Tow Bars?

[Chevyguy111786]

I am going to be towing a 78 long bed from arkansas to dallas. i was going to use a trailer but the one i was going to use is out of service. so my plan was to by a tow bar. i can find one anywhere. any one know where i can get one. i'll be in dallas till tomorrow, then in tulsa, then little rock, ending up in jonesboro arkansas. any ideas?

[shelby987]

Uhaul will sells tow-bars....recently towed a 3/4t 4wd 300 miles on a tandem axle trailer, wish I had of gone with the tow bar (never used one personally) but on the highway, ANYTHING would have been better than that trailer!

[qksilver]

I have towed both with a tow dolly and my car trailer last year. I used a U-Haul tow dolly to bring back a 72 burb from Tucson to NC. I would go with the tow dolly way over the tow bar. That way at least 2 wheels are off the ground. Makes ure you tow it from the front, pull the drive shaft, put good tires on it and check the rear axle fuild. it will just fit in the pans, take it easy turning and make sure you put the safety chains on.
Using the dolly over the trailer is that the dolly weighs a lot less and that will help

[Longhorn Man]

A dolley has no brakes... just adds weight to what you are towing. IMO, they are kinda stupid.
Go to any RV place, or trailer sales place, if they don't have them, they can get you one. E-bay is a good place too. Reece.com has a low dollar unit that works great for the 67 - 72 trucks, I don't know about the 73 - 87's.
Just remove the bumper, and bolt the tow bar attachements directly to the frame. Brakes are an issue, but I have towd through the same reigon you'll be going through, and there isn't a hill to be found. Learn the way the combined vehicles handle, and keep your distance. Learn to back up in a large empty parking lot. Once you learn how to do it, you can place a towed vehicle anywhere. Just take your time and watch what you are doing. Don't forget chains, and some tail lights on the towed vehicle.

[Huck]

Tow dolly's are brake capable and many have them---. They are used by thousands by blue hairs driving their motor homes with their cars behind. Sorry Andy but I don't agree with your opinion. Dolly's are a great alternative to a trailer.
A good tow bar is available from Tractor Supply, most larger auto parts stores (Pep Boys) etc. You can attach to the frame or if so equipped, to the bumper but you may damage the bumper if overtightened. They usually come with a safety chain that wraps around the bumper which is nice. The only issue I've had is if the vehicle towed is really heavy with big tires--it can push your towing vehicle on turns that will get your attention. I towed my Blazer from Michigan to KY behind a Tahoe. Equal size vehicles but the blazer with 33" tires tended to push the tail of the Tahoe a bit as it didn't self steer as easy as it should have if it had stock tires on it. Huck

[sparky69]

I had a bad experience with a tow bar but I found out later why.
If you use a tow bar make sure you got enough weight in the front of the towed vehicle so the wheels will track properly.
The truck I was towing didn't had an engine in it so it was light in front and the wheels didn't track hardly at all and ended up jackknifing on an on ramp.
Ended up getting a tow dolly from u-haul which made a big difference. Went over the mountains WV and VA with no problem driving a Ford Explorer.
I guest the moral of this story is don't listen too your wife when she says "go the cheapest route" .

[Skruffy]

I rented a tow bar from U-haul to tow a 71 from Dallas to Chicago and it worked great - much better than a trailer. You might check with U-haul to see if they still rent them. Be persistent, they don't have much call for them with the newer bumpers.

[Longhorn Man]

OK huck, I have never seen one with brakes. I'll let up on my opinion there.
However, one with no brakes is not much of an improvement over a tow bar.