Can somebody help me with a tow question?

[Cal-to-NH]

Upon my relocation to Lake Winni, I was planning on driving to NH from Cal by towing my 2002 Mustang behind my 2016 Toyota Tacoma 4X4. I bought the truck with a tow package to tow my some-day (hope) pontoon boat. The new Tacoma with the tow package I have gives a 6800 lb tow capacity. My last truck that I owned for 16 years had a 5300 lb capacity and I used it to comfortably tow a water-ski boat to an annual neighborhood lake-excursion in the Sierras every year (450 miles there and 450 miles back). I have done my share of towing, launching/recovering watercraft, etc.. in my day and figured this would be OK to do.

I looked at the tow-bar option but that looks like well over $500 after purchase, install, etc... - all for a one-time use. Then I figured a cross-country car-transport service - low estimate is $950, and finally a tow dolley rental from U-Haul ($255 - one way assuming 10-days rental), so I figured this would be the way to go.....

I started to look at the U-Haul site to rent a tow dolley where the front tires are elevated and the brake lights, etc... could be safely and reliably connected. I typed in my tow vehicle and the vehicle to tow and the site indicated that the configuration was inappropriate. I saw a "chat" tab so I chatted with a U-Haul professional who indicated that the Tacoma curb weight was inadequate AND the tow dolleys are made for FWD cars, not RWD, as all Mustang's are. He also commented that the brake system designed by U-Haul would not function properly using this configuration and irreparably harm both the truck and the U-Haul equipment. He could not comment further because the brake system is patented.

So I am a bit stymied on where to go with this.

Is there anyone out there that has ideas about either this method I was looking at or perhaps other options that I haven't considered? Right now, it's looking like the car transport is the way to go unless there are other things to consider or explore.

I figured many of you on the lake have your share of towing experience. Above all I don't want to worry about safety. My wife and I have "tag-teamed" cross country drives many times, and I don't want to worry about any cut-corners....

Thoughts????

[Descant]

You've obviously researched this, but a few thoughts come to me. One is to rent a flatbed trailer. Another is to put the Mustang in the van with your household goods. I've heard of people doing this. I've also heard of people towing RWD cars by disconnecting the drive shaft. I once built a trailer (friend was a welder), towed it all over New England, to Florida and back, and then I sold it. So, buy a flatbed, tow it, sell it. Hope you'll let us know the final answer.

[Cal-to-NH]

Thanks Descant - that is a great idea. Seems like a safe and sure alternative. The U-Haul site indicates that this configuration will work but at an amazing cost of over $1,022 for a 10-day one-way rental.... Never thought about buying a used one and selling it - that's interesting !

I have also heard of getting a car into a moving van as well but don't know anyone who has actually done it. We will sell the lion's share of our furniture - pretty old and just not worth the $$$ of moving. Since you pay by the ton during a move, it will obviously add 3,400 pounds for the Mustang. As a complete shot in the dark I would expect our move to come-in at about 11 tons without the car - it figures that it may not be that horrible-much as an add-on. Certainly something to explore for sure...

Any other ideas from folks?

[TiltonBB]

You won't want to tow the car without making some arrangements to take the driveshaft out. If it is an automatic transmission serious damage will result because without the motor running there is nothing to circulate and cool the transmission fluid.

The 3,000 miles of towing will cause considerable wear on the towing vehicle, regardless of what it is rated for. It will also use a significantly higher amount of gas requiring more frequent stops. If you plan on keeping the Toyota long term I would not want the additional wear on it. If you plan to replace it before the warranty runs out, no problem. You will probably also travel at reduced speeds while towing, making your trip a little longer.

In my opinion all of the negatives (removing the driveshaft, gas consumption, increased tolls, slower travel, wear on the Toyota, increased risk) would convince me to have it trucked. The negatives of towing it would not be worth it over that long distance.

[8gv]

I sent you an idea via pm.

[ursa minor]

Look into trucking companies looking to fill a trailer heading east as opposed to a dedicated car shipping company. Several years ago we shipped a car to a relative in Minnesota this way. I can't remember exact numbers but it seemed very reasonable at the time and included insurance. An added benefit for you is that you can pack the car with some of the items you plan on moving east. Good luck, keep us posted!

[dave603]

As well built as they are, I think your going to pull the guts out of that truck.
The rating for the weight you listed isn't for pulling it across the country

[Outdoorsman]

Don't forget to factor in the additional fuel consumption if you tow it yourself. I would guess that alone is an additional $300+.

[tummyman]

Check "PODS" and also call 1-800-pack-rat. I had a relative that shipped a container from NH to Hawaii.....packed the car (New car) inside...no gas in tank...and moved everything. Used the car for all the breakables. Worked well, but that was many years ago.

[SAB1]

I agree with dave603. That truck is not suited to tow a car cross country. Check into some of the options above but $950 to move that car from California. To Nh is not a bad deal. Make sure it is insured.

[codeman671]

Seems like a no brainer to me, have it hauled by a transport company.

[VitaBene]

I agree with others, have it hauled here. You will likely have that Tacoma packed to the gills with household stuff adding to the weight. The Tacoma would handle the flat, "square" states in the middle of the country but it will be maxed out in the hills and mountains (that is where turbocharged diesels shine)

[dpg]

Sounds like the UHaul guy/person knows their stuff. A Tacoma isn't that big of a truck I would not tow a car across country. Is driving the Mustang out of the question? Maybe a friend or someone would want to drive it out for you and you can buy them a one way ticket back home. Is the $$ that important to you in this situation? If not I'd have it professionally hauled out here your piece of mind is worth a price also. Don't forget if it's towed and it has a transponder in it that should be removed, a towing company would remind you of that.

[Winnisquamer]

Not sure if anything has changed since 2012. But when I moved across country I shipped my car from Boston to San Diego and it was roughly $1200 all said and done. I was not able to put anything in the car, they allowed nothing due to people smuggling drugs/weapons etc that way.

Ended up using a POD to ship the rest of my stuff. I don't remember what the POD cost because the company I worked for at the time covered it. I like you thought about towing the 2nd car and ended up saying to my self what a miserable drive.

When I moved back to NH a year later I did the exact same process. Car made it here with only 1 dent in the front and no other issues at all. I would personally look into shipping the car back or like someone else said find someone to drive it here. If I was you, or if I got the opportunity to do it again, I would ship all of the stuff, and make it an enjoyable road trip home if you have the time. That is the one thing I regret not taking 3-4 weeks and seeing the country along the way.

[LIforrelaxin]

As mentioned by another, your Tacoma would likely handle the flat states just fine with the Mustang in TOW on a trailer... But Once in the Rockies it will struggle.

Shipping your mustang is really the way to go.... There are a number of options from that stand point.... Moving companies, specialty transport companies, rail road, etc. etc..... a little bit of research will go a long way, I got numerous hits by searching car transport from California to New Hampshire.

My parents moved a car and a boat with our house hold goods from Washington to Massachusetts back in 1985.... everything arrived safe... The only thing we had to be sure we did, was tell the moving company that we where going to want the vehicle before the rest of the household goods.... When they unloaded the trailer into storage, they took the car and set it aside so we could pick it up once we arrived.

The only issue you may find with shipping your vehicle will be that you may have to give it up or receive it earlier or later then you may want... depending on the transporters schedule...

[MAXUM]

I have a 2011 V6 Tacoma with a tow package myself with a somewhat rare 6 speed manual transmission. I have hauled a car on a flat bed behind it on a short haul from ME to NH. It's not that the truck can't handle it, it can, but I would not want to do it cross country.

I had the same problem you did when I moved to NH from Colorado. I ended up getting a flat bed and towed that behind our rented moving truck, but I also rented a large moving truck. I would NOT put anything on a dolly for reasons already stated, even with the drive shaft removed. I think they are fundamentally unsafe for a long haul.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by SAB1

I agree with dave603. That truck is not suited to tow a car cross country. Check into some of the options above but $950 to move that car from California. To Nh is not a bad deal. Make sure it is insured.

The dolly is popular among Florida's Snowbirds. What's confusing to me is only half of the dolly (trailers) have license plates.


--

According to previous responses, I've done everything wrong with towing!

I towed a 2600 pound sports car from Miami to Palo Alto with a 1.9 L VW camper. With the resale value of both vehicles being extremely high, I sold both when I got there, and flew back.

Most recently, I used a $100 yard sale dolly to tow a 3000 pound RWD stick-shift sedan behind a pickup truck—smaller than a Tacoma—for about eight hours. Having no confidence in the dolly tie-down straps, I used the front wheel lugs to chain the front of the car to the dolly. I later sold the dolly for $300. While it's never a good idea to tow with a vehicle that's lighter than the towed vehicle, you'll soon find that braking for two vehicles is the greatest challenge.

As for the Rocky Mountains—just don't go that way—but even if you do, you'll have the company of plenty of 18-wheelers. I made that same trip (via Dinosaur Nat'l Monument) with a '82 VW diesel camper—42-Horsepower. Slow, but no worries!

But one indelible image sticks in my mind, and that was having a late-model Mustang pass me during a light rain in Florida, at which time he spun in the wet, hitting the barricade first with his front-, then with his back-end. Seeing that a rear-drive, high-horsepower car may not be the best match for New Hampshire's peculiar climate, why not save on insurance, towing, shipping, and sell the Mustang in California, where resale values are higher. Then apply all that to a more suitable New Hampshire vehicle with all-wheel drive?

Given that sentiment may be a factor, shipping by truck is the best bet.

.

[geordie]

I wish I had the time right now, I'd drive either vehicle across the country just for the experience. I have a few states in the middle that I need for the full set.

The U-Haul guy saying that it is patented is bogus, patents are published, they aren't secret. You aren't talking to some sort of super expert when you call them. He just didn't know. Towing on a dolly still isn't a good idea.

Living in the CA I have a lot of friends who have done this. Most rented a large truck and a flat bed trailer. The most recent two moved from LA to Indiana and San Francisco to Lincoln Nebraska, one towed an old Firebird and the other an Audi A4 Quattro, neither could be towed on a dolly. Both of them went with Budget 24' trucks. I just priced it as an AAA member and they'd charge $3300, the trailer was $488 of that. That is probably how we will do it, I have a Jeep GC but would be driving the truck.

[trfour]

I helped a friend and drove this unit for her. The UHaul car trailer towed flawlessly and had all of the safety chains, front/rear, slide out loading ramps, and the left fender over the tandem axles folded down out of the way for easy access car entry...

[Cal-to-NH]

Thanks for all your thoughts.

After much consideration I have decided to drive the Mustang out behind my wife as she drives the new Tacoma. Probably will run me $350 in gas alone, but it is my baby, I've never been able to drive it without a smile on my face, and it's overall the best choice I think. It will be lonely and there's some pretty barren no-radio spaces out there on the trip out, but it's probably all for the best, and I only have to do it once. The wife will be just ahead of me and (mostly) within cell phone range...

RE sell it as it's not good for NH. I sure get that, but can't do. Sentimental gift from the wife. It's the fun-car anyway. I will be 80+ years old and be the original owner of that car - I will more than likely die with it still in the garage. Has very few miles on it. GT convertible - Stick - Saleen suspension, beautiful silver w/black-top. Monster on the race-track. The Tacoma is already a 4X4 - purchased with an eye to the relocation to paradise, anyway..

RE wear and tear. Good points all. Will save the Toyota for the long-haul.

See you-all soon - in paradise.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by Cal-to-NH

Thanks for all your thoughts.


RE sell it as it's not good for NH. I sure get that, but can't do. Sentimental gift from the wife. It's the fun-car anyway. I will be 80+ years old and be the original owner of that car - I will more than likely die with it still in the garage. Has very few miles on it. GT convertible - Stick - Saleen suspension, beautiful silver w/black-top. Monster on the race-track. The Tacoma is already a 4X4 - purchased with an eye to the relocation to paradise, anyway..



See you-all soon - in paradise.

I have seen a Mustang (I think) in the Alton Bay area with a NH license plate "4 SUMMA".

Your car certainly has its place in NH. In advance of a good trip to NH, Welcome!!!!!

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by Cal-to-NH

Thanks for all your thoughts.

After much consideration I have decided to drive the Mustang out behind my wife as she drives the new Tacoma. Probably will run me $350 in gas alone, but it is my baby, I've never been able to drive it without a smile on my face, and it's overall the best choice I think. It will be lonely and there's some pretty barren no-radio spaces out there on the trip out, but it's probably all for the best, and I only have to do it once. The wife will be just ahead of me and (mostly) within cell phone range...

A suggestion... We drove our vehicles to NH when we moved from MI. A shorter drive obviously, but I put an FRS radio in each vehicle, which made it easy to talk/chat along the way. No dialing or answering a phone, and much easier to just say "slow down, cop ahead" or "want to stop for lunch at the next exit?"

[dam1960]

Another option

I remember reading a Forum member here involved with a car hauling business.

CK5 TRUCK
"I own a trucking co here in Sanbornton that specializes in enclosed transport for motorcycles and classic and exotic cars."


http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ad.php?t=19035

[Outdoorsman]

Have you consider using the web site USHIP.com?

Ever seen the TV show "Shipping Wars"? It is a reality TV show that follows (shippers) around the country.

The basic premise is, you have something you want shipped locally or cross-country, you post it on their web site. Transportation companies then "bid" on transporting your goods. You then get to choose who you want to do the transportation based on their price, experience and "user rating". Similar to buying something on EBay, but you are the one with the final say. I have not seen the show in a couple of years, but one of the guys they were showing is from Pembroke, NH.

They haul everything including cars.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Cal-to-NH

Has very few miles on it. GT convertible - Stick - Saleen suspension, beautiful silver w/black-top. Monster on the race-track.

This description is no good without pics of the goods! Common now you have to share at least one!

[geordie]

Second or third the FRS or GMRS (license required, but a lot more power and a lot more sold than licensed) suggestion, they are good for short distances. The MX5 club in NH uses that (don't know if there's more than one) and we have a set we used to follow them in a Mustang GT (love the Coyote engine). If you are willing to do a very easy test you can get your amateur radio license and switch to 2m radios. BaoFeng do Yaesu knock-offs for about the same price as FRS radios but they work for much longer range. We use 2m for off road trips and have no trouble talking well out of line of sight, much better quality than FRS or CB, external antennas work better but a simple 2m antenna is less than 2 feet long. Noise cancelling VOX headsets make it like you are right there, so long as you don't both talk at the same time. We usually use mobiles, rather than HTs, a lot more power, sometimes hit repeaters from more than 200 miles in Nevada. I learned enough to ace the test in a couple of days, it's just multiple choice, though I did go on to extra class when I wanted to work HF. http://www.arrl.org/getting-your-technician-license

The interstates mostly have solid cellular coverage, but we are on Verizon and have even had coverage in rural Nevada well away from main roads and towns.

[Scott's Yott]

I would pay to ship it no questions. if it will cost 350 for gas then youre only spending 600bucks.What if it breaks down,flat tires , an accident,? Let someone else deal with it. It will be fully insured and 0 miles on it when it arrives.AND you get to drive your new truck 3000 miles .My brother towed a trailer from NH to Col.Doubled the length of the trip and was a nightmare

[dpg]

Agreed have it shipped....End of thread......

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by geordie

Second or third the FRS or GMRS (license required, but a lot more power and a lot more sold than licensed) suggestion, they are good for short distances. The MX5 club in NH uses that (don't know if there's more than one) and we have a set we used to follow them in a Mustang GT (love the Coyote engine). If you are willing to do a very easy test you can get your amateur radio license and switch to 2m radios. BaoFeng do Yaesu knock-offs for about the same price as FRS radios but they work for much longer range. We use 2m for off road trips and have no trouble talking well out of line of sight, much better quality than FRS or CB, external antennas work better but a simple 2m antenna is less than 2 feet long. Noise cancelling VOX headsets make it like you are right there, so long as you don't both talk at the same time. We usually use mobiles, rather than HTs, a lot more power, sometimes hit repeaters from more than 200 miles in Nevada. I learned enough to ace the test in a couple of days, it's just multiple choice, though I did go on to extra class when I wanted to work HF. http://www.arrl.org/getting-your-technician-license

The interstates mostly have solid cellular coverage, but we are on Verizon and have even had coverage in rural Nevada well away from main roads and towns.

If you have an FM handheld with a 1/4 wave mag mount that'll work fine for local repeater work or simplex going direct from car to car. FM gets a little more finicky around here with all the trees and hills. That would be the only reason to favor a mobile with more power. I'd still stick with a 1/4 wave antenna either way though.

I need to do my General class so I can go HF too, eventually I want to put a nice HF rig in my camp. Not sure what to do about an antenna though.

[SIKSUKR]

There is also this option but it might not go over so well.

[Dave R]

I agree with having it shipped. I recently bought a car and had it shipped from SC to NH, it was a great experience. Driving across the US with a car in tow would be awful. The mid west is quite lovely at 85 MPH, not so much at 65...

Any thought about shipping the Taco and driving the Mustang? The Mustang could turn a "long drive" into a "fun road trip". I bought a truck in Denver and drove it home to NH last April and had a great time. Took my time when I wanted to, got off the beaten path a little, and just enjoyed seeing America. It was a trip I'd done in my teens in a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda and it was great to re-trace my steps.

[geordie]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

I need to do my General class so I can go HF too, eventually I want to put a nice HF rig in my camp. Not sure what to do about an antenna though.

Car to car 5/8 works better because it flattens the radiation pattern. If you are going to have mobile you might as well go for a very slightly more expensive antenna and get better range. But even a cheap magmount antenna is better than being right next to the transmitter, even if ~150MHz doesn't couple in to bodies very well.

Any mobile HF solution is mostly convenience and not much about performance. I have a selection of hamsticks and an Icom-7000 with a tuner. Even with that you can get hundreds of miles reliably, like Utah to the California coast. I mostly keep it for off-road emergencies and for that I have a budipole in a bag that goes with the overland gear.

Sorry, this seems to have got off topic. Nobody would use a thousand dollar HF rig for casual car to car communications. Except in Australia and Iceland.

[dpg]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

There is also this option but it might not go over so well.

She gets my vote for the worlds greatest wife!!

[ursa minor]

Cal, now that sounds like a plan! As someone that has long wanted and very recently found a Mustang for myself, I can relate.

They're definitely not winter weather vehicles but you should be able to enjoy it from at least April into late November most years. I agree with you on never being able to drive it without a smile on my face, the exhaust rumble alone does that for me. I can't wait to get mine up to NH this summer, good luck and I hope you enjoy the trip.

[thinkxingu]

I drive my Mustang convertible any time the streets are clear of snow and ice. The Christmas before last I had the top down--it was just below sixty and sunny!

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