December 4, 2016 – The Tow Dolly
How to NOT make and load a Tow Dolly (video)
We needed to tow a little car behind the motorhome, because you can’t exactly go to Disney World or even McDonald’s in a 42-foot long 12-foot-high bus-like thing, so of course we needed something to connect the big beast (Tyrtle) and the tiny Mini (Myrtle, whose license is unfortunately spelled MURTLE) … and we found the Kar Kaddy Tow Dolly, by Demco — perfect. It folds up and takes up as little space as a towing gadget can, but it has its own brakes, lights, and promises to turn its own wheels in sync with Tyrtle.
Well, it arrived today faster than expected, while we were out at the RV parking lot trying to resurrect the batteries we accidentally let go dead. The truck couldn’t get it up our driveway so they dumped it at the bottom. Now if their truck couldn’t get it up the drive, how did they think we two little old people could do it?
We got home and there it sat, half on the street …. 849 pounds of equipment in a gigantic box on top of two wooden pallets. We managed to take out the two wheels and roll them up to the garage, and I got the two small end pieces onto the little cart I use for getting boxes to the Post Office but then we just stood and looked at what was left ….
It was not a pretty sight.
Lucky for us, we have wonderful neighbors who came with willing hands and a truck and a winch and together we all got it up to the top.
Well, not me, actually, since I sneaked across the street to hold Abby’s brand new baby.
As I mentioned above, we’re missing some parts — the fenders. Those are the big curved things that go around the wheels. The company says they will send them.
——————————–
December 6, 2015
We began work on the Tow Dolly today. In the box, because there was just no way to get it out of the box before we put the wheels on.
Above is Tom contemplating our success in lining up the two main parts.
Here is a picture of Tom working on the wire connections which would have been simple enough if he could actually see them. He got ’em done, followed by an hour in a hot bathtub to recover.
December 8, 2015
Continuing work on the Tow Dolly.
There is actually one (ONE!!!!) bolt that holds the whole thing together, and we had to install it. And to connect the four wires without crossing the colors etc. In the picture above, Tom is getting advice from the company under the supervision of the neighbor’s cat.
Finally getting that bolt to go through without squishing all the wires and connections previously hooked up through this area.
One wheel on — and Shula cutting the wood pallets and box away from the second side to make room for the second wheel. Notice we’ve been working “inside the box” here, mainly because we had no way to get this 850 pound thing OUTside the box.
Using the car jack to raise the body of the tow dolly off the box pallets in preparation of mounting Tire #2 …
Both wheels on; both tire ramps on; and it’s coming out of the box, too!
DONE!!!
WHEW!! All but the fenders …. piece of cake.
And, finally, Tow Dolly gets her own set of tags.
Saw these tow dolly photos in disbelief that you bought a construct-it-yourself model! Perhaps less expensive I suspect. Way to go!
Didn’t do this to save money; I just didn’t know any better at the time – I thought all tow dollies came in 800-pound boxes. This tow dolly cost me $3700 for the dolly itself, $450 for the deflector, and $90 for the 100-foot-pound torque wrench which I needed to torque the bolts. Adventures seem to include learning experiences ~ Tom