Trailering to Carlisle?

I was planning on going to Carlisle without my Roadster, not having ever driver her on such a long trip. But now I'm wondering about renting a trailer. U-Haul's web site has rental information about two types of trailers -- one with the back wheels on the ground and the other with all four wheels off the ground. Do any of you have an opinion on the best type of trailer and the best rental source? Also, I'd need a hitch and don't have a clue as to what type to get. Any help is appreciated.

Absolutely, positively, the trailer with all four Speedster wheels up on the trailer is the only way to go.

Of course, a couple of guys showed up at Carlisle 2004 with enclosed trailers, although I think they borrowed them for the trip. Of course, they were high rollers and are out of my life-style range. (Jerome, you using the same trailer this year???)

I have an open, tandem-wheeled car hauler, very similar to those offered by U-Haul, and I love it. I pull it with an F-150 with a 5.4 litre V-8 and can easily cruise at whatever speed the traffic's at. It also has trailer brakes (I don't think the U-Hauls do, but I may be wrong) which are a really big wanna-have when hauling that much weight.

Come to think of it, Joe, Jersey to Carlisle isn't all that far - what, 3 or 4 hours???? I made a trip in February with my Southern Car Club that was almost 3 hours one-way and, apart from the high-speed run home in the dark following an SS 396 Chevelle, it was a cool trip. Gave me a chance to listen to some old "Outlaws" CD's and enjoy the trip! Had the top up and windows in (it was cold, after all) and felt fine.

Henry builds a very nice car that begs to be driven and will give you a lot of pleasure either on a back road or interstate.

Go for it!! Gordon

Thanks for the encouragement, Gordon. I had to have major surgery shortly after getting the car last year and was laid up for a while, so I haven't driven the car as much, or for the distances, as I'd hoped by now. I'm not exactly Mr. Fix-it if we broke down. But maybe I'm worrying over nothing.

Last year I trailored the Speedster from Quebec City to Carlisle. 14.5 hours on a U-Haul car trailor. The type that has all 4 wheels off the ground. Much safer for you and won't kill the tranny. Everything was great.

The trailors though are HUGE. My car can tow 2500 lbs so having a Speedster that is about 1600-1700 I thought hey no worries. Well, the trailor alone weighs 2000lbs. So I had to borrow the father in-laws Dodge truck that cost a fortune in gas. I understand why Uhaul needs such a heavy trailor, they need to make sure that it will last the normal idiots abuse.

They have electric brakes on them. Very good...

Joe,

I agree with Gordon, the trailer that takes all four wheels off the ground is the way to go. U-haul is definitely an option and I believe will hook you up with a temporary hitch too.

A couple of suggestions. Many people buy trailers and hardly use them. I bought new when I started my Speedster build and used it all of about five times, eventually sold it after the car was on the road. Ask if anyone on this website lives near you and has a trailer you can borrow and give them a few bucks to borrow it for the weekend. Or check with the local streetrod and car clubs and ask if they know of anyone who would let you make the same arrangement. Some guys would be happy to pick up a few bucks rather than let their trailer just sit around rusting.

No problem trailering your IM. Of course driving is fun too, you might even be able to caravan with Gordon. Hey Gordon, are you running the caravan again this year?

Thinkin' about it.....but it's kinda iffy with the impending grandbaby and all.

Still, we're registered, we're hoteled, and, after 28+ years we STILL don't believe anything obstetricians tell us about delivery dates - when it's time, it's time and that's it...
Besides...the little tykes' mom was three weeks late when she was born, so that's the precedent...

Anyway, in the off chance that anyone would want to join "those wild and crazy guys from Rhode Island (and Massachusetts) and the veritable centerpieces of 'Five Cent Racing (Inc.)'" for ANOTHER fun(and diesel)-filled trip to Carlisle, we'll be leaving at half-past-dark on Thursday, May 19'th out of Providence (how more appropriate a city name could you get?) to see if we can get there before Happy Hour (knowing that it's ALWAYS 5 o'clock somewhere) AND the Thursday evening cruise to where-ever with whom-ever including Jerome.

We'll have a trailer (just in case someone actually NEEDS one this year), a garage full of tools with us (just in case someone actually NEEDS them this year), and enough high-tech electronics to put 1976 vintage, Mission Control to shame (they didn't even have a GPS, after all), not to mention a significant amount of local, genuine, New England micro-brews (just in case someone actually.....well, you get the idea).

THIS year, Chris' trailer WILL make it to Carlisle (Hell! It's already made it to Beaufort, SC........and back!!) and Pearl will be Ridin' High and Sittin' PRETTY!

Anyone wishing to join us on this escapade, just let us know on here or drop me an email and we'll get a list going. Free headlight guards to the first ten Northeast Caravan joiners (just kidding...)

Speaking of Caravans.....did anyone see the Caravan races in the UK last weekend on TV????? Those crazy Brits were doing some sort of figure 8 demolition race with cars towing empty caravans (trailers in the US) - unbelievable!!!!!!

And just remember......DON'T buy gas at the Hess on the main drag at Carlisle (just ask Mike Cochrane or Jerome Smith....)
P.S: we bought ours at the Truck Stop near I-78 and were OK)

Gordon
Coordinator; Northeast Speedsters to Carlisle
(We get'em there, or break'em trying)

Ahhhh, shades of last year...

Gentlemen,

I respectfully disagree; I have towed my IM Convertible D twice with a two-wheel U-haul type trailer. Both trips were about 150 miles and absolutely no issues. FYI front wheels up car in neutral brake off.

Karl

I have to agree Karl. I have a tow dolly with the wheels that steer,and I have never had a problem. Im on my second one now (I wore my first one out) I towed my Beck up last year with my dolly and Ill do it again this year.

From my experiences towing speedster from Fla, Ga, Tn AL, WI, IN, OH,KY,SC, NC and thelist goes on..I have used both trailers and a tow dolly ..as long as the speedster has not been lowered in the front
(difficult to load onto a dolly)it can easily be towed on the dolly.
The U Haul trailers are ridiculously heavy.

On the dolly question, to be honest, I have never used one so I would defer to Alan. But looking at it practically, there are a LOT of big RV's out there hauling around their scout vehicles on dolly's and they all seem to be doing just fine.

I guess my comments were influenced by recently trailering my car through that famous war zone known as the "Cross-Bronx Expressway" (I-95 North, just East of the George Washington Bridge) where the pavement is SO bad, and the pot holes are SO big that I was truly glad to have the Speedy up on a trailer where it was safer. There was NO WAY I was going to stop along that stretch of "beautiful" highway, and I was happy to know that, with tandem trailer wheels I would have to take a flat/hit on BOTH wheels on one side to make me stop.

I don't know how heavy my trailer is (Chris built it - he probably knows) but it is WAY less involved than those I've seen/used from U-Haul. U-Hauls have a lot of thoughtful touches, but all that stuff weighs pounds that you have to haul around.

Joe: The Northeast Caravan should be coming close to you sometime around Lunch on May 19'th. Same route as Last year (across the Tapan Zee, NOT the GWB) so if you let us know a place to meet you, we can hook up and make the run to Carlisle.

Gordon and Chris

Well they do make them for a reason. But they should not be used for long distances without disconnecting the drive shaft. This was something I was told a long time ago when my %$#@ Subaru Brat blew an engine. Piece of crap car. But I was young... 1981. The mechanic (because I was going to tow it with a rental car 400 miles back home) told me that you have to do this. So for short distances no worries, long distances I would be a little wary. My dos centamos...or dos XX.......

Penske Website: Vehicle must be centered with front end on tow dolly facing forward.
* Vehicles with low front end or air dams may not have enough ground clearance to drive up the tow dolly platform.
* Vehicle must have lockable steering.
* Rear-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles must have drive shaft disconnected.
* Do not tow mid- or rear-engine mounted vehicles.
* Towed vehicles must not be loaded with possessions, people, pets, etc

There is something that I remember also about tranny oil moving to the back when the car is at an angle and that overheats as well. Be careful man...

Ken Smith, the president of the Chicagoland Replicar Association (the club I belonged to when I lived in Second City land) uses a two wheeled tow dolly to haul his Dutchess (MG TD replica) all over the place. I believe he and spouse Meha attended Knotts last year. I would be curious to know if he used the same method of transport to tow his baby from Chicago to Knotts. His car is a front engined car, so perhaps that would make a difference.
John H

Towing with a dolly...

A front engine car with drive shaft to the rear is ok provided it is a manual transmission and in neutral ...of course,
Most automatics cannot be towed in neutral as the trans fluid pump will burn out from rotating while being towed. These can be loaded backwards on a dolly... in addition to the factory mounted steering wheeling ignition pin lock, further secure it by tying the steering wheel to the seat mounting base .

As far as Penske stating do not tow a rear engine vehicle "hogwash" ... as they are just over protectiong their liability interests.

A new dolly can be bought for around $675 a cheap investment and if and when you decide to resell it, retains most of it's value.

Well Joe,

Looks like a two-wheel dolly may be the way to go. No one asked but what is your tow vehicle? Depending on what you are using to tow it might make even more sense to use a dolly.

Gordon: I love the idea of joining the Northeast Caravan and it will be coming practically past my door in Jersey. Unfortunately, though, I'm involved in a big project at work with a major all-day meeting on the 19th, so it looks like I won't get to Carlisle till Friday. I'll definitely be in touch with you if things change, though. It would be way cool.

Bruce: A good question about my towing vehicle. I don't have a beefy rig, just a Mitsubishi Galant. When I typed in the specs of what I'd be driving and what I'd be towing in the U-Haul "get a quote" site it gave told me that the Galant would be okay towing a two-wheel dolly.

I really appreciate everyone's input on this, and I'll be doing more research before I make any decisions.

Either way, I'm looking forward to my first Carlisle trip. Here's to great top-down weather!

You may find that you are required to have a heavy class three receiver to rent a dolly ( U Haul use to be that way )
I tow with a S-10 with a VorTec 2.2 4 cyl with no problems even while on 700 plus mile long distance runs> My aluminum trailer weight is 515 lbs adding the speedster weight of 1500 - + it's a bit over 2000 lbs ....Truck is rated for 3,500 tow capacity . So if you use a dolly that only weighs 375 lbs you're good to go!
FYI I have over done it a bit with 3700 GVW towing weight and it also did ok.

Joe,

We're looking forward to adding your IM to the group at Carslisle. Don't forget to register (hopefully before the 21st), make hotel reservations, dinner reservations, etc. Instructions are provided here: speedsterseast.home.att.net