Tow Dolly question

foxfire42

foxfire42

Well-known member
I have a tow dolly I use occasionally to haul my A. The trips are short. The distance is 5.3 miles. I have a storage garage that I take them to and from. It's a lot easier than loading and unloading it in my 18' trailer.

I'm having a problem that I don't know how to resolve. I strap it down very securely but the wheels always seem to end up turned right or left. Even if I start out with them up tight against the front stop sometimes one wheel will be up tight and one might be loose and back 3 or more inches.

Is there any way of preventing this by keeping the wheels straight and up against the stop? Here in AZ I see a lot of dolly's used by snow birds and none seem to have this problem. Is there something different about the Model A front end that would contribute to this problem? I've seen a dolly with a rotating plate under the tire and was wondering if this is the fix. All those I've seen on the road are like mine. I've searched the web and have not found anyplace where it mentions the angle of the straps. Could this be the problem in the illustration I drew below?
 

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When I took my car to get a VIN inspection, I used a U-haul trailer. The front straps were pulling forward and the rears pulling rearward. I also used nylon Tie-downs on the front and rear axle pulling straight down.

Tow Dolly straps should pull forward like the picture on the left. Pull equally, meaning both sides a little at a time. Also loading straight and even.

Regards
Bill
 
burner 31.........................I would drive it but then I'd have to walk home and being an old lady I can't get my scooter on and off the trunk rack. :D

Next time I'll adjust the straps so they fit more like fig 1 per Bill's suggestion ad see if there's an improvement.
 
As suggested by Tom, the lack of a locking steering column (which likely all the Snowbird ones you see have) could be the problem.
 
Webbing pulled over rubber tire’s will not slide very well. With a short handle on the racket also doesn’t help, maybe a handle extension would help! The side webbing may not be tight enough allowing the tires to move side to side. If your dolly is only used to move/ haul model A’s only you may need to modify to work with tall skinny tires. Would an extra cable, chain, or straps used for extra safety’s keeping the towed A attached to tow vehicle be Prudent ?
 
My experience with a dolly, is that if you make a sharp turn, as out of a drive onto a street, not only the wheel plate of the dolly must turn, but also the front wheels of the car must turn. I would never tie the steering wheel, and never tow with the front wheels on the ground. Also as someone has suggested, extra safety straps on the axle, a must, it is quite difficult to remove a vehicle that has gone over the front of a dolly, personal experience.
 
desotoguy said:
My experience with a dolly, is that if you make a sharp turn, as out of a drive onto a street, not only the wheel plate of the dolly must turn, but also the front wheels of the car must turn. I would never tie the steering wheel, and never tow with the front wheels on the ground. Also as someone has suggested, extra safety straps on the axle, a must, it is quite difficult to remove a vehicle that has gone over the front of a dolly, personal experience.
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The following is a direct quote from the U-Haul instructions for loading and using a Tow Dolly:

"The vehicle-in-tow steering wheel must be locked. If the vehicle is not equipped with locking steering column the steering wheel will have to be tied securely."
 
Randy in ca said:
"The vehicle-in-tow steering wheel must be locked. If the vehicle is not equipped with locking steering column the steering wheel will have to be tied securely."
Click to expand...

They want the wheels to force the top of the dolly to rotate on the center pin instead of relying on the cars mechanical steering to assist the turn. Not all vehicles have a tight turning radius but I think most tow dolly's have more than you'll ever need.

It probably should be tossed out there that when using a Tow Dolly, ... You should only drive as fast as the max speed of a Model A or slightly less to be on the safe side. I'm not sure the rear end or transmission were ever intended to be spun up to 60-70 mph. :eek:

Regards
Bill
 
My 5+ mile travel to and from the garage is on city streets so speed is up to 30, stop for a light then up to 30 again etc. It's a stop and go trip. It's also secured with chains.

I'm trying to visualize how the car tracks around corners with the steering locked. To me it seems like it would track better with it unlocked and the wheels secured to the dolly so they don't twist or turn and stay put in place on the dolly. Wouldn't there be stress on the rear of the vehicle.

If UHAUL says to lock or tie the steering there must be some validity to to it. Next trip will be with the steering wheel ******* and the straps farther back on the tire. It will be a couple weeks before I switch cars again so I'll report back after my next trip and see what result I have.
 
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foxfire42 said:
I'm trying to visualize how the car tracks around corners with the steering locked. To me it seems like it would track better with it unlocked and the wheels secured to the dolly so they don't twist or turn and stay put in place on the dolly. Wouldn't there be stress on the rear of the vehicle.

If UHAUL says to lock or tie the steering there must be some validity to to it. Next trip will be with the steering wheel ******* and the straps farther back on the tire. It will be a couple weeks before I switch cars again so I'll report back after my next trip and see what result I have.
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Best to have a few things sorted out before your next trip. I admit to not having a whole lot of experience with these, but any dolly I've had anything to do with has two modes - one to be used when the dolly is empty (the dolly wheels are locked straight and it's like pulling a 2 wheel trailer) and the second when the dolly is loaded with the vehicle (the dolly wheels can turn and it's essentially like pulling a vehicle with a tow bar i.e. dolly steering is unlocked). Pulling a pin or something similar is used to change between empty and loaded modes.

No doubt there are other variations. I believe on some styles the wheel platform itself on the dolly is free to rotate enough to accommodate steering.

Do you use the same dolly every time? Own? Have a manual? If unsure maybe post a few pictures of the dolly and someone may recognize or we can maybe make some sense of it by the pictures.
 
If the vehicle has power steering, which most do that would utilize a U-Haul dolly now days, the steering may not return to straight when you make a sharp turn. Since most Model A's don't have power assist on the steering, the loose steering wheel makes the turns easier and is less strain on the straps. Load a Model A on a dolly, go to a big parking lot, have someone make some sharp turns with the steering wheel tied and untied, stand outside an watch both conditions for yourself. U-Haul is CYA.
 
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