I have a towing question. I am being transferred to the St Louis area within the next couple of months. Being in the military I am on a budget and want to do so pretty cheap. Since I am currently running 33" tires, a rentable dolly is out of the question as most will only accommodate up to a 30" tire. So I have decided one other option rather than renting a full car trailer and attempting to tow my Amigo behind my Tahoe. I am mostly concerned with weight when it comes to towing my Amigo behind my Tahoe when going through the mountains. So I was wondering if using a tow bar was feasable. Something like this - tow bar.

I fully understand that I will have to disconnect both front and rear axles which is not hard to do.

You shouldn't need to do anything with the front driveshaft. Just leave the transfer case in 2WD and the front shaft won't turn at all.

It'll be a trade off, of total weight you're pulling, vs braking ability. If we are talking uhaul, the car trailer will give you brakes, but weighs 2000 lbs. So do you think your Tahoe is up to stopping an additional 3500 lbs (plus it will probably packed full of your moving stuff)? I don't know the ratings of your vehicle, but I'd recommend the trailer.

You have to remember, when flat towing a vehicle you virtually have no tounge weight, Unlike towing a trailer. Your Tahoe probably has a tow rating of around 5k lbs. which is more than enough to flat tow an amigo. Last Friday I flat towed my Trooper (which is heavier than a Amigo), home with a Tahoe and had no problems at highway speeds of around 65mph. If in doubt, Call a local hitch/trailer shop and ask them. They deal with that stuff all the time.

Can't give any advice on the best method since I don't tow things... but as far as cheap, couldn't you get some cheap steel wheels and used 29" tires to swap onto the front for using the dolly? Toss the current front wheels/tires in the truck for the trip and put them back on when you get there.

Uhaul surge brakes have a horrible reputation and are often poorly mantained. Sure, its better than nothing, but I wouldn't be counting on these to stop you when towing at or close to your vehicles limits. Uhaul's surge brakes are no substitute for a brake controller/good electric brakes.

FYI, I once tried to fit my 36" tires on a uhaul dolly. They physically fit and strapped down safe, but they scuffed on the dolly fenders when pivoting in a turn. Not that I'm a fan of dolly towing, but it seems odd to me that 33"s wouldn't fit.


-Rob

I've used a tow dolly with 35s. They fit fine.

Doing a 180 degree plus out of control turn in the middle of Interstate 15 in Las Vegas with traffic due to too small of a tow vehicle and the use of the tow dolly is another story.

I flat tow now, with a bigger tow vehicle.

Most tow dollys won't work with a 35" tire because the straps aren't big enough. I towed a '88 4runner on 35's from Atlanta to Oklahoma with a 4.3l Sliverado and a tow dolly with no problem...after I put 31's on the front and pulled the rear drive shaft. Even the 31's were pushing it on size though.

I'm thinking back now. The Amigo we were towing may have only had 32s at the time.

I personally don't think that my brakes will be an issue considering when I bought the vehicle, the previous owner was attempting to set it up to pull a 4 horse, horse trailer. Now I don't know anything about horse trailers. The complete brake system was upgraded with the Power Stop Z36 series extreme truck and towing brake system. Now when I say cheap, I mean really cheap. The military does not pay you up front to make a move, everything comes out of pocket and then they reimburse you. I am also having to come up with the security deposit and first months rent for my new home, so I am truly on a real tight budget.

Now for another question for those of you who have traveled across country a couple of times. Which would be the easiest route for towing this, from Seattle to St. Louis.