Need some towing options

I am looking to tow my sons car (2008 Saturn Aura) from Tampa to Melbourne, Fl. Its about a 3 hour drive. My truck is a 2015 DCSB 4x4 OR w/tow package. U-Haul says the vehicle I want to tow is too much for one of their trailers. What other options do I have aside from driving two vehicles?

 

U-Haul's website ( https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/Auto-Transport-Rental/AT/ ) lists the limits of their trailers.

The trailered vehicle:

• Must not weigh in excess of 5,290 lbs.
• Must have a maximum outside-to-outside tire width of 79.25"
• Must have a maximum wheelbase of 133 inches.

The Sutrun is well inside all of those parameters. There seems to be a communication gap between you and ...others.
If the problem is that they tell you the Tacoma is the limit, tell them you're picking up a Miata.

 

I choose tow dolly. They really work well. I used one to tow from Key West back to Brandon.

 

Uhauls website was the first place I went. I used their calculator plugging in all the info and it said it wasn't recommended. Then I initiated a chat session with them. Got the same results. I've heard Uhaul is very conservative. I'm going to check out sunbelt rentals and another local equipment rental company. Thanks. I see no reason why I can't tow my sons car.

 

You have to skip over the base requirements on the uhaul site to find the real nitty gritty.


The truck weighs roughly 4680, uhaul requires that the tow/trailer combo can't exceed 80% of the tow vehicles weight, so 3744 pounds. The trailer weighs 2210 so the car needs to weigh no more than 1534 pounds to use that truck as a tow vehicle. The saturn weighs over 3500, so it's a no.

A miata weighs over 2500, so it's going to be a no as well. Pretty much any vehicle you tell them you are towing is going to weigh too much and you're going to get the same response.

You need a different tow rig to get a yes.

So option 2. A dolly. Your tow rig there is fine, but they require that the towed vehicle be no more than 3450, so no again although you're right on the cusp of a yes. And even if you get a yes you're now towing over 3500 pounds with 0 tongue weight, so it can suck on many levels before you hit the level that leaves you upside down in a ditch.

 

I've used uhauls car trailers a couple times. I don't care what they advertise the weight as, it feels like you're pulling a building on no wheels. They tow heavy to say the least. I've used dolly's several times as well, including pulling an old f150 with an old f250. Don't tell them I lied But it was a 5 mile tow on back roads so nothing major. You really have to be prepped to brake, having another vehicle basically lift up your bumper and rear end you during a panic stop tends to add quite a bit to your stopping distance. I had a cj5 behind my 05 f150 on the intestate and some a-hole cut me off like crazy. It was a lot of work to stay in my lane with 4 screaming tires.

 

A dolly is NOT zero tongue weight. The towed vehicle's wheels stand on the dolly AHEAD of the axle, thus a portion of it is directed to the tongue.

 

Its essentially zero. 50-80 pounds with a 3500lb vehicle on it and that includes its own weight. Soit's not a helium filed balloon obviously, but functionally it barely exists.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

You forgot some zeros.
500-800.

 

Not even close. I've picked up more loaded tongues 1 handed than I can count. Unless you're thinking leading zeros in which case I forgot to include an infinite number of them.

Kar Kaddy
"Less than 100 lbs. tongue weight when loaded, for improved ride and handling of tow vehicles. Total towed vehicle weight: 4,700 lbs.
Axle capacity: 3,500 lbs."

Roadmaster
"Because the front axle of the towed vehicle sits over the axle of the tow dolly, very little weight is transferred to the tongue of the tow dolly. I spoke with my contact at Roadmaster and he said the Roadmaster Tow Dolly, # RM-2000-1, was engineered so the tongue weight is typically between 80 and 100 lbs with a vehicle loaded within its weight capacity."

Acme Tow Dolly Company
"Right at 50 lbs in your hands."

Quasius equipment
"Unlike traditional trailers there is not very much tongue weight on a dolly and the vehicle you are towing will not have brakes that function when towing."



I'd continue but I'm done googling especially considering I know what I'm talking about.

A rule of thumb you end up with 10% of the weight loaded on the dolly's axle. To get an 800 pound tongue you would need to take an 8000 pound vehicle and stand it on it's bumper on top of the dolly. Or 5000 for a 500lb tongue. While it would make for an interesting tow, that's not very practical.

Not to mention that 500-800 pounds of tongue weight is at or exceeding the tongue weight allowed by a class 3 hitch, and coming within max spec of a class 4 hitch. So unless I'm wrong, I don't believe I see a 1 ton truck as being just about the minimum truck required to to a car. On a dolly.

Once again, there's essentially no tongue weight using a dolly.

 

Tongue weight for north american towing is supposed to be minimum 10% tongue weight. EU goes 5%, but at lower speeds. Your made up numbers do not represent reality.

 

I'm gonna guess you didn't read that before clicking "Post Reply"... Anyway, having actually used a car dolly to haul a 74 Datsun 620 the tongue weight was about 65-75 lbs and easily manageable with the truck on it.

 

I'm guessing that you didn't read the rule book.

 

Care to elaborate oh wise one? Your sentance would have at least made logical sense if you had said "Total weight for north american towing is supposed to be minimum 10% tongue weight." But I have yet to see any tow dolly that represents that rule and all the ones I have used are DOT approved and tracked behind the truck marvelously.

 

Every tow dolley I've ever seen places the towed vehicle's wheels far enough forward of the dolley's axle to apply appropriate tongue weight. Might be that you set things up incorrectly.

 

Pretty hard to screw up a tow dolly, when the vehicle in tow has been driven to the designated and marked section of the tow dolly platform and secured properly using the ratcheting straps and safety chains there is not a very large tongue load, again in my case only 65-75lbs with a mini truck on it. However, I'll be content to leave the conversation as I have actually witnessed what I speak about.

 

either way I would use a tow dolly if I was the op

 

Just let him go. You can't argue with someone that has the apparent complete inability to admit they're wrong, or even that the is a difference between trailer loading recommended tongue weight, and a dolly.. Physics for him is completely different than every other being in the universe. He's special. Even the people that manufacture the dollys are completely wrong and he is right. I mean he's doing the dolly manufactures a HUGE disservice by not informing then of how wrong they are.