Tow or No?
02-07-2018, 03:44 PM
#1
All That Is Man
Thread Starter
Tow or No?
The car I drove in high school (77 Camaro) is sitting in my father's backyard underneath a car cover. I want to move it to a storage space closer to me so A) It'll rot a little slower and B) I can work on it from time to time. The only problem: The car is 500 miles away.
When I looked at UHaul for a car trailer, the website asked a lot of questions about vehicle weight and about what I plan to tow it with. When I put in the information about my truck, it recommended I didn't tow with it. So I'm just putting out to you guys for your advice whether it's doable (not worried if it's smart or not, smart would be to have it towed...I want to do it myself).
I've got a 95 F150 5.0 2WD with about 207k on it. I'm going to have the transmission rebuilt within the next month or so along with replacing the exhaust and shocks soon after, and I wouldn't do it until all that is done. The truck runs fine other than the transmission issues and the exhaust leak. What do you think? Should I take a 23 year old truck on a 1,000 mile journey to bring a 41 year old car home?
If so, what are some recommendations or things I should upgrade/make sure work well before making the trip?
When I looked at UHaul for a car trailer, the website asked a lot of questions about vehicle weight and about what I plan to tow it with. When I put in the information about my truck, it recommended I didn't tow with it. So I'm just putting out to you guys for your advice whether it's doable (not worried if it's smart or not, smart would be to have it towed...I want to do it myself).
I've got a 95 F150 5.0 2WD with about 207k on it. I'm going to have the transmission rebuilt within the next month or so along with replacing the exhaust and shocks soon after, and I wouldn't do it until all that is done. The truck runs fine other than the transmission issues and the exhaust leak. What do you think? Should I take a 23 year old truck on a 1,000 mile journey to bring a 41 year old car home?
If so, what are some recommendations or things I should upgrade/make sure work well before making the trip?
02-07-2018, 05:23 PM
#2
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If you've never towed anything that heavy before, or towed with this truck before, then NO. This would NOT be a learning opportunity. I'd start shopping for a car hauling service. Since it's not urgent or time-sensitive, you should be able to get a rate approaching just what it would cost you in gas & food to DIY. If something on your truck is close to breaking, you'll be WAY ahead letting someone who does it professionally handle the job. You don't want to find out 400 miles from home that the U-joints or tie rods are overdue - especially with a trailer in-tow. You don't want to know what it costs to flatbed a FS truck while towing a trailer 400 miles home, just to spend even-more fixing the truck before you can start on the car.
Once you get the truck's maintenance caught-up, and all the repairs done, then the truck should be reliable enough to drive cross-continent. But don't start towing above the truck's capacity. Start off LIGHT, and work your way up SLOWLY (like over years) in weight & distance/weather/terrain.
Once you get the truck's maintenance caught-up, and all the repairs done, then the truck should be reliable enough to drive cross-continent. But don't start towing above the truck's capacity. Start off LIGHT, and work your way up SLOWLY (like over years) in weight & distance/weather/terrain.
02-10-2018, 07:55 AM
#3
Senior Member
If your going over a mountain, no. If it's flat, I would get everything fixed, get a trailer that sits flat with breaks, get break assist on truck. I would do it. Get the transmission done first.