U-Haul tow dolly alternative?

i don't think i would ever use a dolly type to tow my car. flat bed is so much better for it.

have fun in la jolla, i'm down in the chula vista area.

-drew

 

hm, i would call u-haul and then i would call my dealer to see what they recommend.

also, for that amount of distance i would use hertz/penske. you will be getting a newer truck. i think my AAA card gave me a 15% discount w/ them.

-drew

 

I don't know if Budget does flatbeds, but for a time they were the cheapest choice for me to move some stuff from So. Cal to VT last Sept. Then they boosted their price 50% just as I was ready to sign up. I went with Penske even though the drop off is 2 hours from my home. They tossed in a free day because of that and they were cheaper than UHaul by hundreds of $$. The Penske GMC 15' truck had a whoppng 14K miles on it, basically new. Would have like a cruise control but we managed. It was gas so I only got 11 mpg but considering that included going through the high country in CO, wasn't bad. And it would have taken a LOT more trips at 22 mpg in my minivan

 

I tow my wifes Corolla S on a dolly with my motor home. However, I am selling the Corolla due to her health problems and she will not be driving anymore. Therefore I plan on towing my 07 Prius with the same dolly. If I can get the Coirolla on the dolly, which has more frontal overhang than the Prius, it should be no problem getting the Prius on the dolly. My only concern is - are there any other issues that I should be concerned with? I would like to put a bra on the Prius and I know they are available though Toyota, however, are there any after market manufactures making bras for the 07 Prius?

Jerry

 

I own a tow dolly, and I've towed a '92 Celica and a '95 Celica (both low to the ground) and had no problems with either as far as ground clearance while driving goes. The only issues I had were actually loading onto the dolly and off. I had to place some 2x4's under the front tires as the car approached the dolly ramps because the front air dam was otherwise going to catch on the mounts for the tie-down chains. This problem was specific to my tow dolly though and does not necessarily apply to others. Regardless if what you do, always drive onto a car dolly slowly and with a spotter to watch for this kind of stuff.

 

For some reason, I was reading through the owner's manual a few days ago, and for my 2008 Prius, it said very clearly that the '08 HAD to be towed on a flatbed tow truck....obviously this was for "emergency roadside towing." It was very clear that it could not be towed by raising the front wheels.

I don't know about your year, but I would check the manual before making any decisions.

Second, while Ashland is a bit small, I simply cannot believe that Medford rental yards would not offer an alternative. Rather than checking the Web sites, which I have found very unreliable, call the rental places in Ashland and Medford directly and ask what they have to offer. There must be tons in Ashland with the college there....and Medford is a fairly big town too.

In other words, don't rely on the web.

Second, I towed my 87 Corolla, which is so low to the ground that I cannot fit under it hardly, on a U-Haul tow thingie....one that tows the whole car, not just with the front wheels in the air, so cannot believe a Prius could not be put on one, since I have plenty of space to crawl under my Prius.

You need to go to work with the yellow pages.

As a PS: I just "cyber-rented" a "U-Haul auto transport" online from Ashland, Ore to Dallas Oregon for a 2004 Prius with no trouble. It did mention you might need a couple of 2X4's to load the Prius, or to back to a curb. Or maybe you won't, YMMV, no returns without receipt, etc. LOL

 

Electrically, any Prius can be towed with the front raised. Mechanically, just be sure the parking brakes aren’t dragging. Physically, the ‘up-angle’ of the car on a FA dolly may make the rear end very low, risking contact with uneven road surfaces. I suppose this relates to U-haul’s concern.

I would just put it on the equipment and see how it looks. If you need to carry anything inside the Prius being towed, put the weight as far forward as possible. Rear tires at max sidewall psi.

Avoid backing-up at all costs! RVers already know about that…

 

Um, no. Check the page before that which is 420 in my book. It specifically allows a "wheel lift-type truck." The page before that,419, rules out the use of a "sling-type truck" which may be what you are thinking.

 

Sorry, I just spent the night out in the woods trying to trap the elusive creatures of the dark and am a little wacky, but if what you say is true:

1) First, I don't understand it....yes, I read the manual and while it was a bit confusing, I guess it was more confusing than I thought (I mean what is the diff. between a wheel lift and a sling....and yes, while I may not be Ms. Einstein, I do have a doctorate in wildlife management -- tho. for what good that does me with mice problems in the Prius....).

2) The Prius manual is confusing as can be.

Some pages are pretty clear. But many others are not. The manual is supposed to be for normal people, not for motorheads. And,if I read something that I see as saying, "don't lift the front wheels to tow" and that is wrong....well...then I look like a dumb blonde when a tow driver comes and I start to argue with them.

Does anyone understand what I am saying here. First it was the "audio section" of the manual....then the cabin filter section. Who translated this thing...a bunch of CalTech mechanical engineers???

 

I have been towing my '06 on a Demco dolly behind the motorhome for two years - more than 10K miles with no problems. I think UHaul's dollys are Master Tow so there may be a clearance problem; however, there is no problem whatever with a Demco dolly.

As with any dolly - MAKE SURE THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT ENGAGED AND THE CAR IS IN PARK!!!!!!!

 

We live in a very complex world. Here's an explanation of various tow-truck types:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-different-types-of-tow-trucks.htm

If you think the owner's manual is bad, try reading the Toyota repair documentation. The translation may have been done by beginning level "English as a second language" students...

 

I believe the manufacturer would advise not to dolly tow from a liability standpoint. The rear wheels are not connected to anything other than brakes. My dealer saw no problem with dolly towing my 07 Prius.

 

When lifting by the wheels the weight of the car is in the usual configuration, that is the weight of the car is on the suspension and wheels. The car doesn't care if it is on a tow truck or a dolly nothing is being unusually stressed.

A sling lift truck, which was popular many years ago, typically lifts by putting hooks under the car to the undercarriage and having a wide belt like sheet of material extending outward from there around the front of the bumper area to the lift device of the tow truck. The truck then lifts and the bumper is compressed as the car rises. Ultimately the wheels will come up off the ground and then dangle uselessly carrying no weight. This configuration stresses the undercarriage where the hooks are applied and the front bumper. That's very bad with today's lightly built cars.

 

Oh, and,

Sling lift trucks were used for many years with previous generations of cars without difficulty. Cars were built differently back then.

I think it is unlikely you would encounter one of the older tow trucks nowadays but who knows what you might find in some backwater someplace. That's why they put the warning into the manual.

 

So here is a conundrum. I have my 04 Gen 2 on a dolly front wheels raised. I left Seattle a couple days ago. I'm now in Kansas and my battery is dead and it used 3 bars on the gas gauge. It doesn't appear to be running. I drove about 20 miles, pulled over to test it and it didn't show any signs the engine was started. Any thoughts? I hope I haven't killed my car. The rear wheels are connected to the charging system are they? I know dumb question.

 

No rear wheel connection to the charging system.

Which battery is dead? If it's the 12v, was there an interior light left on? The car was off, not in "ready" or "accessory" mode, correct? Was it left in N by accident (powered on)?

The fuel gauge reading may be due to the angle of the car on the dolly, assuming the car was off.

For flatbed trailering, it's possible to minimize the breakover angle of the loading ramps by backing the trailer up to the sidewalk gutter of a residential front yard (or a similar rise in topography). Then the ramps will be closer to parallel with the trailer deck.