Turning While Towing A Vehicle On A 2-wheel Dolly

[jack9821]

Would appreciate any hints or cautions when turning corners while towing.

[BillAdams]

Swing wide when turning right......Just a bit though as it's not really difficult at all.  Left turns should be no issues.  You cannot back up!

[hermanmullins]

Jack,

Welcome to the Forum.

When asking a question here it is always good if you tell what kind of coach you drive, "A", "B", "C", Super "C". Diesel or Gas, Fred or Pusher. Driving a 45' diesel pusher pulling a 25' Box Trailer is a lot different than a Class "B" towing a smart car. 

See where I am going with this? If you put all your information under your signature it would help.

Herman

[BillAdams]

But he is not talking about towing a 25' box trailer or towing a smart car.  He was just asking about towing a car on a dolly.  Knowing the RV type is good but likely not necessary to answer the question.  It's a pretty vague question so some additional details about what he would like to know would be helpful.

[manholt]

Quote

 

Jack.

Welcome!  My 45 footer and Jeep, will take out the corner store or car if I'm not careful in my turns.  Left is easier than right.  No matter what you have, find a large empty parking lot or rural road and practice until you feel comfortable!  The shorter your coach, the less you have to compensate.

As Herman said, let us know what you have...also, don't back up!

Carl C.

[SharonLinda]

I am going to tow a 2 wheel dolly with my toad attached behind a 31' class A, I have never towed with this MH. I have towed a boat with a different MH 24' class C. Will the turning and the backing up be any different?

Sharon

 

[hermanmullins]

Turning, Yes. Longer and need for wider turns. Backing, Not recommended. Hard to do and will jack knife really fast and cause damage to both the coach and tow vehicle.

Herman

[tbutler]

As Bill Adams said, the right turn is the greatest challenge.  Your rear tires are a significant distance behind the front tires.  When you turn, the rear tires will be inside the line of the front tires as they turn.  That means wide right turns.  In traffic, on city streets, I'll fudge over to the edge of the right turn lane or even if traffic is light I'll take some of the next lane.  This is necessary when your are turning into a single lane.  If it is dual lane, the two lanes should give you plenty of room for the lane if you can use both lanes (no other traffic).  Turning into a single lane if traffic is light you can use the opposing traffic lane or a left turn lane if one exists and this will make the right turn easier.  I never rush to make a right turn.  If I'm in the way of other traffic, they will wait.  Sometimes the need to use another lane means waiting for traffic to clear, just be patient you will get a break in traffic.  Many times, other drivers are considerate and will stop well in advance of the intersection to allow you to make the turn.  I do the same when approaching an intersection if there is a large truck or motor home in a similar situation.

We tow four wheels down, no tow dolly.  The car will track just a little bit inside the track of the rear tires of the motor home so you will want your rear tires well clear of the curb or other obstructions.  Many years ago I got into a situation where traffic was directed through a narrow single lane U turn in a parking lot.  The lane was bordered on both sides by a standard 6" curb and also had some large boulders on the inside of the curve.  The rear wheels of the coach cleared the curb, the boulder got the running board on the SUV.  I should have stopped and disconnected, lesson learned.

We towed with a tow dolly for one year, our first year.  I don't recall that towing with the tow dolly was that much different from the four wheel down mode.  Both will track slightly inside the rear wheel track in any turn, left or right.

[wildebill308]

Tom, With both the tow dolly's I have used they track outside of the coaches rear duels when going strait or turning. When towing 4 down the car stays inside of the track of the outside duel all the time.

This is what I posted on the subject in a different thread.

The only caution is to watch where you are in the lane as the dolly will track outside the track of the coach. You can be in the nice smooth lane and the dolly is running on the rumble strip. You also need to be aware when turning as the same applies. I saw a guy drag his car and dolly through a ditch because he turned to close to the edge.

Let me know if you have any questions. 

Bill

[BillAdams]

4 hours ago, SharonLinda said:

I am going to tow a 2 wheel dolly with my toad attached behind a 31' class A, I have never towed with this MH. I have towed a boat with a different MH 24' class C. Will the turning and the backing up be any different?

Sharon

 

Most important difference is that you can back up when towing a boat but you CANNOT backup when using a tow dolly.  The rest is pretty much the same but each setup will be slightly different.  Just make a couple of turns around an empty parking lot to get a feel for it.

[gulya]

 

11 hours ago, SharonLinda said:

I am going to tow a 2 wheel dolly with my toad attached behind a 31' class A, I have never towed with this MH. I have towed a boat with a different MH 24' class C. Will the turning and the backing up be any different?

Sharon

 

Towing on a dolly with a shorter mh like yours is pretty easy but you should never back up as it will put excessive stress on the tow bar bend point. Towing some shorter cars you may also experience wheel hopping or side drag when making sharp turns. 

[kaypsmith]

Trying to back a car on a tow dolly, is like trying to back tandem (two) trailers, almost impossible even for the experts.