Will this truck haul a 74' B-Body?

BMOTOXSTAR · February 26, 2007, 07:52:41 AM

Hi,
There is this 74' Satellite I was going to pick up next weekend.I was going to rent a single axle trailer from U-Haul, the kind that the entire car would be transported on, not a car dolly. I have a 20 hour drive, round-trip.
Question is, I have a 91' Chevy 1500, W/T, full size pick EM up, 4.3 V6.
Do you think it could handle hauling a 74' Satellite on a car trailer? The trailer does not have it's own brakes. The truck runs well but my pal told me that it does not have the towing capacity?
What do you guys think?

BMOTOXSTAR#079

TeeWJay426 · February 26, 2007, 08:07:04 AM

20 hours? I don't think I'd push my luck with that combo for any more than 20 miles....... but that's me. That's gotta be about 5000 lbs with the trailer weight... my biggest concern would be stopping it.

dodgecharger-fan · February 26, 2007, 08:07:52 AM

That truck is not heavy enough to tow it safely.

Even with a dual axle, electronic brake trailer, it's a scary thought.

This could help you out, but it's probable cheaper to rent a hevier truck unless you plan on trailering cars a lot.
http://www.hell-ya.com/

I used to be mystified by the whole GVW thing - until I towed a 71 New Yorker with my '02 Ford Explorer 4WD. I had the Class III tow package, so I thought I'd be fine.
Well, I made it but it was one hairy ride. I'll never tow that car again.

twilt · February 26, 2007, 08:08:56 AM

Will the truck haul it? probably YES. Will it haul it well? NO Will it haul it safely? NO

BMOTOXSTAR · February 26, 2007, 08:12:12 AM

I really want the Satellite and it comes with a RR hood. I guess I should have someone follow me back and try driving the Satellite home. My only choice may be hauling it with my truck. I am really confused, I want this Satellite.
So the advice is DO NOT PULL IT WITH MY TRUCK? It sucks owning such a girly man Chevy truck.

bordin34 · February 26, 2007, 08:17:38 AM

Could you possibly rent a u-haul truck or even a home depot truck. Home depot has f-350's and u-haul sometimes has f-250's or f-350's.

Troy · February 26, 2007, 10:50:21 AM

Why aren't you renting a U-Haul car hauler? It's barely more expensive than a regular trailer ($39 vs $55) and I don't think their single axle trailers have enough load capacity any way (1800 pounds the last time I used one). The car haulers have inertia brakes and double axles so there wouldn't be a problem with the trailer handling the car. If you get one of the newer aluminum ones they are fairly light as well. You didn't say where you were traveling to but is it mostly flat or are you going to have to deal with hills or mountains? If you're on flat ground I don't think your truck will have too much trouble but U-Haul may not let you rent a car hauler with it. I would NOT tow a car on a trailer without brakes with that truck (I wouldn't do it with any truck).

Troy

BMOTOXSTAR · February 26, 2007, 11:30:23 AM

I called U -Haul and they said that the truck would not handle the car trailer & car. Like you said, they recommended a car hauler. My only concern is that the bumpers of the car will scrape on the ground. I had a pal use a car hauler with a Dodge Dart and the bumper scraped.
I am going from Cleveland to Chicago & back. All flat, no mountains.
Sounds like the car hauler would be the best bet.
I really hope this works.
Thank you.
So the BL is not trailer & use a hauler?

Troy · February 26, 2007, 12:02:02 PM

The car hauler I'm talking about is a trailer (dual axle, inertia brakes, ramps, tie-downs, etc.). Did they recommend a "tow dolly"? That's the only way I can see the car's bumpers dragging since a "car hauler" sits about 18" off the ground.

This is a U-Haul car hauler:

There is no engine in the car so I put it on there backwards. The wheels have to fit all the way up against the front so you have to play with it a bit to get the weight right. My trucks can handle a LOT of tongue weight but yours probably can't. U-Haul needs to cover their rear so they underrate the capacitites of all their equipment. (For instance, you can't tow anything with a Ford Explorer.) If you tell them it's a big, heavy car they'll always so no but if you tell them you're hauling an RX-7 they'll be ok with it. I would be more comfortable in your situation with a dolly.

Another FYI - if you take I-80/I-90 to Chicago you'll get charged per axle at the toll booths. I think it cost me around $40 to get through Chicago with the Barracuda on a trailer. The roads sucks and so does the traffic so if you can find a better way then take it.

Troy

Charger1973 · February 26, 2007, 12:28:15 PM

Ok here is my experience with trips like this. You can use it to make your own judgement... But if it was me I would avoid a tow dolly and go for an actual trailer/hauler.

Last January my buddy buys a 64 T-bird off ebay. We live in Iowa, the car he bought was on Long Island in NYC... Me (being the good friend that I am) offered to drive him out there to get it. It was supposed to run fine, and he planned to just drive it back. We figured if anything did go wrong we would just grab a U-haul trailer and pull it the rest of the way home. So we get out there and it runs rough, has almost no brakes, bald tires... So here we are 1600+ miles from home and no way to get the car home. We called U-haul, no trailers OR tow dollies , and a week long waiting list on them. So we thought, if we could get it out of the city, we could get a trailer. We managed to find a tire shop that was open and got a new set of tires on it on the way. Then we hit the interstate. We got stuck. Electrical system wasnt charging and the car broke down on the side of the interstate.. on Long Island on a Saturday night. Not cool...

So we went to a parts store, bought a battery, tossed it in and drove the car to a nearby parking lot. Nothing was open by this point so we got a motel room and went to bed. Next morning we looked out the window it was nothing but white. It was clear roads the day before. Now I couldnt even find my truck, it was completely buried.... We went to the parts store and got an alternator hoping that would take care of the charging problem. It seemed ok at first. We managed to get the car out of the city and just into New Jersey before it started to get dark. It wasnt 5 minutes after he turned the headlights on though that the car lost power and died again.

We had to leave it (at a Chevy dealership of all places) overnight. Came back in the morning and they were pissed to have a broken down Ford on their lot... They told us where the local Uhaul was and wanted us to move that POS car ASAP. No trailers, but they had a tow dolly. We had to lie to get it though. The tow dolly wasnt made for older RWD cars they were saying so we had to say it was for a 2003 Buick or something like that. (not to mention the fact that my 2000 Dakota really shouldnt be hauling a car that size..) At this point of the trip we didnt really care anymore, we were on a mission.

We got it loaded (barely) and went to drive away, and the car wanted to come off the dolly. No steering wheel lock. So this meant everytime we turned a corner the wheels would turn and push the car off the dolly... It wasnt going to work. Then we had t he idea of strapping the steering wheel to the drivers side seat frame. It worked, thank god. It was about the most unsafe thing we have ever done and I dont recommend anyone else ever trying it. But we towed that big ass car like that, halfway across the country and made it in one piece.....

BMOTOXSTAR · February 26, 2007, 12:37:36 PM

Thank you for all the help. I will try the car Hauler/Trailer, that Troy said to use. The car dolly sounds like a bad idea, thank you Matt. My friend used a car dolly for his Dodge Dart and he said that everytime he turned the rockers and fenders hit the pavement.
Hope my truck can handle the load. It is all for a Mopar. That is all that matters.

Charger1973 · February 26, 2007, 12:55:56 PM

One thing I really like is how the fenders on the uhaul car haulers can drop down, incase the car sits too low to open the door. Thats such a good idea, wish I thought of it.

nh_mopar_fan · February 26, 2007, 01:17:03 PM

Quote from: Troy on February 26, 2007, 12:02:02 PM
The car hauler I'm talking about is a trailer (dual axle, inertia brakes, ramps, tie-downs, etc.). Did they recommend a "tow dolly"? That's the only way I can see the car's bumpers dragging since a "car hauler" sits about 18" off the ground.

This is a U-Haul car hauler:

There is no engine in the car so I put it on there backwards. The wheels have to fit all the way up against the front so you have to play with it a bit to get the weight right. My trucks can handle a LOT of tongue weight but yours probably can't. U-Haul needs to cover their rear so they underrate the capacitites of all their equipment. (For instance, you can't tow anything with a Ford Explorer.) If you tell them it's a big, heavy car they'll always so no but if you tell them you're hauling an RX-7 they'll be ok with it. I would be more comfortable in your situation with a dolly.

Another FYI - if you take I-80/I-90 to Chicago you'll get charged per axle at the toll booths. I think it cost me around $40 to get through Chicago with the Barracuda on a trailer. The roads sucks and so does the traffic so if you can find a better way then take it.

Troy

That is exactly the trailer I used to bring home Deb's Valiant ragtop last March. We towed it home with a V6 Dakota without issue.

Troy · February 26, 2007, 02:19:00 PM

I stopped using the U-Haul trailers when I found a local trailer sales place that rents trailers as well. They have real haulers (longer and sturdier) and I don't have to deal with U-Haul overbooking equipment. I have since bought my own trailer but it wasn't too bad renting them. The nice thing about rental trailers is the inertia brake which means you don't need a controller. The important thing to remember is that inertia brakes don't work in reverse (so don't back down a steep hill like my driveway!).

Troy

cheap · February 26, 2007, 04:08:14 PM

The car hauling trailer is a great idea,, and will work great.....I am really apprehensive about your truck though..Just for safety sake,,,,,,think twice about using your V-6 truck....It is a long drive....

Good luck,, and post a pic when you get it...

2Gunz · February 26, 2007, 11:12:38 PM

You can rent an "industrail" truck you just need to find a place that rents them. One of the companys I work for rents dual tire flatbed trucks with a liftgate all the time. So I cant imagine a big pickup would be hard to find. Get that and get a real trailer.

Or...

And this is what I prolly would do if it where me. Rent a 24" Budget rental truck and put the car in that. The trick here is you will need loading ramps and a slope or hill on both ends to make it work. Some tracktor trailers carry 14' long 3' and a half ish wide ramps. They are rated around 3000 pounds. Put 2 side buy side and its an excellent car ramp. Just need a slope or hill to help out the angle. Im sure a trucking company will rent you some ramps.

I loaded a jeep into a tractor trailer using this method and it was great.

Make sure you measure well. The car needs to fit. The Box trucks are about 7.5 feet wide inside. Plus you need to have room to put the ramps up on the sides (about 4 inches deep on their sides) or under the car.

To me this is the best method. Once the cars in it you can pretty much forget about it. And the Box truck is way easy to drive and the weight is a non issue.

Charger1973 · February 26, 2007, 11:17:40 PM

Quote from: 2Gunz on February 26, 2007, 11:12:38 PM

You can rent an "industrail" truck you just need to find a place that rents them. One of the companys I work for rents dual tire flatbed trucks with a liftgate all the time. So I cant imagine a big pickup would be hard to find. Get that and get a real trailer.

Or...

And this is what I prolly would do if it where me. Rent a 24" Budget rental truck and put the car in that. The trick here is you will need loading ramps and a slope or hill on both ends to make it work. Some tracktor trailers carry 14' long 3' and a half ish wide ramps. They are rated around 3000 pounds. Put 2 side buy side and its an excellent car ramp. Just need a slope or hill to help out the angle. Im sure a trucking company will rent you some ramps.

I loaded a jeep into a tractor trailer using this method and it was great.

Make sure you measure well. The car needs to fit. The Box trucks are about 7.5 feet wide inside. Plus you need to have room to put the ramps up on the sides (about 4 inches deep on their sides) or under the car.

To me this is the best method. Once the cars in it you can pretty much forget about it. And the Box truck is way easy to drive and the weight is a non issue.

How would you tie it down? Ive never used an enclosed trailer but I imagine they still need to be tied down... I cant imagine there being tie down hooks in a box truck.

BMOTOXSTAR · February 26, 2007, 11:37:37 PM

Thank you all for the help.
I am going to rent the U-Haul Car Hauler that Troy was talking about. I let U-Haul know what I was towing & what with.Theysaid it looks good in the book. I will just have to see. I hope the truck makes it.
It looks like a 1,100 mile round trip form Cleveland,Ohio to Springfield, IL. I now find out that the Satellite is outside of Chicago.
I cant believe that I am driving this far for a 74' Satellite,but the car is a super clean car that needs no body work and is turn key. I wish I could get the guy down from $2800 to $2500. Just due to the long drive and all the gas and tolls that I will be paying. I sure hope it works out.

Daytona R/T SE · February 27, 2007, 12:47:30 AM

Check out those U-haul trailers carefully, I've had the center of the wheel rip out on one I rented several years ago, luckily I had just unloaded the car and was taking the POS back when the wheel came apart. One of the other wheels had several stress cracks in it around the lugs. The tires are junk on these trailers-the air pressure should be checked before you go anywhere with it. Most of the time they're almost flat. The U-haul dealers just don't bother to check this stuff out DAMHIK

Your truck is 16 years old. The work truck is the cheapest/lightest version Chevy made. The V-6 ain't helping matters, either. The load you are towing out weighs the tow vehicle. You might just make it, but I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when the dude in the Prius passes you on a hill and them slams on the brakes right in front of you...the pucker in the pants factor is VERY high.

The Ohio cops are pretty rough, just watch the semi trucks slow down as they drive under that big arch on I-70 as you enter Ohio. If you have a CB radio, turn it on.

You might just hear a funny story about the guy in the old Chevy with a Prius stuffed in his grille trying to tow an old Plymouth on a three wheeled, flat tired U-haul trailer.

Troy · February 27, 2007, 12:47:40 AM

If you're going to Springfield then come south a bit and take 70 across and you won't have any tolls. I seem to make it out that direction fairly often and you won't have any problems with hills for sure. My average speed with the truck and trailer is easily 75+.

Troy

2Gunz · February 27, 2007, 01:46:56 AM

Quote from: Charger1973 on February 26, 2007, 11:17:40 PM
Quote from: 2Gunz on February 26, 2007, 11:12:38 PM

You can rent an "industrail" truck you just need to find a place that rents them. One of the companys I work for rents dual tire flatbed trucks with a liftgate all the time. So I cant imagine a big pickup would be hard to find. Get that and get a real trailer.

Or...

And this is what I prolly would do if it where me. Rent a 24" Budget rental truck and put the car in that. The trick here is you will need loading ramps and a slope or hill on both ends to make it work. Some tracktor trailers carry 14' long 3' and a half ish wide ramps. They are rated around 3000 pounds. Put 2 side buy side and its an excellent car ramp. Just need a slope or hill to help out the angle. Im sure a trucking company will rent you some ramps.

I loaded a jeep into a tractor trailer using this method and it was great.

Make sure you measure well. The car needs to fit. The Box trucks are about 7.5 feet wide inside. Plus you need to have room to put the ramps up on the sides (about 4 inches deep on their sides) or under the car.

To me this is the best method. Once the cars in it you can pretty much forget about it. And the Box truck is way easy to drive and the weight is a non issue.

How would you tie it down? Ive never used an enclosed trailer but I imagine they still need to be tied down... I cant imagine there being tie down hooks in a box truck.

In my case the Tractor trailer had a lower set of rails. I put in loadbars and rached it to them. Good call on your part thou. The Rails in box trucks and trailers are all different. To do it you would have to come up with something.

Prolly a little more difficult idea to get into action in the begining, but the end result is very safe and cheap.

And definatly better then taking a small old truck and renting a crappy trailer.

mikepmcs · February 27, 2007, 09:11:05 AM

All that bike racing you do, you've gotta know someone that is willing to lend you their 3/4 or 1 ton for this.
Time to find out who your real friends are.
If I lived there I'd probably haul it for you and I don't even know you except for this site.

my.02

v/r
Mike

BMOTOXSTAR · February 27, 2007, 10:01:19 AM

I know,
I am really finding out who my pals are now. I used to take my buddy to the Motocross track all last summer, load his bike up and bring him home. He is going to Daytona for the Supercross race in a few weeks and that is his excuse for not going. :'(Most of the Motocross guys live about 2 hrs from me.
My Mopar buddy will not go with me cause' he thinks that 74' Satellites are turds and worth nothing. I am looking at this as a clean car that could be a nice RR clone or a nice driver.
Looks like I will be taking the trip by myself. I am use to doing most things on my own so it will just be another adventure. Who knows what will happen or who I will meet. I guess I could take a pit stop at the Indy Mopar Swap Meet?
I just hope that I am safe and that my truck does not break down on the way back.
My wife would go with me but she is pregnant and is not feeling well and does not think she would make the haul. Plus if I break down I do not want her with me.
AM I CRAZY FOR DRIVING THIS FAR FOR A 74' SATELLITE?

I really thank all of you for your help.

mikepmcs · February 27, 2007, 10:05:11 AM

I don't think you are crazy. If you want it go get it. It must be a great price for you to be this interested so go with your gut.

Let us know how it works out and good luck to you.

v/r
Mike

BMOTOXSTAR · February 27, 2007, 10:21:05 AM

Thanks man. It could be an adventure.
The guy wants $2800 for the Satellite with a RR hood, it is a turn key clean car.
I hope I can get him down to $2500 when I get there.

mikepmcs · February 27, 2007, 10:24:22 AM

One last suggestion. How about renting a newer truck from budget or enterprise, hertz, etc...... then getting a u haul trailer and putting on one of their rides.

v/r
Mike

BMOTOXSTAR · February 27, 2007, 10:34:06 AM

They want 75 cents per mile plus $50 a day. At that price it is not worth it. Most of the rentals do not have hitches.
I guess I will take a gamble.

Troy · February 27, 2007, 10:42:53 AM

My guess is that renting a truck or a large U-Haul and a trailer would end up costing more than paying to ship the car. I'm sure it could be shipped for $500 if you call around. Is the car drivable (meaning, can it get on the trailer by itself)? When do you need to pick it up? I know you said next weekend but do you absolutely have to have it then?

Troy

BMOTOXSTAR · February 27, 2007, 10:46:20 AM

No,
I have been talking to the guy for a month and he wants it gone.I pout the trip of as long as I cpould and even looked at a few other cars to make sure this was the one I wanted. It is turn key. The thing about the shipping is that it has a RR hood that comes with it and it will cost extra to have the hood shipped with the car.

Arthu® · February 27, 2007, 03:31:58 PM

Ok this might be a really stupid question, but as it is turn key I understand that it drives and is road worthy... Why not just drive it back?

Arthur

BMOTOXSTAR · February 27, 2007, 03:50:42 PM

I would need someone to drive me there & there are extra RR parts that come with the Satellite, like a RR hood. Believe me, I thought about that.
Also, the Satellite has never seen salt or snow, has been garaged all of it's life.The car is from Florida.

cheap · February 27, 2007, 05:50:56 PM

Quote from: BMOTOXSTAR on February 26, 2007, 11:37:37 PM
Thank you all for the help.
I am going to rent the U-Haul Car Hauler that Troy was talking about. I let U-Haul know what I was towing & what with.Theysaid it looks good in the book. I will just have to see. I hope the truck makes it.
It looks like a 1,100 mile round trip form Cleveland,Ohio to Springfield, IL. I now find out that the Satellite is outside of Chicago.
I cant believe that I am driving this far for a 74' Satellite,but the car is a super clean car that needs no body work and is turn key. I wish I could get the guy down from $2800 to $2500. Just due to the long drive and all the gas and tolls that I will be paying. I sure hope it works out.

BMOTOXSTAR.....,I am just north of Springfield,,,how far is it to this place, just outside Chicago....If you want ,,go ahead and e-mail me and I might be able to give you a little heads up on your trip....

BMOTOXSTAR · March 01, 2007, 09:21:49 AM

Looks Like I will be going this weekend. The place is Chatham, IL.Please give ma a heads up on the roads there. I am going to take 71 south through Ohio, through Indy, and to Chatham. Is there any tolls there?
I was going to take 80/90 but I have been told that it is a rough route.

Troy · March 01, 2007, 10:34:46 AM

I don't think there are any tolls along that route - at least none that I remember and I travel that about 4 times per year. I am not a fan of I-80/I-90 at all and I think it will be much longer in this case.

Troy

BMOTOXSTAR · March 01, 2007, 10:44:57 AM

Thank you Troy,
It will be an adventure. Hope I make it. I must be crazy putting that much thought into a 74' Satellite.
I keep telling myself, clean Granny car, nice body, RR Clone !

cheap · March 01, 2007, 11:14:14 AM

If you are coming thru Indy,,,I would go to Bloomington,Il,,then take 55 south... this is all interstate,,, another way could be thru Champaign to Springfield .....hope this helps,,or e-mail me....

Wayne

Troy · March 01, 2007, 11:17:08 AM

Argh, I screwed up - I thought you were going to Springfield, MO. You still take the same route until you get to Indianapolis but you continue going west on I-74 instead of I-70. That's much closer than I thought. Send me a PM.

Troy

69charger2002 · March 01, 2007, 12:36:07 PM

man if it is truly turn key, and you've had it planned for a while. you should have booked a flight in to there and then drove it home. you can fly one way MUCH cheaper than the gas in a truck to go one way, ESPECIALLY if you book a flight in advance. last month i booked a flight to west virginia for $98 WITH taxes and fees. i could have barely gotten out of state for $98 in gas. got there drove the car 1100 miles back and the head gasket blew. well i was only 3 hours from home, not a huge deal then. may be too late for you to do now but just some advice for next time. make SURE car is turn key(barring something unforeseen of course like a tranny blowing while driving etc). as long as it has good tires, brakes, and is roadworthy, fly in and drive it home. heck even the mileage with a 318 satellite would be better than your V6 chevy towing a 74 satellite, and you'd have much more fun
trav

Charger1973 · March 01, 2007, 12:39:30 PM

Be careful man, the weather sucks... Not really ideal for travel.

41husk · March 01, 2007, 12:53:25 PM

I am about an hour south of Chattam of I-55, If you are coming down and get tied up in weather or just don't want to make the trip all in one shot, I can put you up for the night even buy you a beer at the mopad. Just let me know so I can tell the wife, she can freak out of I forgett to tell her that we will have company, or I bought another car. You know things like that, that so often slip my mind

BMOTOXSTAR · March 01, 2007, 02:21:49 PM

Quote from: 69charger2002 on March 01, 2007, 12:36:07 PM
man if it is truly turn key, and you've had it planned for a while. you should have booked a flight in to there and then drove it home. you can fly one way MUCH cheaper than the gas in a truck to go one way, ESPECIALLY if you book a flight in advance. last month i booked a flight to west virginia for $98 WITH taxes and fees. i could have barely gotten out of state for $98 in gas. got there drove the car 1100 miles back and the head gasket blew. well i was only 3 hours from home, not a huge deal then. may be too late for you to do now but just some advice for next time. make SURE car is turn key(barring something unforeseen of course like a tranny blowing while driving etc). as long as it has good tires, brakes, and is roadworthy, fly in and drive it home. heck even the mileage with a 318 satellite would be better than your V6 chevy towing a 74 satellite, and you'd have much more fun
trav

If it was not for the extra RR parts, like the extra RR hood I would for sure do that.

BMOTOXSTAR · March 01, 2007, 02:23:06 PM

Quote from: 41husk on March 01, 2007, 12:53:25 PM
I am about an hour south of Chattam of I-55, If you are coming down and get tied up in weather or just don't want to make the trip all in one shot, I can put you up for the night even buy you a beer at the mopad. Just let me know so I can tell the wife, she can freak out of I forgett to tell her that we will have company, or I bought another car. You know things like that, that so often slip my mind

Wow man, That is awesome. Please PM me your phone #. Mopar people are good people.

BMOTOXSTAR · March 01, 2007, 02:25:04 PM

Quote from: Charger1973 on March 01, 2007, 12:39:30 PM
Be careful man, the weather sucks... Not really ideal for travel.

In Indiana, or IL or both? Thank you for the heads up.Snow or rain? It is cold and rainy here in Cleveland.

Charger1973 · March 01, 2007, 02:29:54 PM

Quote from: BMOTOXSTAR on March 01, 2007, 02:25:04 PM
Quote from: Charger1973 on March 01, 2007, 12:39:30 PM
Be careful man, the weather sucks... Not really ideal for travel.
In Indiana, or IL or both? Thank you for the heads up.Snow or rain? It is cold and rainy here in Cleveland.

Im in Iowa, but its been snowing here all day.

Charger1973 · March 01, 2007, 08:55:12 PM

And now we are having whiteout conditions, they even closed all the highways. Beleive it or not, I-80 is closed completely from Des Moines all the way to Nebraska...

BMOTOXSTAR · March 01, 2007, 10:40:55 PM

Charger1973,
Thank you for the weather update. Hope I am OK. I am going to Southern IL, and you are West of where I am heading. I will be leaving at Noon on Saturday.
I got lucky cause a buddy of mine is going to take the trip with me. I was worried that I would be going solo. So if the truck can't take the tow I can have my bud follow me.
You guys are the best. I really thank you for all the help. I have never driven more than 2 hrs to buy a Mopar and this is going to be crazy. I will have to take pic's & post em' on Sunday,if we make it back.

Chargen69 · March 02, 2007, 09:47:02 AM

Quote from: Troy on February 26, 2007, 12:02:02 PM
The car hauler I'm talking about is a trailer (dual axle, inertia brakes, ramps, tie-downs, etc.). Did they recommend a "tow dolly"? That's the only way I can see the car's bumpers dragging since a "car hauler" sits about 18" off the ground.

This is a U-Haul car hauler:

There is no engine in the car so I put it on there backwards. The wheels have to fit all the way up against the front so you have to play with it a bit to get the weight right. My trucks can handle a LOT of tongue weight but yours probably can't. U-Haul needs to cover their rear so they underrate the capacitites of all their equipment. (For instance, you can't tow anything with a Ford Explorer.) If you tell them it's a big, heavy car they'll always so no but if you tell them you're hauling an RX-7 they'll be ok with it. I would be more comfortable in your situation with a dolly.

Another FYI - if you take I-80/I-90 to Chicago you'll get charged per axle at the toll booths. I think it cost me around $40 to get through Chicago with the Barracuda on a trailer. The roads sucks and so does the traffic so if you can find a better way then take it.

Troy

I have used the same uhaul car carrier to move a bunch of cars. It works really well behind something that can move it. It really balances the weight of the car good, much better than the 18' trailer I own now. There was a lot less tongue weight on those u-haul trailers than the one I own.

41husk · March 02, 2007, 11:16:23 AM

we hauled a 72 Road runner from Richmond VA. To southern IL. it pulled great and the trip whent without incident. Good luck with the trip and we all look foreward to some pics.

Silver68RT · March 03, 2007, 02:52:48 PM

I hauled my '68 Charger R/T back from Kentucky to Detroit around this time last year. I think we hit every kind of precipitation possible along the way - rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain - real white knuckle stuff. At one point I had about 1 second to whip the whole rig onto the shoulder at 70 mph to dodge a couch that was sitting in the middle of the Interstate. That was with the Charger on the trailer. My '02 F250 SuperDuty handled it no problem. You never know what you're going to run into, so going with a marginal tow vehicle probably isn't a good idea. I didn't get a pic of the couch.

Doug
Silver68RT

BMOTOXSTAR · March 04, 2007, 11:59:16 PM

It goes like this,
Friday night, confirm that I am picking up the Satellite up Saturday morning in IL.
Found a Mopar Buddy that will go with me & my truck with a trailer to pick up the Satellite.

I then have an idea.

I will call and rent a 06' Dodge Ram Pick Em' Up Truck, $35 (24 hrs + fuel), throw the RR hood that comes with the Satellite in the bed of the truck, have my buddy drive the truck back. I will drive the turn key Satellite home & Mopar Buddy will follow! Rental is confirmed and ready.I then cancel the U-Haul rental of the trailer. Gather a floor jack, a spare Rally wheel with a good tire, extra battery from my 73' Charger, a ballast, some tools and even a bottle of anti-freeze, just in-case.
Call Mopar Buddy to tell him the good news about driving a new Dodge Truck to IL to get the Satellite & not having to worry about my 91' Chevy V6 pick up making the 1,000 mile round trip with a trailer!

Mopar Buddy then tells me that he lost his driver's license last week.

Said that he did not bother to tell me cause' we were going to trailer the Satellite back in my truck.He said he was gonna' help me just in-case something bad happened on the way in-case I needed someone to go and run for help.

I did not want to risk it. Called owner of Satellite, I have been confirming this date for over a month and the guy did not try to sell the Sateelite cause he had my word, one Mopar guy to another. I then Pay Pal him a nice deposit so that he will hold the car for 2-more weeks.
Confirmend my brother will drive me & a car trailer in his full-size 02' Dodge Ram 1500 V8/Magnum truck, on St.Patrick's Day to get the Satellite.

I feel safer this way and if I end up with this car it will be a miracle. Over all it looks like things happened for a reason and will turn out safer.
BMOTOXSTAR#079
P.S.
Sunday I ended up going to pick up my set of 72' Hideaways for my 73' Rally. The guy just happend to have a mint green dash pad for a Satellite! One of the few items that the Satellite I am buying on St.Patrick's Day needs to make it a nice granny cruiser. The Satellite is Triple Green ! 3 greens must mean this Satelllite is meant to be !
I got the Hideaways and Green Dash Pad for $300. I think I did good?

The white stuff in the pic's is snow, not white paint on the hideaways & dash.

konigcharger · March 05, 2007, 12:07:40 AM

sweet deal on the hideaways & DASHPAD man that things pretty

just a FYI the hideaways are 72 style

BMOTOXSTAR · March 05, 2007, 12:11:02 AM

Thank you for confirming that.

I was not sure, either was the guy I purchased them from. I was really curious and did not know. I know that it is not correct for a 73' Rally but I think hideaways are sweet looking.

Charger1973 · March 09, 2007, 12:18:15 AM

You are probably better off this way anyways, avoiding that crappy weather we had. Im hoping that was the last of it, it was almost nice out today. Hoping tomorrow will be even better

That is a nice score on the hideaways and dash pad too. The hideaways do look good on a 73, and if you dont care about it being all original then its a really nice way to upgrade. And yes those are 72 grilles, the 71s dont have the vertical fins. Heres a pic of a 71 grille.

BMOTOXSTAR · March 09, 2007, 12:56:05 AM

Yeah,
I think the hideaways will look sweet. I am going to keep my 73' Rally and I figure that I will make it my own. Is it that hard to mount them on a 73" It will be nice not to have to use that bumper filler trim ! Is there a Dodge emblem that should go on the hide-aways ?
I can't wait for St.Patrick's Day to get here, I want that Satellite in a bad way.

Charger1973 · March 09, 2007, 01:17:12 AM

Quote from: BMOTOXSTAR on March 09, 2007, 12:56:05 AM
Yeah,
I think the hideaways will look sweet. I am going to keep my 73' Rally and I figure that I will make it my own. Is it that hard to mount them on a 73" It will be nice not to have to use that bumper filler trim ! Is there a Dodge emblem that should go on the hide-aways ?
I can't wait for St.Patrick's Day to get here, I want that Satellite in a bad way.

The front bumper/hideaways being from a 72 wont change the position of your bumper on the car at all. You will need to re-use your bumper brackets from your 73 (i am pretty sure the 72s have the mounting holes in different location). To remove the filler trim you need to slot the holes in your bracket and slide the bumper back a little. If you want to keep the 73 bumper (no charger arrow in the middle) you can do it, just remove the 73 grille brackets etc. Also I think the DODGE logo on the hideaways is a 71 only thing, but I could be wrong.

41husk · March 09, 2007, 11:31:30 AM

you didn't get hurt at that price.

konigcharger · March 09, 2007, 10:53:47 PM

the 72 hideaways did not have the Dodge emblem

also if you remove the bumper filler trim you will need to get a set of the shorter headlamp buckets or it will not fit

BMOTOXSTAR · March 09, 2007, 11:01:37 PM

Do I want to use the 72' or 73' buckets? How do you do it by using the 73' bumper?

Charger1973 · March 09, 2007, 11:06:38 PM

You need the headlight buckets from a 71 or 72 car with the hideaway grille. They are just a little shorter, otherwise the doors will catch on the headlights.

The 72 bumper is the same as the 73 bumper for the most part, its just a matter of removing the brackets that held the 73 grilles in place so your hideaway grilles will fit. They have their own brackets. You have the complete bumper there, so once you take your 73 bumper off just compare the two, its really simple.

Charger1973 · March 09, 2007, 11:14:09 PM

I just put these on my 73 (using a 73 bumper) and as you can see I dont have the shorter headlight buckets, so i left the doors open. They will still close, but they catch on the headlights and you have to help them down. I would change to the shorter buckets, but I plan to switch this car back to a 73 grille at some point so its fine the way it is.

BMOTOXSTAR · March 19, 2007, 08:48:47 AM

Wow,
I finally went to pick up the 74' Satellite this past weekend, St. Patrick's Day !

Instead of using my truck (91'Chevy V6) my brother went with me and used his Dodge Ram, V8. The car was better than what the seller told me ! I am really happy with this car.

The Ram puled the Satellite no problem ! It was a 1,200 mile round trip, from Mentor Ohio, to Springfield IL, yes, home of The Simpson's ! It was really awesome to take the trip with my older brother to get a Mopar ! What a brother! It was neat to be hauling a Mopar with a Mopar !
I thank all of you for the advice & help on hauling a Mopar. I was worried I was going to not get the Satellite, I have been figuring out how I was going to pick the car up for a month and every plan up till' now fell through.
The guy would not budge from $3000 with the RR hood, I still think that I did very well on this car !

BMOTOXSTAR · March 19, 2007, 08:55:42 AM

Oh yeah,
The seller of the Satellite also had a 68' GTX & a nice fuel injected 440 71' Charger. For his business, decorative concrete, he has a Dodge Ram that is spackled with the concrete product he sells. I though this was really cool.

mikepmcs · March 19, 2007, 08:56:55 AM

Congratulations, that car is awesome looking!
Guess it was meant to be after all.

v/r
Mike

The70RT · March 19, 2007, 09:18:35 AM

Nice!

Charger1973 · March 19, 2007, 12:04:06 PM

Glad to see you got her home! Looks great! The only problem I would have with a car like that is, its so nice and original I would hate to do any mods to it at all. I dont even know if I would want to put the RR hood on it, but then again, thats easily reversible if you ever wanted to change back. Nice score for sure.

I find it strange that he left the plates on when he sold it to you though.

Hey Nacho, I see your hubcaps!

DC_1 · March 19, 2007, 12:42:35 PM

good score......car looks clean.

BMOTOXSTAR · March 19, 2007, 01:51:18 PM

Quote from: Charger1973 on March 19, 2007, 12:04:06 PM
Glad to see you got her home! Looks great! The only problem I would have with a car like that is, its so nice and original I would hate to do any mods to it at all. I don't even know if I would want to put the RR hood on it, but then again, thats easily reversible if you ever wanted to change back. Nice score for sure.
I find it strange that he left the plates on when he sold it to you though.

Hey Nacho, I see your hubcaps!

Hi,
I really do not think I would have made it home safe in my 91' Chevy. I am really lucky to have a brother to help me out. The seller said that he did not care about the plates and to just keep them. He said they are good until December 2007 and that I will have a set of IL plates to hang up in my garage. He is a good honest Mopar collector and said that he knows I would not do anything ignorant with his plates. I thought that it was weird myself.

Even though it is a 74' SB Satellite I think that it is a nice clean original Mopar. I really have always wanted a Satellite to go with a Charger. I am middle class so to me , even though it is a Satellite, it is like owing a super rare Mopar. I remember these Satellites from when I was young.

Nacho, that is right, you do have those caps on your Rally.

The70RT · March 19, 2007, 04:54:00 PM

Quote from: Charger1973 on March 19, 2007, 12:04:06 PM
Glad to see you got her home! Looks great! The only problem I would have with a car like that is, its so nice and original I would hate to do any mods to it at all. I dont even know if I would want to put the RR hood on it, but then again, thats easily reversible if you ever wanted to change back. Nice score for sure.
I find it strange that he left the plates on when he sold it to you though.

Hey Nacho, I see your hubcaps!

Even though it is clean and unmolested, I don't think cloning would ever hurt the value. Kinda like making a 318 Charger into an R/T.....doesn't hurt the value. Putting a better hood, stripes,buckets etc. will make it more desirable IMO.

News:

Will this truck haul a 74' B-Body?