Home made tow dolly

[Garage5.9]

any one ever make your own tow dolly ? Id really like one but right now i cant see my self paying 2500$ at the moment. If i could build one even better. I just flat towed a car 25 miles up and down big *** hills only to have the brakes give out shortly after.

edit i was just thinking about using a axle from a small truck and building a frame around that

 

[Deltarat]

You can buy a trailer with brakes to haul your car for less than $2500 and useful for other things.

 

[RAYJAY]

brand new a tow dolly are under 1,000 bucks check e-bay for prices,

 

[Steve from Socal]

I am thinking living in Hawaii these may not be so common or cheap.

A small truck axle is going to be rather narrow, a trailer axle is 90" wide give or take. Look on CL?

Steve

 

[ibedayank]

a tow dolly turns the wheels just like the front of a truck. it is NOT a solid axle. Better off getting a car trailer with a dolly if what you are towing is rear wheel drive you MUST disconnect the drive shaft or the trans will be destroyed.

 

[Garage5.9]

I am thinking living in Hawaii these may not be so common or cheap.

A small truck axle is going to be rather narrow, a trailer axle is 90" wide give or take. Look on CL?

Steve

yup you got that right about being not so cheap and common. Ill try check craigs and maybe something will pop up.

 

[greaseyjockey]

i've used a 5 ft length of pipe with a chain fed through it as kind of a flat-tow dolly before. the pipe keeps the chain from going slack and lets both vehicles use their brakes to stop. must be very careful what you hook it to though and use bolts instead of the hook ends to keep them from coming undone.

 

[Professur]

Only costs about $100 to rent it from U-haul, and you don't have to store it afterward.

 

[creativecars]

I built my tow dolly 15 years ago and have been very happy. I would like to have a dollar for every mile it has been towed by me and my friends. The problem with a dolly is trying to turn sharp corners as it will try to pull the car off one side of the ramp or another, even with the ratchet straps. I did not build mine to pivot, but have heard the ones that do, react the same. I made mine so you can have it hooked to a hitch, pull a pin and the ramps go down (they are welded on), you can drive a car on and it swings back to put the pin back in, I have also welded a couple of places to attach a come-a-long or winch when the vehicle does not run. I used rear stub axles of a mid sized GM front wheel drive for the axles/bearings/hubs. They have worked out well so far, even with a full sized car on it. I built a 4X8 metal box that I use to haul everything else from sand to scrap steel.

 

[csp]

I am thinking living in Hawaii these may not be so common or cheap.

\

It might help if the OP would add that fact to his profile. Nobody knows unless they have read other threads of his where other people have had to ask.

 

[kbs2244]

How often are you going to need it?
I am a tool collector, but some things just make more sense to rent.

 

[creativecars]

I wanted mine to be multi-functional so I have HD 14" wheels, and at times I have put a piece of 3/4" plywood down to haul lawn tractors and equipment, since it tilts down it makes loading and unloading easy too. It is easy to move by hand or tow it with the mower. I also have an 18' tandem axle dovetail, but the dolly trailer gets used more often. The metal box I made is 4X8 with 20" sides and 30" tailgate all made with 1/4" tread plate and 1 1/2" angle. I have had it heaping full of wet sand, but wow, the tires were squatting.

 

[ibedayank]

a tow dolly is worthless if you have flat tires
that and try and back one up

 

[Garage5.9]

a tow dolly is worthless if you have flat tires
that and try and back one up

I plan on using it for mainly scraping cars. If i can get air in the tires even to get it on the dolly them its good enough for me. Not really worried about reversing much

I wanted mine to be multi-functional so I have HD 14" wheels, and at times I have put a piece of 3/4" plywood down to haul lawn tractors and equipment, since it tilts down it makes loading and unloading easy too. It is easy to move by hand or tow it with the mower. I also have an 18' tandem axle dovetail, but the dolly trailer gets used more often. The metal box I made is 4X8 with 20" sides and 30" tailgate all made with 1/4" tread plate and 1 1/2" angle. I have had it heaping full of wet sand, but wow, the tires were squatting.

sounds pretty strong. any pics ?

How often are you going to need it?
I am a tool collector, but some things just make more sense to rent.

I would use it at any chance i have to scrap a car i come across which is pretty frequently. doesn't make sense for me to rent it to only lose money

\

It might help if the OP would add that fact to his profile. Nobody knows unless they have read other threads of his where other people have had to ask.

oh yeah i know i should update my profile. well just FYI im from the great state of HAWAII

I built my tow dolly 15 years ago and have been very happy. I would like to have a dollar for every mile it has been towed by me and my friends. The problem with a dolly is trying to turn sharp corners as it will try to pull the car off one side of the ramp or another, even with the ratchet straps. I did not build mine to pivot, but have heard the ones that do, react the same. I made mine so you can have it hooked to a hitch, pull a pin and the ramps go down (they are welded on), you can drive a car on and it swings back to put the pin back in, I have also welded a couple of places to attach a come-a-long or winch when the vehicle does not run. I used rear stub axles of a mid sized GM front wheel drive for the axles/bearings/hubs. They have worked out well so far, even with a full sized car on it. I built a 4X8 metal box that I use to haul everything else from sand to scrap steel.

sounds like a nice setup. care to share some pics so i can get a idea of what i might be building

Only costs about $100 to rent it from U-haul, and you don't have to store it afterward.

Id rather own one becuase renting will make me lose money

i've used a 5 ft length of pipe with a chain fed through it as kind of a flat-tow dolly before. the pipe keeps the chain from going slack and lets both vehicles use their brakes to stop. must be very careful what you hook it to though and use bolts instead of the hook ends to keep them from coming undone.

I kinda get what your saying. so you bolt up the chain ends to the tow hooks on both vehicles and the pipe will keep the chain tight

 

[creativecars]

How far do you have to haul the cars? You will still need the back tires on the car to hold air, but I have hauled many cars without front wheels to scrap. Yeah my dolly has been plenty strong, but there is no perfect design. I don’t have pics but I will take some and put them up here.

 

[Garage5.9]

How far do you have to haul the cars? You will still need the back tires on the car to hold air, but I have hauled many cars without front wheels to scrap. Yeah my dolly has been plenty strong, but there is no perfect design. I don’t have pics but I will take some and put them up here.

At the most 30 miles all flat land so slowing down isn't a issue in my tacoma.

 

[beerbudget]

A few different plans available on ebay.