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Old 01-17-2019, 12:37 PM   #1
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Flat tow verses tow dolly

Back again for more advice. I purchased a fiat 500 to flat tow and now am considering a tow dolly with electric brakes instead of prepping the fiat to the tune of around $2500 to $3000. I’m looking for all of your opinions and expertise of those who have done both and which do you prefer and why. Thanks again in advance.
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Old 01-17-2019, 12:58 PM   #2
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I flat tow a Smart. I initially wanted a dolly to minimize modifications to whatever I tow, but further investigation led me away. I found several sources said same thing.....if you load extra gear in a vehicle on a dolly...you will have swaying instabilities. That’s what I read.....
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Old 01-17-2019, 04:44 PM   #3
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Advantages of a dolly:

1. It can be less expensive than outfitting a car for flat towing, depending of course on the hardware you select in each scenario.

2. You can back up (with extreme care). You can't do that when flat-towing a car--it can damage the car's suspension.

Drawbacks of a dolly:

1. Substantial tongue weight. Are you sure your Interstate can handle it? Run the numbers. A car towed "four down" has no tongue weight other than the weight of the towbar--maybe thirty pounds.

2. The possibility of trailer sway, as toskeysam mentioned. As far as I know, this can't happen when flat-towing a car. I flat-towed a Honda Fit and a Subaru Forester for a total of nine years and never experienced a hint of sway.

3. When you pull into a campsite, you need room for your motorhome AND your car AND your dolly. Many campsites don't have the extra space needed for the dolly, so you'll be limiting where you can stay.

4. Extra width when on the road. The dolly has to be a couple feet wider than your car. That limits your maneuverability on city streets, gas stations, etc.
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:07 PM   #4
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I don't think backing a dolly is a good idea or even safely possible.
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-...w-dollies4.htm

Unhooking a dolly and the car on it to backup is more work than just hooking a car being flat towed. The other problem with a dolly is trolling it when not using it, either at home or at a camp site.

Flat towing might be more expensive, but gives you more flexibility IMHO.
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:18 PM   #5
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Flat towing might be more expensive, but gives you more flexibility IMHO.
I have been able to very carefully back my flat-towed smart a short distance when I have been blocked and can not pull out forward. In every case, the smart was square behind me and I had to use no or little correction on the wheel. The backup camera helped me a lot. The most I ever had to back was about 20 or 25 feet.
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Old 01-17-2019, 05:43 PM   #6
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"I don't think backing a dolly is a good idea or even safely possible."

Thanks for the correction, Mike. So that brings my list of advantages down to one: lower cost.
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Old 01-17-2019, 06:57 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toskeysam View Post
I flat tow a Smart. I initially wanted a dolly to minimize modifications to whatever I tow, but further investigation led me away. I found several sources said same thing.....if you load extra gear in a vehicle on a dolly...you will have swaying instabilities. That’s what I read.....


Thank you.
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Old 01-17-2019, 07:00 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toskeysam View Post
I flat tow a Smart. I initially wanted a dolly to minimize modifications to whatever I tow, but further investigation led me away. I found several sources said same thing.....if you load extra gear in a vehicle on a dolly...you will have swaying instabilities. That’s what I read.....

Thank you.
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Old 01-17-2019, 07:01 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxster1971 View Post
I don't think backing a dolly is a good idea or even safely possible.
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-...w-dollies4.htm

Unhooking a dolly and the car on it to backup is more work than just hooking a car being flat towed. The other problem with a dolly is trolling it when not using it, either at home or at a camp site.

Flat towing might be more expensive, but gives you more flexibility IMHO.


Thanks
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Old 01-18-2019, 08:11 PM   #10
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Tow Dolly

You can tow your Fiat, my Nissan, your spouse friends car, a rental, etc etc etc with a tow dolly. Fully interchangeable, and cheap with magnetic or suction cup lights
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Old 01-18-2019, 09:10 PM   #11
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Did a lot of study this fall. Looks like we will never need, but it's an interesting delima to consider.

IMHO, The answer is to flat tow. Four wheel braking is better than two wheel braking. If you want to dodge the flat tow braking sustem and tow bar, get a light weight trailer.


https://www.trailex.com/products/pc/...7031-17p43.htm

Travel safe. Put a smile on your face. Pat
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Old 01-20-2019, 12:15 PM   #12
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...The other problem with a dolly is trolling it when not using it, either at home or at a camp site. ...
Oops -- "trolling" it should have been storing it. didnt notice my mistake until today - too late to edit.
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Old 01-20-2019, 06:17 PM   #13
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We don't bring a toad but have a Kar Kaddy SS tow dolly and the ramps fold up and the tongue also folds so I can store it behind my mid/large sized car in a standard length garage.
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Old 01-20-2019, 08:47 PM   #14
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We sold our 3rd AS in late 2016 and bought a 2017 45' Thor Tuscany. Our original plan was to tow dolly our Hyundai Sonata Hybrid so we tried it with a U-Haul dolly on our maiden trip from Indiana to Utah. What a pain! We agree with the other posts here as it will be personal preference, but for us losing the dolly was the way to go. We traded the Sonata in for a Fusion Hybrid, DURING THE TRIP!, and went the 4-down route.
For us, the Blue Ox set up with base plate and braking system was about $2500, including installation. And we don't have that dolly to put away everytime we camp.
We did it both ways and 4-down was the way to go for us! Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
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Old 02-16-2019, 12:46 AM   #15
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We sold our 3rd AS in late 2016 and bought a 2017 45' Thor Tuscany. Our original plan was to tow dolly our Hyundai Sonata Hybrid so we tried it with a U-Haul dolly on our maiden trip from Indiana to Utah. What a pain! We agree with the other posts here as it will be personal preference, but for us losing the dolly was the way to go. We traded the Sonata in for a Fusion Hybrid, DURING THE TRIP!, and went the 4-down route.
For us, the Blue Ox set up with base plate and braking system was about $2500, including installation. And we don't have that dolly to put away everytime we camp.
We did it both ways and 4-down was the way to go for us! Good luck on whatever you decide to do.


Thanks, I just completed the installation of a roadmaster set up and a Demco duo stay n play braking system on a 2012 Fiat 500 Pop. WOW!, was this a challenge. After much research and advice from all of you, I settled on 4 down and am looking forward to our 1st road trip at the end of this month. I feel like a bit of an expert on this particular car model year as no one could offer any specifics on this installation and I had to pretty much figure out the most sanitary routing of all the wires and hoses. These little enclosed go carts are extremely efficient in utilizing every square inch of space and there isn’t any room to work or fit much of anything anywhere. After many hours of rethinking and observation, it turned out pretty awesome. So if anyone needs any tips on this particular car model year, I’m your guy. Thankfully done.
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Old 02-16-2019, 07:25 PM   #16
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Good job - the Fiat 500 should add a lot of fun to your travels. Post some photos when you get a chance. We all love photos.
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Old 02-21-2019, 12:19 AM   #17
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Good job - the Fiat 500 should add a lot of fun to your travels. Post some photos when you get a chance. We all love photos.


Ready to head out if Mother Nature cooperates.Click image for larger version

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Old 02-21-2019, 12:36 AM   #18
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Ready to head out if Mother Nature cooperates.Attachment 334083Attachment 334084
RIVERDWELLER - Very nice & scenic. The only thing missing from the pic is a Santa Claus sled either behind or on-top of the Fiat and it would be Christmas all over again. Safe travels, hope weather is pleasant.

PS : Noticed the nice rack. Not seen that before, who makes it?
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Old 02-21-2019, 10:11 AM   #19
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Ready to head out if Mother Nature cooperates.
Thanks for the photos - looks like great setup.
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Old 02-21-2019, 11:46 PM   #20
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If I didn’t say thank you earlier, I apologize. Thanks for responding.
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