| Author | Message | ||
| Frank Richard Noodleman (R_noodle)
New member Username: R_noodle Post Number: 6 Registered: 7-2002 |
Thank you all for the useful information. It's amazing how well and quickly this site works. I will let you know what I decide to do and how it turns out. Rick | ||
| Matt (Matt_lamotte)
New member Username: Matt_lamotte Post Number: 21 Registered: 10-2002 |
I will gladly save you the boredom of driving in traffic. Just hand me the keys and I'll meet ya there.  I'll even pay for the gas. Seriously, I would be to scared to tow my car in anything open like a uhaul and like everyone else said the cover coud do serious damage. Like Dan said just fold up one of the riders and your good to go. | ||
| Matt Lemus (Mlemus)
Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 440 Registered: 8-2002 |
Thanks Doody, I am always will to help. M | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
Advanced Member Username: Miami348ts Post Number: 3187 Registered: 5-2001 |
If I remember correctly the U-hauls trailer is only 75 inches wide and barely fits a Ferrari side to side. Don't know the with of the 550. But you want to give yourself some extra room,. especially that the fenders do not come off on the U-Hauls. Forget finding an enclosed trailer, there is virtually nobody there that does rent them. Unless you have a buddy that can led you one. To avoid rock chips put a car bra on the car. Make sure to have the right one and a good fit. The 2x10s work great. Might want to cut them into smaller pieces and stagger them to get a better ramp. You can use the U-Haul if it clears sideways. A 308 would not be a problem. The 348 Spider barely fits (rather not). One suggestion that will probably not be suitable for you is to rent a Budget Moving truck with a 90'' wide gate and no wheel wells. Have a tow truck put the car on the bed of the tow truck then roll it into the truck, tie it down and unload it at your destination with another tow truck. Very costly but good for long hauls. That is how I got a car from PA to Miami. Rather drive it there though! | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 387 Registered: 5-2002 |
Do you have a truck that is equipped to tow your car on a trailer? Does the truck have a frame mounted receiver hitch with at least a 2 inch ball, not just a whimpy bumper mounted ball? Is your tow truck and trailer equiped with electric brakes? I don't know how much a 550 weighs, but you would probably feel better about towing safety if your truck and trailer had electric brakes. I've towed many project vehicles on my utility trailer without electric brakes, but the project cars are usually missing engines and/or major parts to the extent that they don't weigh nearly as much as a completely intact car. Also, the usual rule of thumb is to always load a car onto a trailer in the forward pointed direction so that engine weight will be up front. Severe weight toward the back of the trailer will cause fish-tailing and swerving of the rear of the trailer. A 550 being front engined would load conventionally, but a 308 or other rear engined car might actually tow better if loaded backwards on the trailer. Do NOT use a car cover on a trailered vehicle; the wind will batter the cover against the paint. I use military surplus nylon axle straps that are rated at 10,000 pounds each that loop over anything handy and then use ratchet straps to tighten everything down. I also have some commercially made nylon axle straps that are rated the same. I just look underneath the car and loop the strap over a rear axle housing or a front A-frame or crossmember to tie the car down at each corner. Always tie the car BELOW the springs so that the suspension system of the car will still be active. In other words, don't tie down to the frame or the suspension of the car will not absorb the bounces. Using nylon straps instead of chains will prevent anything from being scratched or gouged on the car's undercarriage. Just a few tidbits that I have learned the past few years of towing clunker projects. | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Member Username: Doody Post Number: 585 Registered: 11-2001 |
matt - you are a true humanitarian. selflessly supporting family values and helping your neighbors. i'm all choked up about it. :-) doody. | ||
| Mark Freeman (Mrpc12)
Junior Member Username: Mrpc12 Post Number: 84 Registered: 11-2001 |
I've got a Sloan Quick load trailer you can borrow if you want. It tilts down so you can just drive the car up and you won't scrape anything. I don't live too far from you. email me if you want to come and see it. | ||
| Frank K Lipinski (Kaz)
New member Username: Kaz Post Number: 11 Registered: 11-2002 |
Frank If you have "Nations Rent", the equip rental company, near you check them out. I used their trailer to pull a lowered P-car before. They have dual axle trailers that sit very low. If you don't think you can clear the ramp, get some 2x10 from home depot and place them under the ramp to lower the angle. I looked all over for a place to rent an enclosed trailer and came up empty. Hope it helps. | ||
| Matt Lemus (Mlemus)
Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 435 Registered: 8-2002 |
U-haul's can't handle the ride height. My neighbor tried it with his barchetta and it would not fit. He wanted to tow it to a local car show and did not have the room for his kids. I ended up driving it. I am always willing to help out a fellow neighbor. | ||
| TomD (Tifosi)
Intermediate Member Username: Tifosi Post Number: 1669 Registered: 9-2001 |
some of these cheap rental trailers can't deal with the low ride height of the car | ||
| TomD (Tifosi)
Intermediate Member Username: Tifosi Post Number: 1668 Registered: 9-2001 |
for three hundred miles, I would drive it and tell the third to drive their car | ||
| John Ashburne (Jashburne)
New member Username: Jashburne Post Number: 6 Registered: 9-2002 |
Just echoing JRV's advice to NOT ever use a car cover on a open trailer. It will chaff and rub the paint off very, very quickly | ||
| Hubert Otlik (Hugh)
Member Username: Hugh Post Number: 293 Registered: 1-2002 |
Dan, I've seen people using open trailers to transport vintage cars and the like, but with the advent of a 'windshield' attached to the front of the hitch. It goes about 1/3 of the way around, and is taller than the car behind it, seems like that would be the way to go if you were going to transport it yourself. I'd snoop around some of the hot rod aftermarket sites, I'm sure they have what I'm talking about for sale, or maybe uhaul has them for rent? Otherwise, you could just buy your passengers plane tickets, and make the drive. -hubert | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Junior Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 74 Registered: 9-2002 |
Fair enough. Yes, I agree, finding an enclosed trailer is going to be much better, of course, but then prices might be significantly higher. Uhaul only has open carriers, it seems. Honestly, there should be people far better suited to answer these questions than myself, as I know nothing about transporting a car. Hmm, if one passenger is female, she can bend in half and get in the one-gold-bag trunk. ;) --Dan | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Junior Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 60 Registered: 11-2002 |
Car covers can flap in the wind and do serious damage to the paint. | ||
| Frank Richard Noodleman (R_noodle)
New member Username: R_noodle Post Number: 5 Registered: 7-2002 |
Good question. I need to take 2 other people. Also, I drive the car regularly but limit myself to interesting destinations / routes where I can "exercise" it fully. Interstate 5 doesn't do anything for me especially with heavy truck traffic and airplane-monitored speed traps. | ||
| Dan (Bobafett)
Junior Member Username: Bobafett Post Number: 73 Registered: 9-2002 |
I'm curious, why don't you want to drive it? --Dan | ||
| Frank Richard Noodleman (R_noodle)
New member Username: R_noodle Post Number: 3 Registered: 7-2002 |
I want to trailer this car approximately 300 miles and back on a weekend to avoid putting on boring and expensive highway miles. U-haul rents a tow trailer. Does anyone have any experience? Will I be able to get the car onto the trailer using the ramps without scraping the spoiler or rear valence? Will the car cover stay on the car at speed on the highway, or is there any special way to secure it? Where on the undercarriage do I attach the tie down chains/cables? If this is not a good way to go what are the alternatives and costs. Any and all ideas will be appreciated. Thanks. |