Towing January 01, 2018, 04:20:34 pm After driving the 2 vehicles, LD and my wife driving her Kia Soul to Florida for the winter, I have decided we need to consider towing. The Kia Soul requires a dolly tow. How do others find towing on a dolly, are brakes necessary? Thanks
Re: Towing Reply #1 – January 01, 2018, 04:42:39 pm Quote from: Molly101 - January 01, 2018, 04:20:34 pmAfter driving the 2 vehicles, LD and my wife driving her Kia Soul to Florida for the winter, I have decided we need to consider towing. The Kia Soul requires a dolly tow. How do others find towing on a dolly, are brakes necessary? ThanksThe majority of RVers who use a dolly learn to hate it very quickly. They are more difficult to use than flat towing and present another problem once arriving, where to store the dolly? Most campsites do not have the room for the RV, toad and the dollyMany times they need to be manually pushed around, they are not light, are you up to the physical challenge?The set up time is longer, requiring driving the car onto the dolly and then attaching heavy nylon straps, around the front wheels, that need to be cinched down very tightly.Yes, the dolly needs to have either electrical or surge brakes to remain legal.A dolly weights quite a bit, adding to the towed weight.Before buying a dolly, rent one from U-haul and see what you think, after a few loading and unloading cycles .Most decide to buy a vehicle that can be flat towed. YMMVLarry 3 Likes
Re: Towing Reply #2 – January 01, 2018, 05:10:11 pm I can't give you any answers on this based on pulling a dolly, but I do have a question and a comment. First, how heavy are the Kia and the dolly combined? Your maximum allowable towed total is 4000 lbs for the newer LD's and less for older ones. This is an unmodified hitch limit. You cannot safely exceed that number without having the hitch modified.Second, the issue of brakes has been discussed extensively, but here are a few basics. When you add weight to the rig, you increase braking force proportionately because the load on the tires is increased. When you add weight via something towed, no weight is added to the rig's tires, so your braking ability does not increase. With more mass but without more weight on the tires, your braking distance DOES increase. As an example, at 60 mph with a good, dry, clean surface, good tires and good brakes you should be able to brake in 170 feet. (This is not stopping distance which includes perception and reaction time. This is just braking.) If we use 14000 pounds for the LD and 4000 pounds for the Kia and dolly without brakes, the towed package will be pushing you as you try to brake, and your braking distance increases to about 220 feet. The purpose of having brakes on the towed equipment - dolly and Kia - is to keep them from pushing you, so you can stop in about 170 feet. While the opinion of others may vary, it is my opinion that towing anything that weighs more than about 1000 pounds without brakes on the towed package (any wheels that touch the ground, so dolly AND Kia) significantly reduces your safety on the road.Ken F in NM
Re: Towing Reply #3 – January 01, 2018, 06:12:57 pm As an example, this Roadmaster tow dolly weighs 620 pounds, according to the spec sheets. The 'curb weight' of a 2018 Kia Soul (automatic) is 2942 pounds; it's probable that earlier model years of the Soul are similar in weight, and, depending on options and fluids and the 'cargo' that I know people who tow stash in (and on) the toad, the Kia is going to be over (or well over) 3000 pounds. The combined weights are (probably) still within the 4000 pound hitch limit, but the number leaves a pretty small safety margin. If the decision is to use a dolly to tow the Kia (despite the drawbacks), I would definitely upgrade/reinforce the hitch on the LD.YMMV, of course. 1 Likes
Re: Towing Reply #4 – January 02, 2018, 09:18:19 am Duh; forgot to include the link to the Roadmaster tow dolly referred to in the previous post.Roadmaster Inc. - Tow Bars, Braking Systems & RV Accessories
Re: Towing Reply #5 – January 02, 2018, 07:21:19 pm This one is advertised as 380 lbs. Don't have one, and haven't researched any farther than just the first Google hit for lightweight tow dolly, but there are probably others out there that are stout enough for a Kia... It has electric and hydraulic brake options.Acme "EZE-TOW" Tow Dolly - Car Tow DollyAll the other details about loading, schlepping and storage challenges still apply, of course.Chip
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