Could GM’s Electric Tow Dolly Help Smaller Vehicles Drag Bigger Loads?
Putting a powered dolly between the tow vehicle and the trailer could provide a lot of benefits.
Some of us tow all the time—contractors, landscapers, vehicle transporters. For those folks, get a vehicle with the equipment to handle moving (and stopping) all that mass … pretty simple. For folks who only tow occasionally, the decision-making process gets a lot more complex. Maybe you’re towing a camper, say, four or five times a year? But you’ve got to size and equip the vehicle properly to do that, even though it’s not hauling a load the rest of the time. That means lots of underutilized miles, driving a heavier and less efficient vehicle than you need—or buying a separate commuter, but then one or the other is parked the majority of the time, too—inefficient in another way. I see this as a disaster waiting to happen, the tow vehicle is still too small to handle a large trailer and people can’t handle one pivot point and now have two? Back ups will be impossible. Fucking GM.
“Electric Tow Dolly”
WTF?
Great way to have your camper overtake you going downhill. A disaster waiting to happen.
That thing is the very definition of faggotry.
Just what you need on the road, a 5th wheel or big ass travel trailer behind a Honda.
And, you just know some fool will try it, too. Won’t read the frikkin manual, will try to get a 20′ towed by a rice-burner that has totally inadequate brakes, and will somehow manage to short the battery pack so they can have the benefits of a thermal runaway between their ride and their bedroom.
Any bets?
I’ve farted on one of those little fabric cots. Many times. Don’t tell my Mom.
Yeah, that tow dolly is the result of progressive engineering, at best.
“Progressive engineering” means they ignore the laws of physics.
As the old pro’s have always said about towing: “There’s no substitute for cubic inches.” Had an Expedition (it’s an F150 with an SUV body), the NBX model “Heavy Duty Tow Package”, everything oversize; radiator, brakes, alternator, etc., EXCEPT the damn transmission. After a $3K tranny rebuild, I traded in for an F250. Looked at F350’s; yeah, a beefier frame and consequently more tow capacity, but the SAME engines and trannies as F250’s. Always take tow capacity figures with a hefty margin to spare.
Also have that very Coleman stove. Bought a propane conversion tube for it and can use 1lb. bottles or bulk tanks with a hose. Lights instantly, no pumping, no messy liquid fuel to fool with.
Most people are not wise to the towing package/cellophane transmission syndrome until it’s waaaaaay too late. A few thousand bucks of education later they get wise(r).
Greg,
Old rule of thumb when towing, your towing vehicle should be a thousand pounds heavier then what you are towing
I had the escursion and it was fine for towing my 32ft ultralight anywhete but mountains.
The electric dolly is a stupid idea.
Yeah, the Excursion is an SUV body on an F250 frame. Ford has discontinued it mainly because people complained about the lousy mileage as an SUV. Well, DUH! The F250 is a heavy beast, and I had to learn early on to be careful with momentum, turning and braking, especially on gravel mountain roads.
Went camping one time with Mom, saw some smoke too strong for a fire. We wander that direction to see if we need to get the hell out of dodge… Nope. A fella’s RV caught fire, burned down to the frame in no time at all.
I’ll probably end up with a small travel trailer anyway, when the aches and pains of sleeping on the ground get to be too much.
I grew up on a farm and even after a bijillion tries I couldn’t back up the tractor with the baler and a hay wagon attached. Even going forward will be a problem, at the first intersection most drivers will learn the hard way that you need to make extra-extra wide turns.
Imagine just how badly the trailer will sway in a cross wind.
What they’ll need to turn that POS contraption around:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDxVJ471hyg
🤣🤣🤣
Worked at Honeywell in late 70’s and early 80’S. One of the development engineers was working on a similar tow dolly but with a gasoline engine. I don’t believe it was ever marketed.
If your vehicle is too small for towing, attempting to make it so will probably not work very well unless your distance is very short and a lot of interstate with flat terrain. Up hills / mountains and / or dirt roads – can that dolly handle that as well ?
I don’t think so Tim.
My wife installed a hitch on her Suzuki XL-7. It is used to haul a small flat bed trailer for hay bales (15 max) or when her Harley Sportster requires towing to the mechanic. Travel trailers – no, maybe a pop-up trailer, but nothing full height.
That’s the kind of Nonsense for people (“drivers”) who don’t know how to actually Drive anything other than a small Car- What’s the Worst that can Happen??
Two Pivot Points? Towed Mass much Greater than Tow Vehicle? Try a 200-Ton Jet, Towbar to Nosewheel to Tug, and 27-Ton, 4 x 4 Tractor. Better have someone in the Cockpit to work the Brakes.. or Not.