So Debbie, just were you and Keith ? Missed you at the show, an easy 350 mile run south on I-87 from Montreal-

BIG AL

Mike,

Several years ago a local welder made really nice tow bars. When you arrive at the meet you just disconnect. No need to take the Mini end off.run a trailer wiring harness under the bonnet fro light on the Mini being towed.

Flat towing... we towed my woody wagon behind my Cavalier wagon to Denver in 1989.

No problems... Watch for entrances into gas stations that are really steep. Its easier to find used trailers that fit a mini. Probably less than $1000 for a dolly from Ohio.

Also consider brakes on the trailer.

Make sure that your total weight is correct to your drivers license.

A neighbours daughter and her boyfriend got nailed in Pennsylvannia for $4000 in fines for not having the "proper " drivers license to tow a fifth wheel.

Ignorance is not bliss....

Deb

You can back up a flat towed mini. Just got to understand the geometry. Much harder but can be done.

Just put it on top! Mini on top of course.

I have buddy bearings on my car trailer eliminates the need and messy job of pulling the bearings apart just to grease them.

Right you are Chris-

I always try to run with two good spare tires- One goes down, put on a spare and "Keep on Trucking"

BIG AL

they were 8's And the wheel bearing had gotten a fairly recent greasing, I was more worried with blowouts actually! I ended up buying 2 spares on the long trip for the moke.. so that the tires would give me no problems, I mean if a spare part reduces the chance of that part failing two should eliminate it? lol

Chris

8's look like 6" wheels to me Malcolm!

10's look like 8" wheels to me Al.

Chris-

On that 1200 mile trip, did you have wheel bearing problems ?

Looks like 10 inch wheels on the trailer,can you imagine the number of revolutions they made on the trip-

BIG AL

Sounds similar to my mini retrieval means... although mine has not been upgraded heh.

60 mile recovery

1200 mile recovery

Having it a foot wider would be nice however, although for a under $400 trailer it seems to happily take all sorts of abuse!

Chris

I have done both and always use the dolly now. If you get stuck and have to back up, the car and dolly can be moved by disconnecting and push. As long as you are on flat surface it is a piece of cake. My 2006 MINI S pulls it no problem. At the Cmu Mini 53, My wife also dollied here Mini with her 2005 MINI S. Dont know how to add picture to show.

RE: "Can't back up..."; a qualified rebuttal...

Both flat towed and dollied, I managed to learn, once pointed fully straight, how to back up for about eight-ten feet. After that, it was more hassle than it was worth.

Don't plan on it, but know that in certain very limited situations it's possible.

And yes, once, I did manage to get myself into a situation where I had to de-couple the dolly and re-align the vehicles to extricate myself.

Mike-

I believe Tims' price was $1K- He was having trouble sourcing parts as he makes them up on a firm order basis-

They do store away in an upright position against a side wall-

You can tow at 75 mph with his unit-

If you run 10 inch wheels on your mini and on the tow dolly then you can get away with one spare tire-

And NO, you can't back up- so know the road in front of you-

BIG AL

I decided on a folding trailer (5'x8') that would double for towing my sidecar rig. Upgraded it to 2K axle and wheel rating to be able to do a Mini when I get another one.

Tow dolly:

http://cartowdolly.com/eze-tow-dolly/

Tow Bars vs. Tow Dollies vs. Trailer for towing a Mini or Moke

Tow Bar (A Frame)-All four wheels of the towed vehicle are on the ground.
More wear ‘n tear on the towed vehicle’s wheel bearings/tires.
If something happens to the suspension/bearings, you’re pretty much stuck
Cannot be reversed.
At times, after a sharp turn, the front wheels can oscillate back ‘n forth until you slow or stop.
No brakes.
You have to either hang temporary lights or re-wire the towed vehicle for lights.
Tow Bar (A frame) is easily stowed when not in use.

Tow Dolly-Front wheels of towed vehicle are off the ground.
More wear ‘n tear on the towed vehicle’s rear wheel bearings/tires.
If something happens to the rear suspension/bearings, you’re pretty much stuck.
Cannot be reversed.
No brakes. (at least on the tow dolly I owned)
Tow dolly is a bit more bother to stow when not in use.

Trailer-All four wheels of the towed vehicle are off the ground.
Even more wear ‘n tear on the towing vehicle.
If something happens to the trailer’s bearings/suspension, you’re pretty much stuck.
Can be reversed.
Can, and should, have brakes.
Stowing a trailer when not in use can be an issue.

Does this "dolly" just raise the front wheels of the Mini off the ground ?

If so, I presume you cannot back up with it, eh?

Anyone have any pix or a rough idea of the price ?

This really sounds like the cats-meow.

X2 Nothing better.

Hauling behind my S-15 was a breeze. When I went AWD, I had to give that up (AWD has to be towed "four-down"). So, I traded the dolly to MiniTec for incorporating a full towing setup in the AWD conversion. Norman and BJ had been lusting after it every time I used it to take my car there.

Tim's dolly's? None finer for hauling a Mini.
I had his MK3 version for a bit... it went on to NJ but have no idea where it is now.
Behind the Subaru, you hardly knew anything was back there... unless you needed to stop in a hurry. About the only other problem is when you glance in the mirror. It seems like that Mini is about ready to crawl up your bumper. You get used to it after a while though...

All great replies guys. Some serious, some not so.... I laughed---I cried.....You fellas never fail to impress.

I'd like to know more about the Tim Bosse Tow Dolly.

Maybe I can get Big Al to bring Tim's Estate here on a dolly and get a two-fer. (Clubman and Dolly)