DIY: Car Dolly

A car dolly, or tow dolly, is used to move a vehicle from one place to another when driving it is not an option. The immobile car is driven or pushed up ramps onto the carriage and strapped down with safety straps. A fixed cradle dolly takes corners differently than a swivel cradle dolly since there is no pivot point on the dolly. Care should be used while towing the dolly around corners.

Things You'll Need

• Axle with wheels and tires
• Metal cutter
• 3 feet of sprinkler pipe
• Welder
• 30 feet of 1/8-inch thick 2-inch-by-2-inch angle steel
• 15 feet of box steel 2 inches by 3 inches
• 1 2 inch trailer coupler
• 8 feet of 2 inch by 12 inch wood
• 2 carriage bolts
• 2 aluminum fenders
• Trailer lights
• 2 towing safety chains with hooks
• 2 ratcheting nylon safety straps, 2 inches wide

Instructions

Axle Preparation

1. Measure the length of the axle between the leaf spring mounts. Cut the axle at the center of this distance with a metal cutter.

2. Measure the inside diameter of the axle tube to determine the required outside diameter of the sprinkler pipe. Slide the sprinkler pipe into the axle tube so that 6 inches of sprinkler pipe is inside the axle on each side.

3. Weld both joints of the axle and sprinkler pipe using the welder.

The Cradle

1. Cut two 80-inch and two 23-inch pieces of angle steel. Weld the angle steel into a rectangle.

2. Weld a piece of angle steel 18 inches from each of the shorter sides to create two boxes on either end of the cradle.

3. Into each of the boxes you just created, weld two pieces of angle steel that run parallel to the longer side of the rectangle. The new pieces of steel should be 6 inches from the outside edges.

4. Tack weld the cradle onto the axle between the tires to make sure it is square. The center of the cradle should be at the center of the tire. Fully weld the cradle in place. The axle will be offset from center. The front of the dolly is the side with the offset.

The Tongue

1. Cut a 4-foot piece of box tubing. Under the center of the cradle, tack weld this piece of box tubing to the cradle and to the bottom of the axle. Make sure that the tongue is centered and completely welded at the cradle and axle.

2. Cut two more pieces of box steel, each 12 inches long. Place one piece on top of the other piece and slide it forward 6 inches. Weld together.

3. Weld this piece onto the 4-foot piece of tubing already on the dolly, overlapping the pieces by at least 6 inches.

4. Cut another piece of box tubing two feet long. Weld this piece onto the top 12-inch piece of box steel, leaving six inches overlapping. Weld the trailer coupler onto the end of the tongue.

5. Cut two 27-inch pieces of box tubing. Angle them between the tongue and the cradle and weld into place.

Finishing the Dolly

1. Cut the 8-foot plank in half to form two 4-foot pieces. Cut two 12-inch pieces of angle steel.

2. Attach one piece of angle steel to one end of each plank to form the ramps for the dolly.

3. Attach one fender to each side of the cradle of the dolly using the hardware and instructions provided with the fenders.

4. Mount and wire the trailer lights according to the instructions provided with the lights.

Tips & Warnings

• The rear axle from a 1990 or newer Dodge Caravan works very well for this dolly.

References

• Wood Tools: Tow Dolly Plans