Towing a D1

[fishEH]

Anybody used a dolly like this to tow a D1?
https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/Tow-Dolly-Rental/TD/
I don't really care about weight ratings so long as the wheels don't fall off. And I know I'll have to drop the rear driveshaft.

 

[Tugela]

You could just do it like the Art Guys did it:

The Art Guys held a book signing at the Brazos Bookstore, but because they have never written a book, they signed other authors' books instead. In a piece called "Driving Two Cars to Galveston," Mr. Massing did drive two cars 61 miles to Galveston, driving one several hundred feet, then getting out, running back to the other and driving that one several hundred feet, then returning to the first car, and so on. It took a day and a half, and he sprained his foot.

 

[Va_Disco]

If going a long distance I would be concerned about the disco being over the rated weight ( for insurance reasons mostly ) but also I wouldn't want to tow a combined weight of almost 5,000 lbs without brakes of some kind to keep it under control. If your renting a dolly why not just rent the roll on trailer?

 

[squirt]

I've used one to tow a D1 behind a D2 across town. (maybe 30 miles)

I just put the transfer case in neutral, loaded it up, and took off. No messing with driveshafts, etc. No catastrophes noted. The dolly I used had surge brakes, which worked extremely well.

If I was towing it across the state, I'd pull the rear driveshaft to reduce the spinning parts, but otherwise nothing different.

As an aside, I've never used U-haul rentals for tow setups. Too many rules, questions, etc. Find a local independent rental shop and it'll probably be cheaper with less hassle.

 

[fishEH]

If your renting a dolly why not just rent the roll on trailer?

The dolly weighs in 1400lbs less than the drive on.

 

[Va_Disco]

The dolly weighs in 1400lbs less than the drive on.

This is relevant why?

It would seem to me the added safety of the brakes on the roll on trailer, and the vehicle being properly secured to a trailer designed to handle the weight of a D1 would be worth having to drive a little slower.

Plus if something should go wrong towing with that dolly and you get in a accident your insurance company wont cover you because the trailer dolly was over loaded based on its specs.

 

[fishEH]

I didn't realize the full trailer had automatic surge braking. That's nice.
If it didn't though it would just be an extra 1400lbs to tow.

 

[Lake_Bueller]

For the record, most roll-on rental trailers aren't rated for the weight of a DI. The two times that I've rented a trailer, I lied about the vehicle going on the trailer. I think Penske trailers are rated properly.

 

[fishEH]

I have no idea what you're talking about.

For the record, most roll-on rental trailers aren't rated for the weight of a DI. The two times that I've rented a trailer, I lied about the vehicle going on the trailer. I think Penske trailers are rated properly.

 

[Va_Disco]

The Disco looks happy with the trailer hooked up to it. Where are you headed with it? Somewhere fun I hope.
I wasn't trying to be an ass about the dolly, In my line of work I have just seen to many people use things as they were not intended and sometimes it is fine but often it goes wrong. Don't want to see that happen to anyone on here.

 

[fishEH]

The Disco looks happy with the trailer hooked up to it. Where are you headed with it? Somewhere fun I hope.
I wasn't trying to be an ass about the dolly, In my line of work I have just seen to many people use things as they were not intended and sometimes it is fine but often it goes wrong. Don't want to see that happen to anyone on here.

That's actually an old pic, 2010ish probably. Hauled a parts truck home about 2.5hrs.
I'm picking up another D1 next week with a manual trans that has a "bad 4th gear". Will be towing with another D1(different from the one pictured) about 3.5hrs.


No sweat, I'm glad you mentioned it because I forgot about the surge brakes on the actual trailer.

 

[garrett]

I use to tow a DI with a DI on many occasions and it was never very good at it. Both with a dolly and with a dual axle transport trailer. The longest distance was about 2.5 hours one way. Then again it was beyond it's rated tow rating as well, so I can't complain. But it comes down to how well the load is balanced and if you have electric brakes on your setup. They make all the difference.

 

[Lake_Bueller]

That's actually an old pic, 2010ish probably. Hauled a parts truck home about 2.5hrs.
I'm picking up another D1 next week with a manual trans that has a "bad 4th gear". Will be towing with another D1(different from the one pictured) about 3.5hrs.


No sweat, I'm glad you mentioned it because I forgot about the surge brakes on the actual trailer.

Need a replacement manual transmission? I might have a lead on one.

 

[fishEH]

Need a replacement manual transmission? I might have a lead on one.

I might. Whatcha got? I'll be up near Appleton on Thursday.

 

[galen216]

I used a Uhaul truck to tow my Disco I from VA to PA when I moved. The guy told me that they do have heavier duty trailers to handle the weight of a Disco. I don't know if it's true or not, but I had to get the truck one place and the trailer another place because there were only a couple of the HD trailers in the state.

I entered the Disco into Uhaul's website as the vehicle being towed and it let me do it.

Have you considered renting one of Uhaul's pickup trucks as well to do the towing?

 

[fishEH]

I used a Uhaul truck to tow my Disco I from VA to PA when I moved. The guy told me that they do have heavier duty trailers to handle the weight of a Disco. I don't know if it's true or not, but I had to get the truck one place and the trailer another place because there were only a couple of the HD trailers in the state.

I entered the Disco into Uhaul's website as the vehicle being towed and it let me do it.

Have you considered renting one of Uhaul's pickup trucks as well to do the towing?

The trailer will be fine. It was the dolly I was questioning.
I looked into a truck rental but its close to $200 for the mileage I need to do. Not worth it for the actual time I need it and the price I'm paying for the D1 I'm towing. I'll just beat the shit out of my Disco.

 

[p m]

Brett, this is what you need.

Two pieces of angle iron, four holes, and you can flat-tow a D1 where you please. Just unbolt the driveshafts.

 

[fishEH]

Brett, this is what you need.

Two pieces of angle iron, four holes, and you can flat-tow a D1 where you please. Just unbolt the driveshafts.

I know! My Hungarian buddies all offroad Disco's and they all have pointing points in their aftermarket bumpers so they can be flat towed home if necessary. I'm just going up, grabbing the truck, and heading straight home so don't really want to be fabricating and drilling stuff.

 

[p m]

When I took two of my D1s to Colorado in 2013, I made adapters that would allow me to tow either a D1 with GDE front bumper or a D1 with a stock bumper, and took the tow bar on the trip. Just in case... we never needed it, though.

In the past, I towed an SWB from San Diego to Lake Havasu City with an LWB and the same tow bar. No problems, except some squirrelly handling on the way downhill from 4k to sea level and an idiot in Quartzsite running the stop sign.

 

[chris snell]

Ben Little, Marc Olivares and I pulled Rob Davison's old RRC from Lake Havasu City to Salt Lake with one of those tow bars. Disconnected driveshafts. Going down the grades on I-15 was sketchy but otherwise no big deal.