I am going to haul a Honda Civic about 100 miles Saturday using a Tow Dolly. If anyone has used one of these things maybe you could enlighten me on what is done about tail lights? I didn't ask the guy about this when I reserved it, I'm affraid there will be extras to buy when I show up like a light bar and/or adapters etc.

Anybody know?

Thanks

 

it should plug into your stock harness

 

youll need your adaptor down to flat four and youll have to buy a stupid 3 or 4 doller adaptor that plugs into that. theyll have em in stock cause they make a couple more doller off em

 

The most important thing to know about pulling tow dolly's is that you cannot back them up. So before you go poking the nose of the truck in an unknown place, make sure you can drive on thru. Else you'll be wasting time unhooking etc.

You'll soon forget the honda is back there. Be careful you don't get a speeding ticket on the turnpike.

 

Why can't you back up?

 

As I recall, when you tow with the dolly, the tow car is put in neutral, the battery is disconnected and the steering wheel is left unlocked. This permits the front of the tow vehicle to turn and track as though it was being flat towed (no dolly). If you have ever flat towed a car, you know that you can not back up. The reason is that the front end of the tow car will usually turn hard right or left, while backing, and cause the towed vehicle to jacknife and bind. So, you end up "pushing" the front of the towed vehicle sideways, which is very bad for the tires, suspension and such. So, the same thing would happen to the towed vehicle on a dolly, except.....the damage would occur to the dolly, not the towed vehicle, since the dolly wheels are in contact with the ground, not the front tires of the towed vehicle. And rental companies get very upset when that happens

 

Due to the fact the hondawg is so narrow you might get away without being rousted, they can see your truck lights. All the dollys I have seen had lights, which dosent really make sense cause the fenders are so far forward. Ask if they have any magnetic mount to pluh into your harness.

 

If you plan on towing on a Turnpike with a dolly then forget-a-bout-it. They won't let you on because you can't backup with a car on a tow dolly

 

The cradle that the Toad wheels sit in pivots on the tow dolly, so you don't need to leave your steering unlocked. Just lock your wheels straight ahead & strap 'em down tight.
And the fenders on the dolly have T/S and Brake Lights built in, so all you need to do is hook up the dolly lights correctly.

It will be almost identical to this one. (just more beat-up & painted a sick shade of orange)

 

Everything everyone has said is correct. You don't have to have lights on the rear of the car since there are lights on the fenders of the dolly but it sure seems like a good idea to have a set you set up back there. I used to haul my Road Runner to the dragstrip on one of those and man can it get squirelly if you go too fast! And yes it's almost impossible to back up because the dolly goes one way and the car goes the other.
ALWAYS make sure to check and recheck the wheel straps. They have a tendency to come loose as you travel down the road. I always checked mine anytime I stopped the truck...

 

Oh ya!
I don't think you really even have to have lights on a tow dolly. The one that I bought new, way back when, didn't even come with lights so if it got dark I just turned on the flashers. I'm not sure what the laws are nowadays....

 

Wouldn't backing one of these up be the same as backing a farm wagon??

ie. one fixed axle, one steering axle?

or in a way a set of trains???

 

Well, since the dolly has the tail lights I'm wondering if I have to have a license plate on the little car or if that will be on the dolly or if the truck plate will do? I didn't see a plate on Shovelheads picture...(yes that shade of orange is very pucky!)

I'm gonna take a plate from wifes car just in case. I did a search on Ohio's towing laws which only revealed RV towing guidlines.

I never thought about not being able to back up...thanks for that!

 

backing them up is a royal PITA... if you can back one up in tight confines, my hat's off to you!! LOL! I had to back one into my garage, and the only thing that saved me was the fact that the back wheels were on the dolly, and my poor GF had to steer the front wheels to get it in.

Forres

 

And the tires will be low, and the wheel straps will be cut short because the last person to use it couldn't figure out how to operate the release.