Would you....

Discussion in 'The Choo-Choo shop' started by Greg Setter, May 10, 2010.

  1. Greg Setter

    Greg Setter The Woodgrain Guy

    Tow an A-body ('71 lemans) a thousand miles with a car-dolly behind a Jeep Grand Cherokee? 6 cyl. I have pulled a lot of cars/trailers/etc over the years - not worried about ability, but wondering about the strain on the Jeep.

    Book says 5000# - thoughts?

    My son got a project and we want to bring it out here for the summer to work on it while he's here.

    GS
     
  2. 1967GS340

    1967GS340 Well-Known Member

    I would take the terrain into consideration.
    More strain as you climb a mountain but even more important is a car dolly doesn't have trailer brakes.
    You will be doubling the load on your brakes (or more with the "push" down the mountain), and you could be doing it for sustained distances.

    My answer is that I would do it on flat ground but not in mountainous steep country.
    You are probably looking at a mix since it is 1000 miles so you will have to evaluate the brake load.
    Corners are easy. If you are pulling a load that is on the heavy side for your rig, slow down.

    I think that U-Haul car trailers have surge brakes so that is something to think about.
    It will be more weight than a dolly, but you would have a brake system.
     
  3. Golden Oldie 65

    Golden Oldie 65 Well-Known Member

    That's a scary thought. My wife has one of those and I would be afraid to tow tin cans that they tie on with string at weddings with that POS. I don't think the Jeep is heavy enough for the job you intend. A tow dolly without brakes is scary when towing with a light vehicle. And towing a heavy trailer with a light vehicle, even with brakes, isn't much better. Not exactly comparing apples to apples here but I reccently saw a guy pulling a full sized Olds on a trailer behind an S10 pickup. The bumper on the pickup was nearly dragging the ground. Oh, and he was sitting beside the road with the hood open. Go figure :Dou:
     
  4. Mister T

    Mister T Just truckin' around

    In a word, NO!!

    This combo just reeks of potential disaster. As others have stated, handling grades, both up and down does not sound like a good idea.

    Having the prior experience does help, but what were those combos?? Something else to consider is you could be subject to a roadside police inspection, due to this particular set up.

    Can you use a larger tow vehicle?

    Just my $0.02 as a Professional Commercial Driver and CDL Instructor.
     
  5. Greg Setter

    Greg Setter The Woodgrain Guy

    All points taken and understood. Just thought I'd get a reality check.

    I have access to a different tow vehicle, but was hoping to not have to go that route (ex's Excursion). Pulled a lot of things with that beast, including my big trailer with the Buick as well as horses, boats, etc.

    Thanks for all the input.

    GS
     
  6. 1967GS340

    1967GS340 Well-Known Member

    My rule of thumb is if I can't move it around with relative ease by hand, it doesn't get moved with a bumper pull.

    Towing off the bumper is just looking for trouble if there is much of any weight.
    If you feel the need to tow something heavy, get a receiver hitch.
     
  7. scott kerns

    scott kerns Silver Level contributor

    I would say ....depends how bad you want it. :laugh:
     
  8. bignastyGS

    bignastyGS Maggot pilot

    I don't know where some of you get your info,but I have pulled my featherlite trailer(1380 lbs empty) with 3 tons of pellets on it with no trouble stopping or starting. I pulled one of my 86 GS's home 1100 miles from Illinois and had zero trouble. I used to have a 98 Tacoma and pulled over 15 GS's home with a small 3.4 engine. Never as much had a problem. As long as you drive sensible and decent, I wouldn't hesitate pulling that car home. I put 1000's of miles from Ohio,NY,Md etc on a tow dolly...

    [​IMG]

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  9. Mister T

    Mister T Just truckin' around

    Pat, with all due respect, there is no comparison between your setup, and the one Greg proposes using. I'd bet that your Featherlite also has some type of braking system, whereas a tow dolly generally does not.

    I will stand by my position, and recommend Greg uses another tow system.
     

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