wherever, u have to check the straps, they do tend to loosen up a bit after a lot of sharper turns. Avoid them as much as possible plus u can’t back this unit up either so be careful maneuvering around.
The negative charge needed an extra boost too, didn’t fully power the V frame part, I had to supplement the negative lead to the V frame part of the dolly then they fully powered up. 🤷♂️
Good video I went to the site and they had a good video on why new dollys are mostly fixed decks now. I was from the school of thought the pivoting one is the way to go but newer cars the steering wheels do not lock anymore.
Great information here. I have done a lot of towing with a pivot deck. It has some limitations for sure. Disk brakes. Storage options. Looks like a good unit.
@@yessigonzalez8187 very safe if it is a front wheel drive going on the dolly Make sure to check your straps every couple of hours and you will be fine as 🍷 wine
We just pulled a 2016 Chevy Trax 3300 miles behind our Class C RV. It is a definite must to check your straps first after about 25-30 miles of driving, then every time you stop for a break or to fuel up. Also, if you drive over very bumpy roads (New York bridges come to mind) it is a good thing to stop more often to check your straps, and if they get wet from rain they will loosen up as well. The only way to assure yourself your car. Is still on the dolly is to see the shadow it casts on either side of the road. Our RV hauled the dolly and car with no problem and dropped our fuel mileage from about 15 mpg with no trailer to between 13 and 14 mpg with the car in tow. Definitely the way to go when you don’t want to drive your whole rig to a tourist spot. Oh, and try not to get into a situation when you have to back up - it ain’t gonna happen. Easier to dismount the car, the tow dolly, and move it separately, then re-hook everything, especially if you have to back into a campsite.
FYI - Tow dollies need to pivot. If they don't, they actually drag the trailer wheels sideways when you go around corners. Unlocking the steering wheel does not relieve the stress on that pivot point. DG
FYI - This is incorrect. There is enough movement for steering to accommodate what is needed during turning even when the wheels are strapped in baskets properly. Without going into too much detail, non pivoting dollies also take advantage of caster for steering. I have never dragged the dolly even in the tightest turns. Here is a good video showing a car being towed on a non pivoting dolly. th-cam.com/video/Xktb6wuoo4o/w-d-xo.html
@@1D10CRACY The pivot points in the steering do not allow for a full relief of the pressure that is generated during a turn even though the steering turns some. The outside wheel of the car is pulled forward and the inside wheel is pushed back (watch the video). Try this the next time you have your car on the dolly. With the trailer straight behind, measure the distance from the front tread of the tires to a reference point on the trailer. Then, make a tight turn and stop when the dolly/car is at its maximum deflection. Then, remeasure the two measurements. Cars are not manufactured to tolerate a lot of this. The only way to relieve this stress is to have a pivot that is in the center of the dolly. DG
There is no doubt there is extra stress on the front end components of the vehicle being towed, it's just irrelevant. Personally I will never buy another pivoting dolly. With my experience, it just isn't necessary.
The only clearance issue is the black rubber air spoiler rubs the font edge of the dolly when I put it on. Its designed to flex as it hits things anyhow, so I don't consider it an issue. As far as how easy to load and unload, I suppose it's like any other car, once you get the hang of it its not difficult.
Most dollys with surge brakes including this one have a way to temporarily disable the brakes for backing up. This one has a key that you stick into a special place up near the front of the tongue.
I have this dolly and back it up slowly and never see the brakes applied. Besides you are not going to back up any dolly fast anyway because they will get out of line quick. It will turn fast on you because it's so short. By backing slowly you can adjust your steering to keep it straight. I have only backed it up empty with no car on it. My Toyota solara steering locks so you have to have the key in it and unlocked. I added a battery disconnect on the Toyota from Amazon to eliminate battery drain with key in the on position. Not hard to install costs about 6 bucks.
Recently purchased this tow dolly to tow my wife's 2007 front wheel drive Toyota Solara. With the key removed the steering wheel is locked. Does that mean I need to leave the key in the ignition in the on position so the steering wheel is unlocked? Then do I need to disconnect the battery so it's not drained in the on position? Great video thank you very glad you didn't have background music.
@@jameslawless9819 Yes, you do need to keep the steering wheel unlocked. Not sure about your Toyota, but some cars have procedures in the manual to keep the steering wheel unlocked while the key is off just for towing. I do think disconnecting your battery as you mentioned would also work! Let us know what you ended up doing so others can learn! Thanks!
@@yessigonzalez8187 I was really hoping they would reply back as I really wanted to know what failed. Most dolly failures are due to the straps not being on correctly. Volts have an issue with clearance and if you let the basket straps rub the steering / drive components on the inside of the tire, they will cut through them and fail. With out any other information, I'm guessing they had a strap failure. I also would like to know what year Volt they had on the dolly. Mine is a 2015, gen 1.
I own one of these, I tow a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country minivan behind our Diesel class A Motorhome. For the most part I like it, I wish I owned something I could flat tow like a Jeep Gladiator etc. but for now, I am stuck dolly towing which I do hate BTW :-)
As described in this video this dolly is well built and having surge disc brakes is a very good option... All tow dollies compared to flat towing suck badly, I did make one modification to my ACME Dolly that I feel is an oversight on the company's part, that is when vehicle is loaded the front tires are perched onto a 2"x2" square tube beam which you can see clearly in the video, I went on Amazon and purchased a 48" x 12" x 1/4" thick aluminum diamond plate and cut to size and self-tap screwed it in place. Now my front wheels are on a nice flat surface and not sitting on a 2" square tube beam.
What problems have I had with this dolly using it 5 times and about 7k miles?
Had to replace 3 tires, I keep two spares because of this and if you own one of these dollies you need to carry at least one spare! The 12" 10ply E rated tires are the best you can get in a 12" trailer tire. I am afraid to tow this thing at night for fear of a flat. the problem is the dolly tires run in the part of the road where all the road debris is, tread ground off one, tread separated on another, and large bubble on inside side wall on another and was not from an impact. This dolly should have 13" tires where you can have a much better choice of tire and also be a much more substantial tire. I spend a lot of time while towing looking at my dolly tires in my rear-view mirror. I do plan on getting a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) in short, the 12" tires suck! and I've tried a few different brands.
When I purchased this dolly, the manufacture had a special deal that included a spare tire and a spare set of wheel straps, well I already referenced the tire issues and I am now throwing away both my original wheel straps as they are badly damaged, I take a lot of care when installing them and maybe all dollies eat up these wheel straps, I did read in a review that this particular dolly requires a lot of adjustments... When I put my vehicle on and take off, I drive maybe a mile or two, get out and ALWAYS have to tighten them up and I find 80% if the time I stop for fuel or a break of some kind I check and have to tighten them up again... just part of owning a dolly? BTW. Wheel straps are $207.00, I am seeing ridiculous part prices on ACME web site like $20 for a wing nut! , bearing and seal wheel kit $228, $403 for a brake caliper! If you need brake or wheel parts, go to auto parts store and buy parts for a 1997-2000 Kia Sephia, also buy tires and wheels for Amazon or other online venders, they want $219 for one tire w/rim
Bottom line is if you have to use a dolly this is the best priced non-pivot model by far and is somewhat a pain in the ass, but I am thinking they all are in one way or another, the ramps do suck having to carry them around but actually install very easily. when putting back on trailer the wing nut is not enough to hold in place, I use a small ratchet strap around them as they don't stay in place.
The tire issue is what I’ve been experiencing as well. I’ve had to replace two tires in just over a year so far (less than 1000 miles). I always have the dolly tires up to the proper sidewall pressures and cruise at 65mph.
The first flat was a catastrophic type disintegration and it completely destroyed the fender and wiring for the LED light. I didn’t have a spare and thankfully we were near a big city where I could get one. The second time I don’t think it was the tires fault per se as a piece from the destroyed fender somehow bent down while driving and literally shaved off almost all of the tread from the tire! We arrived at the campsite and I noticed it. So lucky it didn’t pop!
FWIW, there are 155R/12 LT (light truck) tires that seemed beefier than the ST145R/12 E-rated ones. But they are hard to come by. Those LT’s are what I had the second time with the tread shave off incident, but I’m confident they would of lasted a long time if that wouldn’t have happened.
This tire issue is annoying. I now carry two spares as well.
You make very very good videos... constant flow of information... no repeating... no uhmmmm... uhmmmm... uhmm... nice work dude... appreciate it very much
Short and to the point, Excellent! Ive been renting Uhaul Dollys for years and I was never asked if my steering wheel locked or not! I had no idea there where pivot and none pivot models. You learn something new every day! HAH!
I had one of these for towing my 2022 Toyota Camry, due to the fact the wheels are required to move in a turn the basket straps had to be retightened every 200 miles as they would loosen in the turns. I sold it as soon as I returned from a trip to upstate NY. I might add $2022 of damage was done to my car due to the car getting turned on the dolly because the wheels would be misaligned from turns. I have replaced it with a Master Tow brand that has a pivoting platform for the wheel of the car to rest on that doesn’t require the wheels to move on top of the dolly.
Seen several videos on tow dollie’s which I have but have yet to see one that they covered speed rating of the tires. Tires on mine were only rated for 55. Replaced those with tires of an 80 mph speed rating
One thing to consider is the height of the towing vehicle and the angle of the dolly. If the angle is too steep the car or dolly can bind when turning.
Very true! The height of the hitch is very important.
I appreciate the Hamlet reference.
Well you just saved me time and money,thanks. I am looking to buy cars at tow yard auctions and never know what car will be there so it looks like a full trailer will be needed
Nice review! I purchased the EZ Haul model that's exactly like the one u reviewed but w power coated black paint, I love the thing, it's well built and tows my '06 impala w no problems so far. Do watch out though buying the right ball hitch for ur dolly, tongue height is very important for the surge brakes to work right, I had to buy a special drop down ball hitch to lower the hook up height from my motorhomes hitch receiver ;)
How much was yours?
@@MojaveNarrows it cost me about $2200 and shipped outta North Carolina, delivered it right to my house on a semi truck. Fully assembled except for the tire covers. They bolted right on. I’ve added 2 extra orange lights up near the front part on the V frame near the hook up point. Safer now and was easy since it had a license plate light to tap for power.
@@MojaveNarrows make sure ur steering wheel is >unlocked< it has to remain that way since this type of dolly has no turn plate for the front wheels to spin on. The tires themselves turn so if u make a lot of sharp turns getting outta a rv park or wherever, u have to check the straps, they do tend to loosen up a bit after a lot of sharper turns. Avoid them as much as possible plus u can’t back this unit up either so be careful maneuvering around.
The negative charge needed an extra boost too, didn’t fully power the V frame part, I had to supplement the negative lead to the V frame part of the dolly then they fully powered up. 🤷♂️
Good video I went to the site and they had a good video on why new dollys are mostly fixed decks now. I was from the school of thought the pivoting one is the way to go but newer cars the steering wheels do not lock anymore.
Great information here.
I have done a lot of towing with a pivot deck. It has some limitations for sure. Disk brakes. Storage options. Looks like a good unit.
Is towing far with a dolly safe ?
@@yessigonzalez8187 very safe if it is a front wheel drive going on the dolly
Make sure to check your straps every couple of hours and you will be fine as 🍷 wine
We just pulled a 2016 Chevy Trax 3300 miles behind our Class C RV. It is a definite must to check your straps first after about 25-30 miles of driving, then every time you stop for a break or to fuel up. Also, if you drive over very bumpy roads (New York bridges come to mind) it is a good thing to stop more often to check your straps, and if they get wet from rain they will loosen up as well. The only way to assure yourself your car. Is still on the dolly is to see the shadow it casts on either side of the road. Our RV hauled the dolly and car with no problem and dropped our fuel mileage from about 15 mpg with no trailer to between 13 and 14 mpg with the car in tow. Definitely the way to go when you don’t want to drive your whole rig to a tourist spot. Oh, and try not to get into a situation when you have to back up - it ain’t gonna happen. Easier to dismount the car, the tow dolly, and move it separately, then re-hook everything, especially if you have to back into a campsite.
Best dolly I ever owned was a "road tow'd", the wheels pivoted, not the deck. I sure regret selling that thing.
Thanks for this video you answered alot of questions I had and gave me more information on things I had no idea about. Very helpful video
How do these things steer and are there limits?
Not mentioned: OEM options increase resale value and customer base.
Thank you very much for the informative video; it sure makes life easier.
Suspension?
FYI - Tow dollies need to pivot. If they don't, they actually drag the trailer wheels sideways when you go around corners. Unlocking the steering wheel does not relieve the stress on that pivot point. DG
FYI - This is incorrect. There is enough movement for steering to accommodate what is needed during turning even when the wheels are strapped in baskets properly. Without going into too much detail, non pivoting dollies also take advantage of caster for steering. I have never dragged the dolly even in the tightest turns. Here is a good video showing a car being towed on a non pivoting dolly. th-cam.com/video/Xktb6wuoo4o/w-d-xo.html
@@1D10CRACY The pivot points in the steering do not allow for a full relief of the pressure that is generated during a turn even though the steering turns some. The outside wheel of the car is pulled forward and the inside wheel is pushed back (watch the video). Try this the next time you have your car on the dolly. With the trailer straight behind, measure the distance from the front tread of the tires to a reference point on the trailer. Then, make a tight turn and stop when the dolly/car is at its maximum deflection. Then, remeasure the two measurements. Cars are not manufactured to tolerate a lot of this. The only way to relieve this stress is to have a pivot that is in the center of the dolly. DG
There is no doubt there is extra stress on the front end components of the vehicle being towed, it's just irrelevant. Personally I will never buy another pivoting dolly. With my experience, it just isn't necessary.
Really simple and great video. Love it.
This was worth every minute. Thank you
Good presentation and good info.
Couldn’t you just strap the steering wheel of the toad?In this way aren’t all steering wheels locking?
If you have a swivel deck and your car does not having a locking steering wheel, then yes, you can do this.
Great info safe travels
How do you like it 4 years later?
Still using it. I have replaced the basket straps and I'm now using it with a Chevy Bolt, not the Chevy Volt.
Great info!
Is it easy to load and unload your Chevy Volt on this dolly? Any clearance issues at all?
The only clearance issue is the black rubber air spoiler rubs the font edge of the dolly when I put it on. Its designed to flex as it hits things anyhow, so I don't consider it an issue. As far as how easy to load and unload, I suppose it's like any other car, once you get the hang of it its not difficult.
Do you use/add a steering wheel lock even though you have a fixed deck? What year is your Chevy Volt?
It's a 2015 Volt. If you have a fixed deck, you do not use a steering wheel lock. If you have a pivoting deck, then you lock your steering wheel.
💯💯🔥🔥 very informative
When that dolly is behind my motor home without a car on it can I back it up without activating the brakes?
Most dollys with surge brakes including this one have a way to temporarily disable the brakes for backing up. This one has a key that you stick into a special place up near the front of the tongue.
I have this dolly and back it up slowly and never see the brakes applied. Besides you are not going to back up any dolly fast anyway because they will get out of line quick. It will turn fast on you because it's so short. By backing slowly you can adjust your steering to keep it straight. I have only backed it up empty with no car on it. My Toyota solara steering locks so you have to have the key in it and unlocked. I added a battery disconnect on the Toyota from Amazon to eliminate battery drain with key in the on position. Not hard to install costs about 6 bucks.
That's the one I want!
Great info. Thanx
I love this
How much did you pay for it?
I don't remember, but I purchased it from here. cartowdolly.com/
Recently purchased this tow dolly to tow my wife's 2007 front wheel drive Toyota Solara. With the key removed the steering wheel is locked. Does that mean I need to leave the key in the ignition in the on position so the steering wheel is unlocked? Then do I need to disconnect the battery so it's not drained in the on position? Great video thank you very glad you didn't have background music.
@@jameslawless9819 Yes, you do need to keep the steering wheel unlocked. Not sure about your Toyota, but some cars have procedures in the manual to keep the steering wheel unlocked while the key is off just for towing. I do think disconnecting your battery as you mentioned would also work! Let us know what you ended up doing so others can learn! Thanks!
If you're tightly strapping tires to a fixed deck dolly, doesn't that mean you're skidding tires sideways to make a turn?
@@neildidit Nope. Never had an issue with this.
⛺️🧭 good for camping 🏕 And traveling
This tow dolly did significant damage to our Chevy Volt. Any advice on avoiding this damage in the future?
Not without knowing what kind of damage and what year of Volt you have.
How did it cause damage? Thinking about buying a dolly
@@yessigonzalez8187 I was really hoping they would reply back as I really wanted to know what failed. Most dolly failures are due to the straps not being on correctly. Volts have an issue with clearance and if you let the basket straps rub the steering / drive components on the inside of the tire, they will cut through them and fail. With out any other information, I'm guessing they had a strap failure. I also would like to know what year Volt they had on the dolly. Mine is a 2015, gen 1.