Torq_Shep Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 Pretty much have not been on since I moved to Portland area last year for work. My Comanche and parts are still all in Texas. Well I got let go from that job and am starting another in Seattle here in a few weeks. I found someone who does restoration paint and body that I used to work with. I plan to move my rolling chassis (Texas rust free) and my running truck up to Portland for him to do the paint work on it. Unfortunately, I am running into a bit of an issue figuring out how to do it. My options right now are: - Convince UHaul to let me rent a dolly. Requires vehicle inspection from them, which means towing my unregistered rolling chassis to them, seeing if they will let me tow it. Would still need to insure and get a transit permit (arguably legal but different states have different laws). - Buy a car dolly, insure the rolling chassis, and get a transit permit and sell the dolly when I get to Portland. This one works only because Dolly's do not need titles. It is likely even more sketchy than using a UHaul one as I will have less documentation if I get pulled over for something. - Flat Tow It, insure and get a transit permit but it is even more likely to get me stopped through one of the states. I have been researching state laws and the only one that is likely to have an issue with it is Oregon which is the last state I pass through. My truck is in good enough condition with brakes and drivetrain to handle it as long as I don't go over the CO pass. Plan would be San Antonio to Denver and then Denver to Boise through Wyoming, and then Boise to Portland. I am certain Texas will not be an issue, CO might be, Wyoming likely won't, Idaho won't, and Oregon maybe. Does anyone have experience doing this through any one of these states? Its annoying as it is legal in Texas 100% using any of those methods. It is the other states that are questionable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 the vehicle uhaul wants to inspect it the tow rig, not the towed rig. uhaul has never laid eyes on any rig I've towed. Uhaul dollys don't have brakes (at least none that I've seen). but you can buy a dolly with brakes. wait, are you planning on pulling the one MJ with the other MJ? I'm sure it's been done, but that sounds kinda sketchy to my ears for such a long way over the rockies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 23, 2022 Author Share Posted June 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Pete M said: the vehicle uhaul wants to inspect it the tow rig, not the towed rig. uhaul has never laid eyes on any rig I've towed. Uhaul dollys don't have brakes (at least none that I've seen). but you can buy a dolly with brakes. wait, are you planning on pulling the one MJ with the other MJ? I'm sure it's been done, but that sounds kinda sketchy to my ears for such a long way over the rockies. The other MJ is: I have a car rotisserie strapped to the back of it currently but I estimate the weight with the rotisserie to be about 2200lbs. Still has suspension and steering and is a full roller so it shouldn't be too bad to take. I am still unhappy with the garage I had it at. Stripped paint and they parked it outside for 6 months so not I have to have it fully blasted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 23, 2022 Author Share Posted June 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Pete M said: the vehicle uhaul wants to inspect it the tow rig, not the towed rig. uhaul has never laid eyes on any rig I've towed. Uhaul dollys don't have brakes (at least none that I've seen). but you can buy a dolly with brakes. wait, are you planning on pulling the one MJ with the other MJ? I'm sure it's been done, but that sounds kinda sketchy to my ears for such a long way over the rockies. Yeah I think I may go the "tell UHaul it's a 1998 Tercel route so that they don't get upset and let me rent it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 tow dollys aren't insanely expensive and you'll get most of it back when you sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankTheDog Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 I flat towed a comanche from Virginia to Connecticut on I-95 with no plates on it on Labor day weekend through New Jersey. I couldn’t go faster than 40 mph the whole way because the truck didn’t have a drivetrain in it and would start death wobbling at 41 mph. l pulled it with a lifted XJ, l got passed by several troopers who never even slowed down. There were no plates on the towed vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 23, 2022 Author Share Posted June 23, 2022 I think Flat Tow might be the way but I need to hook it up and see if I can get to at least 60 safely. Have 2k miles to travel like that. I have a BDF winch mount I can install to have a really good point for the flat towing but I will likely need to put in shocks and stuff if I flat tow it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankTheDog Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 I dollied this from Knoxville TN to CT on I-81-I-84 at 50-55 mph. The only trouble l see is if you’re towing with a Comanche is the lightness in the rear. If you could get the weight distribution closer to 50-50 I think it would be safer. But that’s my uneducated opinion. I towed a short bed MJ during a rain storm and it pushed me sideways going around a tight down hill corner in torrential rain. I was able to steer out of it but it was real close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 23, 2022 Author Share Posted June 23, 2022 23 minutes ago, FrankTheDog said: I dollied this from Knoxville TN to CT on I-81-I-84 at 50-55 mph. The only trouble l see is if you’re towing with a Comanche is the lightness in the rear. If you could get the weight distribution closer to 50-50 I think it would be safer. But that’s my uneducated opinion. I towed a short bed MJ during a rain storm and it pushed me sideways going around a tight down hill corner in torrential rain. I was able to steer out of it but it was real close. I have roughly 200-300lbs of auto rotisserie strapped to the rear bed rails. It is probably pretty close to 50/50 but the springs are meant for more weight than they are loaded to. I probably have enough budget shocks laying around at the garage to put shocks on the chassis pretty cheap. Also that VW is sick. I have a 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI as my daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 can't push the point strongly enough that aftermarket dollys can be had with brakes for that long drive down the mountains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 I’d do what Pete recommends and get a dolly with trailer brakes. I’ve found that is the sketchiest part when towing with these trucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howeitsdone Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 You'll be fine that part of CO. Mountains are west of Denver and sounds like you're going straight North 25 to 80. Also agree with Pete, Uhaul doesn't care what you tow, they care about your tow rig. You'll be more than fine with the Uhaul Dolly. I towed my MJ (in winter with snow and ice) that was fully loaded with a Uhaul dolly through the Rockies and had no trouble other than having a house full of items in the bed of the truck giving me a fishtail at times. If you are towing with another MJ, then you'll still probably be fine since it's a chassis, not a 4,000lb+ rig. Especially since you're not going I70. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 23, 2022 Author Share Posted June 23, 2022 29 minutes ago, Pete M said: can't push the point strongly enough that aftermarket dollys can be had with brakes for that long drive down the mountains. I will definitely be going through Wyoming to avoid the steep mountains. My worst case is L+C trail which is still way way less steep than the pass. Not a chance in hell that I would take a Comanche towing anything through the pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88mjsally Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 I dolly tow with my v8 comanche all the time and it tows pretty good. I will say that even around the mostly flat area having brakes on the dolly are a must to me. The truck can’t really panic stop without them. I bought a used dolly a couple years ago on eBay for $800 with brakes that hadn’t been used very much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokeyyank Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 CO is pretty easy for towing. Just have brake lights and don't have your stuff flying off and you shouldn't have issues Assuming you'll just be on i25 so your worst part will be going through Denver, rest is easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 I’ve towed quite a bit with my short bed Comanche with my own personal tow dolly. This is the last Cherokee that I towed home, 65-70 mile an hour on the way home . I normally always try to put them perfectly center in the tow dolly To eliminate the risk of any swaying. This one was 4 1/2 hours with no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Or… tow it up here to Arkansas and put it in my shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 37 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said: Or… tow it up here to Arkansas and put it in my shop Arkansas is a hell of a lot closer than Portland. But... It is in fact Arkansas =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted June 25, 2022 Share Posted June 25, 2022 Dumb question maybe, but all you guys suggesting uHaul won't inspect the towed vehicle, how recently have you rented one? A couple months back I was at a UHaul location and watched some people load their car onto the dolly and strap it down, as staff member did a quick walkaround, then they unloaded it, and drove the moving van/dolly and car away separately. Can't say for sure what was going on there, but it seemed like a bunch of other stuff had changed between this time and the last time I rented a UHaul. Probably best to check with a UHaul location before relying on opinions from the internet. Uhaul has very likely been seeing some flack from people realizing that their equipment rental policies don't necessarily correspond to local regulations. But yes, traditionally the UHaul inspections are pretty lackluster so I wouldn't be super concerned about that. Generally the people working at the laundromat or wherever you pick it up aren't paid enough to care. The most I've ever had was someone look at the stamped rating on my tow ball. But you are correct to check legalities. In my jurisdiction and many others, any vehicle with wheels on the ground, whether it's being flat towed or on a dolly, is required to be registered and insured. Is anyone likely to stop you for it? Probably not. But you never know what's going to happen, and if you're not legal it could make any minor inconvenience become a major problem. And that includes your tow vehicle's limits. My two cents is it's a bad idea to tow anything without trailer brakes. It's also probably not legal to tow something as heavy as an MJ without brakes in a few of the jurisdictions you're going through. Keep in mind you're going over mountain passes no matter what route you take. If you're concerned about one pass in particular, it's more than likely you're not going to want to deal with any others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 25, 2022 Author Share Posted June 25, 2022 21 minutes ago, gogmorgo said: Dumb question maybe, but all you guys suggesting uHaul won't inspect the towed vehicle, how recently have you rented one? A couple months back I was at a UHaul location and watched some people load their car onto the dolly and strap it down, as staff member did a quick walkaround, then they unloaded it, and drove the moving van/dolly and car away separately. Can't say for sure what was going on there, but it seemed like a bunch of other stuff had changed between this time and the last time I rented a UHaul. Probably best to check with a UHaul location before relying on opinions from the internet. Uhaul has very likely been seeing some flack from people realizing that their equipment rental policies don't necessarily correspond to local regulations. But yes, traditionally the UHaul inspections are pretty lackluster so I wouldn't be super concerned about that. Generally the people working at the laundromat or wherever you pick it up aren't paid enough to care. The most I've ever had was someone look at the stamped rating on my tow ball. But you are correct to check legalities. In my jurisdiction and many others, any vehicle with wheels on the ground, whether it's being flat towed or on a dolly, is required to be registered and insured. Is anyone likely to stop you for it? Probably not. But you never know what's going to happen, and if you're not legal it could make any minor inconvenience become a major problem. And that includes your tow vehicle's limits. My two cents is it's a bad idea to tow anything without trailer brakes. It's also probably not legal to tow something as heavy as an MJ without brakes in a few of the jurisdictions you're going through. Keep in mind you're going over mountain passes no matter what route you take. If you're concerned about one pass in particular, it's more than likely you're not going to want to deal with any others. Its been about a year since I last rented one. I did go ahead and just buy a dolly. Unfortunately, no one locally had one with trailer brakes and the one I bought is definitely an EX-Uhaul one but it does have Late 2019 tires on it and an ATV winch which is very useful. As far as legalities. I have a Texas Transport Permit for the truck, a bill of sale for the dolly, insurance on both the towed truck and the truck I am towing it with, Everything is strapped down nicely and the lights work. Hopefully if I do get stopped I have enough documentation to not get in trouble. Probably leave on Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 25, 2022 Author Share Posted June 25, 2022 So I have two paths I can take: SA -> Albuquerque -> Salt Lake City -> Portland OR SA -> Denver -> Boise -> Portland I had a big brain moment also and I am contacting the offsite, gated, airport parking places to see if they can accommodate me parking overnight and I will just stay at airport hotels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokinn Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 I'm less familiar with the Albuquerque-SLC route, particularly the portion through southern Utah but I have driven much of it and it is relatively flat. The other route I have driven many times and aside from the often strong head winds through Wyoming the only portion of significance to be concerned with is the segment on I84 down into Ogden which has a long fairly steep down grade out of the Rockies. I would probably lean toward the Alb-SLC route. A lot of it is pretty isolated 2 lane highway however. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torq_Shep Posted June 28, 2022 Author Share Posted June 28, 2022 Updates: I am going the ABQ -> SLC -> Portland route. While I will be unable to really stop if anyone is along that route I would love to connect in case I catastrophically break down and need to tow the trucks somewhere while I arrange transport or repair. I have the bed loaded, strapped, and covered in a tarp. I will grab the roller today and try and get moving towards ABQ tomorrow morning. Truck decided to act up last night, got flashed to pull over by some friendly folks, I thought my bed load was unsecured, turns out my rear tails were not on with the headlights on. Put a new fuse in it and I guess something shorted to the washer circuit as when I turn the headlights on the washer turns on... Pulled the variable speed washer box and that resolved the issue for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 takes lots of tools and spare parts. keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87 MJ Chief Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Wishing you the best. Are you going to be able to take more than one spare tire? I dollied an suv with a flat front tire and it messed with the balance at road speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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