Anyone who owns a car needs a car dolly. It is a straightforward mechanical product made of metal rods. While you may not think you need them, any car owner who has a car stuck outside or even inside their garage can see the benefits of car wheel dollies. Purchasing wheel dollies can be expensive for the number of times you may use them. However, making car wheel dollies isn’t a too challenging task.
In our guide, you can see how to make a wheel car dolly can use many materials you have at home or ones you can easily access. One of the most significant considerations with a homemade car dolly is how much weight it needs to carry.
By the end, you’ll see all the materials you need to make a wheel car dolly. Now, if your car engines decide to quit, you can move your car quickly without needing to try and start your engine. How to make a wheel car dolly may vary, yet in operation, your car wheel dolly will function the same and save you plenty of effort. (Read Can You Cut Pex With A Copper Pipe Cutter)
Why Do I Need A Car Wheel Dolly?
A homemade car wheel dolly is a tool that helps move your car simple and accessible.
It is a platform that can move over a surface on four wheels. There are numerous other uses for the vehicle tow dolly or DIY dollies that are just used to get cars moved on your driveway.
A car wheel dolly is a tool used to wheel a car around. A DIY car dolly fitted to a damaged or immobile vehicle wheel can be fastened and pulled over curbs and other obstructions by a tow truck or winch.
It is helpful whether you are a skilled mechanic or a single car owner.
What You Need:
It would be advisable to start assembling the components before making a wheel car dolly.
This is because they will be present as soon as you begin working on the dolly’s construction. The process will be seamless as a result.
The following are the necessary tools and materials to assemble car dollies for garage use:
- Plywood sheet
- Heavy duty casters: Strong enough to hold a vehicle, all the casters are the same.
- Nuts
- Carriage bolts
- Solid rubber wheels
Besides these supplies, you’ll need a drill, hammer, and wrenches to finish the job. You ought to get the ideal people to assist you, so your work is more doable. You’ll be willing to do it accurately as well.
Steps To Make A Wheel Car Dolly
Here are a few steps to make homemade wheel dollies as they use in the local auto shop:
1. Choose Materials for Homemade Dolly Cart
Make sure the wood you’ve picked is solid before you start. This is vital because it will support the weight of your vehicle.
Purchasing plywood sheets for your DIY wheel dolly is essential to handle the pressure and fend against shattering.
2. Cut Plywood Sheet
You can start making a wheel car dolly once you’ve completed all the necessary parts.
- Mark the area of the floor where your dolly will go.
- You can then cut the plywood into smaller square-size pieces once this is finished.
- Ensure sure the plywood sheet is sufficiently big to hold a car tier. The recommended thickness would be three layers of plywood sheet for each dolly you make.
- You’ll need good quality glue to assemble three layers of plywood after all the plywood has been cut.
- After gluing them together, you must wait until the first three plywood sheets are totally dry. You won’t be able to remove them from your floor or ground if they don’t fit tightly together.
3. Fit Your Caster Wheels
Once you’ve finished cutting and gluing the plywood sheet, you can start attaching the casters and your wheels.
Casters are used when you move your car; you’ll need them to move in all directions. Straight wheels would only move backward and forward. Caster wheels have a 360-degree movement.
Ensure there are holes along the side where you can fit your carriage bolts.
Each tow dolly needs four casters, so they need to be positioned in the right places, so they take the weight of the car and are evenly balanced.
You may start properly mounting the casters once you’ve determined where they should go.
Ensure they have a 360-degree range of motion. You’re finished once you properly drill the gaps, insert the nuts, and secure them with carriage bolts. (Learn How To Turn Off Advancetrac)
4. Evaluate Your New Wheel Dolly
It’s time to put your DIY car dolly to the test. The evolution of the dolly structure has reached its conclusion with this action.
The process must have been pretty straightforward for you up until this point. However, testing is the crucial step where you discover whether your efforts produced the results you were hoping for or not.
Move the dolly during testing without placing the car on it. After doing this, you must inspect the casters in case they don’t move or are stuck without offering a smooth motion.
You need to ensure the wheels have a full range of smooth motion and are working properly to prevent flat spots.
If you don’t prevent flat spots, then as you try and push your car, the flat spots hit the floor, and it’s impossible to use your car dolly, be it shop-bought or even homemade ones.
Besides checking the smoothness of the movement, you must determine how much weight your dolly can hold.
Find your dolly’s maximum weight-bearing capacity to help you choose its future use. If you ever decide to get a new car, you will know how much weight it can handle.
5. Carry Out Final finish
Once all the dollies have been checked, and it is working correctly, you can give your doll a suitable texture, such as painting it if you choose. Sharp edges might damage the tires, so you must sand the wood before polishing the dolly.
You can now continue using your dolly to move your car.
In use, all you need to do is lift your car on a jack and the dollies beneath each wheel as it is held in place by the lifter.
Once you have dollies under all 4 wheels, you’ll have no trouble maneuvering your car out of the garage or inside for safe storage.
If you plan on leaving your car on your dollies, be aware this will still have the same effect on the tires as if it was on a concrete location for an extended period. (Read What Causes Gas To Come Out Of Exhaust)
Wheel Dolly FAQs
How to make a wheel car dolly?
You will need a piece of plywood, a jigsaw, a drill, some screws, a wheel, and an axle to make a wheel car dolly.
Drill holes for the axle in the center of the plywood after it has been cut to size.
Then, screw the opposite end of the axle into the plywood after screwing the wheel onto one end of the axle.
Last, you can use it to move your car around with ease!
How do you make a homemade car dolly?
You need a few basic supplies you probably already have lying around the house to make a homemade car dolly together.
- To begin, you will need a piece of plywood at least 4 feet tall and 8 feet wide.
- Reduce each piece of wood to a width of 2 inches and a cut of 8 feet.
- Drill a hole in the middle of each strip, and then use the holes to attach the strips to the plywood in the shape of an “X.”
- Add your casters so you can tow your vehicle around the garage.
How do you make a dolly wheel?
- To make a dolly wheel, you will need a piece of wood that is at least three inches in width and eighteen inches in length.
- First, using a hole saw, cut a hole in the middle of the piece of wood that is 2 inches wide.
- Next, using a jigsaw, cut the piece of wood into the shape of a wheel. After sanding the wheel’s edges until they are smooth, a hole should be drilled in the middle of the wheel using a drill machine with a 1/4-inch bit.
How do you make a heavy-duty dolly?
A sturdy dolly can be constructed using a few different methods. Utilizing a piece of plywood and some 2x4s is one approach that can be taken. (Learn How Far Can You Drive An Overheating Car)
- First, the plywood should be cut to size, and then holes should be drilled for the 2x4s. The framework for the dolly will be constructed out of the 2x4s.
- After screwing the 2x4s into the plywood, attach the casters to the underside of the structure.
