[TexBolt]

We live in Midland, TX and bought our Bolt in Austin, TX. We pulled the Bolt home from Austin on a 2-wheel tow dolly behind our motorhome. We had some problems with how the Bolt worked on the dolly, and I'm wondering if anyone else has tried doing this. Looking for a way to make it work better, because we would really like to use the Bolt as our "dinghy" when we travel.

Our Kar Kaddy SS tow dolly has wheels that turn when we go around corners. For the car to work correctly on our "steerable" tow dolly, the wheels on the car must remain straight ahead at all times. Most ICE cars have a steering wheel lock as part of the ignition switch, and they work fine on the dolly. Since the Bolt does not have a lock on the steering wheel, we found that the front wheels on the Bolt would occasionally turn when we went around very tight turns. Once they got "cocked" off center, they would not return to straight ahead. At that point the car was no longer tracking straight behind the tow dolly, and we had to stop, start the car, and re-center the steering wheel.

So I'm wondering if anyone else has tried pulling the car on a tow dolly, and if so how it worked. I might be able to come up with some way to "lock" the Bolt steering wheel with straps or ropes, but I was hoping for a more elegant solution.

All suggestions cheerfully accepted. We have another car we normally pull behind the coach, so if we can't make the Bolt work it is not a big tragedy.

 

[XJ12]

use the seatbelt???

Does Steering Wheel of Vehicle Need to Lock to Tow On Tow Dolly | etrailer.com

Does Steering Wheel of Vehicle Need to Lock to Tow On Tow Dolly

www.etrailer.com

 

[TexBolt]

Thanks! I'll take a look at that option, and see if it might work.

 

[TexBolt]

After doing some online search on the "seatbelt through the steering wheel" trick, I discovered there is a whole bunch of products designed to do exactly what I need done. Seems the vehicle recovery business has been using steering wheel straps for ages. I just need to find the one that would work best with the Bolt steering wheel.

Might take some trial and error... Don't want to bend or damage the steering wheel by cinching it down too tight.

 

[iwatson]

Hello TexBolt,

I just discovered your question and wanted to respond. I am also an RV'er and use my Bolt as a dinghy vehicle. Like you I traveled to pick up my Bolt and towed it back home. I use the same type of tow dolly which has a rotating platform that the front tires sit in. As you mentioned these were designed for vehicles with locking steering. Most modern cars (not just the Bolt) built in the last 10-15 years have abandoned this theft device. Most modern cars rely on coded keys to disable the vehicle. There is a newer design in tow dollies which uses a fixed platform that does not rotate. With these, the gimbel becomes steering of the toad vehicle.

My quick and easy solution to compensate is to use a pair of ratcheting straps looped over the steering wheel at 10 and 2. Attach to the driver's seat frame. Ratchet tight until the wheel is aligned straight.

Also since I tow frequently I installed a knife disconnect switch on the negative pole of the 12v battery. It's important to disconnect 12v power after the vehicle is ready to tow to prevent the car from automatically engaging the parking brake. This simple modification allows easy changeover from driving to towing and back.

 

[TexBolt]

Thanks for the reply. Since we have another car (2011 Kia Sorento) that works fine on our tow dolly, making the Bolt work has not been a high priority. Plus, I hate to subject our shiny new Bolt to the hardships of towd duty when we already have a the older car for that purpose.

I have seen several devices for sale online that are used to secure the steering wheel. Some are like your solution - using straps. Others use a mechanical locking bar that sits on the floor in front of the driver seat. These are sometimes used by tow truck companies.

If we ever get serious about trying to pull the Bolt behind the motorhome, I will give your solution a try. Also the battery cut-off switch!

Thanks again.