No U-Haul - Now Need Towbar

I had planned to attend the Riverside meet a few weeks ago but U-Haul decided at the last minute not to rent me the trailer that I reserved a week earlier. According to U-Haul, my V6 Tacoma is not large enough to tow a trailer and a Jeep combined. They also wouldn't let me use one of their car carriers that cradles one axle.

So, it looks like I'll need to buy a towbar if I want to tow my Jeep anywhere. Any suggestions on which one to buy? Also, I would like to get a connection to the bumper that doesn't require drilling new holes. Any suggestions on that would be appreciated too.

 

Sounds like a smittybuilt is in order. Bolts around the bumper. I like Boyink's suggestion too.

Here's the smitty on betsy.

 

Ya know - I probably wouldn't complain about that picture being so big if it weren't for the ugly guy in the background.

 

Yea, for somebody thats a moderator/enforcer and computer geek, you'd think they could have resized the picture so it didn't stretch my poor monitor so bad!

 

Wanted the detail for beeser! Sorry about including Bob. R)

 

Ran into the same problem while trying too rent a tow dolly. They said I needed a 3/4 ton truck. All as I wanted it for was to haul a car body that was mounted to its frame. After alot of arguing I was able to rent it. I found out later my S-10 is a 3/4 ton. It has the heavy duty springs for the camper package.

 

When I was towing my CJ back from TX, I originally was going to put it on a trailer or dolly from U-Haul. They asked what I was going to be towing, I told them a 74 CJ5. They were stumped because it wasn't in their books. I've learned that it is usually better to just make stuff up when dealing with them. Tell them what they "need" to hear.

 

I agree. Tell them what they need to hear.

I recently towed my 5500 pound suburban with a dead fuel pump over 100 miles on a u-haul dolly behind a V6 mercury mountaineer. This is not something I would recommend doing on a long term basis but a $39.95 dolly rental was much better that a $2 per mile tow truck!

Just take it slow and easy and you'll be fine.

 

R) R)

 

That's exactly why they want to know- think liability-
I would have my buddy with a 3/4 ton truck go with me to pick it up. I've seen some very dangerous towing setups.
Above all use safety chains to keep the load from ruining/ending someone elses life when the unexpected happens. Remember Mr. Murphy and his laws!!

 

I agree, this was not an ideal towing setup. However with a tow dolly the weight on the hitch is minimal, most of the weight is on the dolly axle and the rear axle of the towed vehicle. With the weight under control the remaining safety concerns are braking and handling. I never went over 45 mph and travelled at a very low traffic time.

Now that the burb is back in operation that is what I use to tow my various boats and other toys.

 

Someone here recenlty suggested an open trailer for local CJ moves. Last week I was at the U-Haul yard in Pasadena, and they have at least two open trailers that a CJ would fit in. IIRC the smaller one was 5'x9' with dual wheels. These trailers also had the "easy load" ramps - a CJ could be driven in. You'd have to be careful not to overload. I don't know how the prices compare to the car hauler, but I expect they are cheaper. U-Haul probably will let you rent a 5'x9' with most cars.

 

Wal-Mart sells tow bars for around $60. You will probably have to fab up a bracket to attach to your bumper though

 

I bought my jeep on eBay, and had to drive from our farm in Central Michigan to Central Ohio to pick it up. I ordered a dolly via the internet from Uhaul and picked it up in some town down in Ohio. When I got there (a little garage/repair shop) the Dolly wasn't available! The fellow who owned the place had sent a mechanic out to pick up a customers car. So I waited, and waited. When I ordered the dolly, I had to tell them, what I was hauling ('66 CJ-5) and what I was hauling it with ('95 Dodge 1500 1/2 ton) to "qualify" to rent the darn thing. When the mechanic FINALLY arrived with the dolly, he had a late '70's full sized CADDY on the dolly and was pulling it with an S-10 pick-up! So much for "qualifying" what I was going to tow!

I took the dolly, drove down and loaded the jeep, and hauled it home some 300 miles or so, on the expressway, with no problems.

Good luck with your project!

 

that's why I now rent trailers from hertz equipment. Tell'em hauling my jeep, it wieghs 2800#'s and am useing a full size truck to pull it. NEVER had problems.