Economical way to tow a vehicle home?

[wahoowad]

I'm shopping my area for a well used 4x4 truck for trail running. Several that I am considering are currently not running and I'm interested in them for the right price. What is the best way to do a one time tow to get it home so I can get it running? Rent a flatbead or wheel carrier from somewhere like U-Haul for a day? I have a V-8 truck to tow it with. Probably traveling no more than a 100 miles.

I've never towed a vehicle other than plenty experience towing a boat.

 

[Flatbedford]

I have rented their auto transport trailer a few times. I recommend the trailer over the dolly because it is easier to go backwards, and does not require that the tires on the vehicle being towed necessarily be capable of highway speeds. U haul is pretty affordable, but they can be very difficult to work with for a couple reasons.
They are very picky about your tow vehicle and what you are going to put on the trailer. They have a data base of vehicle weights and they may determine that your tow vehicle is not capable of the tow. or that what you intend to transport is too heavy for their trailer. I guess their insurance company makes them be extra careful. Make sure you tell them that you intend to transport a VW Bettle or Honda Civic, or similar and that you tow vehicle is suitable.
They usually will not tell you where to pick up the trailer until the night before, and even then, they may send you to another location for pickup when you arrive.
Their equipment is not always as well maintained as it should be. You must make sure that all tires are properly inflated, that all the lights work, and that the trailer brakes are working before you leave the yard.
The trailer is 6x12. I full size, longbed pickup will just fit on the trailer. The tie downs that come with trailer are a little wimpy, I'd use some of my own straps as well. Towing a vehicle on a trailer is no different from towing a boat. You didn't say how big a boat you tow, so you may be dealing with more weight and less visibility than you are used to. Use common sense, don't go too fast, leave a huge space between you and the traffic in front of you, and be careful.
That said, I would see if you can find anybody near you other than Uhaul who rents trailers. You may pay a little more, but you might get better service.
Good luck with it.

 

[fossil]

Forget the dolly or a straight tow, unless you're willing to get underneath and disconnect the driveshafts. If it's a non-running vehicle about which you know little, then I'd say your best bet is to get it completely off the ground onto a trailer or truck bed and carry it home that way. Rick

 

[nshif]

When I had to tow a 5000# forklift home ( about 40 miles or so ) I looked into a car hauler from U Haul and then called the local tow service, They moved it for about 50$ more then me renting the trailer and I didnt have to do any thing, ( and the 50 doesnt count the gas i would have used.) If you call them tell them its not a priority tow and they can get to it in the next day or so when they are slow.

 

[flyingcow]

check local laws=ask state police

See if he did that he couldn't use "tie a rope on it and hang on" method. :coolsmile:

 

[JustWood]

If you can ,reserve a uhaul a few days in advance. It will save you $ over renting it the same day you need it.

 

[Corey]

Well, the absolute cheapest way would be to take a length of log chain, hook it to the tow vehicle, slip a steel pipe over it, then chain to your truck...instant rigid tow bar. Done that on more than a few occasions - though I don't know about 100 miles of highway travel. Though you are buying a truck for adventure, right?!? - why not start with the tow home? I've done the uhaul car dolly a couple times - it works fine, remove the drive shaft or throw the transfer case in neutral as others have said. Seems like there is also a frame which can attach to a tow vehicle trailer ball and the bumper of the towed vehicle - if the towed vehicle has 4 good tires. A full trailer is simple and kind of boring - just winch the truck up and drive off.

 

[fossil]

...Though you are buying a truck for adventure, right?!? - why not start with the tow home?...

Yeah, Corey...just trying to explain that to the Trooper would be part of the adventure. Rick

 

[Firenutz]

If the truck has low rocker panels then the Uhaul sucks. I've noticed that the Penske trailers are a lot nicer. When I towed my car from Albuquerque to Buffalo with a Uhaul trailer I had to crawl in and out through the window like the Dukes of Hazard once it was up on the trailer. In my situation I was dealing with a lowered sports coupe but just keep that in mind and check it out before you spend the money.

 

[Flatbedford]

The left side fender folds down on the U haul auto transports. At least on the two or three that I've rented.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Hertz equipment rental has a super low single axle tilt bed trailer with a 7K axle on it. It makes it a lot easier to load if you have to winch it on. If its not long enough, Sunbelt has a tandem axle tilt.

 

[Firenutz]

The left side fender folds down on the U haul auto transports. At least on the two or three that I've rented.

On the one I rented the left side fender was too bashed up to fold down. They still have a step welded to the side that won't allow a door to open on a low vehicle.

 

[shoeboxlen]

If your purchasing a 4x4 I do not recomend using a dolly as it is not good for the transfer case. in fact if you read the owners manual on all 4x4 or awd vehicles they say you have to flat tow them. I would suggest a car trailer if you have a friend into racing mybe they can help you out.