The time is near

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted By: CR94
One more tip: Remember NOT to set the parking brake on the vehicle on the dolly. A friend didn't think of that and towed her car from Richmond to Columbia with the brake on. That burnt up the rear wheel cylinders (thereby dumping all the brake fluid), as well as linings.

A professor I know asked the local dealership to remove the drive shaft from a Mercedes he was going to tow on a dolly from Saskatoon to somewhere in California. A very long tow in other words. I'm not sure that was such a great plan but that's what he decided to do. The work ended up not being done, and the car was left in gear as well.

No surprise - there were expensive repairs. I don't remember if it was the engine or the transmission that he took out, but it was one or the other. I'll bet it wasn't an easy tow either.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Originally Posted By: CR94
One more tip: Remember NOT to set the parking brake on the vehicle on the dolly. A friend didn't think of that and towed her car from Richmond to Columbia with the brake on. That burnt up the rear wheel cylinders (thereby dumping all the brake fluid), as well as linings.

A professor I know asked the local dealership to remove the drive shaft from a Mercedes he was going to tow on a dolly from Saskatoon to somewhere in California. A very long tow in other words. I'm not sure that was such a great plan but that's what he decided to do. The work ended up not being done, and the car was left in gear as well.

No surprise - there were expensive repairs. I don't remember if it was the engine or the transmission but he took out, but it was one or the other. I'll bet it wasn't an easy tow either.
In gear? Not even left in neutral? I heard that towing an automatic in neutral will leave the output shaft and its assorted assemblies starved for oil. Some cars are flat towable, but most cars have their transmission oil pumps driven by the input shaft (spinning engine), not the output shaft (spinning driveshaft)

 

[HangFire]

Check the weather report for the road ahead for high winds, and avoid as necessary.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: dja4260
Our cross country move is almost upon us. Back story can be found HERE

Sold Chicago house. Bought SC home for almost cash

. Wife and daughter living with in-laws, I'm living with a friend and our 2 dogs.

Chicago, IL to Greenville, SC.

I rented a 26ft Penske Truck with a tow dolly for my vehicle.

-Anyone have any experience with my above set up?
-Does the truck has cruise control?
-Is other rental company better? Uhaul was cheaper, but trucks were gas and my rentals have always been beat to [censored]?

I plan on driving until I get to the smokies. Sleeping in the cab with my two dogs. Finishing up the 4 hour drive in the morning on the following day.


They should...I haven't seen a MDT without cruise in a while. The Internationals are much nicer to drive than the Freightliners...AFAIK, all Penske trucks will be one or the other-the Hinos all have power tailgates instead of hitches. U-Haul has a bunch of brand-new (oldest is, IIRC, a 2015) F650 26' trucks...they are gas, though the mileage gap is almost gone now-those do have cruise. They have a dedicated fleet of one-way trucks (the beaters are strictly for local use), and seem to sell off the fleet between 100,000 and 150,000 miles. The 650 is nice inside-uses the same cab as an F-250. The 26' truck I driver gets 6-7.5MPG.

Note: U-Haul has a relatively-new 20' truck...it's an E450, and will carry 5600lbs, and tow 7500lbs. They claim you can move a 3-bedroom house with it.

 

[Nick1994]

I drove a 26' Uhaul from Phoenix to San Diego 1-1/2 years ago. Got about 6-1/2 mpg and it did 70 mph no problem, it actually had decent power, 8.1L Chevy V8. 75 mph top speed. There's some good mountains we climbed and it did decent. I think around 35 mph, of course floored. It made loud popping noises when floored but kept on going. Was 2 quarts low on oil so I topped off before the trip (they'll reimburse you). No cruise control. I also pulled their largest 12' trailer packed full. I prefer their car trailer so I can back it up easily.

Uhaul is updating their 26' fleet so you might be able to get a new Ford.

I've also driven a Penske 26' diesel in Prescott, AZ and it was ungodly slow, I couldn't believe it. 25 mph max up the hills was the fastest it could do, fairly new truck. That's without a 70 mph head start though.

 

[dja4260]

I booked a pet friendly motel in Knoxville. I'll rest up there and be fresh for the drive through the Smokies.

I have two large dogs, Brutus (110lbs), and Lacy (55lbs). It's going to be a crowded Penske Truck....

My wife, daughter, and mother in-law will be driving our other vehicle.

 

[Toy4x4]

I just moved my sister back here (AZ) from the Shawnee OK area with a UHaul Ford F650 V10 26'. For these cross state moves, UHaul is "supposed to" find you a newer truck as they are "supposed to" keep the older ones for in-town moves. Ours had under 5000 miles on it! No tow dolly was used, though. It did have CC which was great as was the seat...comfy! The truck powered up the hills with very little issue, though it kick down two gears sometimes and hit 4500 rpms. Uhaul matched and actually beat other companies prices.
From Albuquerque to Flagstaff we encountered strong headwinds which made for white knuckle driving...never want to do THAT again! Used WAY more gas, too. Couldn't be helped...had to complete the trip.
Side note...make sure the compartment door is all the way up after opening to enter. Your forehead will thank you...almost knocked myself backwards off the back of the truck by not checking.

 

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Originally Posted By: CR94
One more tip: Remember NOT to set the parking brake on the vehicle on the dolly. A friend didn't think of that and towed her car from Richmond to Columbia with the brake on. That burnt up the rear wheel cylinders (thereby dumping all the brake fluid), as well as linings.

A professor I know asked the local dealership to remove the drive shaft from a Mercedes he was going to tow on a dolly from Saskatoon to somewhere in California. A very long tow in other words. I'm not sure that was such a great plan but that's what he decided to do. The work ended up not being done, and the car was left in gear as well.

No surprise - there were expensive repairs. I don't remember if it was the engine or the transmission but he took out, but it was one or the other. I'll bet it wasn't an easy tow either.
In gear? Not even left in neutral? I heard that towing an automatic in neutral will leave the output shaft and its assorted assemblies starved for oil. Some cars are flat towable, but most cars have their transmission oil pumps driven by the input shaft (spinning engine), not the output shaft (spinning driveshaft)

You could be right about that. My wife worked with him at the time so I can only attest to the main points - requested work not done, a long tow, expensive repairs.