Towing Question

[Bernie]

I am looking to tow a chassis this weekend, bouight from Blazerman. My tow vehicle is a Jeep Wrangler. This able to tow the weight, a bit less than 2000 pounds, but I was trying to rent a tow dolly from U-haul and they said that the maximum width they could handle was 72 inches. Blazerman measured the track at 80 inches. Has anybody done this ? can a U-haul dolly be made to work ? How much harder is it to tow with a tow bar ? Any advice would be appreciated.

[ThreeQuarter]

Yeah, Uhaul has told me several times (it takes a few to convince me) that they won't let me tow a 67-72 2wd with one of their tow dollies because the pickups are too wide. I think a 4wd would be out of the question. I know a 2wd will fit on one of their car haulers, but I'm not sure about a 4wd (tire size will matter). Never towed with a tow bar so I'll punt on that question.

[Paul Romero]

I have tha same dilema , I'm, about to get a truck from a fellow board member an I went to U-haul and the guy told me that a whole truck won't fit, we took some measuraments and we concluded that the truck will fit without the front end , clearence between the dolly fenders is about 85 inches, thereafore a bare chassis will fit, and a car hauler will accomodate the truck as long is a short bed, long bed is too long and half of the rear tires will hang off the car hauler; see if this helps and tell us how it worked and good luck. Paul.

[kenele]

I just moved from Seattle to Phoenix and I was told by both Ryder and U-haul that my 71 Burb was an untowable vehicle. They said neither their dollies or trailers would work. I rented one of their full size car trailers and it fit. Plenty of room on the sides and an inch to spare with the gate lifted up. I went through scales and everything. My trailer was rated for 4600 lbs carrying weight and 6000 gross. Handled great!

[ThreeQuarter]

A LWB chassis will fit! I hauled the '72 GMC C20 for 250 miles on a Uhaul car hauler. With the front tires sitting in the little cradle the rear axle is still over the skids. Who cares about the rear edge of the rear tires--it's the bottom side of the tires that contact the trailer!

[Longhorn Man]

You can buy a tow at Wall Mart for a hundred bucks. I used one of theres to tow my 69 SWB GMC from Tx to Ohio....no trouble.
Then I used it to tow the 70 C/30 Longhorn from PA to Ohio (428 miles) with no trouble...except the towed vehicle weighed quite a bit more than the tow vehicle).
Tow bars are awsoime, and vary nice to have laying around. Ignore that sticker on the wall mart one that says 3000 pound limit. I figured that was becouse they say to drill a hole in the bumper and bolt the bar up. I took out a bumper mounting bolt and bolted the bar directly to the chassis.
Never a problem. There's no telling how many times I have used it locally in the past year.

[BLAZERMAN]

Bernie, if you could swing buy your u-haul dealer and take a measurment, i'll get an exact measurment on the front track width if it's 85 loke paul says there shoudnt be any problem. Also when towing with the front end on a dolly do the front tires have to be locked straight or can they be left able to turn.

[BLAZERMAN]

Longhornmail, could that tow bar be bolted directly to the frame rails, as in a truck with no bumper

[Longhorn Man]

Yes it can be. As a matter of fact, i discovered why moth my trucks have the same dents in the bumpers. (I'll let you guess on that one)
I have towed the one ton to the car wash with the mounts put directly to the frame.
If you go this way, don't forget to bring a safety chain, and a set of trailer lights. Both required by almost every state.

[BLAZERMAN]

Looks like that might be Bernies best way to go, on this chassis he will be towing I dont have the drag link hooked up between the pitman arm and steering box, should I find a way to lock the wheels straight or let them able to turn. As far as the lights I think u-haul rents lights with a magnetic base and long leads for hook up.

[Longhorn Man]

Let the wheels turn. It will track perfectly.
The only vehicle I have seen that the wheels don't want to track properly is first and second gen camaros. For some reason, the front wheels will flop the oposite direction that you need them to.
When i took the remains of the first Longhorn to the scrapyard, I had to lock the front wheels straight ahead becouse of the extensive frame damage. Every time I turned, the longhorn fram/bed full of junk would keep going straight and try to jack knife me. It came pretty close once, but I was able to stomp the loud pedal and straighten it all out. (got lucky)
In reality though, if the wheel is unlocked, and common sence is used (don't do 100 MPH) then this is the most ecinomical way to do it. And plenty safe. They would not be legal if it wasn't safe. (safety always comes up when I discuss these tow bars...some ppl are just scared)
I also picked up a light kit from wally world for 30 bucks and bolted them to the back bumper of the toed vehicle.

[BLAZERMAN]

Thanks for the info, this should give Bernie several options on towing this thing, if the span between the fenders on a tow dolly is 85" it should fit, or for about the same price as renting a dolly he could buy a tow bar, either way Bernie you need to check on a tail light kit and make sure your rig is wired for trailer lights [or buy the special tail light bulbs that have pigtails coming out].

[1-PU70]

I have a U-Haul dolly that I bought from them used. Its an older model. I went out and mesured it and lookes like you could go about 74" wide. I have herd they make a wider one but not shure.

[Bernie]

Thanks for the advice. The widest tow dolly that I could find could hold a width, outside tire to outside tire of 76 inches. I didn't measure the width inside the fenders, but 85 inches would be about right. (The fenders are cracked anyway). It seemed to me that I should get two standard 8 lug rims and tires from a junk yard, put those on the front of the chassis and then mount it on the dolly. I measured a truck in the parking lot and that seemed about right. I've heard bad things about tow bars and with a small tow vehicle like the jeep would prefer to use a dolly. If anyone has a better idea I would be very happy to hear it.

[ckhd]

I pulled my '68 from LA to Pheonix on a u-haul tow dolly. Just got a full size car one, and put narrow tires on the front of the '68.

Had to lie to u-haul to get them to rent me the dolly, I told them I was pulling a '92 K2500 with a '68 K20 and they let me have it, they wouldn't let me have it the other way around.

I don't know about a trailer... When I use a trailer, it's usually my dad's gooseneck flatbed.

[ckhd]

Oh, and that was on a 72" wide dolly. They said I couldn't have the 76" dolly because the lights weren't working (but the pile of crap trailer they gave me didn't have the lights working either).

Get narrow tires on stock rims and you'll fit fine on a 72" or 76". Get the 76" if you can.

[Purs]

Do you have to unhook the drivelines when towing with a bar or car dolly? I'd be towing a 4wd about 500 miles to go hunting.

[1971LT1SWBPOSI373]

I towed my 71 shortbe using a dolly. The problem is that the tires won't fit 100% into the cradles, but I strapped it down and went anyway (I only had 90 miles to go). You have to secure the steering wheel so it wont turn, I used rope and tied it to the brake pedal, and you have to unhook the drive shaft or you'll damage the transmission. I unhooked the rear of the drive shaft and taped the u-joint, and then wired it to an exhaust pipe. Then I went with it.

I don't recommend using this because I found out what will happen is.... as you travel and go over bumps the truck will shift around. One wheel eventually shifted and slipped completely into the cradle, and the other tire was forced just about all of the way out of the cradle. At the same time the stap became very loose when the wheel slipped into the cradle, and on the opposite side the door was incredibly close to the fender on the cradle.

I must admit, it did work, and I didn't have any damage, but the potential was there for some real problems, although I wasn't concerned about loosing the truck because of the safety chains. Just be aware of what may happen and proceed with caution. If I had to do it again I would use a tow bar, but to transport a rolling frame you should be able to cinch it down in the cradle and get by. Just make sure you hook up the safety chains and check those straps frequently. TJ

[Longhorn Man]

Don't be afraid of the bare chassis compaired to the weight of a complete Jeep. If the chassis out weighs the Jeep, than something is really wrong.
Like I sad, some people fear tow bars, and it is unwaranted. You'll hear many more bad trailer/dolly storys than tow bar storys.
I used tow bars to tow 70 ton tanks all thie time...and that was with a 56 ton recovery vehicle....
they're perfectly safe.

[bucket]

I used a volvo to drag a c20 over 500 miles from southwest kansas to northeast kansas. probably was not the best towing rig as it wanted to yank the rear end around a bit, but I took it real easy and it got the job done. I'm not sure what the weight difference was between the two, but when i asked a volvo mechanic i know about the towing capacity he swore that he would not hesitate to pull 5000 pounds.

[Longhorn Man]

maaaaannnn, and I thought I had balls!
You gotta love having a light weight tow vehicle...nothing like being afraid to look in the rearview mirror huh?

[Huck]

First off, your Jeep Wrangler isn't rated to haul anything near this weight!!! Your wheelbase is much too small so if you decide to go with the Jeep, be real careful~~~~~~~!!!!!!
I have towed several 71 trucks with a dolly and they just about fit. Once on, tie your steering wheel and chain the chassis to the dolly. You can also use a hitch as Longhorn suggests but then lights etc. become a factor. I would look for a friend with a truck to tow with as the jeep is just the wrong vehicle~~~~I used a jeep to haul a bass boat and it was always a major chore---can't imagine a 4,000lb+ truck and dolly~~~~. Hope you don't hit any hills or sharp curves. Fill you gas tank before you hook up so you don't need to gas up along the way. AND, let us know who your next of kin is so we can advise~~~~~GOOD LUCK!!!

[Bernie]

Thanks for the thought Huck ! I've elected to go with the dolly and get junk yard wheels with the narrowest tires I can find. I'm not worried about the weight, it is a rolling chassis rather than a whole truck, and the jeep is rated for 2000 pounds which I have towed before. I, or my next of kin, will let you know what happens on Monday.

[Newby 69 GMC]

What is left on the chassis? If is just a frame I can't see it being anywhere near 4000lbs.

I would trust the tow bar idea better than the dollie. The tow bar would be BOLTED to the frame where the dollie will only be strapped to the wheels. I trust bolts more than straps.

My $0.02. (and that is Canadian $$$ is it really isn't worth much in USA)


Trevor

[Longhorn Man]

Originally posted by Newby 69 GMC
My $0.02. (and that is Canadian $$$ is it really isn't worth much in USA)

Dude...I can't breath now...that is funny as hell! LOL!!!