Towing a car with 2ng gen Tacoma?

Ok here is the deal. I have a 2003 cobra that I need to get tuned after some upgrades. The dyno shop is about an hour away from where I live. I no longer have my truck but my dad has a 2010 double cab trd V6. My question is can I safely tow this car with his truck up to an hour away with a U-haul trailer? If so what should I do to safely do it? If not please let me know I am sure I can barrow a truck from someone. Thanks.

 

I towed a car with a uhaul trailer (the full one, not the dolly) plenty of times, you'll be fine.

 

Yea I was looking at the full one. Now my question to you is how in the world did you get them to let you use it? What size car was you towing? My car is about 3,800lbs.

 

They call it an "auto transport" which Uhaul's website said it weighs 2,210lbs + your car 3,800 = 6,010 lbs. Still below your towing capacity.

 

Ok cool. I know when you go to there website and type it all in it says the combo will not work. I will call them in the morning and see what all they say. I will be ok without a break controller right?

 

Uhaul won't rent you an auto transport if the Trailer + car weighs more than 80% of the curb weight of the truck you are pulling it with.

I had this issue before: They wouldn't rent me a trailer to pull behind my GMC 1-ton van but the 3/4 ton extended would have been fine. I just bought one of their old trailers and went along my merry way.

Thoe auto transports only have surge brakes... 6000+ Lb on surge brakes can get sketchy. Going downhill, you'll brake until it starts to point you at the ditch or the oncoming lane, let off, straighten out and then brake again. Of course, you are looking at an hour drive... My trip with the auto transport was closer to 50.

Another thing with the brakes: They use disc brakes and the pads sometimes delaminate from the backing plate. I saw it twice with the trailer I owned.

Another fun fact: Uhaul wont rent a trailer to you if you are pulling it with a Ford Explorer. But they will if you have a Mercury Montero.

 

I'm not a fan of the U-haul set up. Here's a thread with a few comments about this:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/321071-towing-help-please.html

 

wrong you need a brake controller, anything over 3000lbs.

 

U-hauls typically have surge brakes - no controller is required. They are self contained. The issue is that with surge brakes, they only activate when the trailer is pushing against the trailer ball with enough force to compress the spring slider on the trailer which then activates the brakes. So if you're going around a curve and you need to step on the brakes fairly hard, the trailer will attempt to push the back of the truck around. Lighter the tow vehicle rear is, the easier the trailer will push it which may result in a jackknife.

A conventional trailer with electric brakes needs a controller to activate them.

 

yep your right, forgot they had surge braking. maybe he can have a friend or relative with full size pick up trailer.

 

I had problems getting them to let me tow my wife's car with a dolly... I basically had to try a few different shops until I found someone with common sense who said, "of course you can pull that car with that truck! I hate these &$+%* rules sometimes..." Then she rented me a tow dolly and I had no issues whatsoever.

 

Does the cobra have any type of hooks or a way to attach a tow bar to the front?

 

No there is no way to really attach anything to it and pull it. Yea I knew about all the rules and stuff. I may just get my cousins new F150 to tow it with...

 

They really err on the side of caution. They also won't rent to you with a soft-top vehicle like a jeep no matter what you're towing. I've used Uhaul flatbeds once or twice and a dolly once or twice. The trailer is HEAVY. I've pulled several heavy flatbeds with no issue but the uhaul felt like I was trying to tow a house. I used one to pick up a little samurai once, that I could just about carry on my back, and it wasn't pleasant.

 

That's why you tell U-haul you are transporting a 93 Geo Metro...

The other thing to consider is where you are towing it. If you're on flat plains, you 'll be fine maxing out the tow rating on your truck. If you have to cross a couple mountain passes, you'll kill your motor and tranny. Doing it once shouldn't be a big deal, but if you make a habit of doing it, a bigger truck would be in order...

 

Yea it will be interstate the whole way. It is only a little over an hour away from where I live. I just can't drive the car without a tune on it. That is the only reason I need to tow it.