Towing A Charger With A FULL SIZED U-Haul Trailer...

[csx4590]

I have to move my Charger from one shop to another. Has anybody used a U-Haul car trailer to move a B Body? The full sized trailer, NOT the two wheel dolly. Will it fit between the wheelhouses on the trailer? The car body is complete and the suspension is on it but thats it. Thanks for any help...

CSX4590 

[Troy]

It will be fine. I used to use those trailers all the time before I bought my own (at least 4 of my Chargers have been on one). They can be a little squirrely with a big block on them because of the tongue weight but hauling a rolling shell is no problem at all. Sometimes the person behind the counter can be a pain. You'll need a large tow vehicle or they won't let you rent it. With no engine/trans either tell them you're hauling a small block car or even some other vehicle that's smaller.

Troy

[ACUDANUT]

Your okay.

[440]

Their trailers are quite heavy. Troy is right the people behind the counter can be difficult. They wouldn't let me tow a rolling 71 Chevelle behind a 77 F-150 with a 7000 lb hitch. I ended up telling them I was towing a VW bug before they'd let me take the trailer.

In the end the Chevelle didn't fit on the trailer anyways so I took it back.

[csx4590]

Their trailers are quite heavy. Troy is right the people behind the counter can be difficult. They wouldn't let me tow a rolling 71 Chevelle behind a 77 F-150 with a 7000 lb hitch. I ended up telling them I was towing a VW bug before they'd let me take the trailer.

In the end the Chevelle didn't fit on the trailer anyways so I took it back.

Was the Chevelle too wide? What was the problem? I towed a '67 Mustang convertible rolling shell with the trailer last year and it fit pretty well. I know the Charger is a little bigger but should still fit. It's just the shell with the suspension. No engine/trans or interior...

Thanks for all the quick replies...

[Cooter]

Dpending on how far away, might be cheaper to just hire a rollback.

[chargd72]

Did the same thing twice.  Both times they said the car won't fit.  It fits EASILY.  Their systems need to be updated.

[csx4590]

Dpending on how far away, might be cheaper to just hire a rollback.

Unfortunately (like everything else with the car), I think it will be too far. The car is in Hanover, Pa and the other shop is in Alexandria, Va. It's about 100 miles one way... 

[440]

It didn't fit width wise as the tires were too wide (295's) and I didn't have any normal sized tires to throw on it. It would have fit pretty easily with skinnes.

[Troy]

The trailers are short (15'?) which is why I mentioned the weight of a big block. You can only put the car in one spot - no shifting back/forth to even out the weight. In your case, it doesn't matter. I think the "local" rental is only about $50 per day so there's no way a rollback will be cheaper. Fenders are tight to the doors - but I think the driver's side folds down. Check first before trapping yourself in the car! There are handy wheel straps in the front. I use a trucker's chain around the rear axle (now I would use my heavy duty straps but I didn't own them then). The trailer has inertia brakes but, remember, they don't work in reverse!!! If you're backing down a steep hill your tow vehicle is on its own.

No engine so I loaded it backwards:



With 383 (no shot from front):



Troy

[Cooperman]

In the UK, there aren't many vehicles the size of a Charger. When I needed to tow mine, I ended up with a 3.5 ton recovery trailer that was previously used by our equivalent of AAA. In the end I dragged it 600 miles in two days, and as long as it's positioned correctly, and speed is below 55mph, there were no issues at all. Mine's a 440 car, and the tow vehicle's a 5.4 Expedition. Can you hire something bigger than UHaul offers?

[Troy]

One of the trailer sales lots near me has some rental trailers as well. They cost more than U-haul but this place wasn't open on Sunday so if you rented it Saturday and had it back Monday they only charged for 1 day rental. I had to call well in advance to reserve one so if I was in a hurry I'd just go to U-haul any way.

Troy

[440]

I wonder if all of their trailers are the same width. There's quite a bit of room beside that Charger and I don't think a Chevelle would be any wider than a Charger. I just know it didn't fit within the sides and it was a full size trailer.

[Troy]

I wonder if all of their trailers are the same width. There's quite a bit of room beside that Charger and I don't think a Chevelle would be any wider than a Charger. I just know it didn't fit within the sides and it was a full size trailer.

All the ones I have rented have been the same. Some were newer models with slightly better features (ok, less bent, mangled stuff) but the size was pretty consistent. Both those Chargers have skinny tires. A 295 would easily add 4-6" inches to the width depending on the backspace. The body would have no problem fitting between the fenders.

Troy

[440]

Here's the culprit that wouldn't fit and had to be stuck on a flatbed. The tires don't stick out past the fenders but wouldn't fit between the rails of the trailer.

[74bluecharger440]

I'm going to be trailering my charger up to Moparfest in August,I noticed the cars were strapped on by the tires..Any reason for this??  Do I need to get tire straps for the tow?,  or can I not just tie onto the frame for the journey??

[440]

Tire straps are a must in my opinion, it secures the car and still allows the body to move around without it tugging at the ties everytime you hit a bump. You will tear the frame or possibly damage the attachment point if you tie it by the frame or some other area of the frame/body.

[Troy]

I'm going to be trailering my charger up to Moparfest in August,I noticed the cars were strapped on by the tires..Any reason for this??  Do I need to get tire straps for the tow?,  or can I not just tie onto the frame for the journey??

Those straps are part of the trailer. They work fine. As I mentioned above, there's nothing at the back and there's no way I'd tow with only one end of the car tied down. Put your own straps on the rear axle. I always use axle/tire straps to let the car "float" on it's own suspension. Some people prefer attaching to the body and using the suspension to keep the straps under tension but others don't like keeping the suspension in a compressed state.

Troy

[oldcarnut]

I used a Uhaul to haul the Coronet RT from St Petersburg FL to SC without any problems.  I just used one to haul this Challenger.  Seems like it was a bigger trailer than what I had before but I used my 04 Avalanche to tow it and had no problems.  The trailer had the straps but also chains attached to it front and rear so maybe the newer trailers have improved some.

[69bronzeT5]

Yup....they will fit fine. I've rented a UHaul 4 times for my Charger. One of those times, the place wouldn't let me buy tow insurance for the Charger because according to their systems, the car wouldn't fit on the trailer and therefore according to UHaul wasn't legal to tow. They had to enter my Duster into the system for me to just be able to rent the trailer. Otherwise, haven't had any issues. I own a trailer now so no more Uhaul's for me!!!

[AKcharger]

Hmmm, if the drive shaft isn't installed what about a tow dolly.  I used the tow dolly with my '70 and '72 with no problems. Took the '72 from Ft. lee N.J. to hampton VA and we survived

[ACUDANUT]

Yea, goodluck luck stopping with a 3800 lbs car on a car dolley.  Your asking for it.  Been there, done that, wrecked my Charger using one on those.   

[AKcharger]

Worked for us multiple times...

[Paul G]

The one time I used a Uhaul trailer it had tire straps for the front tires, only a safety chain to throw up araound the rear axle. Didnt like that too well. I towed a Corvette with 285 tires and had no issues with it fitting on the trailer. It was a newer aluminum trailer.

[70Sbird]

I have even hauled a "longer" B body with a u-Haul trailer from North carolina to Illinois.
No issues at all!