The Disadvantages Of Towing With A Towing Dolly
You can find the need for a towing service in several situations like a sudden vehicle breakdown, tire bursts, accidents, or simply for moving places. When it comes to towing there are several methods and types of towing services available for you to choose from. These usually include using a tow truck, tow bar, or a tow dolly. Every method has its own benefits and disadvantages. Therefore, you have to choose the best option that suits your situation and budget.
What Is Dolly Towing?
In dolly towing, the front two wheels of your vehicle are lifted and placed on the trailer, while the other two are left in contact with the ground. Most modern cars have front-wheel-drive so you won’t have to shift the drive shaft in order to tow it. However, a dolly tow cannot work with a rear drive car. While a tow dolly is cheaper to buy or rent and easier to store, it has like any other entity its own disadvantages.
This blog highlights some of the disadvantages you can face when using a dolly for towing.
Weight Restrictions
Tow dollies cannot handle as much weight as other car trailers. Usually, if you hire tow dollies from a moving trailer company or simply hire a towing company, these dollies will not be able to support either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive cars that exceed 3450 lbs. While rear-drive cars can weigh more than 3900 lbs. When using a u-haul tow dolly, weight restrictions eliminate the chances of its utility for sports vehicles, trucks, and older steel frame cars.
Clearance
Tow dollies can cause problems when it comes to clearance. As tow dollies can only hold your vehicle from its front-drive wheels, if your car is long from the front, low to the ground, or has a ground effect the components may drag along the ground during the tow. This can cause damage to the bumper, body kits, and undercarriage parts of the vehicle, such as deep transmission pans. You can also damage or hit the low body parts or undercarriage when loading the car on the tow dolly.
Maneuverability
One benefit of other tow trucks and bars that keep all the wheels up from the ground is that they can be backed up if needed, while most tow dollies lack this feature. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible to back up a tow dolly. This becomes a serious problem when you need to drop the towed vehicle at the correct place when you get to your final destination.
Hook-up Procedures
Hooking up a car on a tow dolly is extremely difficult as compared to loading the car on any flat or full trailer. Because two wheels are left on the ground, the other two or the driving wheels must be extra secure to keep the car on the dolly.
Unlike towing a car with a trailer, the cars’ wheels still need to work and cannot be blocked and the emergency brakes can’t be applied to keep the car in place. You may need to take the driveshaft out while towing a rear-drive car on a dolly, which needs to be placed forward on the dolly due to clearance issues.
Wear And Tear
Since the two wheels of the car are kept in contact with the ground, there are more chances of their wear and tear. The damage can even increase when the distance between the initial point and destination is long. This is because more weight is put on the ground wheels as the front wheels are not there to share the task and friction.
Final Thoughts
When there are a lot of options available to choose from, decisions feel like a mountain, and selecting a towing service is no exception. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of various options can make your decision accurate and easy. Therefore, it is better to consider a professional towing company to tow your vehicle and not rely on unsafe methods.
About Us
Action Towing provides quality towing services 24/7 in Edmonton. Our wide range of tow trucks enables you to select the service that’s best for your situation. Need a trusted towing service? Contact us now at 780-340-0999
