Rusto

I'm moving back to Colorado from Central PA.

I need to get my '84 pickup out there, as well as my '95 4Runner before I come back and move all of our other belongings out there.

My thoughts were that I'd rent a tow dolly and pull the pickup out there with the 4Runner. However, when I called Uhaul, they said that the 4Runner didn't weigh enough to meet their specs and I can't rent one from them. If you add in the weight of the dolly and my truck, I'm towing a little more than the towing capacity.

I've found a dolly on craigslist for a fair price that I can resell when I get out to Colorado and come out good price-wise.

What are the thoughts of my 'yota expert brethren. Should I think of other options due to the weight issues, or do you think the 95 4Runner 3.0 is up to the haul? I'm headed to SW CO, so I'll swing south and avoid any high passes.

Thanks.

CJM

Call uhaul, tell them your towing a 1968 vw beetle. I do it all the time

Also if you can, tell them your using a larger truck.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

The only problem about telling that lie if something happens .

Could be something so simple as a gung Ho Uhaul employee seeing what your doing .

Have a minor Accident now your stuck with no tow dolly in the middle of no where.



It is a long way to go.

Mileage on your 3.0 engine??

When the head gaskets were done last.

Auto or manual??

How are you planning to get back to Pa ?

How much other stuff are you moving??

It all comes down to how you like grief and minor road side adventures it might be worth looking into prices to have one or both shipped out there .

Another thing how much work needs to be done to a Car Dolly to make sure it will make it to I 180 let alone Colorado??

I have Towed something like this only a few hundred miles it was a very long day.

Then having a Toyota Pick up loaded on my trailer pulled by a F250 was a piece of cake compared to a Tow Dolly .

Bottom line it could be done I would only do this as a last resort.

Rowdydudeman

i see little issues arising with this, but I'm not against driving at 60 for a long trip like that. SURE, it'll take longer; but your chances of making it out there with no issues increases also.
the last time i towed anything with my 82 p/u, it was an 86(?) malibu ss for one of my buddies that had blown the engine and needed to get all the way home to florida (about 250 miles away) and we only drove 50-65mph the whole way. no sense in rushing.

Rusto

good input. Still haven't decided.
I'm not going to try and pull one over on Uhaul. There's one locally here I can buy if I need to.
Wyoming hints at some of my concerns, mainly concerning the 3.0 HG.

To answer your questions:

Mileage on your 3.0 engine?? 80,000

When the head gaskets were done last. Haven't been done, but one cylinder had a small leak from the coolant into the cylinder that I "fixed" with BlueDevil sealant. It's run great since then, and been driven round trip about 500 miles a couple of times with no issues, but this is my main concerns. I'm afraid that towing something 2,000 miles will be too much on a tired 3.0.

Auto or manual?? Automatic, but I can turn off the overdirve

How are you planning to get back to Pa ? I booked a cheap flight back

How much other stuff are you moving?? My whole damn house, plus another vehicle (subaru outback) and a motorcycle.

It all comes down to how you like grief and minor road side adventures it might be worth looking into prices to have one or both shipped out there . About $3,000 to ship both out there.

Another thing how much work needs to be done to a Car Dolly to make sure it will make it to I 180 let alone Colorado?? . The dolly appears to be in good shape, but it'll be hard to tell until I'm cruising along.

Right now, I'm leaning towards just driving my '84 out there, with the motorcycle in back, then driving the 4Runner out when I move the rest of my stuff and tow the Subaru behind the moving truck. I drove my truck out 4 years ago, and it's in much better shape now than it was.

I think I could pull it off with no concerns and everything will be fine, but IF something were to go wrong out there (like a blown HG), it could royally screw me.

Marc

Should work fine as long as there aren't any hills...
The going down is more dangerous to everyone around than going up.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Towing on a car dolly.

That far with out a auxiliary Transmission Cooler unless you have one and it slipped your mind.

Will pretty much cook your transmission .

The long days just heat soak the fluid .

Being by your self your pushing to get more than 500 miles a day.

Not sure how soon this might happen but one needs to figure weather events Blizzards till it gets warm then Tornado`s things in between.

Rusto

I have options, and don't need the headache. I'm just going to drive my truck out there with the motorcycle in the back and leave it at a friends. Next trip, I'll tow the 4Runner on a trailer behind the moving truck.

Last thing I need is my 4Runner with a blown head gasket and cooked tranny somewhere in the middle of Kansas.

Thanks for the good advice. 20 years ago with nothing to lose and nowhere to be, maybe a different decision, but why put myself out there if I don't have to do so.

Marc

Sounds like the best plan.
Moves are stressful enough without adding more.

AdmiralYoda

I'd get the biggest plate-style transmission cooler I could find and make sure the fluid and filter was in tip-top shape before making the attempt. If your a DIY guy it would be a good idea to thread a temperature sender into the transmission pan. Get an aftermarket gauge to keep an eye on things. At least you could pull over and let things cool down every now and then if you had to. Better than getting stuck because your fluid baked.

Make sure your cooling system is up to snuff as well. You are going to be pushing that engine hard and it will want to get hot. A hot transmission, hot engine oil, etc will just creep the operating temp up. Get a new radiator and fan clutch if you are suspect. Throw a couple bottles of Water Wetter or Purple Ice in there for good measure.

It would be a good idea to make sure your brakes are 150% as well. You will have 4000lbs behind you trying to push you off the road. Does the tow dolly have electric or hydraulic brakes? Some states have laws that say you need to have some sort of brakes on anything over XXX weight, usually 2,000-3,000lbs. I'd look into slotted/drilled rotors with an aggressive pad that can handle high heat.

Your tow dolly is probably going to need to be registered as well. In MA that would cost me a little over $100.

And lastly I'll be that guy. Since you will be over your GVWR...its actually a pretty big liability. Don't forget your weight, the weight of the gear in your vehicle, etc.

If you get in a bad enough accident that a cop shows up he may take note of this and you will get weighed. If there are significant damages and they are your fault your insurance company will deny the claim and you will be on the hook. Worse, if someone gets really hurt or even pretends they have whiplash....its all on you.

It isn't short money, but you could probably have the pickup shipped for $750 or so. Just drive one vehicle back and make one trip out of it. The money you save on the dolly, the fuel, the plane ticket, hotel room, transmission cooler, fluid, radiator, brakes etc will add up pretty quick. It might be cheaper to ship it in the long run.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Smart man making the decision not to tow your toyota with your toyota...

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

I think we have all been or will be between a Rock and a hard place.

It was one of those things that would have been a last resort option.

A few hundred ok but not a few thousand.

Glad it worked out another way.

RJR

The other issue you have is that towing laws vary widely from state to state. You can be perfectly legal in one state and illegal as soon as you cross into the next one. And generally states don't recognize reciprocity in this area. Putting together a rig that'll meet all state requirements for your trip would be crazy hard.

Vudujoose

Id sell both and ride the bike.... V8 power / hybrid fuel mileage.

Rusto

My wife would be all about me selling my '84, but that will never be on the table. I'm probably going to sell my motorcycle and dump that money into the truck.

I love Admiral Yota's advice on how to get the 4Runner up to snuff to be ready to tow. Good advice for sure, and if I planned on towing something with the Runner on a regular basis I'd do all that (and swap in a 3.4 while I'm at it.). But this is one tow deal.

Shipping vehicle from central pa to SW CO was about $1,400.

Gas $350. Hotel $200. Plane Ticket $168 (super cheap flight sealed the deal for me) My time - actually looking forward to some decompression time on the road, just driving.

Save about $700. Not a ton of money, but it adds up when I'm moving cross country.

Thanks for all the valuable input. I feel much better just driving my truck across the county.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

just remember to keep an eye on things strange things happen to mechanical things when one drives them 12 plus hours at a time.

the heat soak into the drive train can do strange things .



Good luck be safe enjoy your trip!!!