We Want a Class C Motor Home

[pdub]

Yeah, that's why I'd buy new.

But thought Process D says new is prohibitive, cost-wise. It's not really worth what you pay for it on the lot and as soon as you drive it a half mile down the road it's "worth" about half that. Or so we think we've learned, still learning.

[silver_bullet]

Of course a drive on dolly only works with the driven wheels dollyed. FWD is preferred. I don't know about backing on and off one.

Unless you remove the offending drive shaft.... and I tried backing one up...no bueno....

[SuperBuickGuy]

RV storage works, but do not fail to keep the rat poison stations in your RV filled at all times.... otherwise, you will have no-paying guests that was destroy the place.

[pdub]

Of course a drive on dolly only works with the driven wheels dollyed. FWD is preferred. I don't know about backing on and off one.

What's the difference? We'll pull Red backward, he won't care seeing where he's been instead of where he's going. Shoot, behind the camper he can't see where he's going anyhow.

And Unit's hedging a little bit on size. Smaller and smaller, and newer and newer. We have no idea what we're going to get. The more we find out, the less we know. And the more shopping we need to do.

One thing for sure, we're going to do something. We sure are, and we're both looking forward to it.

[SuperBuickGuy]

you should always put the steering wheels on the dolly because the toe-in/toe-out on a car will make it so you cannot go faster then 45 mph without it swinging wildly. .. and all of this I learned towing a 91 Blazer (solid axle) backwards - because the rear axle was in multiple pieces...so we went 45.

[Russell]

I would think it also has something to do with you want the heavy end on the dolly but that's just a guess. I would flat tow before I would put one on a dolly.

[silver_bullet]

RV storage works, but do not fail to keep the rat poison stations in your RV filled at all times.... otherwise, you will have no-paying guests that was destroy the place.

If you can stand the smell, an open coffee can with moth balls in it helps as well....

I was not endorsing backing onto a dolly, just saying it doesn't work to try and back up with a loaded car dolly....

Flat tow is the way to go...

[corvettedad]

I agree with the flat tow, use to pull my Nova to the track like that.

[Beagle]

I would think it also has something to do with you want the heavy end on the dolly but that's just a guess. I would flat tow before I would put one on a dolly.

I have the a.d.d. so under 3 minutes to explain and pictures always helps me..

[RockJustRock]

The concern is the transmission. The output shaft would be spinning without anything else moving the lube around. Can't see dropping the driveshaft after every stop.

[Beagle]

I tried a car dolly once... once. For about 75 feet. Had to back up a few of those feet, and I never want to do it again. It's not impossible, just time consuming and frustrating. Bonus, You don't have to worry about having left it in gear or the emergency brake being on when it's on the trailer.

You will appreciate a 20 foot trailer when it comes time to back up, but long truck and short trailer is still a recipe for jack knife.

[Loren]

Somebody left a car dolly by my shop once...it sat there for months and no one stole it, for a guy that comes from the city I thought that was pretty novel. Finally I happened to need one for a bit and decided I may-as-well step up, but I did leave a note titled "car dolly" on the nearest post so it wasn't actual thievery. It worked and towed real well, it would be the thing for a front-wheel-drive car. A neighbor used it to move a S-10 Blazer about a thousand miles and brought it back to me. Eventually I put it back where it was, apparently the owner had been in jail. He made a stink but mostly just for the sake of it, as a practical matter he and I both knew what the deal was...he was just lucky the guy who took it was me plus there was the small matter of how it was returned with working taillights, not like before. Negatives of a dolly: 1. With a rear-wheel-drive load and automatic trans there is the driveshaft disconnect thing, with a manual you either do that or trust the trans ouput yoke is getting oil...maybe it is, maybe it isn't. 2. The tire tie-downs to fasten the towed car in are chintzy stuff. I barely trust the system. 3. Brakes...do any use them? I should think it would work and help but the one I used didn't have them. 4. No backing up more than a few feet unless you have an adequately skilled spotter which believe me is rare. Wherever you go that you might have to maneuver, you swing into a parking space you can pull-through, disconnect at the hitch which fortunately is easy and then just go off in the tow vehicle. When you've done what you got to do, come back and hitch-up, pull forward then hit the highway.

I vastly prefer car-hauler trailers because of the brakes and if you damage whatever it is you're towing when you're out doing whatever you do, it's no-problem; just load and haul away. Trailering negative is the added weight of the trailer.

I do not like flat-towing because of an incident early-on in trying it. You need to make sure the tow-ee is relatively light compared to the tow-er and has plenty of positive caster in the front end alignment, or under certain situations the un-manned vehicle may be the one making decisions as to what direction you're headed and not the one with the driver in it. For a sorta-hefty price you can get brake actuation systems that wire to the tow car then fit between the seat and brake pedal of the car being towed, a marvelously dopey system that does actually work apparently or I suppose they wouldn't sell any.

[Deaf Bob]

Flat towed a 40 Buick with a 60 Suburban from E OR to West.. Hit the gas stop a little fast.. Put on a show! Yeah, I saved it but pucker factor was off the charts.. I do have a chain on tow bar for emergencies.. But will always grab the car trailer first.

[corvettedad]

Well throwing the car hauler in to the mix, car hauler every time. I love mine , best investment ever other than my car lift.

[DanStokes]

Peewee - We stopped at the motorhome dealer and took some pics just to give you the idea of what I was talking about. The Fords are both gas-fueled while the Mercedes is Diesel. I have zero clue on prices as no one was there. The Fords are 22' and the M-B is a 24 footer. I think the Ford chassis is available from Ford with a Diesel though I haven't researched that. They've made the M-B chassis long enough for those to be available used but I'm not sure on the Ford.






Just a little more food for thought. Happy New Year!

Dan