Should I use a tow dolly or auto trasport?

[EXPYGUY+4GIRLS]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here, but I have been reading a lot for about 2 weeks now. A wealth of information.

My question has to do with towing. I have to tow a 1996 Dodge Caravan from Southern California to the Bay Area (about 450 miles), and I was hoping to be able to tow back a 1986 Dodge Ramcharger 2wd.

I will be renting either a tow dolly or auto transport from uhaul and was wondering which way I should go? I understand that the tow dolly does not have brakes while the auto transport does but is quite a bit heavier.

I have a 1999 Expy EB 4X4 with a 5.4L. It has a tow hitch and what looks to be a 7 pin connector but I do not see an external tranny cooler. As a matter of fact I just had the radiator replaced a couple of weeks ago and the tranny lines are connected to the radiator.

I took a picture of sticker that is on the hitch.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

 

[tonydiv]

Check the manual on the vehicle that is being towed. Some vehicles cannot be flat towed and others cannot be towed witht the rear wheels on the ground. The problem is that some transmission or drive line components won't oil themselves and can fail.

If you call u-haul and tell them that you want a tow dolly, they will ask you about what you are towing and towing it with. They have an extensive vehicle database and they won't even rent the dolly to you if the tow vehicle is too wimpy or the towed vehicle is too heavy.
Call them and use their info, even if you have no plans to rent from them.

 

[alaskanexpy]

i'd say get the full trailer, thats what i did for towing our mercury cougar...5700lbs all said and done and it handled great!

 

[panda24619]

you should have a tranny cooler. look in the bumper. and i would just get the trailer, but you also need a trailer break module. those are fairly cheap, but install is a pain. unless you know what you are doing. then youll be okay.

 

[EXPYGUY+4GIRLS]

Thanks for the replies. Thanks Panda, I looked through the bumper and saw 2 little coolers. Looks like a do have the tow package! I think I will go with the trailer as AlaskanExpy recommended. The brakes on the trailer will help out as well. I know I will not have a problem with the Caravan, I was just a little worried about the Ramcharger. It weighs about a little over 4,000lbs.

 

[masterhacker]

4000#'s thats it? I pulled a damn trailer (i mean house sized trailer) with my expy and my buddy pulled it with his durango several weeks later to a better spot, i imagine that weighed a hell of a lot more than a car/trailer. If i was you I would get the trailer to do it, and id offered pay the extra $5 and get the accidental insurance

 

[sgtowing]

I used a tow dolly once and I will never use one again. Get the hauler. More stable and has brakes.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[02expi]

car dollies r great mine has brakes,I've done 2 long distance tows, could hardly tell it was back there, and its much cheaper to rent than a trailer. U will have no problem towing the caravan if the front is on the dolly.

 

[02expi]

My tow dolly has brakes and I pulled my expy 750 miles with it. U can buy one reasonable these days. You just have to measure between the fenders to make sure the ramcharger will fit. There are at least a couple of different sizes available. If u are going to tow an automatic vehicle take the rear drive shaft out.Mine pulled easy and hardly knew it was back there.

one word of caution if u buy one test tow it first and get it up to highway speed.If the tongue feels loose it will sway back and forth quite a lot and is miserable to tow with. However new bolts and braces will restore the tongue. I found out the hard way and had to fix mine b 4 I could use it.

 

[ydopen]

Go with the tandem axle trailer, should pull good, and if you get in a bind u can back it up.