An auto car on a tow dolly?

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knote72

Stupidity is not unilateral, we all pay the price
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Ok so I got my eyes on a 72 demon (automatic) on craigslist that is within reach if I play my cards right, but I'd need to figure out a low cost delivery solution. I'm here in western Oregon, and it's over in Boise, and there's quite an elevation change along the way. I was gonna rent a pickup and a uhaul trailer, but they won't rent anything out to you until they inspect and clear the application (they follow some stupid BS chart on their computers that is notcomprehensive or completely accurate). Renting a pickup is just too spendy for the distance. My Dakota (5.2L 4x4 w/ overdrive) can't pull the weight on a trailer, but it could probably do it on a dolly. Problem is, I hear that pulling an automatic car damages the transmission unless you pull the driveshaft. Is that true? Or are there differences based on the age and design of the transmission? Can it be done with a 904 auto from a 72 Demon? Because i know the car at least moves under its own power so the wheels and tires may be up to the task of a dolly
 
I wouldn't do it without pulling the driveshaft unless you want to risk toasting the trans. If your going just a short distance that's another story. The shaft is easy to pull, and like you said, make sure the rear tires are road safe! Good luck with the car!
 
Ok so I got my eyes on a 72 demon (automatic) on craigslist that is within reach if I play my cards right, but I'd need to figure out a low cost delivery solution. I'm here in western Oregon, and it's over in Boise, and there's quite an elevation change along the way. I was gonna rent a pickup and a uhaul trailer, but they won't rent anything out to you until they inspect and clear the application (they follow some stupid BS chart on their computers that is notcomprehensive or completely accurate). Renting a pickup is just too spendy for the distance. My Dakota (5.2L 4x4 w/ overdrive) can't pull the weight on a trailer, but it could probably do it on a dolly. Problem is, I hear that pulling an automatic car damages the transmission unless you pull the driveshaft. Is that true? Or are there differences based on the age and design of the transmission? Can it be done with a 904 auto from a 72 Demon? Because i know the car at least moves under its own power so the wheels and tires may be up to the task of a dolly
from experience, pull the driveshaft, its 4 little tiny 5/16 bolts and easy to do, just make sure you check the trans fluid after you get home and the shaft back in as the rear trans seal may leak.
 
Yep, yank that shaft.
I have left them in the trans so you don't loose fluid and just suspended them from an upper shock mount.
Sometimes it's not a bad idea to tie them forward as well, so they can't fall out going down the road.
 
Yep, yank that shaft.
I have left them in the trans so you don't loose fluid and just suspended them from an upper shock mount.
Sometimes it's not a bad idea to tie them forward as well, so they can't fall out going down the road.

Just remove the shaft. I did that when I brought home the dart. I took it from Portland to medford
 
Agree. Pull the shaft, baling wire the shaft up under the car or cut a water bottle in half and duct tape it over the tailshaft. We tow dozens of rigs a year. Half on our car hauler the other half on our dolly. Can't always get a large flat bed hauler into every situation. Oh. And congrats on getting a demon. Very cool car.
 
Agree. Pull the shaft, baling wire the shaft up under the car or cut a water bottle in half and duct tape it over the tailshaft. We tow dozens of rigs a year. Half on our car hauler the other half on our dolly. Can't always get a large flat bed hauler into every situation. Oh. And congrats on getting a demon. Very cool car.
I pulled a 67 barracuda from PA to IL. Complete car with a tow dolly and a 89 v6 auto dakota without any issues at all. Yes I pulled the driveshaft
 
Well the deal isn't sealed yet. I'm selling a 92 cherokee we have here and if this hit I got back on it is truly interested then i can get $1300 from it (kelley blue book places it at $1605). I have the cash to split the difference for the car, gas for the trip and a little extra for dolly rental. I was told to consider having the car shipped if it came down to it, but idk what that would cost.

So if I were to pull the driveshaft & toss it in the back of the pickup, load the car on a dolly, could I hook it to my pickup?
 
there is no reason why a 5.2 magnum cant pull a car on a car dolly.....that is a 318....every bit of power to pull it.......my 87 dodge rollback truck only had a 360 in it and that carried a 3500 lb car on it like it wasn't even on its back
 
i have 5 mopars, 1 durango, 2 turismos, 1 charger, 1 jeep i pulled in last 6 months in my garage,and yard, do what you think is best, feel like you have enough help without my 2 cents worth.
 
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sounds like you got plenty of help ,dont need my input
 
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i figure i can pull the driveshaft and dolly it if the wheels and tires if good. If not, I can install a trans oil cooler, balance the car right over the trailer axle(s) and fib on what I'm hauling. The demon slant 6 factory weight is stated 2900lbs. What car can i claim is lighte than that?
 
You will be fine with a tow dolly, and pull the driveshaft, keep in mind you will lose fluid when pulling the shaft.

Actually u-haul car trailers are complete garbage, surge brakes that have never worked on any that I have rented.

I was so pissed at the junk u-haul trailer I rented the last time, that I went out and bought a new car trailer, so I never had to hook up to that junk again.
 
Saw a ford f250 diesel on a u-haul last summer. Way too big for the trailer,behind an rv. Driver didnt know it was swaying and one hub was smoking and tire was blown. It sat at the u-haul dealer with truck still on it for a week.

There are other places to rent a trailer im sure.
Pulling driveshaft seems easiest,and if tied securely under car it wont lose a drop. Im not big on spilling oil on the ground.
 
Yeah my main concern is just the frame being able to handle it and my pickup brakes controlling it downhill (they work just fine normal driving, I totally redid them last year). On a flatbed it'd be a little sketchy, but on a dolly I think my Dakota can handle it. If I can't get a rental then I should be someone in my area with one to borrow

Wow it seems there's more than a few people out there that don't like rental stuff from uhaul.......
 
Yeah my main concern is just the frame being able to handle it and my pickup brakes controlling it downhill (they work just fine normal driving, I totally redid them last year). On a flatbed it'd be a little sketchy, but on a dolly I think my Dakota can handle it. If I can't get a rental then I should be someone in my area with one to borrow

Wow it seems there's more than a few people out there that don't like rental stuff from uhaul.......
one of the reasons they ask what you're towing is because they have different width dollies. If you have too narrow a dolly, it might damage the fenders of what you're towing on a real tight turn. Recently, I dollied an 02 intrepid and I had to have the widest of the three widths dollies. As far as the tow vehicle, I used a 4.0L 01 Cherokee to tow a dollied 95 LHS(probably 4400 lbs), and I had zero problems. That said, I wasn't towing up or down any mountainous grades.
 
Yeah luckily not too many tight turns on this route, but DEFINITELY A MOUNTAINOUS GRADE. Going from 600 to 3200, to 4700, back down to 2200 then up again to 2700. Over a span of 440 miles, half that distance going from 600 to that 4700 mark. Reverse that on the way back.
 
1 bit of info from experience,if you use tow dolly, they dont back, car being towed , make sure rear end has fluid, hope axle bearings are good, hope brakes dont weld from getting too hot, make sure tires is up to a long trip,last dolly i used got bent fenders, flat tire, rear end locked up on towed car ,6 hours to go 55 mile
 
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dont have to be uhaul, can be any company, trailer has electric brakes, and if you have someone with a full size truck, pick the trailer up with it and then transfer it to your dakota, problem with most tow dolly, when you back up with them they will dent your car fenders thats on them, have a 87 charger i just pulled and put a big crease in the fender trying to backup where i backed it in the garage, the 83 plymouth scamp and rampage was 2200lbs,,, thats my opinion, but they are like assholes ,everybody has one, i would do what you fell more comfortable with, you have dead weight pushing downhill because most dollys have no breaks, make sure the rearend is good and axle bearings, and rear breaks on car you are towing are good, and rearend has fluid, any of those can make towing a car a long trip trying to fix them on the road.
I can add axle gear lube to the list of stuff to bring along, gramps has a whole drum of it. I'll also gauge the amount of crest to the dolly hooked up to my truck before I rent it, so I have a good idea where it comes to the fender. But yeah first I'm talkin to a family friend, he has a big diesel and pretty sure he has a trailer so im seeing if hes open to the idea. It'd be a good long drive so we'd be trading off driving
 
if you dolly it, do not try backing up with it, they jackknife really fast and can damage one or both vehicles. They have a big warning tag on them to not back up for a reason.
 
Unhooking or pulling the driveshaft is a must IMO. If you completely remove the driveshaft and throw it in the back of the truck as you mentioned all the trans ATF will leak out. Your best bet is to just unbolt it and wire it up to something. Also don't forget to wrap some duct tape around the u-joint so the caps don't fall off
 
ok then, wire and duct tape it is! Good thing Gramps hoards both.......

Now where's the best place to wire it to to make sure it doesn't hang close and grind on the input to the axle?
 
On the u haul note. I got a flat on a uhaul and sat on the side of I95 for 3.5 hours. They sub-contract roadside service. Fortunately, I had a breaker bar and a rail of 1/2 inch sockets because he had nothing that fit to get the wheel off. He came with a tire only and I had to help him manually change a tire on the side of the highway in the grass. Um, yeah, next trip I had a brand new car trailer.
 
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