A couple of questions about a tow dolly

[dbrownmcse]

A couple of questions about a tow dolly for my 2017 Minnie 31K. I am going to tow either a mini cooper or a mazda cx-5. Both front wheel drives.

1. Do you believe brakes are necessary on a tow dolly?
2. Does the 31K come with a trailer connector with a brake output circuit?
3. If electric brakes I like the Roadmaster 2050-1. Would that be a good choice?

[Cooperhawk]

Originally Posted by dbrownmcse

A couple of questions about a tow dolly for my 2017 Minnie 31K. I am going to tow either a mini cooper or a mazda cx-5. Both front wheel drives.

1. Do you believe brakes are necessary on a tow dolly?
By all means. Some states require it as well. The Demco we used to use
had surge breaks that required no wiring at all. Just lights.

2. Does the 31K come with a trailer connector with a brake output circuit?
Don't know.

3. If electric brakes I like the Roadmaster 2050-1. Would that be a good choice?
Again, don't know.

Hope that helps a little.

[luvlabs]

The tow dolly needs brakes and I would suggest you get a model with surge brakes. Much easier to setup and minimal maintenance required.

You motorhome is equipped with the standard tow plug which contains all the wiring you need for the brake/stop/running lights.

If you choose to go with electric brakes on the dolly, you will need to add a brake controller (I suggest a Tekonsa product) and you need to add at least one wire connection to your dolly (it might already be equipped) for the brake feed).

[workinrvers]

ours has surge brakes and they work just fine. No extra wiring and no brake controller in the coach. Ours does have a pin you put into the side of the brake assembly (on the tongue of the dolly) so the brakes will not be applied when backing up. This option is a lot more important on boat trailers but have been known to back my empty dolly (carefully!) on occasion. ;-)

[BirchyBoy]

Good info here. I hadn't considered the fact that surge brakes don't require a brake controller :forehead slap: Something to keep in mind when I start looking for a dolly.

[Oldchinahand]

Depending on our route and destination, we either flat tow our little Ranger or dolly tow our Camry.

For us it is a wash as to which is more convenient and/or easy to use. Yes, I believe a dolly should have brakes. There have been occasions where we needed all the stopping assistance we could find.

We run an Acme Eze Tow with surge brakes. Integral lights. Can't argue surge vs electric. Just prefer surge. One less electric connection to worry about.

I too like the tongue pin to override the surge brake. Backing a loaded dolly is beyond my skills, but backing an empty dolly is doable. And, I've learned while descending steep grades such as Arizona's Salt River Canyon, to pin out the dolly brakes and let the rig's compression brake take the load. Reduces the overheat tendency as the dolly brakes engage, disengage, and drag around steep downhill curves. (Likely some argument out there over that )

[dbrownmcse]

Thank you for all of your responses It makes the decision making process for me much easier.

[2 cats]

We have been towing mini cooper with Acme EZ. Surge brakes. Behind 40ft Itasca pusher. Pulls great. We are buying Jeep when we get back home. Will be selling the dolly only because the Jeep has to be flat towed. The Acme is a super product.

[Tucsontoy]

Take a close look at the Demco Kar Kaddy. I like the hydraulic surge brakes on it but I like the steering spindles with a tie rod most. Much better the dollies with a pivot pin in the middle of the deck. I have pulled my Prius with one for years now without any issues. Hit my picture on the left to see it.