Towing AWD Vehicles and EVs: Why Dollies Are Now Standard Equipment

September 1, 2026

Towing AWD Vehicles and EVs: Why Dollies Are Now Standard Equipment

collins hi-speed dollies in use, towing a vehicle

Towing AWD vehicles and electric vehicles without putting all four wheels in the air is the fastest way to turn a $150 call into a $6,000 drivetrain claim. All-wheel and four-wheel drive hit 59% of U.S. light-duty vehicle production in 2022 — up sharply over the prior decade — and the EV fleet on the road keeps growing and aging into the roadside-service window. If your truck rolls with a wheel lift and no dollies, you are turning down calls or taking risks you can't bill for.

Here's what actually happens to these drivetrains, what the manufacturers put in writing, and which dollies solve it.

Why towing AWD vehicles with two wheels down destroys drivetrains

An AWD system is built to send power to all four wheels through a coupling, transfer case, or center differential. Those components live in an oil bath that's circulated by a pump driven by the engine.

Tow an AWD with the front axle up and the rears rolling, and you spin that whole assembly backward — with the engine off and the pump dead. No circulation, no cooling, no pressure. Twenty miles at highway speed is enough to cook it.

What you're looking at when it goes wrong:

Heat buildup in the transfer case, center coupling, and carrier bearings
Glazed or burned AWD clutch packs
Binding and case damage in the transmission or transfer case
A dash full of warning lights and a customer who now has your company name on the claim

Treat every AWD as all-wheels-up. Unless the owner's manual explicitly permits two wheels down — and most don't — both axles come off the pavement.

Towing electric vehicles: what the manual actually says

Towing electric vehicles is stricter, and the failure mode is worse than most operators think.

In nearly every EV, the drive motor is hard-connected to the wheels through a single-speed reduction gear. There is no clutch, no torque converter, no true neutral. Put the car in "N" and roll it, and the motor spins whether the car is on or off.

The common shop-talk explanation is that this back-feeds voltage and fries the inverter. That's not the failure mode the manufacturers document. Tesla's owner's manual is explicit, in all caps:

"NEVER TRANSPORT YOUR VEHICLE WITH THE TIRES IN A POSITION WHERE THEY CAN SPIN. DOING SO CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND OVERHEATING."

And, in the same section:

"IN RARE CASES EXTREME OVERHEATING MAY CAUSE THE SURROUNDING COMPONENTS TO IGNITE."

That's a vehicle fire on your hook, on the interstate, with your name on the door.

Tesla also closes the door on who pays: "Damage caused by improper transporting of your vehicle is not covered by the warranty." When the drive unit lets go, the manufacturer is not absorbing it. The customer is going to look at whoever moved the car.

Dollies are approved equipment — with a limit

Here's the part most articles get backwards. Manufacturers don't ban dollies on EVs. They require that dollies get every wheel off the ground. Tesla's manual, verbatim:

"Wheel lifts and dollies must be used to ensure that all four wheels are off of the ground. This method may only be used for a maximum of 35 miles (55 km)."

Two things to take off the truck with you:

Flatbed is the preferred method. Wheel lift plus dollies is the approved alternative, not a workaround.
35 miles is the ceiling on that Tesla. Long hauls go on a carrier. Check the specific manual — limits vary by manufacturer and model.

Before you load an EV

Put it in Transport/Tow Mode. On a Tesla: hold the brake, then Controls → Service → Towing. This releases the electronic parking brake so the wheels turn while you position it.
Know the rolling limit. In Tesla's Tow Mode the tires may rotate only under 5 mph and less than 30 feet — enough to get it onto dollies or a deck, and nothing more.
Expect the parking brake to reset. If the vehicle powers down or loses 12V, the EPB can re-engage mid-job. Confirm the wheels are free before you pull.
Watch what's under the car. The battery case is structural and it's low. Don't drag it, don't pry off it, don't chain to it.

Self-loading dollies vs. carrier dollies vs. consumer tow dollies

Three different products get called "dollies," and mixing them up is how equipment gets bought that doesn't do the job.

Type	What it does	Right for AWD/EV?
Self-loading dollies (Collins Hi-Speed®, In The Ditch Speed Dolly)	Two dolly bodies joined by cross rails slide under the axle that's still on the pavement. Paired with your wheel lift, all four wheels come up.	Yes. This is the tool — and it's what the rest of this guide is about.
Carrier dollies (Collins Carrier Dolly System)	Skates a wrecked or non-rolling vehicle onto a car carrier deck without dragging it.	Loading aid for the deck. Not a highway transport method.
Consumer tow dollies (U-Haul-style two-wheel trailer)	Carries one axle on a trailer while the other axle rolls down the road.	No. This is the exact thing the manuals prohibit.

The mechanism matters: a set of dollies lifts one axle. Your wheel lift takes the other. Together, that's four wheels up — which is what every AWD and EV manual is asking for. Dollies aren't a substitute for a wheel lift; they're what completes it.

Collins self-loading dollies: the models that do this work

Collins Hi-Speed Dollies 5.70x8 Tires - the only highway rated dolly on the market - HSD-P5D

Collins Hi-Speed® self-loading dollies are rated at 65 MPH, which is the line between professional equipment and a consumer trailer dolly. They drop off the mount, slide under the axle with a pry bar, and ratchet up — one operator, no second truck, no waiting on a carrier. Capacities from the current Collins lineup:

Model	Rated capacity	Tire	Built for
HSD-R4D REPO	3,640 lbs	4.80x8 D	Repossession — fast, quiet, minimal setup
HSD-P4D PRO	3,968 lbs	4.80x8 D	Daily light-duty and roadside work
HSD-P5D PRO	4,280 lbs	5.70x8 D	Heavier vehicles, more tire under load
HSD-H5D HERO	4,280 lbs	5.70x8 D	High-volume operations, all-day duty cycles
HSD-G7X Super Dolly	5,000 lbs	5.00x8 E	EVs, heavy SUVs, off-road and extreme duty

Those five are the sets we sell. Any other Collins or In The Ditch dolly can be ordered in — call us with the part number.

Sizing for EVs — check axle weight, not curb weight. Your dollies carry one axle, not the whole car. A mid-size EV crossover can run 4,700–5,800 lbs at the curb with the heavier end typically over the drive axle. That's where the G7X Super Dolly at 5,000 lbs and E-rated tires earns its price, and where a light C-rated set will put you over. Call the parts counter with the model you're getting called on and we'll tell you what fits.

Repo dollies: a different job, same physics

A repo dolly is built for speed and low profile — you're setting up on a driveway, not a scene, and the clock matters. The Collins HSD-R4D REPO is the R-series answer: 3,640 lbs, 4.80x8 D-rated tires, steel wheels, aluminum cross rails, 65 MPH rated.

The AWD problem doesn't go away because it's a recovery. It gets worse — you're often taking a vehicle whose owner is already hostile and already looking for something to dispute. A repo dolly set that puts all four wheels up removes the drivetrain-damage argument before it starts. Document the equipment used and which wheels were lifted on every ticket.

Making it standard operating procedure

Manual first, always. If it doesn't clearly permit two wheels down, it's four wheels up.
AWD is all-wheels-up by default. No exceptions unless the manual says so in writing.
Wheel lift + dollies = four wheels up. Train the crew on the combination, not the pieces.
Respect the distance limits. 35 miles on a Tesla via dollies. Past that, it's a carrier.
Train on EV specifics. Transport Mode, the 5 mph / 30 ft rolling limit, EPB re-engagement, battery case clearance, high-voltage cable routing.
Document the method. Equipment used, wheels lifted, mileage. Your tow report is the only thing standing between you and a drivetrain claim.

Frequently asked questions

Can you tow an AWD vehicle with a dolly? Yes — as long as the dollies are used with your wheel lift so all four wheels are off the ground. Using a dolly under one axle while the other rolls is what damages AWD drivetrains.

Can you tow an electric vehicle on dollies? Yes, when every wheel is off the ground. Tesla's manual permits wheel lifts and dollies on that condition, capped at 35 miles. Flatbed remains the preferred method. Confirm the limit in the specific vehicle's manual.

What happens if you tow an EV with the drive wheels rolling? The motor is geared directly to the wheels and spins with them. Tesla warns this causes significant damage and overheating, and that in rare cases extreme overheating may ignite surrounding components. It also voids warranty coverage for the damage.

How fast can you drive with dollies under a vehicle? Collins Hi-Speed® dollies carry a published 65 MPH speed rating. Consumer tow dollies are typically rated far lower — check the tag on whatever you're running.

What size dolly do I need for an electric vehicle? Compare the rated capacity to the weight on the axle you're lifting, not the vehicle's total curb weight. For heavier EVs and SUVs, the G7X Super Dolly (5,000 lbs, E-rated tires) is the safe call.

Shop Self-Loading Dollies at Battelini

We carry five Collins Hi-Speed® self-loading sets — R4D REPO, P4D PRO, P5D PRO, H5D HERO, and the G7X Super Dolly — plus the parts that keep them working: dolly mounts, replacement tires and wheel assemblies, bearing kits, ratchet assemblies, pry bars, and tie-down straps. If you're outfitting a truck to handle AWD and EV calls, self-loading dollies are what you want on the deck.

Shop the Dollies Collection →

Running something else? We can order any Collins or In The Ditch dolly on request — including carrier dolly systems for loading non-rollers onto a deck. Call with the part number and we'll get you a price and a lead time.

Not sure which dolly fits the calls you're running? Call our parts department at (856) 697-5250 — we'll get you the right one the first time.