flat towing vs tow dolly
- Thread starter EJGjr
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trulyvintage
Well-known member
Rent a trailer or hit up a friend to make the trip with you
that has a tow vehicle & trailer.
Jim
that has a tow vehicle & trailer.
Jim
Houdini
Senior Member
I found my model A won't tow with a tow bar, the wheels will **** sideways with random irregularities in the pavement or in turns. I only tested it in my driveway and found that to be true, so I won't use a tow bar, unless I sit in the car and control the steering.
My steering is stiff and hard and probably partly to blame. Others tell me that their As tow with a tow bar just fine. so be careful if you go that route. Some disconnect the drag link and say that is the key to it.
I ended up buying a tow dolly and it works fine. Drive the car up onto it, put the car in neutral, take parking brake off, secure the steering wheel so it doesn't turn while being towed on the dolly. Straps that came with new dolly work fine for my 19 inch tires. I also added some extra straps over the axles as backup. If you use a tow dolly, stop and recheck a few times as they tend to loosen for the first few miles, as things get adjusted. Also as advised on the Barn, I don't tow any faster than I would drive the car.
If you are only doing this once, I would rent a car trailer from U-haul and put the car on it and off the ground. That is your best bet.
My steering is stiff and hard and probably partly to blame. Others tell me that their As tow with a tow bar just fine. so be careful if you go that route. Some disconnect the drag link and say that is the key to it.
I ended up buying a tow dolly and it works fine. Drive the car up onto it, put the car in neutral, take parking brake off, secure the steering wheel so it doesn't turn while being towed on the dolly. Straps that came with new dolly work fine for my 19 inch tires. I also added some extra straps over the axles as backup. If you use a tow dolly, stop and recheck a few times as they tend to loosen for the first few miles, as things get adjusted. Also as advised on the Barn, I don't tow any faster than I would drive the car.
If you are only doing this once, I would rent a car trailer from U-haul and put the car on it and off the ground. That is your best bet.
George Miller
Well-known member
Tow dolly, but I would get a trailer for the A. How are the tires, suspension, shocks, Do you have to drive on high ways at high speed. Get a trailer and not have to worry.
Neil Mylar LakewoodCA
Well-known member
Using a trailer to tow your car is definitly the best suggestion.
I have used a tow bar that bolts to the frame and takes the place of both the front bumper and the bumper brackets.
If you decide to use your bumper replacing tow bar be sure that the bumper clamps you use are original steel and not repo aluminum.
It wouldn't hurt to verify that your wheel bearings are packed well.
Definitely verify that your lug nuts are tight (even on a restored car).
Tie the steering wheel or avoid making sharp turns.
Neil
I have used a tow bar that bolts to the frame and takes the place of both the front bumper and the bumper brackets.
If you decide to use your bumper replacing tow bar be sure that the bumper clamps you use are original steel and not repo aluminum.
It wouldn't hurt to verify that your wheel bearings are packed well.
Definitely verify that your lug nuts are tight (even on a restored car).
Tie the steering wheel or avoid making sharp turns.
Neil
Ken Anderson
Member
I splurged this this year and bought an enclosed trailer. Not that I own a trailer queen but I do like the idea of having a portable garage.
Kevin in NJ
Well-known member
The better question is what is legal for the states your are towing in?
It is likely that the towed vehicle must have a braking system.
You are likely to need at least a tow dolly with brakes. A full trailer with brakes might be a better solution.
A while back I remember the RV guys talking about having to have cars towed out of a state because they did not have brakes set up while flat towing. They were just passing through a state that requires brakes on a towed vehicle.
It is likely that the towed vehicle must have a braking system.
You are likely to need at least a tow dolly with brakes. A full trailer with brakes might be a better solution.
A while back I remember the RV guys talking about having to have cars towed out of a state because they did not have brakes set up while flat towing. They were just passing through a state that requires brakes on a towed vehicle.
C26Pinelake
BANNED
just don't turn the A into a trailer queen! Better to sell it first than tow around your trophy. Wayne
Big hammer
Well-known member
For a few dollars more you can get it home with ease rent a car hauler, all the wheels off the ground! I made a tow bar that I towed my A 35 miles at no more than 40 mph. I wanted to see if it would work. 300 miles is a long time to worry!
Bruce Adams
Well-known member
I like my flat bed trailer for a 300 mile trip. Some say that on a dolly, if the rear wheels turn without being "Driven" by the engine, the ****** will starve for lubrication and they say the engine should be started from time to time to splash oil up on the gears. I do not have personal experience in this but figured their comments might be of note.
as Kevin says- I towed a coupe home from the poconos years ago and was allowed to use a tow bar, but not a tow dolly on the turnpike. laws are diff in each state, thus the trailer was prob the best answer. BTW- towed about 150 miles with no prob with the towbar not going over 50mph PA to NJ
Mike V. Florida
Well-known member
What ever is used remember if the rear wheels are on the pavement do NOT tow it at a speed you would not drive it. In other words don't tow it a 70 mph.
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coupe1942
Senior Member
I have towed with both a trailer, with a 2-wheel car hauler and with an old VW tow bar. I had problems with the car hauler as the U-Haul people had not checked the equipment correctly and the straps kept coming loose and required frequent checking. I never had any real issues with the tow bar. I drove from Wichita Falls, tX to 29 Palms using the tow bar, from Owensboro, KY to San Angelo, Tx with the trailer and from Arlington, TX to Reedsville, PA with the car hauler.
I drove my 70's Ford pickup about 70 mph all the way to 29 palms with the car in tow and that was essentially the speed limit back then in the 70's. I actually had an axle key way break in NV and had to pull over at a motel and spend the night. I was about ready to cry as there wasn't anyone with a replacement on a weekend like that and I just knew I'd have to abandon the car. Well, the say that God protects fools and drunks and when I got up to go outside the motel room the next morning, I spotted a hot rodder who was tearing a coupe apart in his front yard right across the street from that motel. He told me I could have anything on that car for $5 bucks and I bought another keyway to replace the broken one. I didn't have room at all to pick up any of the parts he was offering though. :-(
When that key way broke the wheel came out of the axle housing and it looked like something from the Keystone Cops as it went in and out as I sped along. I saw it in my rearview mirror and you never saw anyone apply brakes as hard a sI did that day to stop before the wheel left the car. It was a brown shorts moment, for sure.
I bought a '36 Ford coupe once that was stored along a railroad track. My father-in-law and i decided to tow it behind his '54 Chevy pickup with a long chain. Well, the coupe didn't have a seat in it and i had to sit on a Coke soda water box and guide it as he pulled me down the road. We only had a few blocks to go, too. Well, as fate would have it, the steering wheel pulled off in my hands and the car started going where ever the heck it wanted to go. He was more intent in looking forward and didn't notice until he saw me trailing behind his pickup and running through some lady's flowerbed out of control and holding a banjo steering wheel out of the door and waving to him as I hollered for him to stop. Another brown shorts moment, for sure. Like a real dummy, I later sold off that same coupe to purchase books for a college semester. You would laugh if you knew how little I asked and got for it back then, too.
Me, I would say to be careful no matter what method you choose. Don't rely on anyone to check your safety equipment. It will be the inattentive person behind you that makes it most unsafe to tow a vehicle these days, but for long distance hauling I'd choose a trailer over all the rest, just because it seems more secure and you can add brakes. An enclosed trailer is likely even more secure, as no one is likely to enter it and ruin or steal anything most of the time.
Good luck on your trip and your choice. Take photos and share.
I drove my 70's Ford pickup about 70 mph all the way to 29 palms with the car in tow and that was essentially the speed limit back then in the 70's. I actually had an axle key way break in NV and had to pull over at a motel and spend the night. I was about ready to cry as there wasn't anyone with a replacement on a weekend like that and I just knew I'd have to abandon the car. Well, the say that God protects fools and drunks and when I got up to go outside the motel room the next morning, I spotted a hot rodder who was tearing a coupe apart in his front yard right across the street from that motel. He told me I could have anything on that car for $5 bucks and I bought another keyway to replace the broken one. I didn't have room at all to pick up any of the parts he was offering though. :-(
When that key way broke the wheel came out of the axle housing and it looked like something from the Keystone Cops as it went in and out as I sped along. I saw it in my rearview mirror and you never saw anyone apply brakes as hard a sI did that day to stop before the wheel left the car. It was a brown shorts moment, for sure.
I bought a '36 Ford coupe once that was stored along a railroad track. My father-in-law and i decided to tow it behind his '54 Chevy pickup with a long chain. Well, the coupe didn't have a seat in it and i had to sit on a Coke soda water box and guide it as he pulled me down the road. We only had a few blocks to go, too. Well, as fate would have it, the steering wheel pulled off in my hands and the car started going where ever the heck it wanted to go. He was more intent in looking forward and didn't notice until he saw me trailing behind his pickup and running through some lady's flowerbed out of control and holding a banjo steering wheel out of the door and waving to him as I hollered for him to stop. Another brown shorts moment, for sure. Like a real dummy, I later sold off that same coupe to purchase books for a college semester. You would laugh if you knew how little I asked and got for it back then, too.
Me, I would say to be careful no matter what method you choose. Don't rely on anyone to check your safety equipment. It will be the inattentive person behind you that makes it most unsafe to tow a vehicle these days, but for long distance hauling I'd choose a trailer over all the rest, just because it seems more secure and you can add brakes. An enclosed trailer is likely even more secure, as no one is likely to enter it and ruin or steal anything most of the time.
Good luck on your trip and your choice. Take photos and share.
Synchro909
Well-known member
At only 300 miles even if the + is another 50, I'd drive it. That's what they were made for.
C26Pinelake
BANNED
That seems to be contrary to popular opinion oh well it's your cat. . Wayne
If you go with U-Haul be sure to check everything over carefully and do not rely on their assurance that the equipment has been checked out. I have had a couple of bad experiences with them and will never go back. In one case, the wheel bearings were so shot that the trailer made a knocking noise at only 10 MPH. In another, the surge brake was faulty and nearly caused a serious accident. In both cases, it was fortunate that the fault was discovered before I was too far down the road. If you ever file a claim against U-Haul, you will immediately catch hellfire from their legal team, which is poised to fight you tooth and nail from the start. I have been told that they rarely lose in court and, if you read the fine print on the rental documents, you will see why.