[Jim Bollman]

I would go the route of finding a place to store the trailer over renting a trailer or a dollie from U-Haul.

I reserved a trailer with a deposit from U-Haul, drove 750 mile to be told he did not have a trailer for me and none where available in the area. The closest trailer was 60 miles away and he would not go that far to pick up a trailer. Because of this breach of contract I was forced to drive 40 miles round trip out of my way to pick up a car dolly (trailer had already been rented) or give up the purchase of the truck that I had traveled for two days to buy. Because of the slower tow speed the return trip was much longer.

I expect the deposit on the trailer would be credited to my account. But instead they tried charging me a fee because I should have canceled the trailer. It some how never occurred to me to cancel a trailer that I wanted, that didn’t get delivered. After a nasty letter to U-Haul they did refund the deposit and the cost of renting the dollie but did not even say they were sorry for the inconvenience.

Needless to say I have not done business with them since. Penske has gotten my business since.

[Larry Schramm]

I would say me too on purchasing a trailer. The two big expenses in my mind are the tires and keeping the wiring working. To help the tire issue, I try to take the tires off each winter and store inside. For the summer I put a cover over them to deflect the sunlight.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Tow dollies are best used for newer vehicles with bearings, tires etc that can take the hwy speeds. Older cars should be on a trailer! You loose a bearing on your '34 Whatchamacallit Sedanette in the middle of Kansas, what are you gonna do for parts? Will your insurance even cover it on a dolly? Maybe not, may so. A dolly is not impossible to backup (I can do it) but not reccomended, dollies just are not a good option unless short distances or new cars are involved. Most never drop air pressure in the dolly when empty so they bounce all over the place.

I have a 18' w/dovetail open flatbed. It has a nice alum toolbox with a hidden #8k winch and battery inside. I also have LED deck lights that run off the battery too so you always have lighting even without a tow vehicle. My niece stores it at her house and most of my family uses it from time to time. They show appreciation for it by storing it, and when it needs maint. or repairs, somebody takes care of it or at least helps me do it. We just replaced all 4 electric brakes in 50 mins! Lots of hands and a lift makes it quick work.

I refuse to live anywhere with covenants or stupid invasive laws that won't let you use your own driveway or street for parking (that's a whole 'nuther topic!). What a waste of resourses it is to be concerned about a trailer instead of the speeders and stupid drivers.

[Dave Henderson]

Another tow dolly catastrophy: Not many years ago a restored '36-'37 Cord sedan was being tow dollied. Due to some unspecified failure, the right rear wheel came loose. Instead of rolling free, it became entrapped in the fender, bearing full body weight. Major damage resulted to the entire r r body section. It was questionable at the time that the body could be saved.




















ith full body weight on it. Major body damage resulted. Not just the fender, the whole r r body. I recall there was some question concerning whether it could even be saved.