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Demco Tow Dolly – A Great Tow Dolly For Your RV!

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If you are looking for a car tow dolly, the Demco tow dolly, specifically the Kar Kaddy SS 460, is a great RV tow dolly! Pam and I searched extensively for the benefits, quality, and reputation of each tow dolly manufacturer before we decided on the Demco tow dolly line.

demco tow dolly
Miss Tiffy and Chevy Chase joined rear to rear!

After purchasing our third full time RV home back in July of 2018, a Class A Tiffin motorhome, we needed a way to pull our work truck behind Miss Tiffy, as we call her. Chevy Chase, our 2018 Chevy Colorado work truck has two options for being towed behind Miss Tiffy: flat tow or use a car tow dolly.

Our company, HMRVI Corporation, purchased Chevy Chase as our work truck for our RV inspection/consultation business back in late 2017. The truck was purchased based on our needs for the business. Our research led us to believe that the truck could be towed four wheels down, or with the rear wheels down if placed on a car tow dolly.

Once the truck was purchased and steps were being taken to get it ready to tow, we found out that the truck could not be pulled behind Miss Tiffy with all four wheels down, nor with the rear wheels down, without a driveshaft disconnect being installed. Now that is not a big deal to have installed, but it would cost around $2,500 to do so.

So, Pam and I started looking at the costs to set up Chevy Chase to either flat tow or to put it on a car tow dolly. If we wanted to flat tow the rear-wheel-drive manual transmission truck it would require a driveshaft disconnect be installed and then all the parts of the tow bar system for successful flat towing. Costs would be around $6,000. Our further research led us to believe that the driveshaft disconnect system could lead to future problems.

To car dolly tow Chevy Chase would require the front wheels to be placed on the road and the rear wheels up on the tow dolly. But wait, it’s a manual transmission! Why can’t you flat tow it or place the front wheels on the car tow dolly and tow with the rear wheels down? Even the Chevy dealership said it was okay. But, the owner’s manual specifically states that to tow the 2018 Chevy Colorado behind an RV, it has to be placed on the tow dolly with the rear wheels on the tow dolly and the front wheels on the ground with the steering wheel secured with a locking device.

Most car tow dolly manufacturers say to not tow a vehicle this way. The Demco tow dolly instructions specifically say to not tow the vehicle in this manner. After doing more research it was decided that this was the case because if they approve of towing in such a manner, they place themselves liable if people don’t follow proper instructions. We know that most tow truck drivers advocate that it is safe to tow a vehicle in this manner if proper safety precautions are taken: be sure the front wheels are secure and not to rely on the locking system of the steering wheel when the key is removed from the ignition.

So, our choice was to either pull Chevy Chase with its four wheels down using the driveshaft disconnect and a tow bar system or to use a car tow dolly and tow with the front wheels down. The difference in cost was about $3,000! Since we serve as RV consultants and want to have experience with both methods of towing, we opted to try using the car tow dolly system first.

Since starting the full time RV lifestyle back in 2008, we have had a fifth wheel RV, a Class C motorhome, and now a Class A motorhome. Each has been chosen based on our needs and wants at the time of purchase. But, this was the first time that the need to tow a vehicle behind a motorized RV became necessary.

The Reasons We Chose the Demco Tow Dolly

The Demco tow dolly line is respected within the RV Industry. The KarKaddy SS is a high-quality tow dolly that provides a durable, safe, and an effective means of transporting our truck behind Miss Tiffy. The term “Kar Kaddy” has earned its reputation to be synonymous with the words tow dolly!

demco tow dolly

Because of the weight and width of our truck, we needed a more substantial tow dolly that would safely carry Chevy Chase. We also liked many of the features that the Demco Kar Kaddy SS has that are not available with other tow dolly manufacturers.

What Makes a Great RV Tow Dolly!

Need more space? Fold it!

demco tow dolly
  • The perfect solution for RV parks that are not deep enough to accommodate your motorhome and tow dolly.
  • Fully extended- 133 inches long.
  • Folded- 67 inches long.
  • Hydraulic surge brake system for safe and controlled stopping.
  • Includes disc brakes.
  • Chrome wheels with radial tires and dual safety chains.
  • Sealed bearing hubs with a 3-year unlimited warranty.
  • Less than 100 lbs. tongue weight when loaded, for improved ride and handling of tow vehicles.
  • Total towed vehicle weight: 4,800 lbs.
  • Axle capacity: 3,500 lbs.
  • Towed vehicle tread width: 42” minimum, 76” maximum.
  • Galvanized finish.
  • EZLatch Coupler.
  • Large ST205/75R14 Radial Tires, Load Range C that can be upgraded to Load Range D if desired.
  • EASY LOADING of the towed vehicle, even when backing onto the dolly.
  • Dolly tires track the same as the RV tires reducing the chances of damaging the tow dolly and vehicle.
demco tow dolly
demco tow dolly

Having worked in RV parks as work campers and assisting people to their RV sites, we got familiar with the issue of what to do with the tow dolly once you get to your location. In a lot of RV parks, there is not enough room for the towed vehicle, the RV, and the tow dolly which means it has to be stored somewhere else. Some RV parks will charge you for that service.

We just visited an RV park that charges $108 per night. It is in a beautiful location! The RV sites are very close together and sites accommodated only the RV and a vehicle parked across the front of the site. When we arrived we had to unload the tow dolly. They wanted to store it for us. I let them know because the tow dolly folded in half, it would fit at the rear of the RV as it could be tucked underneath. They were okay with that. Otherwise, we would have to deal with their scheduling of getting the dolly back at departure time.

When we add five thousand pounds of a towed vehicle behind the RV, additional braking is required. Trailers and tow dollys have braking devices included, but some will function better than others. Electric brakes are okay, but in my opinion, hydraulic brakes are better. The Demco Kar Kaddy SS comes with hydraulic surge brakes. There is a mechanism on the tongue that allows the dolly tongue to slide back and forth and actuate a plunger that engages the hydraulic disc braking system.

demco tow dolly

As we drive Miss Tiffy with Chevy Chase on the tow dolly behind we do not notice the additional weight behind pushing us during stopping maneuvers. The hydraulic surge brakes are more than adequate to handle the forty-five hundred pound Chevy Chase.

Not all tow dollys are able to handle the weight and width of a heavier vehicle like a truck. The Kar Kaddy SS with its thirty-five hundred pound axle capacity and seventy-six-inch maximum vehicle tire width made it easy for us to be able to tow Chevy Chase behind Miss Tiffy.

This is kind of a vanity thing, but the Demco tow dolly is pretty! With its chrome rims and sleek design, it looks so much better than other tow dollies we looked at. Also, the long tongue allows for sharper turns without the towed vehicle coming in contact with the rear of the RV.

Using the Demco Kar Kaddy SS Tow Dolly

At the point of writing this, we have towed the Demco tow dolly about fifteen hundred miles. We have loaded and unloaded Chevy Chase five times. At this point, we feel we have a pretty good idea of the capabilities of the tow dolly.

At first, the idea of driving the truck up onto the tow dolly was concerning because we felt it would be easy to drive over the front of it in order to get the wheels onto the towing platform. Working in RV parks we have seen it happen. We have also seen a few YouTube videos of such occurrences. In order to increase the comfort factor, I installed a winch on the tongue of the tow dolly that allows the vehicle to be slowly pulled onto the tow dolly. That works well! Demco sells the winch assembly as an option for the tow dolly.

demco tow dolly

Given that Chevy Chase has a manual transmission, and backing up an incline with a manual transmission can be tricky if not careful, it took some getting used to before I wanted to try it. Recently I decided to give it a go. The advantage of backing onto the tow dolly is that the truck has a backup camera with the grid lines that help align the truck with the dolly.

Pam watched as I aligned the truck with the tow dolly ramps and proceeded to pull up onto them. That went pretty well. Once I reach the bars that keep the tires on the tow dolly, I had to give it more gas to get over those. That’s the scary part of the process. Once I got over those I have to quickly let off the gas and step on the brakes. The whole process of loading is not as bad as I first thought. Once I knew what to expect it has become an easy process. I can use the winch if I am not in the mood to drive Chevy Chase onto the tow dolly or in case of an emergency.

Once Chevy Chase is on the tow dolly there are several more steps that need to happen before the tow dolly is ready to be moved. The tow dolly comes with tire straps and safety chains to secure the vehicle to the dolly. The straps must be properly set and tightly secure to be sure Chevy Chase stays on the dolly. The heavy-duty tire strap winches that come with the Demco tow dolly make it easy to secure the tires to the dolly platform! I have been very impressed with the quality of these.

demco tow dolly
Tire Straps Attached to the Strap Winches

I also have to be sure the safety chains are attached to the underside of the chassis of Chevy Chase. They are used as a backup to the tire straps.

Both these steps are easy to do and only take a few minutes to accomplish. Once completed, and the tow dolly is properly hooked up to Miss Tiffy, we are then ready to roll.

The Demco tow dolly has all the appropriate DOT lights. It requires a four-pin connector on the RV to hook the tow dolly lighting too. We have a seven-pin connector on Miss Tiffy so we use a seven to four converter to hook up the tow dolly lights.

We could not find any clear regulations about having additional lighting on Chevy Chase when towed with the front wheels down in many different states. Are the tow dolly lights enough or should we be safe and add additional lighting to be sure people following us can see us? We decided to ere on the side of safety and add some additional lighting. Since the front of Chevy Chase is facing drivers behind us there really is no way to hook into its lighting system and have braking lights be visible.

demco tow dolly

I had heard that there are now add-on lighting systems for towed vehicles that are blue-tooth connected without having to use wires. So after some research, I purchased a pair of these lights to place inside the windshield of Chevy Chase. They came with a seven to a four-pin connector that contained the blue-tooth transmitter. Once the lights had batteries installed and turned on they clearly showed our directionals and braking signals from the RV lighting system.

Final Thoughts

We are very happy with the performance of the Demco Kar Kaddy SS 460 tow dolly. As I have had time to watch its performance in the rearview cameras and as we take turns, I now feel very comfortable having it behind us with Chevy Chase loaded onto it!

As we looked as places to purchase the tow dolly, we discovered most online sources have the best prices. You can buy them pre-assembled from a dealership but the cost is significantly more. We looked at our first choice for any purchase, Amazon. They have the most competitive price on the Demco Kar Kaddy SS! Other than finding a new scratch and dent that has been damaged in shipment and is in need of minor repairs, the online sources offer the best pricing.

Check out the Kar Kaddy SS 460 from this source!

Also, please watch our YouTube video we shot while traveling with the tow dolly in action. We shot it using our 360 video camera so you can see the tow dolly behind the RV and what we see as Miss Tiffy travels down the highway.

Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question about the Demco Kar Kaddy SS tow dolly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Howard, Pam, Lindsey, and Winston

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