I am moving from Alaska to Texas, and I'm trying to figure out the best method to tow my belongings with my lifted 2009 F150. It is about 5000+ miles for a drive. This is definitely new to me, and here is what I'm going to be towing:

2012 Dodge Charger
Boxes containing personal belongings
either a 2 wheel dolly trailer to tow the Charger or a 4 wheel trailer

I was wondering what kinds of tips, information, or even advice from people who have done a move like this could give me. The biggest concerns I have are:

The ALCAN highway is very long and rough, I don't want the Charger to get beaten up behind my truck.
I don't know much about towing, or the effects of towing for such a long distance.

any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

I would tow the charger on a trailer those Dolly's can be a pain from my experience

 

buy a good sized enclosed car hauler off craigs and sell it once you get to TX!!

 

x2

 

What about the actual tow? is there anything I should do to prepare?

 

Get a good trailer hitch like Blue Ox. Set it up so that the truck is level with the ground and the trailer is also level with the ground. Whatever trailer you buy re-pack the bearings and check/replace the brakes. Check the tires as well.


The truck is a daily driver so you should have an idea of just how ready it is. The trailer is another matter.


Every truck/trailer that I have seen on the side of the road was because of a trailer problem so look after the trailer.

 

probably the best idea!


if you go with open trailer, have some good mud flaps because you truck will throw stuff up on the car, the flaps will minimize it.

 

Forget the tow dolly. As a minimum you want a tandem-axle trailer.


Best is an enclosed trailer. Be certain you secure the car inside the trailer so it cannot move around. But enclosed trailers can be expensive. Your net cost might not be bad if you sell the trailer after the trip is complete.

You might "get by" with a flatbed utility trailer or an open car-hauler trailer, but then you'll need to build a wall or dam in front of the car. Build the wall out of 2x4 construction lumber frame with a plywood front panel. You want that wall to be a minimum of 4' high, which can be one piece of 5/8th inch thick plywood, cut to fit across the front of the trailer. Use plenty of bracing from the top corners of the wall at a 45° angle to the floor at the side of the trailer. Lighter weight plywood probably won't be strong enough. 3/4" thick exterior plywood is probably too heavy for your needs.

If it's my car, then I'm going to build that front wall at least as high as the top of the car = probably 60". So that will require a second piece of 4x8 plywood, then cut to fit and discard leftover plywood.

Rule 1: Heat is the truck killer. If your truck does not have a tranny temp gauge, then install one with the sender in the pan (sump) before the trip. Never allow more than 225° tranny sump temp. If the tranny sump temp gets up to 225° F., then stop, put the tranny in park, increase idle RPM to around 1,200 RPM, and twiddle your thumbs until the sump temp gets back below 215°.

Corolary to Rule 1: Keep your eye in the engine temp (coolant temp) gauge. If the engine gets too hot, then slow down, or maybe downshift one gear until you get past the steep grades that are causing the overheating.


Rule 2: Before the trip, weigh the wet and loaded trailer, with the car and everything else on the trailer. Then determine tongue weight. Be CERTAIN your tongue weight is at least 10% of gross trailer weight, and not more than 15%. (Move the car forward or back on the trailer to change tongue weight percent.) Be sure the car is facing forward, so the heavy engine will be in front of the trailer axles. The easiest way to determine tongue weight is with a tongue weigh scale. Here's mine:
http://www.etrailer.com/Tools/Sherline/5780.html
But there is more than one way to skin a cat, so do some research on how to get tongue weight if you don't want to invest in a Sherline tongue weight scale.

If it's my trailer, then I'm going to tow it with a weight-distributing hitch. And not a cheap WD hitch. First, you need a receiver hitch. If your F-150 does not already have a receiver hitch, then install one rated for more than the gross weight of your loaded trailer. You can order one that will fit your truck from amazon.com or etrailer.com or other online discount sources. Then I'm going to decide which of the quality weight-distributing hitches I'll order. I'd choose from one of these 4:

Reese Strait-Line trunnion bar
Equal-I-Zer
Husky Centerline
Blue Ox


Reese and Husky also make cheap hitches as well as the wonderful Strait-Line and Centerline. If you find one for less than $500 discount price including the shank, then you know you are not buying a quality hitch. The Blue Ox will probably be a little more expensive than the other three brands. I have the Strait-Line, and it works great.


Trailer tire trouble is your most likely problem. So be sure all the trailer tires are the right size and pumped up to the max PSI on the sidewqll of the tire, and not more than 4 years old. And I'd carry at least one mounted spare tire. If your trailer tires are not new and one-size bigger than stock, then I'd also haul a couple of extra unmounted trailer tires.


If you have not been a stickler for maintenance, then before you head out change all the fluids in the pickup. Motor oil, tranny fliud (ATF), coolant, differential lube. Hand-pack the wheel bearings on both the pickup and trailer.

 

You will also want to keep your speed down. Nothing more fun then trying to run 70 -75 with 5 - 6000lbs pushing you and trying to keep it in the lane. The purchase an enclosed trailer is a great option for more than just protecting the car. If you have ever seen a moving company pack a car, house, they build a deck (just 3/4in ply) over the engine and roof and then down over the trunk so that they can us all the space. Remember our trucks pull great, but just do not have the payload, so every lb of stuff you can pack in the trailer only adds 10 to 15% to the payload of the truck. In short, load your trailer to the hilt and keep the truck empty as possible. (maybe throw the spare trailer tires and a jack in the truck bed so if you do have an issue you do not have to climb in the trailer. Good luck & save move.........