FJ45 12 hours away - how to move

[WesternMaryland]

Hi. New here.

I am buying a stock 67 (I think) FJ45 Wagon, and I need to get it here (MD) from Illinois.

We'll be driving out in an F150 - we could take our landscape trailer, or rent a dolly. Are there any issues with towing the rear 12 hours straight? (I will pull the driveshaft)

The truck was a daily driver 3 years ago, so its close...but hasn't been started since then. One gear is bad, paint is newish, owner was an old friend we lost this spring.

I have wanted an FJ45 for a long time - I am certain many questions will follow...

Any other FJ45s in the MD/PA/VA/WV area?

 

[lavarunner]

sweet buy!!! I towed a 66 Vw 21 window 12 hours on a dolley.

 

[Lupdog]

If you would think of towing it for 1 hour then 12 hours should be no different if your truck and trailer/dolly is reliable. Just make sure you have lots of rest stops and check hitch, tie downs etc as regularly as you can. Don't give yourself a deadline and take it easy so you can enjoy the experience - I love doing stuff like that! The journey is half the fun and when you get the 45 in you drive you will be very tired but that truck will look soooo good! And you will get some good beer stories out of it too! Be safe and have fun.

Lup

 

[fj40z]

I rented a car hauler from U-HAUL , because I was worried about pulling mine that far. The car hauler is like a trailer so all four wheels are off the ground. Used a Dodge Ram 1500, it was a 15 hour trip back (30 hours round trip) but I got back safely,thank the Lord. It cost a lot more than I expected, I could have had it shipped for the same price or less, but it wasnt to bad. Good Luck and post some pics when you get it.

 

[1973Guppie]

rent a penske trailer, uhaul sucks and is dangerous. you could do it on a dolly but a trailer is better.

Noah

 

[warrior_1515]

I also recomend getting all 4 wheels off the pavement.

I pulled my 45 wagon for over 600 miles with a Uhaul car hauler. But Uhaul does suck.

Personally I am glad that I had the car hauler. Not having driven it very much I wanted to eliminate any issues such as a wheel berring seizing.

Dave

 

[mdjohnsen]

rent a penske trailer, uhaul sucks and is dangerous. you could do it on a dolly but a trailer is better.

Noah

How much does Penske charge?

 

[fj40forlife]

Ill tow it on a trailer. You dont need a dully. My friend pulls his big as Heep on 42s with no problem. Ill go with trailer

 

[fj40z]

Yeah youre right U-HAUL does suck, if I had to do it all over again I would have rented from Penske.

 

[kulangot]

Donny Figliozzi has a 65 SWB FJ45 for sale over in Potomac Md.

PM for the details, it's in great shape and he wants $12K for it. I think it's a fair deal for what it is. PM me for pics and his contact info.

As far as long distance transport goes, Wes Worek and I were using a tow dolly to get his FJ40 from up here in DC down to Tellico. I was towing with my Dodge Turbo Diesel and something went wrong with the dolly. Closest I've come to getting killed behind the wheels of a truck. For some reason, probably tounge weight, the tow dolly develped a sway from side to side. I think something was wrong with the dolly but to this day I am not sure.

Since then, I've used a dolly a few times for short trips around town and never had a problem, but I am still wary of them and would prefer a trailer any day.

-Stumbaugh

 

[1973Guppie]

How much does Penske charge?

they charge more, but what is your life or the truck you are pulling worth??

do a search for uhaul on here, there are a multitude of nightmare stories. I simply dislike this company very much, bad products, bad service, etc. Just pay the little extra and ensure you have a safe, stable, well maintained product to rent. If you look over a uhaul vs. a penske truck anyday there is a night and day difference as far as maintenance and quality. I drove a penske truck home from AZ to pick up my FJ55 project and it was great, diesel, AC, sweet ride. It was about the same as uhaul, maybe a bit more, but manageable.

noah

 

[nilepoc]

I just towed a 40 from NM to MD, and hated my U-haul experience. The service was fair, but the equipment sucked. Blew a tire, had another flat, and they set the trailer up wrong causing the first flat.

I have no experience with penske, bu I would suggest you try a company other than u-haul.

Also call your insurance company and make sure your towed car is covered.

Good luck.

 

[Wadesters]

Penske Renta

I have checked with Penske before and they will not rent just the Trailer. You must rent one of their Trucks also. I think that is why so many people put up with U-haul.

 

[3_puppies]

I've used Uhaul, dollies and trailers a few times, never had a problem.

 

[foxfab]

1. This thread is worthless without pics AND a VIN#

2. U-haul trailers, although poorly maintained and heavy, will get your LV home. Watch out how you load it. I had mine fish tail pretty violently on the way home.

 

[cruiser88]

how about a towbar

 

[timbercruiser]

Tow bars work. But if you have a trailer, use it. I hate flat towing, even though I do it all the time.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

I rented a car hauler from U-HAUL , because I was worried about pulling mine that far. The car hauler is like a trailer so all four wheels are off the ground. Used a Dodge Ram 1500, it was a 15 hour trip back (30 hours round trip) but I got back safely,thank the Lord. It cost a lot more than I expected, I could have had it shipped for the same price or less, but it wasnt to bad. Good Luck and post some pics when you get it.

Did the same exact thing. Good to have friends with diesels! I had a one day trip to Knoxville and back. The frightening thing was tying the truck down with what we had since the trailer straps wouldn't fit over the 35s!

 

[2manycruisers]

If your landscape trailer has at least 2 3500# axles, brakes on at least one of them, and ramps, take it. One of the biggest advantages of a trailer, especially towing with just a 1/2 ton, is having the extra brakes. Trust me, stopping an extra 6000 pounds without extra brakes can be very frightening, not to mention dangerous.

 

[Mikesta]

1. This thread is worthless without pics AND a VIN#

2. U-haul trailers, although poorly maintained and heavy, will get your LV home. Watch out how you load it. I had mine fish tail pretty violently on the way home.

I've towed 3 LV's without the engine. All 3 on Uhaul Car trailers. All 3 with an 80 series cruiser. From my experience loading the truck on the uhaul nose first will cause allot of fishtailing over 50mph. However if you load tail first there is none. I'd test this out for 10 miles, 5 from the pickup and 5 back to see what works best for you before starting out on your 12 hour trek, which often turns into 14-16.

I too have rented about 20 times from uhaul using the "auto transport" only. No problems here.