Towing Tech Thread - Car Transportation

[AutoXRacer]

First, I'm not sure where this subject fits. I posted here in the corner carvers forum as I know many track rats trailer their cars.

So, I would like to trailer may car to track and drag racing events. Until now I have commuted back and forth to the track, but with my new found setup, I am afraid to break something and be stranded waiting and paying some tow truck for a 2-3 hour tow back home.

So, I would like to talk about a tow vehicle and trailer.
What do you guys use?
How do you chose an appropriate tow vehicle?

Thanks!!

 

[05moneypit]

Tow vehicle depends a lot on what type of trailer. I have an open 19' trailer that is 7000 GVW. Trailer weighs 2200 car weighs about 3500. I tow with my 08 F150 4.6 2V it is a little under powered but it does the job. Stopping with a trailer is your first priority IMOP. Good trailer brakes and controller are a must. Load leveling hitch and the correct load rated hardware also.

The DOT in PA has really cracked down on trailers in the last few years, I know more than a couple racers that have been nailed for over loading, wrong class hitch or hardware. DOT fines are big money so do your research in your area.

Two things to consider with a trailer.

Get a good winch, no sense in having a trailer and a broken car and no way of getting the car on the trailer.....been there....done that.

If your car sits low make sure you can drive it on the trailer without a bunch of head aches. Beaver tail trailer with long ramps.

 

[Bud]

Like said above, you probably need to decide what trailer you are going with to decide what'll work for a tow vehicle or vice versa. I'm towing with a 2006 Expedition with a 3v 5.4 so tried to keep the weight down. Trailer is supposed to be around 1800, my car weighs 3200. The Expedition has plenty of power to pull an open trailer and the suspension handles the weight decently if the trailer is loaded correctly. I get about 10.5mpg towing. Most trailers I see come with brakes on both axles, so no problems stopping either.

Again as mentioned above, make sure your car will get on the trailer without tearing anything up. Decent dove tail and longer ramps. My trailer is 19' overall with a 3' dovetail and I use 5' ramps. My car sits pretty high and still scrapes unless I use the tongue jack a bit or put the rear of my exped on ramps. Mine also has a removable fender on the drivers side. I couldn't open my mustang door when loaded otherwise. I had the trailer made without ramps and I ordered the 5' aluminum ramps separately, they are a little more fun to sling around than steel ones.

 

[jayel579]

The general problem with our cars is the weight for any SUV type towing vehicle. You are best getting a truck. I currently drive my car to events as well but will soon be purchasing a truck and trailer. I have towed mine on an open deck steal trailer with my brothers Chevy 2500 HD 6.0l. Towed fine, zero issues, gas mileage about 11-12 mpg. If you go with any type of Expedition or Tahoe I would highly suggest minimally air bags and a weight distributing hitch. Keep it under 65 mph on the highway. You will always be trading out one thing for another when you start compromising on your tow hook-up, i.e. SUV vs truck or gas vs diesel. It is better to have way too much towing capability then just enough.

Bottom line is you want your tow vehicle to be the most reliable item in your driveway.

 

[AutoXRacer]

I am guessing the type of trailer I would like is an aluminum open type trailer that allows for modularity of future components; winch, tool box, etc.

I am thinking something like this:

I wish these weren't so expensive:

Ideally, I would like a tool box big enough for a jack and some tire changing tools, a winch for times the car is immobile, and maybe a small batter with a small air compressor for tire air fills.

The part where I am lost is in the details of a tow vehicle. Sure, I would probably default on a truck. But what limits a tow vehicle; powertrain and chassis/hitch class-weight capacity?

Is a heavy duty truck required in all cases? Whats the smallest/appropriate vehicle to successfully tow?

 

[Bud]

SUV's don't make bad tow vehicles for open trailers. They handle that weight fine. Max rated towing capacity on a properly equipped 2006 expedition is 8900lb. Max on the same year f150 isn't much higher at 9900lb. I've been 75-85 for 1200 miles each way with ~5000lb of trailer/mustang, 30 gallons of fuel, spare wheels/tires, tools, etc in mine and when loaded correctly it isn't a problem. Get to much tongue weight and you know it quickly. Not smart to run that speed, but over 1200 miles it saves a bit of time :/

I went with an SUV because they were cheaper than a similar year/mileage truck around here. One downfall of the 03 and up expeds is IRS. The IRS pulls just fine but there is next to nothing out there for airbags/etc for the IRS setup. Straight axle ftw there.

Start looking up the towing capacity on vehicles in the range you are looking to buy at. Aluminum trailer will definitely make things easier/lighter, less up keep, etc. Figure up your total weight and start comparing it to some vehicles to get an idea of what you could run. Those airbagged trailers are pimp, 7k for an open trailer is nuts though.

 

[jayel579]

Aluminum trailers are highly desirable but are cost way more then the equal steal trailer. You can find a couple years old open deck steal trailers all day on the interwebz for 1200-1500 bucks. You'll just have to go through it to ensure the tires (not over 3 years old, regardless of thread) and brakes are good. You may not get a lot of answer on this forum, though I think there was a towing thread going in Corner Carvers a while back. Check some of the camping websites and forums actually, I did a lot of learning there.

The limits of a tow vehicle are exactly what you stated. I wouldn't tow our cars with anything less then a 10,000 lb capacity. Most of your SUVs only get around 8-9000 lbs. It comes down to the GVW of the vehicles chassis. You can tow with a 4 cylinder if you want to but don't expect to get up hills or the ability to pull out into traffic. I have seen tow hitches on smart cars, hell bikers tow with their Honda Goldwings. Class 3 hitch is pretty much standard, and you shouldn't go with anything less. Most of your "tow package" trucks will come with that though I think Ford had a Class 4 hitch now, not sure what that is exactly.

I personally am hoping to get a box so I don't have to pay for indoor storage during the winter.

 

[skwerl]

Save your money on an electric winch. You will rarely use it and when you need it the battery will be dead. A two speed manual boat winch works just fine and weighs next to nothing. I mounted one on a 2x2 steel tubing bracket and welded a matching pocket on the front of the trailer. If I need the winch I pull it out of the truck toolbox, drop it in the pocket and use it. I can load my car in less then 5 minutes by myself in the dark using the hand winch (I used it the time my clutch exploded at the track in Bradenton). It's a POS but it was free and it works.

My trailer has a split tail where I have room to kneel down under the back of the car in order to attach anchor straps. No laying on my back and crawling under the car. Also you want ramps that pull out the back, not the type that slide into pockets on the side of the trailer. You also want to make sure the car door will clear the fender when the car is on the trailer. Crawling out the window sucks, so does having somebody 'help' and open up the car door into the fender and fuck up your paint. Typically you want fenders 8" high or less from the trailer deck. If it's close you can make it work using some cribbing under the tires so the car sits higher.

 

[Department Of Boost]

I've been towing trailers for years At one point I was at the track 20-25 weekends a year.

I was towing a 28' enclosed with a F-250 4x4 Screw long bed diesels. That was a fantastic setup, pretty much unstoppable and would tow up mountains without even kicking down a gear. The long wheelbase of the truck made for a very stable setup. I used a load leveling hitch and a good brake controller. This setup is pretty overkill unless you are spending a LOT of time at the track. And loading/unloading with an enclosed trailer is a PITA compared to an open one. Enclosed trailers are nice though because of the added security (hotel parking lots, etc) and your car/gear is out of the weather.

Lately I have been borrowing my friends 24' enclosed and towing it with my 2012 F-150 EcoBoost 4x4 Scab with a six and a half foot box and 33x12.50 tires. The truck has no problem pulling the trailer, I can set the cruise control at 80mph and it just keeps on truckin', no problem. And even though the wheelbase is relatively short (compared to a 250 Screw with a long bed) it is still very stable. Yeah it will get a little squirrelly around big rigs sometimes, but nothing scary. I use a load leveling hitch and the truck has one of those new built in/OEM brake controllers.

I would like to buy another trailer this year, but I am torn between an open and an enclosed. The open trailers are really nice for short trips, loading, unloading, etc. Not so good for longer trips (nights in hotels), they suck if the roads are a mess (the car ends up being a mess) and you are limited in what you can bring as far as gear goes. I would like to have one of each really.

As far as tow vehicles goes I wouldn't consider anything less than a F-150 (or similar size GM/Dodge) with a V-8 or a EcoBoost, even with an open trailer. It's not all about power, it's about having a chassis, brakes, etc that can handle towing a trailer safely. When it comes to hitches you will find that most late model trucks will already have class III hitches/receivers and a lot of them have built in electric brake controllers. Get yourself a load leveling hitch and you are ready to rock.

Now for a few things that people don't do correctly most of the time. You want to have at least 2 spare tires, preferably 3. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a tire let go and take the one next to it out too. There are two spares right there used up. You also want to have a HUGE floor jack with you. You need to be able to jack the trailer up with the car on/in it. That takes a pretty heavy duty jack. And obviously make sure you have the correct tire iron, etc too. A small box of flares doesn't hurt either. Sitting on the side of the freeway changing trailer tires is scary!

Someone else mentioned having a winch, and they were right, they are a must.

And someone also mentioned ramps. You can't get a lowered Mustang into most trailers. Because of this I have a set of long "Race Ramps" that I can put under the trailer ramp to make the approach shallower. In addition to this I also put the big floor jack under the hitch/receiver and jack it up until the rear truck tires are about coming off the ground. This gives you a much better approach angle for loading/unloading the car.

Don't cheap out on straps.

If you are running an open trailer you want to either run a big toolbox and/or a stone guard in front of the car. If you don't you will tear your paint up.

Good luck.

 

[JesseW.]

i have a 16ft open trailer, wood deck with a 2ft dove tail. bought it last year brand new for $1800. (got a great deal)

1. put two 10' 2x10"s screwed to the deck for the doors to clear the trailer fenders. i screwed some scrap 4x4 to the deck in front to act as a stop/chock.

2. my car is pretty low and even with longish ramps and a dove tail it was going to hit the nose. i pull the rear axle of the truck onto those $35 oil change ramps from cheap ass autopart store and it works perfectly. and a lot cheaper than those race ramps....

3. i own a decient looking 99 chevy 1500 z-71 with a shitload of miles that i tow with 2-3 hours one way per event. i bought it 5 years ago for less than the 1st year depriciation on a newer truck. it tows fine as long as its below 60 or above 70. between the transmission hunts. pay attention to stuff like that and it will last longer. if i ever blow up the engine or trans i will buy the same sort of deal or replace the broke part. i'm still way ahead of buying a newer big truck to pull

4. do not under any curcumstances drive a newer truck with a diesel while towing your vehicle. you will get bad thoughts about buying one and that will take money out of your racecar budget... so far my truck has cost me about $1,500 a year to own, including the purchase price, maitenance, registration and liability insurance. you would have to own a $40,000 truck over 26 years to come out that cheap.

5. the truck has only depriciated $750 according to kbb since i have owned it, including putting 40,000 miles on it. i'm a cheap bastard

 

[AutoXRacer]

Wow, you guys are full of info!!

Why such a huge price difference in trailers between steel and aluminum?
I prefer the sub $5K price tag of a steel trailer. I don't need anything fancy.

I still have to figure the price of the truck and trailer with whatever accessories are needed. Whats sad, is that the truck would only be used for towing as I don't need a truck otherwise.

I have been drooling over the F-150 Raptor...but I'm on the fence in paying big bucks for a fancy rig like a Raptor or just get a 2nd hand truck strictly for towing.

Seems like the focus will be on a crew cab of some sort.

 

[jayel579]

I have been drooling over the F-150 Raptor...but I'm on the fence in paying big bucks for a fancy rig like a Raptor or just get a 2nd hand truck strictly for towing.

I was too but they just are not good for towing. A guy I track with towed a box with a Raptor, did not handle the weight well at all. Got rid of it mid season for a Chevy 2500 HD diesel.

 

[Department Of Boost]

Why such a huge price difference in trailers between steel and aluminum?

Because aluminum costs a LOT more than steel.

I still have to figure the price of the truck and trailer with whatever accessories are needed. Whats sad, is that the truck would only be used for towing as I don't need a truck otherwise.

I use my trucks as my daily driver.

I have been drooling over the F-150 Raptor...

Raptor's have horribly low tow ratings. If they didn't there would be one in my driveway.

 

[Department Of Boost]

i have a 16ft open trailer, wood deck with a 2ft dove tail. bought it last year brand new for $1800. (got a great deal)

1. put two 10' 2x10"s screwed to the deck for the doors to clear the trailer fenders. i screwed some scrap 4x4 to the deck in front to act as a stop/chock.

2. my car is pretty low and even with longish ramps and a dove tail it was going to hit the nose. i pull the rear axle of the truck onto those $35 oil change ramps from cheap ass autopart store and it works perfectly. and a lot cheaper than those race ramps....

3. i own a decient looking 99 chevy 1500 z-71 with a shitload of miles that i tow with 2-3 hours one way per event. i bought it 5 years ago for less than the 1st year depriciation on a newer truck. it tows fine as long as its below 60 or above 70. between the transmission hunts. pay attention to stuff like that and it will last longer. if i ever blow up the engine or trans i will buy the same sort of deal or replace the broke part. i'm still way ahead of buying a newer big truck to pull

4. do not under any curcumstances drive a newer truck with a diesel while towing your vehicle. you will get bad thoughts about buying one and that will take money out of your racecar budget... so far my truck has cost me about $1,500 a year to own, including the purchase price, maitenance, registration and liability insurance. you would have to own a $40,000 truck over 26 years to come out that cheap.

5. the truck has only depriciated $750 according to kbb since i have owned it, including putting 40,000 miles on it. i'm a cheap bastard

It doesn't seem like you are getting too far from home. But if you do lets say get 5-6hrs+ away from home base and your truck breaks down you are looking at a very big and expensive problem.

The first problem is that if the truck breaks down on the way to an event you will most likely miss the event, which you have pre-paid for. And in a lot of cases taken time off work for. That money goes down the tubes. Then you have to deal with getting your truck and trailer towed somewhere to be fixed. Towing charges for a truck and trailer are HUGE. And then you have the added risk of what do you do with the trailer while the truck is being fixed? Will all your stuff be safe? And of course you may as well just bend right over if you need "emergency" repairs while you are out of town. Even a small break down can add up to a couple thousand dollars real fast. And in most cases you will be stranded wherever your truck is while it is being fixed. Paying for hotel rooms, food, more time off work, etc.

Yeah, you can get it towed back home and fix it there. But 200-300mi of towing charges for a truck and trailer are astronomical.

If you tow with a high mileage truck you are playing "truck repair" roulette every time you go out. And 500-600mi of towing charges will cost as much as the truck!

And we haven't even started to talk about mechanical failures that can result in wadding the truck/trailer up. Which will most likely take the car with it too. Broken front suspension piece? Wad your stuff up. Dump fluid all over the tires at 65mph, could wad your stuff up. Even a incorrectly times blowout can result in wadding your stuff up.

To some it is worth the gamble. To me it is not.

 

[ddavidv]

Well, this is how I do it:

Photo is a little old (trailer is painted now) but otherwise this is how I roll into a paddock. Yes, I'm quite the topic of conversation. Why am I this insane? There are actually reasons...

1) Antique tags mean uber cheap licensing and insurance
2) I don't really use the truck for much else other than going to the occasional car show
3) Doesn't depreciate
4) Cost only a tiny percentage of a 'new' truck
5) Chicks dig it (really!)
6) Most importantly, I like it

"But you're insane towing with a 49 year old truck!"
Meh. Modern tires, disc brake conversion, class 3 hitch, trailer brakes. I don't see what the big deal is. Most tracks I go to are only 2 hrs away but it's also hauled to VIR (8+ hrs) with no problems. Gets 15 mpg unladen, about 11-12 towing on the highway. Dislikes? No power steering, no a/c, wind noise that will make you lose your hearing and it really should have a four speed vs the 3-on-the-tree.

Would I do it again, if I had to do it over? Probably not. I'd probably buy a first gen Lightning and have all the creature comforts for about the same price, but this truck and I have a relationship now, so it'll stay. Besides, my wife would leave me if I sold it. Hmmm, come to think of it...

My point, assuming I have one, is that you don't need a $40,000 truck to do this job. Yeah, it's nicer in a newer truck (or in one like mine that's actually been restored and modernized) but I'll keep the $35,000 difference and spend it on the car, parts and track time.

PS: If I went to tons of races, and traveled bigger distances, I'd actually buy a van.

PPS: The BMW is for sale, if anyone knows someone looking.

PPPS: The post above this one must have hit while I was writing mine. I'm pretty much doing everything wrong, LOL.

 

[01yellerCobra]

If you look into SUV's and have the budget look into the Expedition EL. The longer wheel base helps keep it stable. Granted I've only towed my boat which is about 5000lbs. But it towed with no problem and got about 11mpg. All the 3rd gen Expys come with a class 4 hitch. And the EL's have the cooling upgrades and 3.73 gears that the other Expys get as part of the HD tow package.

Misspelling brought to you by tapatalk

 

[Bud]

PPPS: The post above this one must have hit while I was writing mine. I'm pretty much doing everything wrong, LOL.

Pretty sure you are doing it right for what fits your needs.

A person doesn't need a $40,000, 3/4 ton truck with over a 10k tow rating to safely and comfortably pull 5-6k, even considering gvwr and gcwr. Seems like people like to overdo it, which is a good idea if you have the money, but is not required to get the job done.

 

[AutoXRacer]

Damn, there goes the thought of getting a SRT Cherokee... lol

Also, never thought about a breakdown with truck and trailer...OMG, that would be a nightmare!!! Although, you could always unload the car and drive off with that. lol

Hmm... Now I am wondering if its cheaper to just commute back and forth to the track and if I break down then oh well, just pay the tow truck...

Man you guys have totally complicated my idea... lol

 

[Bud]

Damn, there goes the thought of getting a SRT Cherokee... lol

Also, never thought about a breakdown with truck and trailer...OMG, that would be a nightmare!!! Although, you could always unload the car and drive off with that. lol

Hmm... Now I am wondering if its cheaper to just commute back and forth to the track and if I break down then oh well, just pay the tow truck...

Man you guys have totally complicated my idea... lol

If it is mostly a concern of breaking down at the track, I would just get AAA. If it ever breaks just push/drag that bitch out the gates and call AAA for a tow home. It may very well be more inconvenient and more expensive than it is worth to do your own towing. Purchase price of truck/trailer, license costs for both, insurance costs for both, storing another vehicle and trailer, etc adds up.

 

[69Mach1-409]

Most everything I can think of has been covered here.

Just wanted to add the Raptor towed from South Jersey to Mustang Week and back amazingly well doing 70 most of the way. I even let the girlfriend take a turn behind the wheel it did so well. I'm right around 6k tow weight and with the WD hitch it towed better then my dads normal F150.

I agree they have a low rating and would not buy one to use for towing often, but they do tow very well.