Car (wheel) dolly's

Kube

Kube

Super Moderator
Guys, I'd like some opinions on what you believe to be a good set of wheel dolly's. I want to purchase a set that can be pushed in and pumped up with a foot lever.
Quality matters.

thanks!
 
Here's something to consider if $$$ is not a deal-breaker...click the link! DD

http://www.summitracing.com/search/...SortBy=Default&SortOrder=Default&autoview=SKU

ztc-utjak5000pr_oh_ml.jpg
 
I don't know what the weight difference is between a '34 Ford and a '68 Corvette (maybe 500 pounds?), but I have a set of Harbor freight units under my Corvette, and it takes 2 men and a boy to move it around. Make sure you have ball bearings on the casters AND swivels. The only way I can make it change direction is to use a large set of channellocks to turn the casters in the direction I want to go. I would agree that quality is important and spending a bit more may be a good idea.
 
I have 4 sets of wheel dollies. 2 non HF sets and 2 HF sets. At first the HF sets seemed to require more force to make them work. It turns out the Chinamen who put them together do not put any grease on the axles. I took both sets of HF dollies apart, put grease on all the axles and bores where the axles go through the wheels. Now it takes VERY little force to move a 40 Ford or a 65 chevelle SS convert that are on the HF dollies.
I know--you need to use a floor jack to get the car on the dollies. I have never seen or used ones that have a jack built in. Up-scale Mike! Very up-scale!!
 
The smoothness and levelness of your floor makes the biggest difference. My experience was not good, but my floor is poor.

Mart.
 
I recently had to search for casters that would work on my cherry picker shop crane due to axle breakage on the old ones and replacements being non existant. I found that most casters available are not rated for the weight requirements and the ones that are are usually too big. What I thought would be a 5 minute job ended up taking the better part of a day just to find units that would work well and I had to modify them to work correctly with metal rollers.

For the 4-caster dollies the weight distribution is a lot better so most 250 pound casters should work OK but for a shop crane that has a capacity of a thousand pounds or better, they are just barely adequate between only four casters.
 
Mart said:
The smoothness and levelness of your floor makes the biggest difference. My experience was not good, but my floor is poor.

Mart.
Click to expand...

My floor is nice and smooth; I guess I better grease 'em up! Thanks for the tip.
 
I will try the grease on my HF ones, in the meantime it takes 3 people to move a mustang conv. around. I wouldn't recommend these.
 
Kube - my son uses the GoJaks on GMC / Chevy and other vehicles. No problems with them. With the quality of work you do, these are made for you.
HF had a change in the style they sell - check for bearings in the wheels, and on the
caster pin. I have the HF type that requires lifting the car. These work OK, when the
casters are turned to the direction you want to go. They're off to the next swap meet for a bargain hunter.
 
Kube, Here's another option. I have these under a '50 coupe on a cement floor and they roll easily. In fact if I get them going too fast I've almost run the car into a wall. OTC has always been known as a quality tool company but I believe they have also caved in to offshore sourcing.
One caution, some of the ads for these show a load rating of 6200# which is the rating for 4 units, not a single unit.
I've also found Zoro to be an excellent source for tools with good prices on name brands and expedient delivery.

http://www.zoro.com/g/Easy%20Roller%20Dollies/00172185/

Howard
 
Last edited:
Ref HCO41, post 16, those dollies are the same as HF. ZORO is a 'low cost' light industrial / consumer division of Grainger.
 
tubman said:
I don't know what the weight difference is between a '34 Ford and a '68 Corvette (maybe 500 pounds?), but I have a set of Harbor freight units under my Corvette, and it takes 2 men and a boy to move it around. Make sure you have ball bearings on the casters AND swivels. The only way I can make it change direction is to use a large set of channellocks to turn the casters in the direction I want to go. I would agree that quality is important and spending a bit more may be a good idea.
Click to expand...

My brother bought a set at a swap meet a few years ago. We brought them back, put them together and it was just like you said- you had to steer the casters and then push the car. We were disappointed to say the least. Then, we took a look at them. We had assembled them with the caster bolts going in from the top with the nuts on the bottom. When the dollies were loaded, the bottom ends of the bolts were binding on the tops of the casters so that they couldn't swivel on their own. We took them apart and reversed the bolts- in from the bottom with the nuts on top. Worked fine after that.
 
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