1st gen towing car trailer from ct to fl

I have an 01 Tacoma TRD V6 4wd. I am moving from CT to the Florida Keys at the end of the month. im looking to tow a 14ft car trailer with my mk2 gti on it together they would come in around 5,000 lbs. im still looking for a trailer. any help is greatly appreciated. I'm a bit worried about it as it was my recently deceased fathers truck and he babied it, so the last thing i wanna do is destroy it trying to get to florida. the truck has 70,000 miles on it.

 

Read up here. Lots of great info
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

 

I would say that the main consideration that applies to hurting the vehicle is the vehicle's current condition. When you are pushing the vehicle to its limits, you need to make sure that the vehicle is in top condition to handle the work. The obvious ones are brakes, but there are more things to inspect before deeming the vehicle able to do the work. 1st gen tacomas had a relatively poor front end ball joint configuration where the weight of the vehicle was hanging from the joint (i.e., trying to pull the ball OUT of the cup). When you are operating under heavier braking conditions, that adds more stress to the ball joints. If they fail, they fail catastrophically.

Lift the vehicle, make sure that the lower ball joints are tight and smooth.

Next consideration is the vehicle's frame. How is it in terms of rust? CT is salty in the winter. What is the condition of the frame? Is this vehicle on a replacement frame or on the original? Has anyone ever inspected it? The last thing you ever would want to have happen, is to be hauling a heavy load a long distance and have your frame break in half.

A vehicle failure that can be repaired along the way can be dealt with. Fix it and keep going. If the vehicle fails in a permanent way, then you suddenly are sitting half way between CT and Key West with a heavy trailer and no cheap way to finish the job. Yeah, you could drive the car that you are towing, but what to do with the trailer?

Is the car able to be driven? If it is, then have you considered putting someone in the driver's seat?

 

I just replaced the ball joints this summer, along with the brakes all around. I will be installing a tranny cooler this week aswell as a hiddenhitch. the vehicle is on a replacement frame and is for the most part free of rust, which is surprising considering my proximity to the ocean.

the vw runs but i do not feel comfortable driving it to fl at this time. I think what ive decided to do is leave the car at my parents in ct till spring then come up and haul it down. I would feel much more comfortable taking it in a separate load as it would be 4600# with car and trailer. this would leave me well over 5000# once the rest of our belongings are in. so instead of the car trailer i'll rent a 5x8 uhaul box for this trip, this will also give me a chance to get used to highway towing long distance and see how the truck handles the trip, then i can decide how to go about the larger load.

thank you for your help

 

Just an FYI: hauling a box trailer does not in any way prepare you for hauling a car. A little 5x8 box will pull like its not there. Hauling a car is a totally different experience. If you don't notice that its there, then its not.

Also note that if you are renting from uhaul, they have a chart of what you are and are not allowed to hook a car hauler up to. They may not even be willing to rent you anything to pull a car with.

 

Uhaul's tow rig requirements are quite a bit more stringent than manufacturer specs. Even if you're within toyota's limits, odds are really really slim they will rent you a car trailer. On top of that, Uhauls trailers are HEAVY, regardless of their advertising. They're made for fleet use. If I had to guess the frames are filled with lead and the axles are welded to prevent them from turning. I hauled an old suzuki samurai behind a nice f150 several years ago and it felt like I was trying to pull a semi. My massive and OMG heavy boat in comparison pulled with ease behind the same truck.

*edit* FWIW the weight of the trailer + the weight of your car (advertised up to 2800lbs) puts you over 5klbs of tow weight. You'll need to shed a lot of weight (about a ton) to fit their guidelines.


From Uhauls website.

Towing vehicle requirements

• Must be equipped with a hard top if it is an SUV. U-Haul does not allow any type of sport-utility vehicle not equipped with a hard top to tow U-Haul equipment.
• Tow vehicle and trailer lighting must be operational at all times, day and night. All U-Haul trailers and towing are wired with a 4-way flat light connector.
• Must weigh at least 3,500 lbs. (curb weight), and must equal or exceed 80% of the combined weight of the trailer (2,210 lbs.) and the vehicle being towed (up to 5,290 lbs.).
• Must have a towing system that has a 5,000 lbs. minimum weight-carrying rating
• Must have 1-7/8" or 2" hitch ball (5,000 lbs. minimum)
• Must not exceed maximum allowable hitch ball height of 25"
• Must have external mirrors on both sides
• Must have fully operational lighting
• Maximum recommended speed is 55 MPH
• Load trailers heavier in front.
• Reduce normal driving speed.
• Wear a seatbelt.

Towed vehicle requirements

• Must not weigh in excess of 5,290 lbs.
• Must have a maximum outside-to-outside tire width of 79.25" Note: outside tire width over 75" must use late-model U-Haul Auto Transport (identifiable by silver galvanized color).
• Must have a maximum wheelbase (distance from front axle to rear axle, usually posted on the driver's side door jamb) of 133 inches.
• Low-hanging equipment on the vehicle being towed such as spoilers, air dams, ground effects, etc., may be damaged by contact with the Auto Transport during loading and unloading. Make sure there is enough clearance for these items.