Trailer versus dolly

[Escargo]

New guy here, moving from WY to VA. Need to haul my lla 88 on either a U-Haul car trailer or possibly a car dolly. Several hundred dollars price difference, is it worth putting the miles on the rear end?

[Willard]

For me that would be a tough call, i would think the car dolly would be fine, i would remove the driveshaft though. I doubt the extra milage will make a differance.

Car trailers are great but heavy and i would imagine you will consume alot more fuel.

[Moose]

If using a dolly, you could just remove the rear half-shafts. You would need to put the drive flanges and dust caps back on to keep the crud out and the oil in. No wear on the rear diff at all then.

Brett

[Daurie]

I pulled my S3 over 700 miles on a car dolly. It had a hard top with a rack and was fairly loaded with items to boot. The only issue I had was the wheel straps on the car dolly barely fit around the tires. I let out some air and got the strps to cinch. I still added some of my own safety backups. In all honesty I was a little over the reccomended weight but I had no issues. What are you pulling it with?

[SafeAirOne]

I used a Budget truck rental car carrier to tow my 109 from the bottom left of the country to the top right--About 3000 miles using a 24-foot Budget truck to pull it @ about 10mpg if I remember right. It was a pleasure to tow--I'm glad they didn't have the tow dolly they were supposed to have reserved for me--I got a free upgrade to the car carrier.

One note--Let your conscience be your guide, but you might not want to tell them that you're towing a Series Land Rover--In my experience, it's not on any rental place's "approved" list, and they will not rent it to you. I just looked at Budget's 2008 Towability guide and the approved model year listings BEGIN at 1986.

I had to go on the rental companie's website, look at a list of "approved" vehicles, pick my favorite and tell them THAT was what I was towing. I magine this would have had an impact on my rental agreement should something have gone wrong, but it was worth the risk- I drove my 109 out there 3000 miles in 4 days; there was no way I was driving BACK 3000 miles!

[Bostonian1976]

car trailer is very easy

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/gallery/data/516/Blue31.JPG

[Firemanshort]

I have towed an S3 88" on a dolly and the Stage One 109" on a trialer.

The Land Rover Centre in the UK moved my S3 88" using a trailer and towed with a D110. I can not find a photo of me picking it up with the dolly.

Either way worked ok for me. I would consider tow vehicle limitations more than worry about a few miles on the Land Rover.

The only bad tow experience I had was with a tow bar and trying to flat tow - but that was probaly driver error. Read this thread for more info ... http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4425

[I Leak Oil]

I pulled my 109" on a dolly from VT. The straps didn't fit. Somehow the xfer case dropped into low range pulling away from an intersection. If I were to do it again I'd go with the trailer. Much safer. Is the price difference worth risking what you're pulling? I don't think so. Tell the rental place you're hauling a vehicle the size of a ford ranger...
Jason T.

[49coe]

Another thing to consider is that the U-Haul trailer has surge brakes on it, while the dolly does not. Depending upon what you are towing it with, in terms of weight and braking power, this is an important consideration if you need to stop quickly. Basically, do you want 3000# pushing you forward or do you want that 3000#(now 5000# with the trailer) to stop itself. This is assuming that the U-Haul trailer brakes are actually working, a big assumption from my experience with them. Good Luck - Jeremy

[galen216]

If you are towing the dolly/trailer with a u-haul or something, use the trailer. Good point about the surge brakes. I moved to Va two months ago and towed the Rover on a trailer with a 26' U-haul loaded with the house stuff. I had one time when someone cut me off and I was glad it was on a trailer.

Having said all that, using the dolly is no problem if you unbolt the rear driveshaft at the diff and tie it up.

Where in Va are you moving to?

[Leslie]

I towed my 88" from Knoxville to Kingsport w/ the Disco... I was going to flat-tow it w/ a tow-bar, but ended up putting it on a trailer instead.

I've used a trailer several times shuttling projects around town, I do prefer a trailer, if one's available.

I would describe an 88" as being like a Jeep-CJ.... those are small and light enough that they don't have a problem w/ them being towed on their equipment..... (just don't let 'em know how much more a Series weighs....)

[Bostonian1976]

I towed my 88" from Knoxville to Kingsport w/ the Disco... I was going to flat-tow it w/ a tow-bar, but ended up putting it on a trailer instead.

I've used a trailer several times shuttling projects around town, I do prefer a trailer, if one's available.

I would describe an 88" as being like a Jeep-CJ.... those are small and light enough that they don't have a problem w/ them being towed on their equipment..... (just don't let 'em know how much more a Series weighs....)

that's what I did - I selected an early 70's Jeep from the UHaul list when putting in the reservation....

[Leslie]

that's what I did - I selected an early 70's Jeep from the UHaul list when putting in the reservation....



BTW.... the wife likes the windows in the transom over the garage..... :)

[Bostonian1976]

BTW.... the wife likes the windows in the transom over the garage..... :)


ha - not my house! it was another Rover fanatic's house......as I towed my truck away. very nice house - wish it was mine :)

[galen216]

x3 on the Jeep, I used a 1975 CJ-5.

[Willard]

The only problem i had with mine was the straps for the wheel were way to short and would not even go 1/2 way over the tires.
Aside from that it was towed with a GM 2500 gas engine, it consumed about 1/2 of a tank of gas for about 70 miles of driving.
The Rover was empty, just heavy......

http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/467081/fullsize/100_3578.jpg

[galen216]

Had the same problem with the straps, took the air out of my tires to get them on. I also used my winch as there is a convenient D-ring on the U-Haul trailer right where the two frame rails come together.

On the back I bought an auto transport ratchet strap and ran that through the pintle hitch.

[Daurie]

Another thing about the car dolly, you can forget backing that thing up. The platform pivots on the tounge/axle assembly and if you have to back up for any distance its a nightmare.. and I consider myself good at backing a trailer.

The more I think about it the trailer might have been worth the extra money considering the worrying and hassle involved with the dolly.

[Escargo]

Thanks, Folks. Pulling with a Toyota Tundra and hauling to The Eastern Shore, Northampton County.