Can I tow a DeLorean behind a Uhaul truck?

[rothsean]

Anything specific I should do?

[vwdmc16]

They are not the best way. First NEVER tow a D backward with louvers on. I've also heard their 4 wheel trailers are a bit tight for our wide cars. The 2 wheel dollies should be ok but I wouldn't tow cross country with it.

[DMCVegas]

I've towed my DeLorean cross country with a Uhaul truck and it was perfectly fine. I never had a problem at all with their trailers. Trucks are a different story, but trailers have been fine.

The driver's side fender on the trailer folds down, so it's easy to get in and out of the car. All you have to do is drive (or winch if the car is inoperable) the vehicle up onto the trailer and park the tires against the front. Put the car in gear & set the parking brake. Tire straps are easy, as are the chains. HOWEVER you *must* make certain that you attach your safety chains to your tow hooks and never wrap them around your suspension. If something does happen where the tire straps fail and the chains have to secure the car, the tow hooks will hold the car in place. But if you wrap around those suspension components, the chains will rip the wheels off and the car can still come off the trailer. Don't worry though, chains are backups for an emergency.

Criss-cross the trailer chains under the tongue, and as with ALL chains, never let them touch the ground or hover right above it. If the chains are too long, just twist them to shorten the length. Lock your doors, and don't throw stuff inside of your car as extra storage.

[DrJeff]

I just used (last Thursday) the car trailer from UHaul to move my car about 6 miles since it is currently inoperable. The trailer was easily wide enough for the car and I didn't need to use the fold-down fender to open the door (although my car is not lowered and it is light by about 200lbs of miscellaneous bits - although the clutch/brakes/steering are all complete).

We had some trouble getting the safety chains from the Uhaul to connect with the connection points on the Honda Ridgeline (the Uhaul trailer hooks were smaller than the Ridgelines attachment points). The Uhaul also needed a flat-4 lights connector and the Ridgeline comes with a round light connector. The rental people let me borrow one, but if you leave it back in a different location - you'll probably be buying one if you need it.

The hardest part was getting the car onto the trailer. I had a mechanical winch (which didn't work terribly well). In use it had the tendency to pull the car down into the ramps rather than up the ramps. Through a combination of winching, pushing, wheel chocks, and hand-breaking, we managed to get the car onto the trailer about 6 inches at a time.

Once I got the car off the trailer, I thought something had gone wrong as my passenger door would no longer open. However, after locking/unlocking with the key it was fine. Most likely my son closed it 'funny' and the front catch caught, but the back catch didn't.

[DMCMW Dave]

I'm not a fan of 2-wheel dollies (we've repaired damage from that sort of tow). If you pull it backwards you have the louver issue, and a flat tire on the front will drop the car so low it will rip the spoiler off. Dollying it forward is rough on the trans unless you take the axles out.

We get cars in here all the time on standard U-Haul trailers. U-Haul is pretty picky about what they will allow to pull a trailer (for example, no Ford Explorers, at least the ones with the reputation for rolling over. Not sure about the new ones. Any pickup is probably OK) so sometimes people just rent the cheapest U-Haul van and pull the trailer with that.

Seconding the note that the front of the car should be facing forward. We've sold a few louvers to tow truck operators who would not listen to that advice.

[dustybarn]

I second many of the above comments. I towed my D to DCS with a U-Haul Auto Transport trailer and it was superb. My car IS lowered, and the door still cleared the trailer fender with ease, even without folding it. The trailer is wide enough, but it's good to have a spotter to make sure you're centered. The trailer is built like a tank, though, and is VERY heavy.

The safety chains do NOT fit through the D's tow eyes. I didn't use the rear chain at all, but tied the back end down with two ratchet tiedowns, connected to the tow eyes and crossed left-to-right.

[jawn101]

I second many of the above comments. I towed my D to DCS with a U-Haul Auto Transport trailer and it was superb. My car IS lowered, and the door still cleared the trailer fender with ease, even without folding it. The trailer is wide enough, but it's good to have a spotter to make sure you're centered. The trailer is built like a tank, though, and is VERY heavy.

The safety chains do NOT fit through the D's tow eyes. I didn't use the rear chain at all, but tied the back end down with two ratchet tiedowns, connected to the tow eyes and crossed left-to-right.

Plus, I don't like chains on the epoxy *at all* - I'd use straps instead. I once needed a tow home because of a blown heater control valve, and the wrecker showed up with only chains. I waited an extra hour while he went back to base and picked up tow straps - I wouldn't let him load the car without them.

[NightFlyer]

Plus, I don't like chains on the epoxy *at all* - I'd use straps instead. I once needed a tow home because of a blown heater control valve, and the wrecker showed up with only chains. I waited an extra hour while he went back to base and picked up tow straps - I wouldn't let him load the car without them.

Good man - if you're paying for it, get the service that you want :thumbup:

I would have done exactly the same thing!

[jawn101]

Good man - if you're paying for it, get the service that you want :thumbup:

I would have done exactly the same thing!

For sure :) Of course, my penalty was waiting all that extra time. Oh, and paying for the tow out of pocket, which was what eventually spurned my change to better insurance...

[dmcjohn]

We get cars in here all the time on standard U-Haul trailers. U-Haul is pretty picky about what they will allow to pull a trailer (for example, no Ford Explorers, at least the ones with the reputation for rolling over.

Yep unfortunately I have an Explorer so they wouldn't rent me a trailer - had to enlist a friends help to tow my DeLorean on a uhaul trailer instead.

That said, the DeLorean fits perfectly on their trailer as if it was made for it! Pic attached.

28430

John

[OverlandMan]

Anything specific I should do?

So I saw your other thread on engine parts identification... now this one. I'm guessing you're looking at a project car or something? Is it the one in South Dallas that I originally checked out a couple years back?

[valdez]

I wouldn't do it without at least 3 rolls of bubble wrap and a class 2 crate with a deluxe dolly.

[seventy4burban]

Yuma AZ to DMC Houston. No issues at all.

28511

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[jawn101]

Yuma AZ to DMC Houston. No issues at all.

28511

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With a truck that big, I would have put the car inside and everything else I own on the dolly :)

[SS Spoiler]

Moved from MN to MT with two 26 foot U-Hauls Pulling a Jeep and the DeLorean. No problems. [amazing how much stuff one accumulates ]


Paul Cerny #2691
Kalispell, MT

[dn010]

I towed my D from New York to Florida non-stop on a 2-wheel dolly from Uhaul. Front on the dolly, manual trans in neutral; no damage, no problems, no complains. One minor issue I encountered: I had to put the original springs back on the car in order to get the front end to clear and get on the dolly.