No Tow Beast! What to do?

[raycarlson]

dodge is currently the only one with a 6 cylinder diesel i know of, mine tows very well and rated to tow about 16000 pounds i beleive.

[mastreb]

The Dodge/Mercedes/Freightliner Sprinter vans all come with a 6-cyl. 3.5 liter diesel as well.

[uanhanlouee]

Uhaul will allow you to tow with their Vans. They go for 20 bucks a day and 56 cents a mile. The vans are equipped for towing a max of 5k #. it will be a lot more economical than any other vehicle and not require full insurance, registration and a loan. Unless you are sold on another vehicle, monthly payments, Insurance, maintenance, etc.

[korn_kid_12]

I towed my 1984 M25 with my 2004 grand Cherokee overland with the 4.7 h.o. Motor the power was fantastic! However the wheel base was a no go with the single axle trailer. Even after installing sway control every trip was more stressful then fun closest lake is 1 hour on a busy highway away with speed limit of 75 any delivery truck semi or even pickup could get things swaying pretty wildly even at 50mph. Better lake is 2 hrs the other way. That lasted 7 months mostly winter time... Then I got my Chevy avalanche .... Night and day! Just got back from the lake with my 26s ran between 65 and 75. Depending on the particular stretch of road.

[FLembo18]

Paul

you can rent a small truck from Uhaul for <100 USD a day that you could easily use once a month for less cost than running a truck

If its just season in season out, then this will be a huge win.

You generally cant tow with a rental car from the usual agencies like Hertz Avis national since the contracts preclude towing.

I brought my boat home from MA to NY (150 miles) with a Uhaul one way that cost me about 90 USD in 2002

Yes, Catigale, that's pretty close.. I used to rent a U-Haul Ford F150 w/ tow pkg (standard) for my 1st two Summers before I bought my Chevy 2500 Express Van. The 150 cost $19.95 per day + mileage.. check your personal car insurance to see if it covers rentals, if not, get the U-Haul Ins. I used the 150 for 3 or 4 days at a time but I wasn't really racking up miles except to tow to the lake and then home afterwards..the 150 just sat in the launch ramp lot while I spent nights/days on the lake.... love being out on the hook ! BTW-- the U-haul 150's are really nice.


Frank L.

[bahama bound]

our favorite tow vehicle is our 2010 dodge journey ,we have a cummins 2500 dodge 4x4 ,but we used our journey for a 265 mile trip from the foot hills of north carolina back charleston s.c and it did great pulling our x ,its great on gas ,smooth rides great ,when coming up a slippery ramp i have seen the traction control light blink ,it has the 3rd row so it has lots of storage ,we hope to use it to pull our x to key west ,we will pack light and saved alittle bit of weight with aluminum trailer ,its kinda sporty ,wife said no more kids ,no more mini vans !!!

[Ron]

I would regularly tow 2-4 time/year with a Uhaul. I would get their pickup truck, which in FL was a Ford F150. I had my own hitch and ball, which I bought from UHaul.

It cost $19 for the day plus mileage. I usually also got the insurance from them. My total cost was usually about $60-$70 to tow the boat 20 miles from the marina to my home.

[abruzzi]

Another option, depending on where you live, and distances you need to drive, is to buy an old junker with a solid drivetrain. In New Mexico, it was was $1000 for the truck (Toyota FJ55, an old 70's F150 would have cost $500, but I'm a Landcruiser junkie.) Then I pay $36/yr for registration, and $150/yr for liability insurance. Then you have a tow vehicle when you need it, a truck when it's useful, but you ride your bike the rest of the year to get 60mpg. (or I suppose you could buy a Prius, but the Prius won't pull wheelies.)

In other states it might not be as cheap, but if it is, and you don't mind an older vehicle, it never hurts to have a truck around.

Geof