Watch out for that dolly bar!

[Tow411]

Topic was originally created by fulltimer2 in November of 2006.

 

I have been towing for over 15 years and have always been reminded about locking in the safety catch's on dollies. A few times the bar has come back at me but I have been able to stop the bar from hitting myself, but the other day a new employee was loading a Toyota 4x4 and she was hit on the side of the head by the bar. She is OK and will be back at work on Tuesday (this happened Friday). So to all out there please help out that new driver, or the person that looks like he or she could use some help, have safty meetings regarding dollies and the procedure in using them. Thanks Chuck.

 

 

ibflat2 said:

yeah it hurts big time, and you are right Training is the key..

Coe Consulting / Fleet west have a video (dvd) out on use of dollies which is good ..
 

towmanjc said:

I always keep a hand on the dolly bar!!!Joe O`Brien
Weavertown Towing & Recovery - Pgh,Pa

 

mballor  said:

I've heard of broken jaws from those before, i'm not sure if its true but after i was told that i always stopped and made sure i had everything right before i released the dolly with the bar. I always make sure my head is not in the way just in case, never lean towards the car, and just take your time.

 

fulltimer2 said:

This driver was shown the procedure in using dollies and has used them before without incident. It was just an unfortunate accident.

 

 

SlimSanta  said:

I see a new design on a set of dollies that would prevent that type of accident.

Dakota Service & Repair, Brookings, SD

 

danielswt said:

long long ago before we had rollbacks one of our guys misplaced his bar and thought he would use a 12'' long cresent wrench instead......LOL boy was that the wrong thing to do. it didnt hit him but you shoulda seen the distance that baby had across the yard!!!

 

 

Eric777 said:

Good ole dolly bar........seen one guy let the dollys down, and the bar ended up cracking the side mirror of a car......

 

SFAUTORESCUE said:

One thing I found out about using dolly bars is that you only mess up once in you life time.

 

BTS 3  said:

I had a demo of those new In the Ditch dollies down in Baltimore. They seem to be very nice. Light weight and easy to use. I actually ordered a set I was so impressed on how easy they were.

One of the things I liked best of them (pertaining to this subject) is how light the loading bar was.

 

Tropical Towing said:

Yep I got hit right in the neck about a year ago. I knew better but got in a hurry, was not watching what I was doing, it was raining, my hands were wet, I slipped and bang right in under my ear. I had to set down for a few just to collect my thoughts.
Brian

 

ITD Sales  said:

Good Morning Everyone. I am new to the tow 411 website. I am the sales representative for In The Ditch Towing Products and wanted to encourage all of you to check out our website at www.intheditch.com.

The Speed Dolly works with cam-locks instead of the traditional ratchets, so there are less accidents with the dolly bar. Because of the cam-lock system, you can keep both hands on the dolly bar at all times, the cam-lock positively engages when the dolly bar is completely keeled over. The cam-lock works with a pin so the dolly locks itself, so you can keep both hands on the dolly bar.

The Speed Dolly also stores in a locked position so it's easy to pick up. It is only 58 lbs and a nice level load, so the wheels aren't flipping around and wobbling.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the Speed Dolly!

Jenn

 

smoffrd snowrider said:

i always make sure the locks in place before i load and i got about 75ft with the pipe wrench i still haven't gone after