Advice for towing Ford Truck on uHaul Auto Transport Trailer

[1972hiboy]

I have used one of these u-haul trailers to tow a 71 f250 4x4 home. There was extra engine parts and trans in the bed twards the back. this was enough weight behind the rear tires of the trailer to make it not happy, lets just say i was on the shoulder of i-5 collecting myself after the scare I got once hitting 40 mph trying to get onto the interstate. Then pushing all the heavy stuff to the front as far as it would go to keep the trailer from fishtailing. Even after moving the weight forward it felt like it was uncertain about tracking. it was quite a slow uneasy ride from Redding CA to Santa Cruz. I think the trailer might do the truck by itself but don't put anything in the bed........

[WhitsEnd]

Two more options:

Flat tow with a tow bar (remove driveshaft)

OR

Buy a new trailer for $2,000 and sell it for $1,500 when you're done. Put an ad in Craigslist at the destination and I bet it's sold before you arrive. Better yet, place the ad now and I bet you get interest before you even buy the trailer. May as well buy the trailer they want

If I were in the destination area, I would seriously consider buying a new trailer for $2,000 if someone were only going to use it once and pay me something like $500 and deliver it to my door.

[eggman918]

"Flat tow with a tow bar"
Is a BAD idea with the weight and wheelbase of the truck and the rear axle weight of the towing vehicle you are asking for WAY more excitement that I would want. Don't give Murphy an opening that size to bite you on the @$$ through.....

[bph]

Yes, it has been advised to have the heaviest portion of the load at the front of the trailer, nearest to the towing vechicle's hitch. If a truck is loaded on the trailer with a motorcycle in the bed, would it makes sense to back the truck onto the trailer? I'm not sure if the front end of the truck/engine or the truck bed with the motorcycle would be heaviest.

I am definitely leaning towards the purchase of a car hauler/flatbed trailer to pull behind the 15' uHaul Truck. I have a lot of research to do about what I need to be sure to look for in a trailer setup. There are so many companies/brands out there. Thanks to idaho_cowboy, I at least know that 16' Double 3500# axle trailer is a good place to start.

[Bill Ramsey]

A good estimate is that a car trailer weighs 100 pounds per 1 foot of deck. So a 16' trailer would weigh 1600 pounds (give or take of course). With two 3500 pound axles, 7000-1600=5400 pounds left for hauling.

[bph]

Hey all,

So I've spent some time considering other options, namely the purchase of a car hauler/trailer and outsourcing the shipment to uShip carriers. Unfortunately, both of those options are going to be beyond my ability to finance. I'm going to eliminate the motorcycle from the equation and consider the following two options:

1. Taking my chances towing the truck, alone, on the uHaul trailer
2. Selling the truck locally

Do the majority of you feel that towing this 1970 F250 on the over-sized uHaul auto transport trailer is 100%, absolutely not advisable under any circumstances?

[1972hiboy]

I think thats worth your time and effort. Just the truck as far forward at it will go. Front end first. probably wont be a problem.

[eggman918]

If you will be towing a trailer that you don't know the maintenance history of at or near it's capacity be sure to keep tabs on the wheel bearing temps. at each stop. I do this whenever towing on our trailers when I do the walk-around on stops I feel each hub just to be sure that they are running at a "normal" temp, If you can't grasp them firmly for a few seconds they are not "happy"

[bph]

If you will be towing a trailer that you don't know the maintenance history of at or near it's capacity be sure to keep tabs on the wheel bearing temps. at each stop. I do this whenever towing on our trailers when I do the walk-around on stops I feel each hub just to be sure that they are running at a "normal" temp, If you can't grasp them firmly for a few seconds they are not "happy"

Thank you! This is exactly the sort of knowledge-from-experience type information I was hoping to learn about from you all!

[eggman918]

I have a ~$20.00 IR thermometer from H-F that I keep in my truck that i use on walk-arounds when traveling makes it quick and easy to keep tabs on all components, it has helped me catch issues well before they become a problem

[crazyhorse]

2 x what has already been said.

I also keep a IR heat thermometer in mine too.

It helps check all the wheels/bearing temp and I also check under the hood too.
It is just good to know the temperature of the working parts.
I can also check the temperature of my Diet Pepsi's too.

I know you will , but just a reminder, check all the things that need checking , air pressure, oil, coolants, fluids, plus take necessary tools & good light.

Just take your time , stop & check often, I think you will be in good shape.
Good luck.

[Ranchero50]

One other thing, get the truck and trailer a couple days early. It costs a little more but that way you can sort out any problems before your leave time. Nothing like being under the gun and realizing stuff isn't 'right'. If you have an extra day you can change the weight distribution so it pulls correctly. An unbalanced load will beat you to death on a long ride.

[eggman918]

An unbalanced load will beat you to death on a long ride.

And could kill you in an emergency situation

[iwhodat]

I towed my '72 F100 longbed from Katy, Texas to New Orleans on that same very same U-Haul trailer. I rented a 10ft U-Haul truck to tow it with. I didn't want to take the risk of driving it 6 hours because I didn't know much about the truck when I first bought it. I went to Home Depot and bought 2 of the wide, heavy duty ratchet straps and strapped the rearend to the trailer for added security, because the rear wheels were close to the end of the car hauler. It drove just fine the whole way. I even had a blowout just east of Lake Charles and it didn't get all squirrely on me. The blowout was due to a worn out tire. My truck has a 360FE and I had nothing in the bed or the back of the U-Haul truck. The U-Haul maintenance guy showed up to swap the tire and didn't say a word about my longbed on that trailer. If you're going to attempt it, I wouldn't put too much weight in the back of your Bumpside while towing. I like the idea about checking the bearing temperatures along the way. I didn't think of that one. Good luck with whichever decision you make.

[bph]

Would any of you be willing to elaborate on inspection of wheel bearing/hub temperatures? I have no experience with monitoring such things and would never have known to do it had you all not suggested it.

Why do you monitor temperature of these parts? What does any one particular temperature indicate? What is a normal temperature and what action do you take when an excessive temperature is detected?

Thank you for you explaining!!