I am going to be towing a 2000 VW jetta, On a Dolly froms Colorado Springs to Vermont. Any thing I need to be aware of. ( I know about Backing up ). I drive big truck over the road.

 

I'd say if the maintenance on the truck and trailer is up to par, you'll be good to go.

I assume you're renting the trailer?

 

Make sure the parking brake in the Jetta is off!

Seriously, though, there's not that much to it. Double check the tie downs, straps and chains every time you gas up. If you're renting the dolly from some place like U-haul, I'd assume that it has gotten almost no maintenance, so check the Dolly's tire pressure and feel the wheel bearings to make sure they're not getting too hot.

One thing I didn't know until I asked was that my truck's liability insurance only covers trailers "in-tow". If the trailer or load disengaged for any reason, then the insurance considered that a "whole new vehicle as soon as it detached from your truck." I got a towing rider for about $18 every 6 months to cover me in case of detached loads.

 

Use a trailer not a dolly,a guy at work lost it passing a large rig.He had a F150and a big Bronco on a dolly.The dolly wipped alot on him and he slowed down alot at times too stop it,put when he passed the rig he lost both vels and rolled them.With the trailer you make better time and not have too slow down all the time.

 

D on your shifter is for forward driving


but seriously keep your distance when following cars, let the truck cool down at rest stops and gas stops. If the trans is shifting alot you may need to lock OD off temporarily.

 

The bummer about using a dolly is not trailer brakes. So you truck's brakes have to stop the truck+ 3500 pounds or so in this case. Make sure to check out your pads for wear before you leave.

I towed a little bit lighter car 800 miles with my 2003 and had no problems. I changed the front pads/rotors before the trip.

 

I towed a '67 Mustang on a U-haul dolly about 250 miles w/one decent grade and it towed like a dream. Tow vehicle was a '99 V6 Super Cab w/auto transmission.

I was cautious on downhills and braking. The tow was pretty much a peice of cake. A trailer would have added another 1,500 lbs and would have been marginal for my rig.

My only problem was with U-haul. I reserved a dolley on line, and showed up to pick up my dolley at the appointed place and time. They had no dolly for me. It took me about 5 hours of phone calls and driving around and going way out of my way to find another dolly. If you reserve on line, call the place the dolley is supposed to be and verify.

 

I pulled my daughters Saturn 1000 miles on a tow dolly with no problem. You probably wont even know it is back there. Just take it easy and drive with common sense.

 

i am moving from NJ to Fl. i looked into renting a trailer and towing my 06 GT with my 05 F150. when i figured the trailer cost, gas, tolls, return air fare, food, etc. it made more dollars sense to have them shipped. thats not even allowing for the 18 hour drive down and the time to fly back. still needed to get house goods packed and drive my 3rd vehicle down with the family in it.