Dollys and Towing.

[SAmadei]

I already have a trailer for towing cars... however, it weighs a ton... at least... and its huge. So its a fine towing setup when its hooked up behind the F450HD dump truck or "Dad's" overbuilt work van. Unfortunately, the van and the F450HD are rarely registered, gets lousy MPG, are expensive to maintain and I cannot store either and the trailer at my primary or secondary residence. If something was to break down and _IF_ it was road-ready, I'd be doing an extra 60 mile round trip, at the least, to pick up the tow rig before retrieving a broken car.

I really want to get back to using a smaller dual-purpose tow vehicle and a lighter trailer for emergency tows. I was going to use the Caprice wagon, but that is laid up... so I might pick up another wagon... or an GMC Envoy XUV, as they have 5000 and 6500 towing ratings respectfully... and I can get more if go weight-distributing.

I don't have space for a trailer, but I could store a tow dolly. I'm not overly happy with tow dollies, but for emergency use on a FWD car, they should work fine with a Caprice or something. However, I tend to stock a few RWD cars... and I'm not disconnecting a driveshaft to tow them.

So after some thought (and thinking back to the olden days of sling-back tow trucks), I thought that I could use some "Speed Dollies" on the rear wheels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpHP1-pBwDo

I figure with the Tow Dolly and Speed Dolly weighing in at 500 lbs or less, I could still have 4500 lbs of capacity for the towed car.

Anyone know if these can be used with a Tow Dolly? Legally? Assuming that the tow dolly has electric brakes, would these be legal without breaks?

Thoughts?

Edited December 7, 2013 by SAmadei

[balthazar]

I don't know for sure, but I would believe they could be used legally. They are not conceptually or operationally different that a regular trailer, just without the deck.
And if a tow dolly is legal without brakes, why would these be different?

[G. David Felt]

I see many tow truck drivers use speed dollys as they pull rear drive auto's.

[Drew Dowdell]

Fleetwood Brougham has a 7,000 lb tow rating

[G. David Felt]

Olds Vista Cruiser Station wagon

[SAmadei]

I don't know for sure, but I would believe they could be used legally. They are not conceptually or operationally different that a regular trailer, just without the deck.

And if a tow dolly is legal without brakes, why would these be different?

Actually, I would think tow dollys need brakes in NJ, even if its only rarely enforced. I wouldn't run one without brakes, personally.

Using a tow dolly with a speed dolly also makes me question... how many axles is that? Three on the trailer + the tow vehicle? Normally this would not be a big factor, but in NJ any long tow trip is going to encounter DRPA or PANYNJ bridges.

Fleetwood Brougham has a 7,000 lb tow rating

Yeah, but its not a wagon (or wagon-like) vehicle... unless I find a hearse... which is only a two seater. Please they are somewhat hard to find anymore.

In any case, I'd never have to tow more than 5500 lbs... which is a full size van. Adding 500 lbs for the dollys... 6000 lbs is close enough to the 5000 lbs the Caprice wagon's capacity... especially with a weight-distributing hitch... most tow options are all about engine and tranny cooling, anyway.

Wagons are getting very hard to find cheap. I actually have a line on a cheap high mileage 2 door '97 Tahoe. I just hope it has a V8.

Of course, that still does not get me a tow dolly or speed dollys. I'm thinking of building them... my speed dollies won't be as slick as the real things, but they'll cost only a quarter of what they do. I'm trying to think of how I can build a strong tow dolly that can be broken down into small pieces.

[SAmadei]

I wonder how hard it would be to install a wheel lift under a '95 Caprice wagon. ;-)

[GMTruckGuy74]

All Tahoes and Yukons from '92-'99 had the 5.7L V8 engine, though the diesel was optional in at least 1994. I don't think you'll have to worry about the '97 Tahoe not having a V8

[SAmadei]

Honestly, I didn't think I'd have a V6 either, but Wiki was listing the 4.3 V6 as an option during those years. I don't think I've ever seen a Tahoe/Blazer/Yukon/Jimmy with a V6... just the I-6 a LONG time ago. I only ever see 4.3 V6s used in big vans and 1500 level Silverado/Sierra... well, and little S10/Astro stuff.

What always scares me more is a seller who can't remember if he had a 6 or 8.

Since you guys know better.... the 350 in a '97 would it be an LT1 or do the trucks have the older 350?

[GMTruckGuy74]

I don't believe they were LT1s... I remember the Vortec name being used. I'm not your engine spec guy though; Camino needs to weigh in here, he's the GMT-900 SUV expert

[SAmadei]

Yeah, Vortec is written all over it. L31, I think. It looks like it specs out like the B-bod LT1. Hope it has the same power.