I have a stripped out 48 ford sedan that I need to tow but I am running out of options, I own a tow dolly and have used it many times but when I pick up a project car I usually use a trailer that I borrow from a friend but currently his trailer is tied up and will be for the next few weeks. So here is my dilemma, can I use my tow dolly to tow this 48 ford, I have a good set of tires to put on it and the chassis is all there including the transmission but there is no motor, I have to get this thing out of the guys yard like yesterday and I am in a hurry to do so for him, but what things do I need to do to make sure I can make the trip? I know nothing about torque tubes but then again do I really need to disconnect this one? I don't care about the transmission as it is junk to me anyway but the owner said he flat towed it a couple of miles about 4 years ago and it worked fine for him just like it is but the only problem is I have to tow it about 150 miles to get to my house, I am concerned about gear oil in the rear axle or the wheels bearings burning up.
remove driveshaft, have good rear tires...properly inflated, good lights all around, check, check again and then recheck to make sure everything is secured down, take it slow and it should work fine, i dont think you'll have a problem with the rear axle or wheel bearings
well, if its not registered you may find yourself getting a ticket. as far as the torque tube, you only need to disconnect it if the car has an automatic transmission
I don't think they ticket in NY for unregistered cars on a tow dolly, I have towed probably 15 times on my tow dolly with unregistered cars and never had a problem.
ok. in california they give a ticket to any unregistered car whose wheels are touching public street. using a tow dolly, they consider the car an unregistered trailer. the laws in NY may be different
If your real concerned put the rear end on the dolly & tie the steering wheel straight Done this several times with older auto trans
48 Fords have Torque tube rear ends....Just load it up and go....Those old banjo rear ends hold gear oil real well too so no worry there.......
I would double check to see if it is legal. As others mentioned, if tires are on the road, it has to be registered. Thats the law in NH. Not sure if it is nationwide though. If you towed unregisterd cars before, you may have just been lucky.
put it in nutral and get some good tires and ride out..it is a manual trans right..if automatc dont put in nutral..ive towed many cars with a tow dolly ....im assuming the trans is still bolted to the cross member for no chance of falling out..if not pull it out and throw in the trunk ..the torq tube want move..good luck
if the drive wheels are on the ground i would disconnect the shaft, or put it on backards on the dolly and tie the wheel off
I'm not trying to sound rude but unless you know the laws in NY then it doesn't do me a lot of good to tell me what the laws are in your state. So I guess the general consensuses is that I should be ok towing this thing even thou it hasn't be on the road in probably 50 years.
Tow dollys, tow bars, both are exciting. Have you ever had a towed vehicle trying to pass you? I have using tow bar, tow dolly, a tad better, but jist a little. Trailers, only way to go.
Thats right with the wheels touching the road, the way a round that is a one way trip ticket I got one at the San Pedro, Ca DMV for the 56 Hawk on the tow dolly & the Chevy pick up i bought about 8 years ago, maybe NY has the one way ticket deal?
Internet tough guy at it's finest Next time try posting some useful information instead of babble and maybe you could be of some help instead of just a waste of bandwidth.
Your answer is here. Look at the fourth paragraph. http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/forms/mv274.pdf It says specifically that towing or pulling a car, not under its own power, does NOT require a registration in New York State, but the towing vehicle does. About 30 seconds on Ask or Google gets you the answer. Enjoy.
The way I read the link that Patrick listed is that the tow dolly itself doesn't have to be license. That link just talks about what trailers needs to be license and nothing else. The link just calls them trailer-type vehicles. The link does provide a phone # of 518-474-5282 of the N.Y. dept. of transportation to find out if the towed vehicle itself needs registration.
I agree with the tow dolly being the vehicle that does not need to be registered. But the vehicle that the tow dolly is towing is another story. Chances are that it will need to be registered (or trailered) before it can be on public streets, and that probably applies to all 50 states. I have towed with tow dolly once, but it was a short trip and I avoided our b/w friends as much as possible. That last vehicle I towed any distance was towed with tow bar, driveshaft disconnected, vehicle registered, and had the tail/brake/turn signals operable from the towing vehicle. Other than the tires going to hell (and being replaced) no problem, except for toll roads. They charge for 4 axles instead of two,
his state laws dont apply to you so your comments are useless so quit acting tough and add something that might help...i say go ahead and tow it, your legal and people have answered things you were worried about so why not...remember just be safe
I don't understand the problem. If you are truly in doubt, call the DMV in New York on Monday morning and ask specifically if a car on a dolly needs a tag. Tell them the car is inoperable! When they give you the answer either way, then have that person quote you the specific State statute that either permits or forbids the tow. That way (assuming it is legal), you are equipped with the official information and not some cops' opinion, shopuld you be pulled over. A little O/T, but...As an example, in my State, if a trailer is less than 10K GVW, it does not need to be tagged. I've towed my hauler in close to 30 States and never had an issue, because the law applies to the State of the registered vehicle. Also, a vehicle not being driven (a dollied car) needs no tag, either. It's called reciprosity, meaning each State respects the laws of the other States. Some of you were mentioning other states' laws.
The car has a manual trany and good tires...check. He has used a tow dolly before...check. I've done this, and usually get a one-day moving permit for the day I am going to drag the thing home. They are free in CA last time I did it. I bet they offer them in NY if you don't want to risk a ticket. I would go for it.
I just thought I would let everyone know that I called the NY DMV and they said it is perfectly legal to tow an unregistered car with my tow dolly as long as the car doing the towing is registered.
Bumping this old thread from the 2008 archives in the basement. I'm in NY, and have the option to pick up a dolly for short money. I'm wondering if the dolly itself needs to be tagged/registered. I know it would get used very little and would likely sit at times for years between usage. As much as I like the idea of having it available on a moment's notice, I hate the idea of paying annual fees on something that doesn't get used.
https://trailers.com/state-laws/new-york.php https://dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv274.pdf The NY definition of "trailer" gives me cause for alarm. A trailer is “Any vehicle not propelled by its own power, drawn on the public highways by a motor vehicle as defined in section one hundred twenty-five operated thereon, except motorcycle side cars, vehicles being towed by a non-rigid support and vehicles designed and primarily used for other purposes and only occasionally drawn by such a motor vehicle.”
MOST states do not ticket cars on a Dolly. Especially if Dolly is plated, I have towed thru multiple states without issues.
I’m not on NY, but I’ve rented a few tow dolleys. They all had a little PTI plate on them. Although I’ve seen 100’s of ranchers and Farmers with “jump ons “ that are similar without a plate on them.
I'm in NY. The answer is no you do not need a tag for a dolly. I have towed numerous vehicles with mine. Some of these guys should turn in their hoodlum cards.
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