Towing car with Uhaul Auto transport

[Beastmobile]

I have an 06 V8 Limited without air suspension and am moving from Maryland to Orlando, FL this summer. I am trying to figure out if towing my other car is a possibility or if it just isn't worth it. I have an E46 M3 which weighs ~3400lbs. I would be using the Uhaul Auto transport trailer which is supposed to weight 2,200lbs. So total weight of ~5600lbs.

Can the V8 4runner handle this or would the tongue weight be too much to even attempt. Roads from MD to Florida is all flat.

My other option is Amtrak auto train but don't want to ride the train to Orlando then fly back to drive back down with the 4runner.

Any input for those who have towed their vehicles behind the 4runner with roughly the same weight would be appreciated.

 

[CruzadoBlanco]

I have an 06 V8 Limited without air suspension and am moving from Maryland to Orlando, FL this summer. I am trying to figure out if towing my other car is a possibility or if it just isn't worth it. I have an E46 M3 which weighs ~3400lbs. I would be using the Uhaul Auto transport trailer which is supposed to weight 2,200lbs. So total weight of ~5600lbs.

Can the V8 4runner handle this or would the tongue weight be too much to even attempt. Roads from MD to Florida is all flat.

My other option is Amtrak auto train but don't want to ride the train to Orlando then fly back to drive back down with the 4runner.

Any input for those who have towed their vehicles behind the 4runner with roughly the same weight would be appreciated.

itll handle it just fine, i regularly tow 4k+ with mine and have no issues, and while at the jamboree this year someone blew out their rear ring and pinion and had another v8 runner tow them home on a uhaul and they had no trouble at all.

 

[ret42]

I had planned on towing my Supra up to MD, but uhaul's towing selection webpage says that towing with an 03 is not recommended, but with an 05 or newer it's fine. That's odd. :shrug:

Regardless, from everything I've read it doesn't seem like it would be a problem. My only concern is that U-haul trailers I believe use surge brakes (someone correct me if I'm wrong), which doesn't sound too fun when you're towing something that weighs more than the 4Runner.

 

[Beastmobile]

itll handle it just fine, i regularly tow 4k+ with mine and have no issues, and while at the jamboree this year someone blew out their rear ring and pinion and had another v8 runner tow them home on a uhaul and they had no trouble at all.

Thanks for the info. Hopefully if I go forward with this, I won't have any issues.

I had planned on towing my Supra up to MD, but uhaul's towing selection webpage says that towing with an 03 is not recommended, but with an 05 or newer it's fine. That's odd. :shrug:

Regardless, from everything I've read it doesn't seem like it would be a problem. My only concern is that U-haul trailers I believe use surge brakes (someone correct me if I'm wrong), which doesn't sound too fun when you're towing something that weighs more than the 4Runner.

Yes the U-haul trailers do have surge brakes. I've used their 5x8 and 6x12 trailers without any issues before but towing the car will be a bit different.

Would Airbag helper springs be recommended or will the sag be minimal. I have the V8 Limited which has the WDH so I'm not sure if helper springs will do anything?

 

[foxtrot]

I towed with A u haul transport before. It was only 4 hours, but the total weight was around 8500 pounds. It was a bit of a struggle getting up to speed on the interstate, but other than that it was fine. With the v8 and less weight, you will be perfectly fine.

 

[Beastmobile]

I towed with A u haul transport before. It was only 4 hours, but the total weight was around 8500 pounds. It was a bit of a struggle getting up to speed on the interstate, but other than that it was fine. With the v8 and less weight, you will be perfectly fine.

Yea I got about a 950 mile trip so just want to make sure I won't encounter any issues.

Good to hear no issues pulling that much weight. Do you have rear air helper springs?

 

[radlynx]

just make sure to balance the trailer so there's not much tongue weight. make sure when you put your car in the trailer, just back it up in there. usually the front of the car is the heaviest. backing it up there put less load on the tongue.

Yea I got about a 950 mile trip so just want to make sure I won't encounter any issues.

Good to hear no issues pulling that much weight. Do you have rear air helper springs?

 

[97BlackAckCL]

It'll handle towing the beamer, I originally thought you wanted to tow the runner. Towing the beamer will be just fine :reddance:

 

[Beastmobile]

just make sure to balance the trailer so there's not much tongue weight. make sure when you put your car in the trailer, just back it up in there. usually the front of the car is the heaviest. backing it up there put less load on the tongue.

Thanks I'll look into that. I believe with the u-haul trailer you have to pull the car all the way up. Not sure if pulling it in rear first will help. The M3 has 50/50 weight distribution.

I appreciate the input guys. I'm going to do a bit more research on the positioning of the car on the trailer and the car orientation as well as other things mentioned.

 

[CAN-03runner]

I use my 03 V8 to tow a 1st gen runner frequently on a uhaul car transporter. It's probably 6500#

Things to think about, are you on the stock tire size on the 4runner, if I'm towing heavy I go back to stock tire size.

With my OME medium coils it still squats down but acceptable, on stock springs it will probably be much worse.

I wouldn't just trust the tire netting that is provided with the trailer as the only way to tie down the car. The trailer does have other tie down attachments so you can your own extra tie down straps. In fact some places you might be travelling through might require by law to have a car strapped down in the front and in the rear. Also on a sports car that netting might not even fit around the tires properly without damaging the front bumper. The trailer has some chains..... security chains, not for tie down, you can't tighten them down, they kind just flap around.

The surge brakes on the trailer work fine, uhaul stipulates 55miles/hr max. follow that. They have 2 models of trailers that I've seen. On one of them as soon as you go over 55 it shakes..., the other not so much. maybe the trailer tires lose the balancing after 55. Or it's some kind of built in mechanism to keep you below 55.

When towing stay in 4th gear. When climbing you might need to manually down shift to 3rd or even 2nd ( rarely) or when pulling out so that you can keep the rpm in the sweet spot of 3000ish rpm.

I check my tire pressure often. I have regular AT/S tires, not some kind of Load E tires. So I can inflate to 52psi I think it is. I inflate to between 40-45psi. Then drive and check the pressure, it will increase about 2-3psi. My goal is to keep it close to the 52psi for the max weight without having more, and without the tire sidewall squishing and rubbing on the road. That would be bad.

After you drive around the block a couple of times stop and retighten the hitch coupler screw ""thingy..??."" in my experience it does get loose and it needs tightening a few times before it doesn't loosen anymore. So a few stops around the block, fill up gas, check it again and there after.

On long trips everytime I fuel up I check the fluids and I fuel up even if I'm not close to empty cause you never know.

You know its not diesel F350 but it works decent, just work within it's limits. Maybe do a test run around town first make sure you figure out it positioning, what extra straps you need, if you need some wood planks to even get it up on the trailer if the car is low to the ground.

I'm forgetting stuff for sure. But this is what I've learned about the uhaul transporter.

 

[Beastmobile]

Thanks for taking the time to type this out. It is very much appreciated.

I use my 03 V8 to tow a 1st gen runner frequently on a uhaul car transporter. It's probably 6500#

Things to think about, are you on the stock tire size on the 4runner, if I'm towing heavy I go back to stock tire size.

I am on stock tire sizes. Tires are fairly new as they were installed this past November and only have 4,000 miles on them. They are Michelin LTX M/S2 265/60/18

With my OME medium coils it still squats down but acceptable, on stock springs it will probably be much worse.

I am on completely stock setup. So it sounds like it would make sense to get air helper springs?

I wouldn't just trust the tire netting that is provided with the trailer as the only way to tie down the car. The trailer does have other tie down attachments so you can your own extra tie down straps. In fact some places you might be travelling through might require by law to have a car strapped down in the front and in the rear. Also on a sports car that netting might not even fit around the tires properly without damaging the front bumper. The trailer has some chains..... security chains, not for tie down, you can't tighten them down, they kind just flap around.

I will definitely look into other methods of straping it down besides the front wheel straps. I want both of my babies to be safe.

The surge brakes on the trailer work fine, uhaul stipulates 55miles/hr max. follow that. They have 2 models of trailers that I've seen. On one of them as soon as you go over 55 it shakes..., the other not so much. maybe the trailer tires lose the balancing after 55. Or it's some kind of built in mechanism to keep you below 55.

When towing stay in 4th gear. When climbing you might need to manually down shift to 3rd or even 2nd ( rarely) or when pulling out so that you can keep the rpm in the sweet spot of 3000ish rpm.

I will for sure keep this in mind. Since I'm driving from MD to FL, the roads are completely flat. But you make a good point about pulling out to stay in the higher RPM range. I will make sure I follow this.

I check my tire pressure often. I have regular AT/S tires, not some kind of Load E tires. So I can inflate to 52psi I think it is. I inflate to between 40-45psi. Then drive and check the pressure, it will increase about 2-3psi. My goal is to keep it close to the 52psi for the max weight without having more, and without the tire sidewall squishing and rubbing on the road. That would be bad.

Yup my plan was to inflate the tires a bit more as not to have too much cupping. I'm trying to remember what stock air pressure is. Is it 32psi? So going to 45+ shouldn't be a problem, correct?

After you drive around the block a couple of times stop and retighten the hitch coupler screw ""thingy..??."" in my experience it does get loose and it needs tightening a few times before it doesn't loosen anymore. So a few stops around the block, fill up gas, check it again and there after.

The few times I've used this truck to tow, I do exactly that. Drive it around the block and re-tight. Then when I stop for gas, I always check and try and give it a turn. Can never be too safe.

On long trips everytime I fuel up I check the fluids and I fuel up even if I'm not close to empty cause you never know.

You know its not diesel F350 but it works decent, just work within it's limits. Maybe do a test run around town first make sure you figure out it positioning, what extra straps you need, if you need some wood planks to even get it up on the trailer if the car is low to the ground.

Good idea. I was just thinking about this right before you posted this. My car is lowered down a bit because Racecar lool. But I will have some planks handy to load/unload the car.

I'm forgetting stuff for sure. But this is what I've learned about the uhaul transporter.

This has been extremely helpful. Thank you! To me, it sounds like I do need the air helper springs if I'm going to use the uhaul transporter towing my car. Like I said, I'm completely stock setup on the truck.

 

[RPS13]

just make sure to balance the trailer so there's not much tongue weight. make sure when you put your car in the trailer, just back it up in there. usually the front of the car is the heaviest. backing it up there put less load on the tongue.

An E46 M3 is pretty darn close to 50/50, so it'll be fine.

OP, try to put the car to where the center of the wheelbase is somewhere on the back half of the front trailer wheel. Or to say it another way, put the center of the wheelbase of the car about 6-10" in front of the middle of the trailer wheels. That's usually a good guide on how to get good tongue weight on a car hauler, which will start out with about 200-300 lbs of tongue weight just on its own without a car on there.

You'll be fine towing it, but keep the U-Haul trailer's tires air'd up to 50-55 psi, and frequently check the rig. A long trip at 55 would suck, so I'd probably run it around 60-65 mph if the trailer feels good there. Don't try to book it at 75+ mph, that's asking for trouble and your gas mileage will be horrible.

I usually tow my car on my 18' car hauler at about 65 mph, and occasionally I'll hold it at 70 if I'm on a 75 mph limit road. Nice and leisurely, and gets about 1-1.5 mpg better than trying to keep it at 75-80 mph. My total trailer + car is about 4300-4400 lbs.

 

[ARunner]

I agree with most comments above except for those talking about balance. The way these uhauls are set up, you need to put the front wheels up against the front chocks at the front of the trailer. As has been mentioned, your car has great weight distribution so you'll be fine. I towed plenty of times with a uhaul back when I had a third gen 4Runner. Both my 3rd gen RX7, and later a miata. It did sag the rear a bit, but not terribly. And that was without a weight distributing hitch. I always found they towed very well on the uhauls as fast as you are comfortable pulling them. X2 on bringing your own straps. I once arrived at my destination with the rx7 to find both front tire/wheel fasteners had worked their way off the tires. A scary thought of how things would have gone without the ebrake being set and an uneventful drive.

With my 4th generation I have my own trailer and towed my Evo multiple times through hilly area with no issues. I was prepared to pull it all the way to Sebring before a better option became available. I DID put air bags in the rear to help with the sagging, but my tongue is much heavier on my trailer than the Uhauls are. While not required, if you have the tools and time to do it, IMO its worth the $100. Keeps you from bottoming on bumps and just feels a little less squishy. Your air pressures may be a little higher than you need at 45, as they will increase from there as they warm up. Better a bit high than low though.

 

[RPS13]

I agree with most comments above except for those talking about balance. The way these uhauls are set up, you need to put the front wheels up against the front chocks at the front of the trailer. As has been mentioned, your car has great weight distribution so you'll be fine. I towed plenty of times with a uhaul back when I had a third gen 4Runner. Both my 3rd gen RX7, and later a miata. It did sag the rear a bit, but not terribly. And that was without a weight distributing hitch. I always found they towed very well on the uhauls as fast as you are comfortable pulling them. X2 on bringing your own straps. I once arrived at my destination with the rx7 to find both front tire/wheel fasteners had worked their way off the tires. A scary thought of how things would have gone without the ebrake being set and an uneventful drive.

With my 4th generation I have my own trailer and towed my Evo multiple times through hilly area with no issues. I was prepared to pull it all the way to Sebring before a better option became available. I DID put air bags in the rear to help with the sagging, but my tongue is much heavier on my trailer than the Uhauls are. While not required, if you have the tools and time to do it, IMO its worth the $100. Keeps you from bottoming on bumps and just feels a little less squishy. Your air pressures may be a little higher than you need at 45, as they will increase from there as they warm up. Better a bit high than low though.

If you have a noticeable sag on the rear of a 4G 4Runner, then you're well over the tongue weight limit. That's VERY unsafe to tow that way.

I made that mistake once of pulling my car up pretty far, to where the CG was a little past the front axle of the trailer. It "felt" fine towing in a straight line, but the front end definitely felt light. Moved the car back about 18" and it towed 100x better and felt far more safe because I was within the tongue weight limits.

 

[Beastmobile]

I agree with most comments above except for those talking about balance. The way these uhauls are set up, you need to put the front wheels up against the front chocks at the front of the trailer. As has been mentioned, your car has great weight distribution so you'll be fine. I towed plenty of times with a uhaul back when I had a third gen 4Runner. Both my 3rd gen RX7, and later a miata. It did sag the rear a bit, but not terribly. And that was without a weight distributing hitch. I always found they towed very well on the uhauls as fast as you are comfortable pulling them. X2 on bringing your own straps. I once arrived at my destination with the rx7 to find both front tire/wheel fasteners had worked their way off the tires. A scary thought of how things would have gone without the ebrake being set and an uneventful drive.

With my 4th generation I have my own trailer and towed my Evo multiple times through hilly area with no issues. I was prepared to pull it all the way to Sebring before a better option became available. I DID put air bags in the rear to help with the sagging, but my tongue is much heavier on my trailer than the Uhauls are. While not required, if you have the tools and time to do it, IMO its worth the $100. Keeps you from bottoming on bumps and just feels a little less squishy. Your air pressures may be a little higher than you need at 45, as they will increase from there as they warm up. Better a bit high than low though.

That was the impression I had when looking at videos and other forums about the uhaul autotransport. That you had to pull the car up until the front tires where against the chock. I'm not sure the weight of the RX-7 but hopefully I wont have any issues with the M3. The only thing that has me a bit worried was how far you have to pull the car up on the Uhaul trailer.

Airbags for $100 is worth it and will be doing it asap. I'm towing a 6x12 uhaul trailor in a few weeks and will be nice to get a feel of how they work before the car goes on the back.

Will the WDH that is built into my V8 help in this application.

 

[Beastmobile]

If you have a noticeable sag on the rear of a 4G 4Runner, then you're well over the tongue weight limit. That's VERY unsafe to tow that way.

I made that mistake once of pulling my car up pretty far, to where the CG was a little past the front axle of the trailer. It "felt" fine towing in a straight line, but the front end definitely felt light. Moved the car back about 18" and it towed 100x better and felt far more safe because I was within the tongue weight limits.

Thanks for your reply. I should of double quoted but I'm not sure moving the car back on a uhaul trailer is possible. I'll look into it for sure but everything I've seen online, you are supposed to have the front tires hit the built in chocks

 

[Beastmobile]

Hopefully the owner of these pictures won't mind I'm using it but it doesn't look like there is much room on these trailers to move the car back.

I'm not sure how this Land Cruiser compares to our 4th gen with a V8.

**This is not my M3**

 

[RPS13]

Thanks for your reply. I should of double quoted but I'm not sure moving the car back on a uhaul trailer is possible. I'll look into it for sure but everything I've seen online, you are supposed to have the front tires hit the built in chocks

You can put some big pieces of wood in front of the tires and strap it down that way. Or better yet, wood and chocks front and rear.


The pictures above are a perfect illustration of way too much tongue weight. You can actually rip the receiver off your vehicle on big bumps like that...

 

[RPS13]

That was the impression I had when looking at videos and other forums about the uhaul autotransport. That you had to pull the car up until the front tires where against the chock. I'm not sure the weight of the RX-7 but hopefully I wont have any issues with the M3. The only thing that has me a bit worried was how far you have to pull the car up on the Uhaul trailer.

Airbags for $100 is worth it and will be doing it asap. I'm towing a 6x12 uhaul trailor in a few weeks and will be nice to get a feel of how they work before the car goes on the back.

Will the WDH that is built into my V8 help in this application.

You have a receiver that can use a WDH. Using a simple drop ball into the receiver is the same as far as rear axle weight no matter what your receiver is.

The key is that the receiver on your vehicle, and the hitch are two separate things.

 

[RPS13]

Here's a pic of my car with the car a little too far forward by about 6". This is with a WDH:

You can see the weight distributing bars connecting to the trailer.

I had to change up my tie down straps some to easily pull it back that ~6", but it made all the difference in the world on towing, and the rig looks very flat from the side with the rear just a slight bit further down than the front (as it should look).