How wide are these trucks???
 

New guy here...this is probably an easy one for some of you but I was wondering how wide a '69 SWB C-10 is? I'm sure it's the same for '67 thru '72 trucks right?

The reason for asking is that I'm about to go pick up a project truck a couple hundred miles away and I called U-Haul to rent a car carrier and they asked what kind of vehicle I would be transporting. When I told them what it was, they said it wouldn't work, that the truck was too wide? So I wanted to see for myself, if one of you guys can tell me how wide the track is on these trucks I'll go take a tape measure out to U-Haul and check out one of their trailers myself. Would a 2 wheel tow dolly work better?

Thanks in advance,
Niki

I don't have specs but from experience you can do it if:

It's a 2wd and does not have wide tires. It will be a tight fit, do not try to drive it up on, use a come-a-long. Also, the fenders over the dolly's tires will be real close so any tight radius turns can be dicey. Uhaul probably won't rent to you unless you lie about the vehicle you're towing. If you do mislead them, any damage even if insured will be your responsibility. There is a dolly made that is designed for wider vehicles but Uhaul does not carry them. I believe it's a HD unit that is 80 inches wide. Maybe you can call around to rental places as Uhaul and Ryder, etc don't have this style. Good luck.

I can't give you exact measurments either but I did haul mine home on a dolly. It was a real tite fit but it worked. Remember you are towing a heavy load, these trucks are made of thick gauge steel, so just take it easy on the drive back and give yourself plenty of stopping room. The brakes on the dolly are not meant for that much weight! All and all I got mine about 250 miles on a car dolly and I was towing it with an 89 jeep cherokee with a six in it. Got it up over the mountains and through the twisty road here in PA.

Remember never ask permission first. Do it and you can always beg for forgiveness later! (Best way to handle a wife!!)

:gmc:

Thanks for all the info guys.

"Sorry Mr. U-Haul...did I say '69 Chevy truck? I meant Honda CRX" :D

Glad to know it's been done before. I'll take some pics of the heap once I get it if anyone's interested. Long road ahead but I guess that's what it's all about!

Thanks again -

Ya, take it slow and expect the tires to ride up outer part of ramps when loading so align carefully. They won't nestle to good into the depressions on the dolley either. Letting some air out of the front tires after loading helps some. Strap the tires down real good as the column does not lock on these rigs. Expect to see the wheel turn from side to side in your RV mirror some. Also, if it's an auto, disconnect the driveshaft from the rear end, for a manual just put it in neutral. Happy hauling.

FYI, don't hold me responsible. I was merely suggesting that misleading Uhaul was an option but you are assuming some risk too by doing so. Where's my lawyer...

Like CPNE said any damage will be on you,but here is what I did.. I hauled a 4x4 blazer.The fenders on the trailer I rented from u-haul where bolted on on one side and held on with rubber latches on the other side.the side that is bolted I removed,5 bolts,You may have to place apiece or two of board down so the hubs clear the top of the tailer. I told them I was hauling a CJ-3.

You thought about a tow bar? $100 bucks at wall mart and its yours forever.

As for width, i don't have specs for the tires which is what you really need, but sheet metal to sheet metal, it is 79 inches acording to GM

Do you think I'm too wide for one of those UHaul tow dollies? Sorry, I couldn't resist. I haven't found a full sized car trailer that I can fit my truck on without putting stock sized front wheels and tires on the truck first.

Thanks for the measurement longhorn, I'll look into the towbar option as well.

I wish I had a rig like Pont's to tow my project home!

tow bar folly
 

I just used a tow bar to move my truck from utah to Florida. I don't recommend it. I removed to front bumper and bolted to tow bar to the frame where the bumper mounts. I fabricated a spreader bar to make the thing a little more rigid because it kept bending the ears on my frame. The thing finally broke out of the frame and came loose, ruined my outer grill., and now i have to have my frame welded back together. For 250 miles it might not be a bad thing, but anything longer and I would suggest one of the other methods. Just my .02.

Wow, I towed my GMC short bed from Tx to Ohio with a tow bar, then used the same bar to haul a one ton Longhorn from Eastern PA here to columbus Ohio...not to mention all the little tow jobs I've done here with it. That tow bar has well over 2000 miles of use, the only damage I have ever done is damagine the front bumper of the vehicles being towed becouse I was too lazy to remove them.