Tow Vehicles - who has the smallest / cheapest?

#21

Peakracer.com wrote:

[quote]Ohh Yeah, when you pay 7-10 dollars a gallon for fuel at the track, you dont want to waste it on the drive home.[/quote]Whoa!!! nice, I like Shell, even in the desert it’s still around $3.30!I’ve been doing the drive the race car thing for years and years… I tried trailer-ing in 1996 when I got my first comp license, but it sucked so hard, so much money spent on not racing the car… Truck payments, trailer maintenance, storage, shitty drivers crawling all over the back of you and then braking too hard in front of you… just not worth the effort until I get this car ready to compete at a higher more competitive level - not to mention myself too.

#22

kgobey wrote:

Kieran,

I understand your sentiments. I have driven my old track rat e30 with solid mounts, race seats, and stiffer suspension to far away tracks (10 hours to Summit and 9.5 to Sebring)

I would probably do the same with an SE30 if I ever get one. Just put on a stock exhaust and drive to tracks. The only thing I would really miss would be the A/C.

#23

Rangers story is horrible.

My 2 cents is none of these smaller vehicles are adequate for towing a racecar on open trailer. Just because the rated capacity is X doesn’t mean X is safe. A spece30 is #2800 +/- with #1500 trailer and fuel and maybe tires plus the trailer is about 4500lbs right? I would suggest at least something with an 8k rating to tow with and a long wheelbase. I would be looking at Suburbans or F150 or something like that at a minimum. I know this seems like overkill but Rangers story just echo’s in my head. Used Dodge 12v Cummins are for sale cheap on Craigslist these days… thats a helluva tow vehicle for not much scratch.

We tow with an F350 and generally pull 8-9k.

Stay safe out there… :wink:

This is a sweet reference… FWIW: http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm#refrn3

#24

Well, my advise is no good here. I pull my open trailer with a Dodge dually. Might be the biggest overkill ever!

#25

Don, you know Pat Wehmeyer, he races an American Iron car with us. He used to tow with a V8 Explorer. It towed OK, but he had no brake controller, which was a dumb mistake. If the trailer has brakes and they are properly functioning and you don’t speed, you should be able to tow in most anything. I used to tow with a 2002 Harley Davidson F150 and that worked pretty well. Now I tow with a single axle 2500 Dodge Ram with the Cummins.

-Scott

#26

I drove my car 14 hrs home from VIR a couple of years ago. It sucked.

I found a local place that rents E350 vans, equipped to tow, for $129/day unlimited miles. I may do that for the few times a year I need to tow.

Scott - how can I contact Pat Weheyer?

#27

What’s the place that rents the vans?

#28

jlucas wrote:

triangle rent a car

#29

Dodge Ram with a Cummins is your best tow vehicle. Next best is a Ford with a 7.3 Powerstroke (94-03). Stay away from the 6.0 Powerstroke garbage.

Tobin

#30

++++++111111 On triangle rent a car, I rent a e350 van about once a year, $350-450 for a week unlimited mileage, I went to Road Atlanta and hauled 20 loads of scrap with one on a weekly rental. I have rented them out of NC and VA, I think NC is a little cheaper for some reason. The cargo vans are good to sleep in also.

Al

#31

I have an E350 for a tow vehicle and absolutly love it. It has the V-10 that is about bullet proof. Mine is a '97 with about 110K miles now. It will seat 12, has rear air and is beat all to hell. Just they way I want it. I remove the seats most of the time and used it to haul all sorts of materials during my home remodel. I have towed with excess of 10K# in the trailer and 1500# in the van and even after splitting the radiator open and adding 3 gal of water it never over heated or missed a beat while continuing the journy before I could replace the radiator.

I have about $6K in it after adding bilstein shocks, and a motorhome rear sway bar and replacing bushings and brakes after I got it. I want to get a 4.10 rear for it and replace the 3.73 some day.

Get 15 mpg non towing and about 10 towing. Better then my '03 Ram with the hemi. I got this after replacing the rear end in the 1/2 ton Ram twice. It had pleanty of power to tow but 1/2 ton was too lightly made for the 10K# trailer.

When it dies I will replace it with another. They are cheap. Keep in mind that the diesels in the vans are not aftercooled and make less HP then the trucks. Also, as this is a sit most of the time vehicle, I prefer gas as in my experience, diesels don’t like to sit for weeks before use.

Also, with the van you can haul the whole team around or even start your own church.

Michael

#32

What the most a spec e30 can tow?

#33

A Spec Miata.