U Haul Towing

[gnrand]

U Haul does not a rent a trailer to tow a Corvair but will rent a tow dolly (when they punch in the information it comes up tow dolly). Has anyone used U Haul's full trailer for a LM Corvair. I am planning on a 1100 mile trip and don't want to use a tow dolly. Unless it is a clearance issue, I can't understand their recommendation. I can always tell U Haul it is a different car and get the trailer but I thought I would ask here first.
Thank you
Jeff

[azdave]

All of us U-Haul renters have run into that problem and we just tell them we are hauling something the doesn't conflict with their program which excludes Corvairs. Just don't have a wreck if your hauling your Corvair or they might blame the wrech on that and deny coverage. I pulled a 65 Corsa across the country and had no issues. Once I had a place to park a trailer at home I bought one from Craigslist so now I don't have to worry about U-Haul. Have you tried Penske? They rented to me some years back and didn't care that I was towing a Corvair on their trailer. That could have changed through. I don't know if it's the rear engine thing or what with U-Haul but I've never had any issues loading them either direction.

BTW...I hate tow dollys. In many states, the vehicle being towed must be registered, have current tags and be insured as well if any wheels touch the pavement. Who is going to do all that, especially if it's a parts car? I always use a full trailer.

[b74eqcm]

You're going to get a lot of different opinions about this, but I'm with Dave W. I've towed Corvairs, front first, on U-Haul trailers for over 1,000 miles at a time. Never an issue. The potential problem is with too much weight on the rear of the trailer, which can cause uncontrollable swaying and a crash. I've always had plenty of tongue weight using u-haul trailers not to worry about this. I also tow with a 3/4 ton truck - make sure your tow vehicle is up to the task. Some will suggest that you load it backwards. Meh. A really bad idea if you're towing a convertible.

[Rons64]

Three years ago I didn't have any trouble renting a U-Haul for my '64 convertible. However I did have problems with the trailer swaying every time I got up to 60 MPH. This was a 350 mile trip so I didn't want to go 55 the rest of the way. At the nearest rest stop I unloaded the car, turned it around and backed it on. After that - having the engine weight near the front - I had no problems regardless of my speed. Good Luck!!

[azdave]

However I did have problems with the trailer swaying every time I got up to 60 MPH.

Everybody knows you're not supposed to exceed 55 MPH with a U-Haul trailer...says it right on the trailer fender.

[gnrand]

I am going to load it engine first to avoid sway. My only issue is blocking off the convert window.

[toytron]

Hey Azdave,

I was interested in Penske trailer rental and went to their website and they claim that they do not rent trailers. Is there any other companies that might rent trailers one way?

Ed Stevenson

Never mind. I found their other website :

http://www.pensketruckrental.com/suppli ... equipment/

[gnrand]

Hey Azdave,

I was interested in Penske trailer rental and went to their website and they claim that they do not rent trailers. Is there any other companies that might rent trailers one way?

Ed Stevenson

Never mind. I found their other website :

http://www.pensketruckrental.com/suppli ... equipment/

Maybe Budget?

[xrotaryguy]

I too have had the swaying issue towing a Corvair loaded front first. I think it depends on the tow vehicle as to how much you'll experience the issue.

I've towed with lots of unstable tow vehicles. Towing with a decent truck, I'm "good to go."

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[ptr]

The keys to stable towing are a long wheelbase, a short distance between the rear axle of the tow vehicle and the hitch ball (why fifth wheels are best and Ford extended vans are evil) and keeping the center of gravity in front of the trailer wheels.

I just towed a 65 convertible 250 miles loaded front first on a u-Haul auto transporter behind a GMC van. It initially seemed a bit prone to swaying at speed (>60). I stopped at a gas station and bought three bags of water softener salt and tossed them in the trunk and all was stable as can be.

I needed the salt anyway so it was a win/win.

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[gnrand]

I have an F250 diesel short bed so I don't think the tow vehicle will be an issue. Just don't want to take any chances so I will load it engine first. I use to do some drag racing and had a trailer that was a tilt bed tantum wheel. Sure wish I had it now. It towed great and was long enough to position the weight in a rear engine car perfectly.

[azdave]

Here's my "evil" setup.

I don't tow that often but when I do I'm happy with this setup. It's a stripped 15-passenger E350 with only the front seats along with an 18' Outlaw tilt-bed trailer. I've towed many Corvairs (all facing forward) including many runs from Phoenix to Palm Springs and back including my V8 Toro. You'll see that the length of the trailer and the tandem wheel placement let's me get the weight where I need it. If I have a front engined car on the trailer, I use a load distribution hitch with sway control. The trailer has brakes on both axles and an emergency break-away system of course. I just recently outfited it with more tie-down points, short side rails, brighter LED lighting, a center brake light and four 50W LED backup lights.

[wbabst]

I towed my Corvair from SoCal up to Washington on a trailer. I went to Ryder, they had no trouble renting me a trailer from them for my Corvair. I had ZERO issues with the car loaded facing forward on the trailer. Biggest issue was getting the non running, no brakes vehicle on the trailer . Ryder is a bit of a low budget operation but really I had no problems or issues. I have used Penske, I won't go back because of being falsely accused of damaging the truck. To that effect I recommend that when you rent the paper work is fine, but your best bet is to take four quarter shots of the vehicle before leaving the parking lot.

[91blaze]

I've hauled four or five corvairs and a wagon over the last couple years. I've found the best way to balance the trailer is have the rear quarter window right above the axle (or between if tandem) facing forwards if you have the room. I've had this configuration going as far as north Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, and most recently Maryland from Indiana. I usually go 75-80 mph on the interstate and never have sway problems even with my relatively small '95 F150 and non load-distributing hitch. U-haul trailers are fairly small but you should be able to load the car far enough forward to pull well.

[ptr]

azdave says [quote="azdave"]Here's my "evil" setup.

Iol - that looks like a nice rig.

I've never towed with an extended Ford van, but I've read many horror stories on RV forums about them. The general consensus is that if you need an extended van to tow with you should go with the GM extended van instead as GM extended the wheelbase rather than the rear overhang.

I have a regular wheelbase GMC Savana and it's a great towing platform. We've drug the camper to Yellowstone and Florida with no problems. Of course with a full size van in front most anything you're towing short of a giant camper is apt to be in its slipstream [emoji3].

The weight distributing hitch makes a huge difference. It amazes me that boat people are seemingly unaware of them and complain about poor trailering while RV people are quite knowledgeable and argue passionately about whether a cam lock or a friction WDH is better.

Tires make a big difference as well. The difference between P (passenger car) and LT (light truck) tires is huge when towing. The stiffer sidewalls really help reduce sway.

I saw someone the other day in a Nissan Pathfinder towing a large camper (without a WDH) and the rear bumper was almost dragging the ground and the front wheels were damn near off the pavement! I gave him a wide berth as I went by. The further that rolling wreck looking for a place to happen was behind me the better [emoji6]



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[azdave]

Iol - that looks like a nice rig.

It works for me but if I towed all the time I would probably have a different setup. I was looking to replace my 91 Aerostar (that cannot tow a vehicle safely). A 2006 Ford E350 showed up on CL with 50K miles for $3200 so I snatched it up. It was already rigged for towing and had a trailer brake controller too. I like the shorter turning radius compared to the long Chevy van. Having driven Ford and Chevy vans for 20 years at work I do find I prefer Ford vans. The E350 is a 1-ton chassis so it uses all the upgraded Super Duty equipment.

I'm using a new style of WDH by Andersen and so far I like it better than the traditional types. Much quieter, easy to adjust, has sway control, no limitations on angles when backing up and is made in the USA. Found one used on eBay for 1/2 price. I don't need it for every tow but it's a nice clean setup.

http://www.andersenhitches.com/catalog/ ... hitch.aspx