The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Trailering a classic truck question

I'm moving 150 miles from San Antonio and of course, my 55.2 GMC 100 is coming with me. I was going to put it on an auto transport from uhaul or penske but after talking with both of them yesterday, the representatives said my 55.2 was too heavy for their trailers and it was "not recommended" for my 55.2 to be pulled behind my 2011 Yukon.

I'm now shopping auto transport companies and so far the quote is about $500. Anyone used a uhaul or penske transport before for their pickup and if so, any issues?

After doing my own research, not sure why either transport won't work:

Weight of my 55.2 (and this is an estimate as my 55.2 sits on a frame from a 1978 Blazer and has a 350 with a turbo 350) = 3375 lbs
Weight of the trailer = 2210 lbs
Weight of yukon = 5817 lbs

So the yukon is only 300 lbs heavier than the trailer and 55.2.

It is the weight of the trailer and what is put on the trailer.

The weight of your tow vehicle does not get added in.

Your truck should be able to pull your 1955.

If your truck is a roller you might consider a tow dolly instead of a full trailer. I know several on here don't like them but thousands of people have put millions of miles on using them. Used properly they are safe and cheaper too. Your only pulling 150 miles not from coast to coast. Good luck with your move.

Not a bad idea Martin, but I have a small leak in the rear end and I'm not comfortable using a dolly. Just a personal preference.

Have the mrs. Drive the Yukon and you drive the 55. If you got them, drive them!

Tell them you are pulling an S-10 or a Ranger.

Yes, it does. It's called Gross Combined Vehicle Weight. I sold trailers for several years, so I know this to be a true statement.

Your 55 weighs no more than an average sized modern car. My 2009 4-door weighed 4000#. If a 2200# trailer can't carry a 3400# car there is something seriously wrong with it, but I can see U-Haul putting an unreasonably low rating to protect themselves from lawsuits. Do they post an actual weight rating, or just told you it couldn't handle it?

Even without all the specs on the Yukon, I still can't imagine it not being able to handle the load either (presuming it's in good repair).

If you have the proper hitch, you could pull your house down the road with a Yukon. U-haul and Penske are being ridiculously over-cautious.

U-Haul hears pick-up and they jump on the thought of a full size modern pick-up weighting in at 7000+lbs.

I have played this game with U-Haul before using a Tahoe to tow a old vehicle.

Drive the truck to your local scales and get a certified weight.

Take the paper with you to pick up the trailer.

Your Yukon i s rated but only if properly equipped, which means for that load level either get a trailer with brakes electric or surge. If you have the proper tow connector and built in brake controller on your Yukon then electric brakes, if not then you need a surge brake trailer.

If your just going 150 miles then lube up the rear end and us the tow dolly. Heck $500 you could likely buy a fair used dolly then sell it after your done.

If you search the rags want add you likely could find a used car trailer cheap enough and then resell it after done using.

When Chevrolet sells a truck the tow rating they list is the weight that truck can tow. Which is the trailer weight and the loads weight on the trailer.

GCVWR is different then GVWR.

GCVWR deals with license requirements, and DOT numbers.

We pulled our second 1954 3100 from Kansas to Florida on a U-Haul car trailer using a 1996 Ford Bronco without any issues and safely. The key is to tell U-Haul that you are towing something different than an old pickup on the trailer - I told them it was an Escort that was being towed. They gave me the trailer without any questions.
Samantha

That just sounds odd. When I brought mine home from Marietta, GA, I told them (U-Haul exactly what I was hauling, and what I was using to pull it with. No problems at all, other than they couldn't find the records of where I had reserved the trailer (had them call my local U-Haul rep, no problem after that). I would think if you tell the you're hauling something different that what you are really hauling, that will cause you major problems getting compensated should a problem arise. Say, if you were hauling your GMC, but told them it was an Escort, all they're going to compensate you for is an Escort. Or worse, you could end up with nothing, as they could easily say that you "overloaded" a trailer with a heavy truck instead of the lightweight compact you claimed was on there. Honesty really is in the best interest of both parties.

Longbox,
Maybe it has to do with the local Uhaul office. One wouldn't let me tow my 54 on their trailer, even though the Bronco was rated to tow 7K.
Samantha

That's my thoughts. I would try a different office.

Given the relatively short distance of 150 miles, I wonder if a tow truck operator using a flat bed would be an option worth considering. The rent hassle, loading, fighting traffic and unloading would be minimized or nearly eliminated.

Sent you a PM. We're thinking of the exact setup to transport (unexpectedly) Shelley to AZ...

In my experience as a professional truck operator, most folks load their trailers too nose-heavy, and therein lies the root of U-Haul's problem.

All trailers and all tow vehicles have a maximum tongue weight which should not be exceeded. If DADS50's load was to be pulled by a Yukon, I'd load it a bit further back - or backwards - to get weight off the hitch: Ideally, the CG of the load should be 1" forward of the centre of the trailer's axle group. The loaded tongue weight should be only slightly higher than the empty tongue weight.

Don't neglect proper securement: cross-tie the load.

That's interesting. I've always heard that 10% of the loaded trailer weight should be on the tongue. Maybe they err on the high side because most people are not going to be able to get so close, and too much weight on the tongue is way better than negative weight?

I'll never forget the trip I once made hauling some lumber on a (U-Haul) car hauler. The lumber was up to 2' longer than the deck, and since it had that railing both sides and across the front I couldn't move the lumber far enough forward to get any weight on the tongue. VT to WV I couldn't exceed 50 MPH without getting terrible trailer sway. Thankfully, at the time the speed limit was still the Federal double nickle so I wasn't too much of a road block.

So after all this, turns out my AAA membership will tow the truck 200 miles for me, on a flat bed. So my yearly membership just paid for itself.

Really? I thought about doing that but since my truck was 1. not registered and 2 Running I figured it was not within the realm. I assumed that the towing was for the case of a breakdown. Can you give details?
Thanks
Chuck

We have the "premier" account with AAA, have been with them for over a decade. With that account, each account holder (my wife and I) get 4 tows per person, per year, and one of those tows can be up to 200 miles one way. I've used them before to take the truck to the local shop when I had a bunch of work done, and there is no charge.

It doesn't have to be running either, and it doesn't even matter if you are the owner of the vehicle. The AAA service follows the member, not the vehicle.

Towing Service
With AAA Premier, each household can have an auto towed up to 200 driving miles from the point of breakdown, as one of the four allowable service calls per membership year, and up to 100 driving miles on the remaining allowable service calls.

http://ww1.texas.aaa.com/en-tx/become-member/online-member-kit/Pages/premier-benefits-guide.aspx

Live and learn. Thanks for the info, may come in handy next time.
Chuck

GMTK;

How much is your annual membership. I couldn't find pricing on the web site you posted. I'm logging in from Kuwait, so that may be part of the problem.

When I return to the states next summer I plan to drive my 58 Suburban from KC MO to Rhode Island. Good AAA coverage sounds like a must have.

i just used uhaul this weekend
and pulled a 1954 gmc long box
with my 2012 gmc sierra 1500 crew cab
drove 800 miles with no problem
you have to tell them your truck will
pull it.
they told me it would not work
i told them i had truck built to
put my 30 foot trailer
6.0 eng 6 speed trans
it worked fine for me

I think we pay $125 a year for my wife and I. And the coverage follows us, not just the car. So if I'm in a buddies truck as the passenger and we break down, or (hypothetically) get stuck in a lot of mud because we made bad decisions - then AAA pulls us out for free.

http://www.texas.aaa.com/home/membership/become-a-member/benefit-comparison.html

Who ever it was at u-haul didn't know what they were talking about. I transported my 52 on a u-haul back in 04 on one of their trailers from Cali to Las Vegas. Pulled it with a half ton 2003 gmc

In 2008 I used one of their auto transporters to bring home my 1950 Chevy half ton. Pulled it with a 2006 Jeep Cherokee. No hastles at the dealership and no problems at all driving from Davenport, IA to San Antonio TX. Must be a dealer issue and not an edict from the U-haul home office.

GMTK;

Hooah. Thanks. I'll remember to sign up before I get back to the states.

Think I'll check into it also and see if they also cover a 25,000+ pound, historic firetruck.
One tow would pay for three years.

Thanks
Don

You are well within the towing capacity of a Yukon. There are a lot of U-Haul dealers in San Antonio. Go to a different dealer and don't tell them what you are going to haul. And I don't know what direction you are going out of San Antonio, but you won't be getting into any mountains if you only go 150 miles. At one time I had a 5.3 GMC several years ago. I pulled a lot heavier loads on my own trailer with no problems.

For anyone who still wants to know the difference between Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (CVWR) and Gross Combination Weight Rating, Here it is from the Feds themselves:

Gross combination weight rating (GCWR) means the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a combination (articulated) vehicle. In the absence of a value specified by the manufacturer, GCWR will be determined by adding the GVWR of the power unit and the total weight of the towed unit and any load thereon.

Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) means the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a single vehicle.

The sad part of it all is it really does not mean much in these values.
I state this as to the fact a well know major manufacture of trailers built some custom trailers for a contractor the dept of defense under contract.
The trailer manufacture sent trailer with tags that were not rated to the DOD requirements. This presented issue when passing weight station as the trailer was over loaded.
So as the government agent we pushed for proper trailers, the trailer manufacture sent us new trailer tags stamped to the higher value. We fought with them but lost as a manufacture they set the load levels of the trailers they build.
As John states "specified by the manufacture" (no federal standard).

So while a guy can get Lowes to load 4000lbs of block in the back of a old small toyota pickup, you can't rent a 5000lb trailer to haul a 3000lb vehicle.

Explain?

I rented a uhaul trailer tohaul my 50 3600 truck with
no problems, told them it was to haul a 50 6 cyl truck,
also hauled a 39 buick with one, they had to call the main office to be sure it would be within the weight limit. They did not want it to go out of state, I just
did not tell them it was, and returned it to the original dealer.

I don't know shinola about this, but wonder if Penske or some other competitor would be less restrictive and less hassle?

When I towed my 59 3100 from Charleston, SC to Knoxville, TN I put it on a trailer from UHaul and I pulled it with a Dodge Dakota (of course I told them I was pulling with a Chevy 2500). It tracked just fne the whole way back. Only issue I had was when I came down the mountain from NC into TN on I40, it kept pushing forward and engaging the trailer break..I just accelerated......:D

I have a '48, the weight is abut the same as a '55. I have trailered it several times with my 16' car hauler pulled with my '99 GMC pickup. Pickup has a 4.8 liter engine - the small V-8. One trip was 250 miles thru east Texas. "48 Pickup about 3500 lbs
16' carhauler 1200 lbs
GMC pickup somewhere around 5000 lbs.

Your Youkon is slightly heavier that my 99 pickup
Your Yukon engine is larger than mu 4.8 V-8
There is no reason your Yukon could not pull the trailer with the 55 on it.