All,

I am moving soon and I am trying to find out the best way to move two trucks at once and pack some stuff that need to stay dry. I have a 4x4 95 F150 long bed with a 3" lift and 33" tires and a 4x4 99 Toyota Tacoma extend cab. The F150 does not run very well so I can't use it to tow anything reliably. My dad has a 99 F250 Super Duty with a 7.3 disease with no 5 wheel that I might barrow.

I am thinking of getting a long car hauler for the F150 and Tacoma and pull it with the F250. The other idea I was thinking of was putting a small U-Haul trailer on the car trailer with the trucks for the dry items. Is this a crazy idea?

 

Make two trips.

 

Not sure you could get a car hauler that long. Would need to be about 35 ft. long.

 

Yes it is, even if that trailer existed for rent the cost would be too high and the F250 can't pull it.

Go to U-ship and hire someone to haul the Ford. Get a canopy for the Ford if you don't have one and fill the Ford with stuff leaving just enough room for a driver. Put the rest of your stuff in the Toyota and drive it. If you can't get all your stuff in both trucks then get a small U-Haul to tow behind the Toyota or talk to the guy hauling the Ford about hauling a box of your stuff.


http://www.uship.com/vehicles/

 

BruteFord,

Why do you say the F250 with 7.3 diesel can't pull it all? The quick research I did makes it look ok.

As for the trailer I would need a 35' flatbed for the two trucks and I found a few places to buy one.

 

There's a lot of unknowns and grey area in saying it 'can't'.

The trailer needed would very likely need to be a gooseneck or 5th, you said the truck isn't equipped so as is it can't.

Even if you equip it odds are the pin weight will be quite high. High in three regards, first the physical limitations of the tires and springs. Second the legal weight limit on the rear axle or truck.

So you're going to spend at least $5000 on a 35' trailer and goose/5th hitch for a truck you don't own just to move two rigs? Vs.paying a guy $500 or so to haul it for you?

 

I don't know your situation, how far you're moving, etc.

What I can figure is that it must be far if it's worth all this hassle vs. making two trips.

That you must have some time and money if shopping for a trailer is even an option.

Then I must ask, what's wrong with the F150, why not fix it? Wouldn't a fixed F150 and a regular car trailer solve your problem?

Or better yet is sounds like you need an bigger truck, can you sell the 150 for a 350? I see that you have a couple threads about putting a 10.25 in your 150, why not just get a 250 or 350?


A trailer behind your pops' F250 is possible, but I don't see it as practical.

 

Ship the F-150, rent a moving truck and car hauler for your stuff and the taco truck.

The F-250 would be overloaded hauling all that stuff on that big a trailer. You'd need at least a dually F-350 to handle it safely.

 

I don't remember what the laws are exactly, but you are only permitted to tandem pull to a certain combined length. Even if the truck is good for it, here are a couple issues to think about:

Outfitting a trailer with a hitch would prove somewhat of an issue. I would assume you would be limited to a flat bed trailer, as the dove tail probably would not allow for a receiver.

Then you have the issue of lighting on the rear trailer, braking both trailers, and load distribution over the tandem trailers. One aspect is the fact that the trailers will not weigh the same. This trows a few wrenches into things. The heaver trailer will have to be forward, and brake harder than the rear.

I don't know if you have ever tandem pulled before, but it is completely different than pulling a single trailer. Making a a sharp left turn will cause the rear trailer to dip down on the left side (important on a box trailer like a uhaul as the top left corner of the trailer stands to end up in the back of one of your trucks, however the bottom left corner wont touch a thing.) if you start to fish tail it will be 100x more chaotic than a single pull trailer. Backing up is pretty much out of the question as well. I have never seen anyone back up a tandem pull trailer longer than the distance of the combined units.

As it stands I would look into another rout, all though it is possible to do it given the proper equipment.

 

I don't think he's thinking about tandem pulling, I think he's thinking 1 long trailer.


Tandem pulling laws vary a lot from state to state, even different parts of a state. Here nobody tandem pulls with a pickup, at least I've never seen it and I think most cops assume it's illegal. It is legal though if done right. The front trailer has to be a 5th or gooseneck and I'm 90% sure you need a tandem endorsement even private. The law is vague on that.

 

Just a suggestion... Ford delivers a lot of vehicles via rail. I know a guy who shipped his car across Canada on rail. Said it was easy, just had to go pick it up at the rail yard.

 

17 years ago, when I was moving from California moving to VA, I had a '60 Dodge short bed PU and a Ford Mustang that I had to bring. I rented the largest diesel Ryder van I could get (32' IIRC & class 5??). There was a concrete ramped loading dock I used to put the Dodge in the back of the van, strapped it down, then loaded the Mustang onto a car hauler. Looking back it was probably the most boneheaded thing I've ever done, but it worked. Hell I even got stopped at a weight station for an inspection. NM cops checked out the cargo chuckled and said "Damn Jar Heads" and sent me on my way.

 

I had a 1926 Packard that I needed to move across country, along with a regular car. I did essentially the same thing. Rented a big ol' honkin' truck, put the Packard inside and towed the car using a tow dolly. Worked just fine, and I had room to put all my worldly possessions in with the Packard.

 

Wow sounds like more pain and money than it is worth trying to move two trucks across the country with the F250. Thank you for the reality check!

 

I checked it out. They could both fit on a 30' trailer. Thats looong for BP but they make them and theyre okay if you have WD hitch and watch the tongue weight (gooseneck would be more leanient for that and have more tongue weight and control) they make campers that length bp and people dont question that much.
the trucks together are about 7k. If the trailer is 3 then youre at 10k. Thats what the 99-0? are rated for. (they pull more, 12k BP without a second thought)
if you back the taco on first then back on your 150 (less tongue weight that way) they can fit on a 30' with some overhang both ways.
If you want an excuse for a big trailer, this is it.

otherwise the ryder trucks, uship, rails ect all work great and easy. seems like youve made up your mind not to tow them now but theres some positive possibility there for you.

(Im a fan of BP even when its longer than others like, lets me tow them with the excursion )