Towing a frame 1250 miles

I'm going to be pulling a Ford ranger single cab frame 1250 miles later this summer with a uhaul tow dolly.

I drive a 4wd 4cyl 5spd. The frame weighs no more than 1000lbs,if that. The trailer is another 700ish. I'll be well under the tow rating for the 4cyl. Aside from that, I'll probably have about a hundred lbs of tools in a truck box if something goes wrong


I already have a 4pin connector,. I'll be buying some of the mirror extenders, And a frame mounted Hitch.

What else can you recommend? I've hauled one of these dollys before, so I know what to expect.

What did you do to make the seats more comfortable? I put 400 miles on the old taco yesterday and my butt was sore.

Thanks guys!

 

If the frame rolls well why not just flat tow it? Tow bar from Harbor Freight. Might have to fab up how it mounts to the frame.

Probably don't need mirror extenders. Those are for long/wide trailers. You will need lights on the rear of the frame either way if you plan on towing at night.

 

Seat heaters make long days much more comfortable. I cycle them on and off throughout the drive. Wet Okole sells covers with them already installed, you just need to run wires for the switch. Wet Okole also offers an inflatable lumbar support for their cover if your current seats don't have them.

 

I wasn't aware that was an option. Would I just have to lock the front wheels straight or something?

And good catch on the lights. I'll look into that.

 

You do not lock the front wheels. You want them to turn so it will track thru the corners better.

Tow bar. Lights. Think of all the RV's you see with a vehicle flat towed behind them.

 

Good idea! I recently took apart some seats and put them back together, so I have the confidence to pull apart the taco seats and wire up some heaters

 

Very true. I've just never thought about that before. This will probably be the only thing I tow for a long time.


Thanks again for your help!

 

Some states, like MA, require a towed vehicle to be registered and insured if its wheels are on the ground.

 

I will look into this. I live in Maine, so I might have to get a transit plate

 

No...definitely lock the front wheels, if you can. If not, dolly it.
This information is not only wrong, it's downright dangerous.

 

Some links I followed on Google say to lock it, and others don't. They sayto leave it unlocked so it can track, otherwise it'll drag along behind the truck.

 

Yeah, like a trailer is meant to.

 

You skipped over the tracking around corners part. If the wheels are locked, the tires will drag around corners. As is skid along around sharper corners. Straights and wider corners it should be fine.

I know nothing about towing and real life applications on the flat towing. I'm just reiterating what I saw on Google

 

Even on a tow dolly, if the platform pivots then the wheels can be locked, if it does not the wheels need to be unlocked.

 

I thank you guys for your input so far. I made this post on the tow Bible, but it didn't get any attention

 

I read recently that the 'unbraked' trailer weight limit for the Tacoma was a paltry 1000lb. Page 180 in the manual. With a flat tow, you'll have negligible tongue weight, but still tow weight.

 

That'll be less than 1000lbs. The frame itself doesn't weigh much. I think I'll buy everything for flat towing as it's not too much of an investment.

But it all depends on how well it tracks behind the truck. I'm not sure how much of the steering setup will be left. So if that doesn't work, it'll have to be a tow dolly.