I know the answers can be subjective but how bad do tow dollies bounce around when empty? I'm thinking of using a tow dolly to pick up my parts cars instead of putting the wear and tear on my truck and 24 ft enclosed. So I'd be driving one way empty on the interstates at 70 mph or so for what could be a couple of hours. I thought about partially dismantling it and putting it in the bed for the trip there but that seems overly ambitious due to the weight of it.
Those with fixed ramps that tilt tow substantially better than those with the removable ramps. They are also far quieter than the others.
Just picked one up this summer. Bounces but not too bad empty. Would watch the speed though. The tail can wag the dog a little. Loaded I have no issues.
I rented a U-Haul dolly and drove 3.5 hours, plus ran around all over Ottawa two summers ago. It was bouncing hard enough to break one of the fenders. I didn't care.
It was a bit of a pain, but not that bad. Hauled a nice used Golf home!
I've found it to be a pain in the butt the few times I've driven around with empty ones. I've also only used the rented U-haul ones. I don't go much faster than 65 with one on based on what vwcorvette mentioned above. Every bump, prepare to hear the ramps bouncing around though. Like even the ones you don't feel in the car. Over dealing with a 24' though, I think it would still be worth doing overall.
I once rented a uhaul dolly. It was something like $45 in town for 24 hours or $125 one way from Portland to Eugene. I of course went the cheap route and towed it empty 130 miles, loaded up a rabbit pickup and came home.
In retrospect I would have happily paid the extra money have not listened to that constant banging and crashing for 2.5 hours.
I have used other types that were better but none of them have any suspension so they are all noisy.
Okay I can't post pics but it's the Master tow dolly. It has to be easier than pulling the 24 ft around and maybe I can figure a way to pull it apart enough to get it in the bed of the truck.
Air the tires down to next to nothing (5-10psi, just enough to keep them from getting hot) when pulling it empty to reduce the bouncing. Air back up to sidewall before loading. This is even recommended by master tow.
Speaking of tires, don't forget that your parts cars need to have good rears and fronts that will at least hold air.
If you have a place to park it, I'd rather have a car hauler.
Carry an air can. Run the dolly low on tire pressure when empty, air it up for a load.
Also, the long tongue dolly pulls a lot better than the rented ones. Those rented ones are super crooked most Of the time. I had one I thought had a broken frame it jacked around so badly, when I returned it the guy just shrugged. That's when I bought my own.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Air the tires down to next to nothing (5-10psi, just enough to keep them from getting hot) when pulling it empty to reduce the bouncing. Air back up to sidewall before loading. This is even recommended by master tow. Speaking of tires, don't forget that your parts cars need to have good rears and fronts that will at least hold air. If you have a place to park it, I'd rather have a car hauler.
I have a 24ft enclosed and it's a complete pita to pull the race car out and drag it out to go buy a pos car. Besides the difference in fuel mileage and extra wear and tear on my truck and the trailer.
By car hauler I mean open deck one car trailer.
Yeah we're pretty full up here for another trailer.
Pulled one car home on a dolly. Probably wouldn't go that route for a longer trip. Check your tie-downs frequently. Mine had gotten surpisingly loose in the 30 or so minutes she was on the road. Granted it was a rented dolly and in pretty rough shape. And I wouldn't venture over 60 mph, but I'm old and wise. 
Update Just picked up a 2015 Master tow dolly for $725. Super nice condition. Dropped the tire pressure to 10 psi and was on my way. Had to take back roads for a bit and it handled fine. Took to the highway at 55 and couldn't tell it was back there. By the time I got to the interstate I almost forgot it was back there. Set the cruise at 78 and if I couldn't see the fenders in my side view I wouldn't have known I was pulling it. The fuel consumption increase was marginal so I'd say so far this was a good decision. Thanks for the help guys.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Air the tires down to next to nothing (5-10psi, just enough to keep them from getting hot) when pulling it empty to reduce the bouncing. Air back up to sidewall before loading. This is even recommended by master tow.
That is an excellent idea/advice. Never thought of it, sounds like it worked for OP as well.
Ive owned my tow dolley for about 10 years now. It makes a crapload of noise empty on bumpy roads but is quiet on smooth roads. Usually the highway is the quietest place to use it!
I have car (actually jeep) wheels and car tires on mine now because I got tired of dealing with how fragile the 13" steel wheels and trailer tires seemed. Now that it uses a normal 15" tires (had to modify my fenders all the way into the scrap pile), my normal 'supply' of boring 15" takeoff tires far outstrips the need for replacements. Much less annoying. Ive seen almost the whole dolley in my rear view mirror after it flew up in the air. This isn't an issue when loaded because it uses the towed vehicle's suspension and weight to soak up major impacts.
But the other issue is that once I figured out it wasn't going to fly off and my tires weren't going to pop, I stopped being nice to it when it was unloaded and just drove around like I 'normally' would. I drive faster than most would when it's empty and slower than most would when it's loaded.
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