i might be moving from kentucky to california towards the end of the year. a**** all of the stuff in my garage i have a 53 cadillac that i would like to bring with me. i might consider finding a cheap 20ft trailer and putting in on there but im not sure if it will hold it. the body is stripped down to a rolling shell so its not as heavy as it could be. ive checked a few rates for a car transport and it seems a little steep. i will probably be on a shoestring budget... any ideas?
If you buy an actual "car hauler" trailer, it will work just fine. It should have a pair of 3500# axles and be rated to carry 7000#. Most utility trailers are only rated to 5000#.
thanks don... i know that stock weight of my car is around 4500lbs. if that was all i could come up with, would it suffice? maybe i should gamble on "better safe than sorry"
Make sure you have a heavy-duty truck with good brakes that can handle the up-hill and down-hill grades.....along with the good trailer...
I hauled my 4200 lb. 1971 Grand Prix on a U-Haul trailer, hitched to the back of a U-Haul box truck, with no problem when I moved 1200 miles several years ago. Cheaper than buying a trailer (unless you want the trailer when you're done moving).
trailer brakes, good tires on the trailer, quality hitch, tow rig with enough power and brakes, all things to consider before towing across country. cross country towing is a whole different world than dragging some thing down to the local swap meet.
look into a used trailer. freind rented a trailer one way from nj to texas and cost him 800 where he could have bought a used trailer for 1500 and sold it for the same. it may cost more up front but in the end it is cheaper.
Shark, I considered doing the same when I moved from SD back to Lexington in '04. Advice on here is correct. Hauling across country is a whole 'nother ballgame. I ended up having my Galaxie wagon hauled door to door from Cali to Kentucky on an open semi (same as you see hauling to the dealer) for $900 insured. Only drawback is that you may have to wait for a full load to head your way. The more paitient you are and flexible your schedule is, the cheaper the fee will be. Not really sure if this helps you or not, but it is additional info to help make the decision. I may actually be moving back out there at the end of this year as well. Good luck. - RBR
I hauled a '41 chevy master deluxe from Ann Arbor Michigan to Smyrna TN near nashville with an 02 Nissan Pathfinder and a Uhaul dolly for the front wheels only....did about 65-70 the whole way no problem. Lucky for you you'll probably be taking I40 the whole way to California and it's mostly flat ground all the way. Except for the really steep down hill when you get into California near San Bernardino...where in California you moving too?
Be sure to look at the tires and what they are rated for. Most trailers do not have heavy duty tires. I hauled a trailer back east last year and when I took it over the scales it was over #9000 lbs. The tires were rated at #1850 X 4= #7400 lbs. Needless to say I did have tire problems. Also slow down before starting down some of our western mountains. You can run out of brakes real easy. Good luck with your move. Ter409
Most of the car transporters = convoy trucks won't haul a car that won't drive on the truck under it's own power. I have to agree 100% that the tow rig is as if not more important than the trailer. I would think that if you have the time to hunt for a trailer you can find a good one (new or used) for a decent price. They often show up on craigslist or the little nickel or what ever they call the little add paper in your area. Just know what you are buying, like the other guys said, minimum 3500# axles, tires and wheels that will handle the weight and brakes.
Also make sure you trailer lights work properly, I'm a truck driver so I'm on the road alot and no tail light on the trailer are one of my biggest pet peeves. Also make sure you secure the chains where you hook up to your truck/tow rig...chains sparking ain't cool. Getting cb for you vehicle woulnd't be a bad idea either, you can get a cheap one at your local truck stop, and if something is wrong someone can get a hold on you...if anything else, it makes the time go by faster listening to other people talk.
www.uship.com its freakign awesome put what you want shipped and people bid and you get to pick the lowest price. Cant beat that
I`ll agree, uship is a great tool, but MAKE SURE that the guy hauling your load has proper insurance. I`ll also agree about the comments on the tow vehicle. I don`t care if your Silverado has 300 horsepower, if it can`t stop well with 5000 lbs behind it, who cares about horsepower ? I towed a `40 Ford firetruck from Texas to North Carolina on a 24' car hauler, towed by my 3/4 ton Dodge diesel pickup. I was running 75 mph down I-20 most of the way.
Yeah Uship is a good deal but be careful. Had a guy haul a 37 ford pick with the front clip removed from colorado for me. told him evrything would would fit in the bed of it, tie it down good and take good care of the grill and guess what happened. the dumb *** lossed one of the front fenders. Try and find a 35-37 front fender.
I have towed to California quite a few times ... from the East Coast on I-40. It is a decent highway without a lot of big, long hills. BUY yourself a decent trailer with a a pair of 5200 lb axles under it ( with with 6 lug wheels ) . The 5 lug wheels are used on the 3500 lb axles. That gives you a little more load carrying ability and better bearing and brakes. Also the 6 lug rims usually have the larger, more load carrying weight rating. I have these on my Trailer. These are 225/75/R15 Goodyear Marathon TRAILER ONLY tires . This is the sign you see when you pull up on I-40 headed back East
thanks for all of the great advice... i figured a few of you guys knew something about hauling a car on a budget. im thinking about moving to Riverside closer to the end of the year and i like the idea about buying a 20' trailer and then selling it when im done. that is probably what i will do. see you guys in cali.
A 53 Cad will easily fit on a 16 ft trailer (I've had early 70's Cads on a 16 ft) but a 20 ft would be great. Is the motor in or out? Will you be loading the car up with lots of parts in the trunk? If the motor is out or your loading up the trunk put the car on the trailer backwards. The reason for this is so you have enough tongue weight otherwise you'll have a problem with sway. Be sure you have a good hitch and good trailer brakes. Personally I prefer brakes on both axles but many of the less expensive trailers only have brakes on one axle
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