deviat

Come Nov 25th, I'll be moving from Southern Cali to Idaho, and will be taking everything including my 92' SC400 project with me. Wife will be following me in her Scion along with the kids. However, due to the price of the move, and the associated fuel I will be needing to get there, I will be towing my SC using a tow dolly from Penske.

My question, is the driveshaft, I have not had as much experience with this car as opposed to my Mustang of 10 years, and don't know the in's and out's of the car. What is all involved in removing the driveshaft to use this dolly. I know the driveshaft is two piece, so could I simply remove the back half and get the car up there? The least amount of damage would be the best arrangement obviously, since I would have to remove the front bumper to tow it backwards. Which is also not an option. My main concern is losing fluid over the road since I know my other vehicles lose tranny fluid without the driveshaft installed. Thanks for any input fellas!


-Daniel

CSSC400STL

I would just get a full car trailor. I did that just Friday when i.towed my car from Tennessee to Missouri

deviat

Yes, but I am getting the dolly to help with the tow vehicle. Which is also the moving truck. I just want to know if I can remove a single section of the driveshaft or if I have to remove the entire thing and use some sort of plug on the tailshaft of the transmission.

shboni

iTrader: (2)

+1 on the full car trailer.....RWD cars are not suppose to be used on a dolly...and that is a long drive...unless u dnt care about the car and trying to be cheap....

Banikid

iTrader: (2)

Use a full trailer. Best way to go since all wheels are off the ground.

kinch09

iTrader: (10)

around here you can rent a full Uhual car trailer for like 50 a day. i would assume its the same price there

deviat

Due to the distance, Uhaul wants over $450 to use their dolly. Penske would rent me one of theirs for $280, but I'm more concerned about the gas usage of the Penske truck difference by using the hauler as opposed to the dolly. Both are not enclosed, if I had the cash, I would of course simply pay the $750 to have it hauled up using a service. However... COST is an issue, I want to keep this car, but I want to save as much as I can with this trip. If all I have to do to use a dolly is disconnect the driveshaft, than so be it. Yes I like this car, and before you guys start giving me grief about how if I truly loved this car I should box it and spend the cash. I have other stuff I need to spend the cash on, thats why I HAVE to do it this way. If the dolly means the difference between getting 7mpg instead of 5mpg on this truck, then thats 2mpg x 800miles. It adds up.

My only question, which still has yet to be answered is.... CAN I SIMPLY REMOVE the REAR section of the Driveshaft? I know it is two pieces, and I would like to leave the forward section in place to prevent any leakage from the transmission, and how easy this will be. Thanks.

-Daniel

vangb2

iTrader: (2)

Don't they make tow dolly that the front wheels are rolling instead of the rear?

MooJohn

I'm a U-Haul dealer so I've done this quite a bit.

You cannot tow a car backwards on a dolly. The weight in the back will cause swaying or worse. Sure, I've seen it done but I would never ever suggest anyone do it. Also, if their equipment is like U-Haul's, you cannot back up one inch once a car is on the dolly. That can lead to some interesting parking & gas station issues.

Trust me - those trucks get within 1mpg of the same mileage whether empty or towing a car on a car hauler. If you're relying on the U-Haul website for quotes, try calling their 800 number and explaining you would like to use U-Haul equipment but Penske's pricing is better. They should be able to price match you in that regard.

I can't help with the driveshaft question -- I picked up my SC using U-Haul's car trailer. With that kind of trip you will have a much easier experience using the auto transport and not a dolly. Get a quote from the 800 number and make that part of the move a non-issue. I don't know how much stuff you're moving but if a 20ft truck is enough, all of U-Haul's 20ft trucks are new this year and they're very nicely equipped, and it's always easier to get pricing on a bundle like that.

deviat

I would never recommend doing this. The weight of the vehicle is supposed to be placed on the wheels, as Moo said above, it creates a bad situation, not to mention that if the wheels do not lock (or if there is play in the rack) the car will steer itself a bit, and at speeds above 30, thats even more dangerous.

I can get the hauler from Penske for only $80 more than the dolly, thats still $200 cheaper than uhaul. I guess, I should just go this route since like you said, the dolly will make certain situations intolerable, such as backing into the gas station. I can back up a 36+FT trailer just fine, but the dolly has a section that allows the attached vehicle to pivot with the turns to reduce strain on the dolly, making it near impossible to backup more than a foot.

I apologize for my outburst if it offended anyone earlier, but I have literally been wasting my days scouring for basic information. I guess I'll just get the hauler, and deal with the gas as it comes.