Towing a 40. Couple q's.

[3jvj]

I'm looking to tow a 63 about 400 miles and u-haul won't rent a full trailer unless it's behind their truck. Anybody else heard of this?

So I'm going with the two wheel tow and here are my questions:

1. Can I skip the tow dollie and install a towbar in this guy's driveway or is it a weld on deal?

2. What is curb weight for a 63 hard top model (stock), and how wide is it?

3. Anybody done this?

I've got two options for towing. My wife's durango has the 5.9 and is fully up to the task but has no trailer plugs and is the smaller of my options. My other option is an 89 suburban that has yet to be roadtripped ($500 deal). It rolls strong and has a tbi350/t400 with one ton axles (8k gvw). I'm wondering if the fj will "wag the dog" if I use the durango. I hate to add the risk of an untested chevy but I also don't want to be posting up pictures of two wrecked rigs.


Thoughts welcome and appreciated.



Anybody with free time to kick some tires on an old fj in/around the boise area pm me. I'll be there this weekend or the following weekend.- Josh

 

[BDSeff1fitty]

i rented a trailer from uhaul and towed mine behind my truck.... your just talking about a 2 wheeled trailer where the front wheels go onto it right?

 

[3jvj]

i rented a trailer from uhaul and towed mine behind my truck.... your just talking about a 2 wheeled trailer where the front wheels go onto it right?

Yep.
I'd rather have a full trailer but alas; no can do (or so they say). I've also learned that they won't let you tow any car that weighs over 3,500 or so without their truck (or at least that's what they said when I towed my mercedes). I hate having to claim "78 toyota corolla" but hey; I'll do what I have to.

 

[mtj555]

By full trailer, are you referring to the auto-transport where the entire vehicle is on the trailer? I am doing the same thing. I am towing my 40 from MO to NC. I brought my 40 to the uhaul shop and everything is good. I am towing it behind my 03 Chevy Silverado. I know Uhaul will let you pull the full trailer. I think its penske that only allows you to pull a trailer behind one of their trucks. Good luck. The uhaul service representative should have enterered your tow vehicle and vehicle being towed into the computer to see if it was ok. Might want to try another store.

 

[Fast Eddy]

Towing your rig with a half-ton or a suburban is not the problem. Stopping is the problem. Get a real trailer and a real truck.

My rule-of-thumb is that the truck should be at least twice the weight of the rig if flat towing or towing on a dolly without brakes.

If you were towing a lighter rig on a trailer with brakes, the trailer could be slightly heavier than the truck; slightly.

A big dually or motorhome can flat tow fairly safely, but after spinning around my wife's suburban at the end of a 2000 mile safe trip, I'll never do it without dual rear wheels again, at least not more than a short distance with no hills on completely dry pavement.

 

[3jvj]

An 8,000 lb suburban isn't a "real" truck?

You're right about brakes; I'll check/replace on whatever rig I go with.

 

[zebrabeefj40]

Not sure whats up with UHaul not letting you tow their trailer with your truck. Done that myself all the time (both full car haulers and dollys). But anyway...I can't recommend flat towing a 40 you know nothing about. If the alignment is off it will not track correctly behind your vehicle no matter what it is.

I'd dolly it behind the Suburban. Make sure you have a couple decent tires (take a couple of your own wheels/tires if needed - I do when I'm collecting a new-to-me truck). Make sure you have some stock sized tires for the front axle too as the straps on the dolly aren't long enough for oversized tires. I usually pull the rear driveshaft out for long trips. I've heard of more than one Cruiser t-case ruined by unknown oil leaks while being towed. Probably a good idea to make sure the rear axle has oil in it too for the same reasons. Lock the hubs and put the Cruiser into 4wd so you can move it around.

Otherwise the standard towing warnings apply: check the equipment often, take your time, allow plenty of stopping distance and be careful. Enjoy the trip!

Nick

 

[Magnum44]

I towed my 40 on a dolly with my 1/2 ton chevy with no problems. I had to air the 35's down to almost nothing to get the straps to fit. I had to go into the hills and tow it out and come down some steep grades. I did have a manual tranny in my tuck at the time but a Suburban is a beast even with only a 350 in it. I checked the straps often though and took my time.

 

[Eshu Elegua]

When i got mine,we drove 800 miles one way,i said i will towing a toyota car lol....but we run with good luck not having a good towing truck ....That's why i use my nick name ESHU ELEGUA...

 

[flow2311]

I flat tow my FJ40 to the trail on a regular basis with a Honda Ridgeline. I don't have any problems I just have to be careful to slow before turning, especially on dirt, or the beast will push the rear of the truck right around.

 

[DRay]

God forgive me but I got the same line at uhaul before regarding the full trailer. I told them I had a Jeep and they said "no problem".

 

[cruisin69]

i own a towing company and the u-haul franchise the suburban is more than big enough with the auto transport for u-haul which you can pull it with your truck check out u-haul.com you can punch in your truck and vehicle you are towing and will tell you the price and if it's safe print it and bring to u-haul dealer get them to check your wiring at the same time 2" ball and 4 way flat is the most common. tow dollys you have to pull shaft ,tie off steering wheel strait and safety chains my choice is the trailer they are beautiful to pull dollys more of a pain

 

[fj hunter]

i towed ...

a 69, a 72, and a 76 with my wheel drive toyota small format truck. i used a tow bar chained to the front bumpers. one time i welded it on. i took it slow. real slow. i guess a total of 2800 miles worth between all those vehicles. i did get a full tow rig once my 69 sat awhile and i didnt want to chance it. but either way, go slow.

 

[3jvj]

Seems the first guy I talked to entered 1/2 ton burb. Next guy did it right and gave the green light. Didn't even have to use the "honda civic" line.

Guy seemed shocked by the total weight though. How heavy is a 40?

Pics when I'm done.

 

[D'Animal]

Good to hear.

U-Haul is not a bunch of idiots. They know the limitations of thier equipment. I think they are a little over to top on precausion.

Seems the first guy I talked to entered 1/2 ton burb. Next guy did it right and gave the green light. Didn't even have to use the "honda civic" line.

Guy seemed shocked by the total weight though. How heavy is a 40?

Pics when I'm done.

Waiting on pics of your new ride.

 

[Degnol]

I dolly-towed my '40 back from Poser's shop using the FJC as a tow vehicle
Actually worked really well unless you had to hard brake in a curve. Just look out about 1/4 mile ahead and anticipate traffic in front of you. Guessing that the tow rig weighed the same as the towed rig.....not good, but it worked.

GL


Ed

 

[RattSki]

My 81 40 has a tow bar on the front and I plan on just towing it behind my Tundra from Poky to Boise next weekend. Used to tow it up to Copper Basin by Mackay behind my old 67 Dodge without any problems at all... Towing it with the Durango might make for an interesting ride.

 

[TOBASH]

Search my old posts from some time last year in June or July

Search my old posts dating some time back to May, June, July 2008.

I installed an "A" arm that was rated to 2.5-3 tons that I bought cheaply on E-bay with a brake assist.

The brake assist kicked @$$.

I pulled my BJ-44 with my 2003 Durango.

I did not know it, but the BJ-44 outweighed the Durango by at least 1/2 ton. I never felt it, because the brake assist activated the Landcruiser's brakes and made her feel lighter than she was by at least a ton.

The only problem is that in turns the system is not as good, and I need to slow to 50MPH in wide turns, and 25 MPH in sharp turns.

Otherwise I pulled at up to 75MPH with my 2003 Durango that has a small 4.7 liter engine.

The braking system worked as advertised, and was awesome. It took maybe 1/2 hour to install it.

I learned about the system here on MUD.

Best part.......I own the system and can use it time and time again and never need to beg U-haul to let me use a trailer.

Best,

T

 

[3jvj]

Good to hear.

U-Haul is not a bunch of idiots. They know the limitations of thier equipment. I think they are a little over to top on precausion.





Waiting on pics of your new ride.

May have to wait a week.

Suspense is KILLING me.

 

[3jvj]

My 81 40 has a tow bar on the front and I plan on just towing it behind my Tundra from Poky to Boise next weekend. Used to tow it up to Copper Basin by Mackay behind my old 67 Dodge without any problems at all... Towing it with the Durango might make for an interesting ride.

x2

Maybe we should work something out......


Seems silly for both of us to drive across Idaho; although I do have a brand new john deer hat ready to discourage unwanted speeding tickets on the way there.