WWGRMD: Occasional towing

My ChumpCar/LeMons team now has a second car, with the intent to split the two between Chump and LeMons duties. We've also managed to attract the attention of nearly a dozen drivers/potential drivers. This past year, it took us that many to be able to put together 4 or 5 for a given race, but looking at next year's schedules we may end up fragmenting quite a bit.

This puts me in a quandry, as I'm dependent on team members 400 miles away for a tow vehicle. I'm weighing my options, which at this point amount to:

Option 1) Rent a u-haul truck for each race, a prospect that's looking like a $500 per race expense, or

Option 2) Get a tow dolly to tow behind my van (Kia Sedona), which would likely keep total weight well under the 3500lb tow limit

Option 3) Trade in said van for something with a higher tow rating, like a Chevy Traverse, and continue to use a proper car trailer

I like my minivan, and while it doesn't get the greatest mileage, it's been practical and reliable, two things that I'd be disappointed to lose if I moved to a 7-passenger SUV. But 5200lbs towing would be nice.

I'd expect to tow a car maybe 3 times a year, although maybe I'd tow more if I had the option. Money is tight, space is even tighter (can't buy a cheap tow rig, nowhere to put it) which also makes option 2 appealing (I can stand the dolly up in garage).

What would GRM do?

For 3 times a year, do the tow dolly.

This, rented from Enterprise, 4 door, long bed, 3/4 ton, 4000 miles, no problems with break downs, price pretty reasonable, watch your mileage as it goes up after a set amount is free

Hmm, thanks, I couldn't find that when I was searching a few car rental places. Looks like I can get unlimited mileage from the Enterprise near my house, so I'd be looking at $260 for a 3 day rental (Friday - Monday). So I'll amend option one to reflect that price.

How does the Sedona's mpg compare to a... Honda Ridgeline's? The one time I'd suggest the ridgeline is for you if you already use a minivan that doesn't get the greatest mpg.

Ridgeline's get E36 M3 mileage towing.

A co-worker of mine had one and his new Chev gets better mileage towing and about the same in regular driving.

aussiesmg wrote: This, rented from Enterprise, 4 door, long bed, 3/4 ton, 4000 miles, no problems with break downs, price pretty reasonable, watch your mileage as it goes up after a set amount is free

The short bed version of that beast is what I live with. Excellent long-distance tow vehicle. Renting one when needed a few times a year is a great plan.

Most Ford suvs have the receiver and wiring built in, so when you rent one of them all you need is the draw bar.

oldopelguy wrote: All 3/4 ton Enterprise trucks have the receiver and wiring built in, so when you rent one of them all you need is the draw bar.

Just saying

Right, but not every rental place has pickups. They all have SUVs.

Hate to be the party pooper, but you might want to check out what the rental agreement says about towing. They are very detailed, and very restrictive. The last time I read one it forbade use of the car on gravel roads.
Aussie: did you rent that through the commercial truck side of Enterprise? Did it come with a hitch ball mount and all the wiring and everything you needed?

I'd like to say that I'd just tow dolly but for years I resisted buying one because of how dangerous they are. Not dangerous to use (necessarily) but once you have one you can drag home all manner of derilict cars.

Tow Dolly.

I've recently downsized from a ford f250 and car hauler to my ranger and tow dolly. I do not regret it a bit.

I wouldn't dolly a race car, that's just begging Murphy to crash your car in such a way that it can't be dollied.

ShadowSix wrote: Aussie: did you rent that through the commercial truck side of Enterprise? Did it come with a hitch ball mount and all the wiring and everything you needed?

My understanding is that Enterprise's consumer-oriented branch expressly forbids towing in the rental contract, whereas the commercial branch allows it.

codrus wrote:

ShadowSix wrote: Aussie: did you rent that through the commercial truck side of Enterprise? Did it come with a hitch ball mount and all the wiring and everything you needed?

My understanding is that Enterprise's consumer-oriented branch expressly forbids towing in the rental contract, whereas the commercial branch allows it.

That was what I was guessing. Just looked up their site and it's $99/day and you get 150 miles a day "free," additional miles are .29/mile. Oddly, the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton are the same price and same mileage charges.

This really seems like it could solve the tow vehicle dilemma for me, though I guess I'd still have to by a trailer.

My solution to that question was a '98 Chevy 1-ton cargo van for $3500, and so far it's been well worth the money - even though I won't have put 2000-miles on it by it's 1-year mark with me. I get 17mpg empty or lightly loaded, and 10 pulling the car on the trailer. It's cheap to insure and parts are reasonable too.

I have an old Demco/ Uhaul tow dolly and a 2WD 99 Tahoe. Total investment is ridiculously low. Bonus is that you can sleep like 10 in the back of the Tahoe. The Tahoe is a factory tow package truck with air bags added. Works GREAT.

ShadowSix wrote: This really seems like it could solve the tow vehicle dilemma for me, though I guess I'd still have to by a trailer.

There are places you can rent trailers too, although I'd imagine it would quickly get old trying to schedule and pick up two rental vehicles from two different rental locations while also getting ready for an event.

codrus wrote:

ShadowSix wrote: Aussie: did you rent that through the commercial truck side of Enterprise? Did it come with a hitch ball mount and all the wiring and everything you needed?

My understanding is that Enterprise's consumer-oriented branch expressly forbids towing in the rental contract, whereas the commercial branch allows it.

This, the staff was well aware of our trek to the Challenge and were interested in it.

steronz wrote: Option 2) Get a tow dolly to tow behind my van (Kia Sedona), which would likely keep total weight well under the 3500lb tow limit I like my minivan, and while it doesn't get the greatest mileage, it's been practical and reliable, two things that I'd be disappointed to lose if I moved to a 7-passenger SUV. But 5200lbs towing would be nice.

With money tight and space tighter, I'd do the Sedona and a tow dolly. That's exactly what I do. I'm part of a LeMons team and have a Kia Sedona and a tow dolly. I towed one of our race cars to the race at NJMP. I was towing a total of about 3000lbs and had no problems at all. Keep the speed down and a quick stop or two to make sure everything is cinched down and I was fine. I use my dolly probably 4 or 5 times per year, but it's more than paid for it's value (I got it free from my FIL). Sure, if I could tow more than 3500lbs, that would be great. But the reality is with a tight budget, I wouldn't have the cash to tow cars to all kinds of races or buy all kinds of cars.

I say "None of the above". If you have that many potential drivers, doesn't at lease ONE of them have a truck to use for the event?

Bobzilla wrote: I say "None of the above". If you have that many potential drivers, doesn't at lease ONE of them have a truck to use for the event?

3 of them do! But they're all on the east coast, and I and the remaining members of our team are all in Ohio. It's a poor distribution.

For those of you who have done the two dolly thing, how do you keep the steering locked? Ratchet strap through the wheel?

Option 2, all day, everyday.

How big of a car are you thinking of?

If you are thinking sub 2700lb, it's not that hard to find a 900lb trailer that will work. Realistically, unless you are driving up and down steep hills in the summer, a good 1000lb, dual axle (with brakes), and up to 4000lb total trailer weight isn't going to be a problem.

I've got a 700lb 14' trailer that I love to use. Although, at the momen CGLock has it. Being that small, it's easy to pull, and easy to store. Once you have a good trailer, you'd probably use it a lot.

I'd save my pennies and find a decent light weight trailer. Or be super GRM and build your own. Here's an old thread here that suggested that- http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/building-a-lightweight-car-hauler/8450/page1/