Could use some help - 95 Taurus + uhaul content

I'm wishing I did a little more homework on this last time I was out there. I'm making preparations to pick up a 1995 Ford Taurus wagon from about 150 miles away, to bring back home for repairs. It doesn't run right now, and I'm not sure how to get it on a tow dolly when I get there. I can't seem to find any photos of the tow hooks on the internet, and I don't have a copy of the manual here.

Any suggestions for getting a dead car on a dolly? I figured it'd involve a come-along and some effort, but I wish I had a clearer idea in advance. Second plan is to try to jump it, but that didn't work last time I tried on this car.

I dont really know E36 M3 about using a dolly but can you put it on jackstands and roll the dolly underneath?

Use a come along to winch it on.

come along

Put itnin neutral and Push hard

A two ton come along up here is under $30 so in the US likely under $20. Attach to tow vehicle and pull car up on to the dolly.

you can also back the dead car against a curb, and lock the parking brake. leave the car in neutral, then back the dolly under the front wheels, using the curb as a backstop. let the truck do the work.

-J0N

~$20 more gets you the u-haul trailer, which makes life much less exciting. But the trailer itself weighs about one ton.

Pretty much anywhere on the suspension will work as an effective hooking point for the come-a-long. Go from tow vehicle hitch for clearance and room pulling the Taurus up onto the dolly.

IXnay the trailer, weighs more than most cars you need a 3/4 ton or better to drag it.

I would not recommend attempting to back up a dolly.

The come along is the safest bet, reversing a dolly under a car sounds like a recipe for disaster.

jmthunderbirdturbo wrote: you can also back the dead car against a curb, and lock the parking brake. leave the car in neutral, then back the dolly under the front wheels, using the curb as a backstop. let the truck do the work. -J0N

That would work for a trailer, but tow dollies don't back well.

There should be two cutouts in the bottom of the subframe up front. Hook those, add wheel straps, and it won't go anywhere.

Also, dolly is perfectly fine for these.

On my dodge I had a frame mounted hitch as well as a ball on the bumper. I'd put a cheap 2k electric winch like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/15125839?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227019584142&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=35417391876&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=55368903276&veh=sem on the bumper hitch to winch the car on the dolly (that was on the frame mounted hitch). I hate come alongs after moving to this method.

OR

Push it. A buddy and I just pushed a BMW 635 CSI on my dolly and it isn't a light car. I usually only winch when I'm alone, or the car is sunk in the ground, or some other pain in the ass that makes it hard to get rolling.

bentwrench wrote: IXnay the trailer, weighs more than most cars you need a 3/4 ton or better to drag it. I would not recommend attempting to back up a dolly. The come along is the safest bet, reversing a dolly under a car sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I just used my FIL's Dakota to haul a U-Haul trailer with a Subaru on it.

I agree get the dolly if you can because they are heavy pigs.

I think I'll go with the come-alongs. I've brought jack and jackstands to try failboat's method if the first strategy fails. I'll see Thursday. Thanks all.

Well, things went both better and worse than I expected.

Worse included getting the wrong come along. I mistakenly believed the cable length was the same as the working range, and had less working range than I had ramp length. Bad also because I decided I'd rather have the car hauler. I used the car hauler with my WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee with the straight 6 to haul a Jetta on the interstate with absolutely zero problems a few years ago. I figured the concern about the hauler's weight was overblown. I picked up the car hauler and loaded the Taurus. It looked like the truck was sitting low, but the ground was uneven. After a couple of miles of really awful towing, I climbed under and found that I was on the bumpstops. Finally, my new Harbor Freight tire inflator had a defective tire gauge, and the one that lives in the truck was missing.

Better included the U-Haul dealer refunding the difference and switching me to a dolly, and discovering the non-running car ran perfectly fine after I connected the battery.

Perfectly fine. Needless to say, loading the car ended up being quite easy.

So, now I need to figure out what to do with a 1995 Taurus Wagon with a 3.8, 60k on the clock, a bunch of minor problems, some brake issues, an electrical drain, and a bunch of scrapes on the corners.

Thanks for the help.

In reply to Mike:

SHO swap and shave the roof rack......

Sell it and say good riddance.

Unless it has woodgrain sides, then you have to hot rod it for the lulz.