towing a car - will the winch on a trailer work?

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I need to load up and tow a RWD car that wont start. what's the easiest way? a towable flatbed? they have a small winch but will that really load up the car? how can I get the car up on a dolly, since it wont run? besides, I'd have to disconnect the driveshaft....

of course I'd prefer to have it towed, but the distance is approx 100 miles and the quote I got was around $400
 
Tom, i've had occasion to tow numerous cars on a tow dolly. You can pull it on the dolly with a come-a-long and a couple of short rigging chains. Remove the drive shaft from the towed vehicle if it has an automatic transmission and is rear wheel drive. I can tell by the questions you're asking you don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, you might be better off calling a professional. Better safe than sorry. Tow dolly's can be dangerous if you're towing with a 1/2 ton truck and pulling a heavy car. Very dangerous.
 
I've pulled non-running rigs onto my trailer with a come-along.

A trailer rental from UHaul is only a couple of bucks more than a dolly. IIRC, it was $60-$65 for the day.
 
If it's a stick shift you might be able to load it with the starter if you bypass the interlock.

I had a guy on craigslist tow a clunker home for me on a trailer; he claimed to be able to ram the trailer backwards in reverse with the ramps down and get at least some of the car up that way. You could try posting on CL "need tow X to Y" and offer $150 cash or what you think is fair.
 
I'm interested in this thread. A month ago I was considering purchasing a RWD non-runner about 100 miles away. I would have needed to rent a trailer and then figure out some way to get the car onto it. I've only towed runners before.

I didn't have time, so I let the deal pass. But I want to have a plan ready for next time...
 
If your loading a RWD car on a car dolly you would be well advised to remove the drive shaft. unless the reason it doesn't run is the transmission is smoked.

Unless you want one more thing to fix when you get it home.
 
Originally Posted By: Dualie
If your loading a RWD car on a car dolly you would be well advised to remove the drive shaft. unless the reason it doesn't run is the transmission is smoked.


In my case, it would have been a flatbed. Disconnecting the drive shaft on site was not an option. It's in a torque tube.
 
I thinking about doing the same type thing.. I rental a Uhaul car trailer but question if the car isn't running. oblivious, would the uhaul car trailer have a winch on it? And yes I could call uHaul but prefer not to.. I am in the design phase of this idea. And otherwise I am going to need a buy winch as well unless there are other ideas.

http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=AT
 
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Does the car roll? Be wary as the brakes could be frozen. A come along or winch will not do much good especially loading it.

I ran into this and ended up using (4) furniture movers to remove a non running car (1990 4runner) from a family barn. The parking brake was left set.
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Does the car roll? Be wary as the brakes could be frozen. A come along or winch will not do much good especially loading it.

I ran into this and ended up using (4) furniture movers to remove a non running car (1990 4runner) from a family barn. The parking brake was left set.


[censored] I was looking for solutions not more problems to think about..

Thanks good observation..
 
Although its not recommended and can whip around you could put the rear wheels on the dolly and lock the steering straight ahead. This way the front tires spin happily in reverse and the trans, drive shaft, and rear end do nothing. If it is a manual you can bump the starter by jumping the clutch pedal switch and turning the key to get it the 2.5 feet up the ramps.
 
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I have transported several vehicles with a flatbed. I have a come along to get them up on the trailer if they don't run. Works like a charm. I needed some chain to keep everything in the sweet spot, and a couple of blocks to chock the tires while everything was being rejiggered.
 
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