Help -- noob to towing, need to tow a car on a dolly!

Let me preface this: I've never towed anything before. I've got no clue what I'm doing, so I'm trying to learn.

I need to tow my non-running car from VA to GA (580 mi or so) in a couple weekends on a tow dolly. I'll be driving a 99 Exp. Sport 4x4 with the 4.0 OHC. The car being towed is a 1990 BMW 325i.

I've got the tow dolly, it's an old rusty pile of junk, but seems structurally sound. It's got bad tires on it, so I'm trying to find a used set of tires to put on it now. No idea what the dolly itself weighs.

The car weighs roughly 2800 lbs. I can transfer some of that weight into the back of the Explorer (front seats, spare tire, engine cooling system which is currently in the trunk, etc.) and drain the fluids if need be. It's RWD, and I'll be putting the back on the dolly if the front air-dam will clear the ground (front is lowered), and if not, I'll be disconnecting the driveshaft and suspending it under the car.

The Explorer will be carrying one or two people and very light luggage, as well as maybe 200 lbs. of spares for the BMW.

What am I not thinking of here? The plan is to get a bumper ball and tow it that way. IIRC, the bumper is rated at 3500 lbs/350 lbs tongue weight. Is this going to be a problem? I definitely don't have any extra cash to drop on an actual hitch. $20 at Harbor Freight is pretty much my spending cap here.

Will I need to do anything in the way of rigging brake lights on the car/dolly, or will the lights on the Explorer be sufficient? If so, what's the best way of doing that?

As far as driveability, I plan on keeping it fairly slow (70 or so, less for curves). I'm also aware that towing the dolly up to VA unloaded, the dolly will be bouncing around on the road. Any way of minimizing/preventing/dealing with that? Anything else about driving a loaded trailer I should be aware of? Any estimates of what my gas mileage might be (usually get 16 or so on the interstate at 80+)?

Any preventative maintenance I need to do on the Explorer specific to towing before taking this on? I'm imagining there's a fair amount of stress on the driveline. I'll of course change the oil, but would a transmission filter/gasket/new fluid be wise? New oil in the rear end?

Thanks in advance.

edit: One more thing. I hear that trailer tires should always be bias-ply? Any truth to this? Any reasoning behind it?

 

[rookieshooter]

Preventive maintenance: You did not mention the dolly. If you say it's a piece of crap, then I can only imagine how the wheel bearing may look. You really need to pull the grease cups or what ever you pull to check the bearings and most likely re-pack them with grease. Better yet, re-pack them anyway. I would also jack one side of the dolly up and try to wobble the tire back and forth before you even check on the bearings. It should not have hardly any play. Maybe about a Froghair either way. If there is, it might be that all you need to to is to tighten the bearing nut. But still re-pack the bearings.
Just remember also that you will have to make your turns a little wider due to the fact that the towed car will want to track closer to the inside.
About the wiring, I'm not sure on. But just a little cheap 12 volt testing light can make this part a lot easier.
How are your brakes? And by all means check ALL fluids including rear.
When I tow with my X, which is mostly hilly, I'll leave the overdrive off.

 

[Gatorblazer]

Dont take this personally, as it is not meant as an insult, but if you have NEVER towed anything before, a car backwards on a dolly is not the place to start. There are way to many variables, one being that you didnt mention how you were going to to lock the front wheels to prevent them from moving, another being that you think you will be ok with just using the bumper. I highly recommend that you find a buddy that has towed before to 1) tow it for it you or 2) drive your truck for you. Its not worth your safety, or the safety of those who will be around you on the interstate, to not be sure of what you are doing.

 

[jrford]

I would think your over the limit of the bumper, I would guess usability is more like 2000lbs, someone else might have more experience and insight on this. I towed a dolly +100 miles with a Chry Lebaron, using my jeep and a Class III/IV hitch. It towed a lot heaver then the math added up. That dolly is heavy, not does the trailer weigh around 400-500lbs, you have 4 tires on the ground for rolling resistance, also wind resistance, my guess its more like towing and extra 1000lbs or more. You would need a Class III that bolts to the frame which you may find for $100 in a junkyard, But that’s just the hitch now add to the equation Motor, Gearing, transmission cooling etc . . . .it just might kill you Ex.
Other idea is have someone with a least F150 tow it, or car transporter . . . .3rd Gen could do it if its equip with the ClassIII and 3.73 gears as it can tow up to 7000lbs.

 

[Maniak]

1st Gen bumper ratings are 3000+ (I've seen 3000 and 3500 listed on bumpers)...

I don't like the idea of towing it backwards.. in addition to locking teh tires, you also have the issue of the caster being way off when its towed like that. I've seen vehicles towed backwards get really bad shakes...

I'd say, take off the drive shaft and tow it forwards...

As for Bias or Radial, it doesn't matter, just match them. Most trailer tires do have a stiffer sidewall which will help when you have weight (less wiggle) but if you can't find trailer tires for a good price just make sure the tires you get can handle the weight. As you said, with the dolly empty its gonna bounce all over the place.. Lowering the air pressure on the tires on the dolly when its empty will help, but it won't cure the bounce.

EDIT: I just noticed you have a 1999, not a 1st gen (I looked at the wrong person in the thread).. I have no idea what the bumper rating is on a 1999
~Mark

 

[Gatorblazer]

rating should be the same. My 93 and 96 had the same rating for the bumper. Its still not a good idea though.

My big point to this is your experience. If you had towed a boat, ut trailer, or something else with some size to it (seadoo's dont count) then I would say go for it, to a degree. But your talking about traveling for what, 14 hours, with a heavy load and no experience towing. Its equivalent to letting a med school student do brain surgery on you. I'm sure he could handle it, but would you take the chance? Start small and slow and then work up to the big stuff. When a big heavy trailer gets squirrley at 70 mph, that is not the time to be a rookie. Thats the way you flip your load and truck.

 

[Maniak]

rating should be the same. My 93 and 96 had the same rating for the bumper. Its still not a good idea though.

My big point to this is your experience. If you had towed a boat, ut trailer, or something else with some size to it (seadoo's dont count) then I would say go for it, to a degree. But your talking about traveling for what, 14 hours, with a heavy load and no experience towing. Its equivalent to letting a med school student do brain surgery on you. I'm sure he could handle it, but would you take the chance? Start small and slow and then work up to the big stuff. When a big heavy trailer gets squirrley at 70 mph, that is not the time to be a rookie. Thats the way you flip your load and truck.

If he was towing the car on a trailer, I'd agree.. Don't start towing with that.. From my experience, towing a car (front wheels up) on a car dolly is one of the easier things to tow going forward. Backing up is another story.. Backing up a car trailer is usually futile.

~Mark

 

[Gatorblazer]

Backing up a car trailer is usually futile.

~Mark

It can be done, just might have to sacrifice some sheet metal

 

[Maniak]

It can be done, just might have to sacrifice some sheet metal

I just noticed I said backing up a car trailer.. I meant backing up a car dolly.. but you problably figured that.

When I asked a friend of mine that drives 18 whllers he backs up the double trailers (since thats kinda what your doing with a dolly) he said you unhook a trailer then do it, unless your really good.

~Mark

 

[e30kgk]

...

Good call, I'll repack the bearings on the dolly when I pull the wheels to mount the new tires. Brakes are in good shape.

...

Not really an option to have someone else tow it. It's not across town, it's a pretty big trip, and I don't know anyone who has any experience towing who could take the time off work.

As far as locking the front wheels, does anything really need to be done beyond the steering column lock which would be engaged because the car would be turned off? I've seen tow truck drivers using straps on the steering wheel, so I could rig something up that way if anything else needed to be done.

...

Good idea, I'll let some air out of the trailer tires when it's empty. I've verified, the bumper rating is 3500#. I may try and take off the driveshaft, but that's not an easy job at all, especially in a driveway, which is where the car is now.

And again, will the steering column lock not be sufficient for locking the front wheels?

...

Again, I really don't have any option but to tow it myself. Car transporters are WAY too expensive, especially since the car is non-driveable. Spending $1200 to have a $4000 car towed to me is not only highly impractical, but also not a possibility on my budget.

 

[GreenMando]

Let me preface this: I've never towed anything before. I've got no clue what I'm doing, so I'm trying to learn.,,,,,As far as driveability, I plan on keeping it fairly slow (70 or so, less for curves).

Pretty sure there is a federal law on towing not to excede 55, might want to take some caution before speeding with a worn out dolly.

 

[Maniak]

Nope.. no federal law about towing over 55.. In California vehicles pulling trailers are limited to 55 (at least on I-10).. In arizona.. you can tow up to the speed limit which is 75.. but I wouldn't do that.. I'll set the cuise at 55 mph with the trans OUT of OD.. and just sit back and enjoy the long slow ride.

~Mark

 

[Riddle_Rob]

Perfect thread.
I'm thinking about doing the same thing. I can't find a damn class III/IV hitch atm anywhere for a decent price. I need to tow my ranger to its storage place and all I have available is the X. My bumper is rated for 3500lbs. My ranger is under 2500lbs. So add a dolley or trailer, whichever comes along first, on paper I can tow it. I have experience towing as I had a job at a marina Sorry to thread jack but, it's the same situation. I need to go an hour towing this thing and don't have money to rent a better truck to tow with, don't have friends with trucks capable (need new friends lol) and my Explorer has the tow package (light hookup + tranny cooler). Really need to know if this is feasible as December is coming up fast and we can't park on the road over night so the gf's car needs to be in my rangers parking spot. HELP?!

 

[Melon]

I went straight from never having towed a thing, to pulling my 18ft trailer empty twice, to pulling it loaded. Followed that with backing off the street into a business drive - that was quite interesting to watch - didn't hit anything though

I'm with Mark on this - I would go with unhooking the DS and pull it that way. I wouldn't want to risk the front wheels turning and sending the car out of control. Not sure if you'll actually be able to get it out. If you haven't posted on a BMW forum (unless someone here knows?) I'd post to see how difficult it is to remove one.

As far as towing tips - take your time, plan your route wisely (gas stations, food, etc) since you'll need a bit more turning space and backing up will be interesting. If you can swing it, come up with a spare tire for the dolly as well, even with good tires - anything can happen. And whether the dolly has surge brakes or not - leave yourself the extra space. It's better to have too much braking space than not enough

-Melon

 

[Fr0z3N]

I've towed a civic on a car transporter from uhaul many times using my 99 sport's bumper with a ball, never had a problem. Yes this is long distance too usually a 2 hour drive each time.

 

[Riddle_Rob]

REALLY?! UHaul told me they wouldn't rent me any sort of trailer because I was towing with an Explorer.....

 

[gijoecam]

REALLY?! UHaul told me they wouldn't rent me any sort of trailer because I was towing with an Explorer.....

Likely a Canadian thing... U-haul definately won't rent to an Explorer in the US.

 

[Melon]

REALLY?! UHaul told me they wouldn't rent me any sort of trailer because I was towing with an Explorer.....

Probably related to the Firestone fiasco some years back. I still think it was the retard behind the wheel that caused the rollover and not the tire blowout itself. But that's my opinion.

-Melon

 

[Fr0z3N]

Nope uhaul won't rent the explorers either, the trick is to pick it up with 1 car then switch it to the ex after.

 

[Riddle_Rob]

Yep, that's what I had in mind actually.