Long distance dolly towing

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Furious65

Furious65

C-body Guy
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Might be making a big move (1800 miles) soon so trying to figure out what to do. If I do, I have to find a way to get my '68 Barracuda there. I don't have a driveshaft in the car so that isn't an issue. Would towing it behind my Dakota, on a dolly, adversely affect the Strange S60 Dana rear end in the Cuda? Would I be better off paying to have it shipped? Any insight would be appreciated.
 
Furious65 said:
Might be making a big move (1800 miles) soon so trying to figure out what to do. If I do, I have to find a way to get my '68 Barracuda there. I don't have a driveshaft in the car so that isn't an issue. Would towing it behind my Dakota, on a dolly, adversely affect the Strange S60 Dana rear end in the Cuda? Would I be better off paying to have it shipped? Any insight would be appreciated.
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What gear ratio?

Likely as long as your lube is Good and full you will be fine!
 
They used to make I don't remember the name, "towing hubs." These were integrated devices, you remove the rear wheels, bolt the unit to each side like it was a wheel, and put narrower "towing" wheels and tires on. They free-wheel within themselves, leaving the rear axle stationary.

I've always wondered, with tow dollies, whether you could use a REAR dolly as well like the wreckers do:

Garcia-Wrecker-Service-dolly.jpg


DSC00570.jpg
 
check the local laws in the states you'll be going through. some are very specific as to what you need to dolly a car on their highways.

as long as ya hve gear oil in the rear i don't see how it could be a problem.
 
1969383S said:
What gear ratio?

Likely as long as your lube is Good and full you will be fine!
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3.73's

abodyjoe said:
check the local laws in the states you'll be going through. some are very specific as to what you need to dolly a car on their highways.

as long as ya hve gear oil in the rear i don't see how it could be a problem.
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Hmm, hadn't thought of that on the laws. I will look in to it.
 
years ago i was using a dolly to bring a car back to jersey from rochester ny. drove the entire way with no issue. went to get onto the nj tp and they said no dollies allowed. so i got off and took a different rd home..

a few months ago a friend has an a rv and was getting a dolly so we looked up the laws here. you can have a dolly but it has to be starpped at the tires a also must be chained along with lights on it. most i've seen don't chain the car down. so after some research he found a dolly with a chain. we printed the page out with the law so if he ever gets stopped he should be ok,
 
abodyjoe said:
years ago i was using a dolly to bring a car back to jersey from rochester ny. drove the entire way with no issue. went to get onto the nj tp and they said no dollies allowed. so i got off and took a different rd home..

a few months ago a friend has an a rv and was getting a dolly so we looked up the laws here. you can have a dolly but it has to be starpped at the tires a also must be chained along with lights on it. most i've seen don't chain the car down. so after some research he found a dolly with a chain. we printed the page out with the law so if he ever gets stopped he should be ok,
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The u-haul dollies have tire straps and safety chains...
 
Although my car is an earlier model, years back I knew that one day I would need to tow it, so I cut 2 rectangle holes 1/2" wide by 3" high out of the bumper and ran 2 flat 1/2" wide teel pieces through the bumper onto the frame, yet I welded it to the bumper as well.. I carry a tow bar I carry in the trunk.. It works better than good and has for almost 30 years..
 
The Barracuda will be fine if the rear has oil in it. You will drive it farther than that (we hope)!
Years ago I dolly*d my car 1,000 mi. NY to GA with no issues. But I had a D-150 with /6 4 speed.

That said, I would be more concerned about the Dakota. What engine & trans does that have?
I have a *99 V6 auto. I would not do this tow as I do not have that confidence in it. Every now and again the transmission seems to hunt for something. Driving along it will just suddenly rev up a couple hundred rpm. Drives fine, but I would not trust it on a trip like that with a car in tow. Any mountains on the trip?
C
 
clhyer said:
The Barracuda will be fine if the rear has oil in it. You will drive it farther than that (we hope)!
Years ago I dolly*d my car 1,000 mi. NY to GA with no issues. But I had a D-150 with /6 4 speed.

That said, I would be more concerned about the Dakota. What engine & trans does that have?
I have a *99 V6 auto. I would not do this tow as I do not have that confidence in it. Every now and again the transmission seems to hunt for something. Driving along it will just suddenly rev up a couple hundred rpm. Drives fine, but I would not trust it on a trip like that with a car in tow. Any mountains on the trip?
C
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the trans reviving up fe w hundred rpm, ??? sounds like my '95 3500 cummins, it was the computer brain, I found out after rebuild of the trans! it was unhurt after 125,000 of niothin but gooseneck trailer pulling.
 
I guess there is some reason a full trailer won't work out?
You could put a bunch of lighter stuff on with the car for the move.

I think the 4.7? Dakota's had a 6,000 lb towing capacity.
The RT is only 2,000 because of the springs apparently.
 
My'02 4.7 Durango without the "tow package" towed a 3400 lb. boat a lot of miles. Just a little struggle getting things moving. But even with the trailer brakes I was always concerned with stopping distance. I might look into full trailer for that distance.
 
clhyer said:
That said, I would be more concerned about the Dakota. What engine & trans does that have?... ...Any mountains on the trip?
C
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2000 Dakota Sport, 4.7w/auto. Yep, there's a few really big hills!:D

TrailBeast said:
I guess there is some reason a full trailer won't work out?
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Yeah, don't own a full trailer, open or enclosed. So, putting it on a dolly or having it shipped are pretty much my only options.
 
Furious65 said:
putting it on a dolly or having it shipped are pretty much my only options.
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plenty of options left
buying a trailer for instance
or renting one
or (and this is my favorite) fixing the barracuda and DRIVING it there
 
diymirage said:
plenty of options left
buying a trailer for instance
or renting one
or (and this is my favorite) fixing the barracuda and DRIVING it there
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No way can I afford to buy a trailer, no clue where you would rent one for a one way trip, and, well, you know me, I have a KDX, and all the other dirt bike related stuff that goes with it, to haul as well!
 
It is possible to rent a trailer from U-haul, but they might not consider the Dakota a large enough vehicle. My main concern, flat towing or using a dolly would be stoping. With a trailer you have extra brakes.
 
The farthest I towed in one direction was 2400 miles. YES,,, check the local laws along your route.In the 90's I used a tow dolly allot towing all over the country. Got stopped in California and was fined because the car on the dolly was not registered.California Cop said if any tires of towed vehicle touches the ground said vehicle must be registered.Never had a problem in any other state(at the time).
Also U-Haul charged $900 to rent a tow dolly from LV Nevada to Pittsburgh Pa.The friend said that he could have had the car shipped for about $700.
 
Furious65 said:
No way can I afford to buy a trailer, no clue where you would rent one for a one way trip, and, well, you know me, I have a KDX, and all the other dirt bike related stuff that goes with it, to haul as well!
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half of my KDXs are plated so you could ride those wherever your going
just saying :poke:

Charrlie_S said:
It is possible to rent a trailer from U-haul, but they might not consider the Dakota a large enough vehicle. My main concern, flat towing or using a dolly would be stoping. With a trailer you have extra brakes.
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yes, this is what I was thinking
U-Haul has what they call "one way rental"
you pick the trailer or truck (or both, for all I care) up in one location, and return it at another
 
dart4forte said:
Where are you heading?
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Possibly to Indiana. A great job opportunity has presented itself. I would no longer have to budget to be able to just get my toys on the road. I could actually afford to build my dream ride. However, it's still a tough decision as I love AZ, the riding opportunities we have, and I've been working with AZ State Parks. Ugh. I hate tough decisions.

diymirage said:
half of my KDXs are plated so you could ride those wherever your going
just saying :poke:
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Yeah, but I'm not going to ride them to my destination!
 
No kidding
Mine top out around 70 but loose all comfort long before that
 
Hey, at least we wouldn't be too far away any more. Maybe we could get some riding in!
 
yeah, let me know

on a side note, are you a member of KDXrider.net as well?
 
Oh yeah, your on there all the time

Cool

Was that you who posted a brown duster on there a few years ago too?
 
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