U-Haul and Viper

[Nader]

Does anyone have any experience to share who has towed their Viper using a Uhaul car trailer? From what they have told me the car will fit, it is just a question of getting it on the trailer. I am sure I can get a couple of 2x8s to make it work. I just want to be sure it is possible and if there is anything i should consider.

I will be towing the car to the Pocono CSD in may. I normally drive to the event but this year will be the first time bringing my little daughter along.

Thanks in advance?

 

[plumcrazy]

uhaul is a stretch for my viper.... the tires on those rentals are scary half of the time. i wouldnt do it.

can you borrow one ?

 

[steve911]

The uhaul trailer is too tall without the use of auxiliary ramps and I would not trust 2x8's as aux ramps. I would also question the nylons straps that go over the front tires whether they are wide enough to fit properly on our sized tires.

Lastly the car will over hang the end of the trailer. I would never haul a car that way because if you get clipped from behind the first thing the other vehicle will hit is your car and not the trailer.

 

[plumcrazy]

good point on the tie downs.

 

[Tagoo]

U-haul has different trailers. I believe the only one they have that works is a newer model that is a galvanized steel trailer. It's gray, not orange like most of their trailers.

I had to back my car onto the trailer to get it to work right. The front of the trailer has a section of metal that would have hit the front lip of my car. The rear of the car isn't as low.

Backing onto the trailer was fine. I needed a couple of sections of 2X8 boards to extend the ramp (2 boards per side). It wasn't too difficult. You will want to have a couple of spotters, though.

The car trailered fine for 1500 miles. I used tie down straps and trailers straps that go over the tires (not intended for the wide rear tires on a viper though). I adjusted the tire straps every time I stopped - but that was just extra insurance.

Bottom line. It will work if you get the right trailer from u-Haul.

 

[MTGTS]

You have to back the car on and make sure you get the wider of the two available trailer options.

 

[Nader]

How tough is it to back up on? Did you use the supplied uhaul straps to tie it down?

 

[SRT TONY]

Try Barn rental they are off Northern blvd in Woodside queens. They have aluminum trailers

 

[Tagoo]

Backing up onto the trailer wasn't difficult at all. Getting the trailer set up first takes a little time. As I mentioned, I used two boards under each ramp to sort of extend the slope of the ramps (to make the incline up to the trailer more gradual). The boards should be about 4 or 5 feet long. Let me know if you don't understand how to use the boards as extentions to the ramps. You can even use the tongue jack to lift the front of the trailer a little (which lowers the back of the trailer).

Backing on just requires getting the car lined up first. Although you have about 4 inches of clearance on eather side of the trailer, it feels really close when you are in the car and can't see. That's why you need a couple of spotters who can tell you exactly what is happening. Just go slowly and smoothly up the ramp - feather the clutch.

Once on the trailer, I used 4 of my own ratcheting tie-downs - two at the front and two at the rear (crossed). The trailer also has built in tie down straps that go around the circumference of the tire. Remember, these will go over your rear tires since you backed onto the trailer. I saw these as an extra set of tie downs. Since the rear tires are so wide, those straps didn't wrap around the sidewalls as they were designed to do. Still, the tire straps worked pretty well and provided an extra measure of security. They seemed to loosen a bit after a couple hundred miles, but I just tightened them whenever I stopped. Remember, I also had 4 other straps holding the frame to the trailer.

I would use a u-haul again. I'd rather have my own trailer, I just don't have a place to store it.

 

[past ohio]

Curious, IF you back on a viper on the U Haul type trailer, aren't these trailers like only 14 feet long ? Wouldn't you have too much weight after the wheels since the engine would not be going past the wheels ???? You may end up with 60% after the wheels instead of 55-60 foreward of the wheels...just my preferences....

 

[Shandon]

Do a search in your area for race car trailer rentals. There is a place near me that rents a low profile trailer for a good price. They have both an enclosed and a open they rent. I bet somebody besides U-haul would rent it. If you were closer you could use mine.

 

[Shandon]

Yes pull forward onto the trailer. You will regret not having more weight on the tongue of the trailer. Another way to get the back end lower to the ground is slide a coule 2x8 under the tow vehicles back wheels. This gets the a$$ of the truck up and the back of the trailer down. I have done that a few times in wierd places with hills.

 

[Tagoo]

No, no, no, there is no problem with tongue weight when you back onto the trailer. Think for a minute... what is the weight distribution of a viper? pretty close to 50/50 - so it doesn't matter if you go nose first or rear first. The trailer is long enough to get more of the cars weight in front of the trailers axles.

I would estimate I had 300-400 lbs of weight on my receive hitch (maybe more). Did i mention I ACTUALLY towed my viper this way for 1500 miles. I towed at speeds up to 70mph. It towed smoothly, no swaying, no problem. It works just fine!

Good luck trying to find someone who will rent an enclosed trailer. Everyone says "I'm sure someone must rent those." I could never find anyone who would.

Don't worry about the U-Haul trailer. It will work just fine.

 

[Shandon]

No, no, no, there is no problem with tongue weight when you back onto the trailer. Think for a minute... what is the weight distribution of a viper? pretty close to 50/50 - so it doesn't matter if you go nose first or rear first. The trailer is long enough to get more of the cars weight in front of the trailers axles.

I would estimate I had 300-400 lbs of weight on my receive hitch (maybe more). Did i mention I ACTUALLY towed my viper this way for 1500 miles. I towed at speeds up to 70mph. It towed smoothly, no swaying, no problem. It works just fine!

Good luck trying to find someone who will rent an enclosed trailer. Everyone says "I'm sure someone must rent those." I could never find anyone who would.

Don't worry about the U-Haul trailer. It will work just fine.

Your correct there is no problem as long as you have a long enough trailer. The trunk extends farther past the rear wheels than the front of the car on a vert. Thats why its a problem on a short trailer. Yes the viper is well balanced sitting on all legs but thats not the same when trailering it and trying to get the rear wheels farther up to the hitch so as too distribute the weight well.

Nothing wrong with a U-haul as along as you can get it loaded I know Tom is inventive and can figure a way to ramp the car in

 

[Nader]

Thanks guys and thanks Shandon for having some faith in me. I am sure I can work out the logistics of getting the ramp angle right but I get a bit nervous thinking about driving it up, especially in reverse. Remember my car is lowered with Motons so it is roughly an 1.5 lower in the front and 1 inch in the rear. You still think I should clear the front of the trailer with the rear?

I am going to do so some research on the Barn Rental as mentioned by SRT Tony. Maybe they will have a newer style ramp with less ramp angle and easier loading.

Shandon thanks for the offer but you are correct you a bit far to travel to borrow the trailer. And if I was closer to you or the event was closer to you I am sure we would both be going.

Stay tuned guys.

Your correct there is no problem as long as you have a long enough trailer. The trunk extends farther past the rear wheels than the front of the car on a vert. Thats why its a problem on a short trailer. Yes the viper is well balanced sitting on all legs but thats not the same when trailering it and trying to get the rear wheels farther up to the hitch so as too distribute the weight well.

Nothing wrong with a U-haul as along as you can get it loaded I know Tom is inventive and can figure a way to ramp the car in

 

[plumcrazy]

i bet uhaul would let you test the backing up part to see if it will work or not. go talk to the guys there.

 

[white out]

Great thread, looking for a trailer to tow my car to CA from MI.

Nick

 

[past ohio]

Some U Haul dealers will NOT rent the trailer without renting one of their trucks as well....also I have seen U Haul car trailers where the wheel ramps are lower than the center of the trailer body, plus U Haul trailers have "surge breaks" and IF you have never used surge brakes, it takes a little experience getting use to their "grabbing" when you hit too quickly !! Good luck...also check your car insurance.....

 

[96GTS]

I towed mine from Little Rock to Vegas, and now I wish I had spent a little more and had it shipped. The windshield is now covered with tiny chips from rock/debris on the road (new windshield $936.00), and those crappy straps WILL work their way off the tires...trust me, I know! When I moved to Texas I had Gary Almond ship it, and I couldn't have been happier.

 

[escapedan]

My $.02

I tow my 2006 Coupe to track events with a U-Haul trailer - I do opt for the grey trailer mentioned in some of the previous posts. My Viper is pretty low, but I still manage to make it work. My tow vehicle is a '96 Grand Cherokee.

- I back the trailer up to a driveway or incline and then pull the ramps on the driveway thus making the Viper's approach onto the trailer as flat as possible. If not, the chassis will not clear the ramp-to-trailer joint.

- I always pull forward onto the trailer. This is really (in my opinion) a safety issue. It is best to have as much weight on the tongue as possible to avoid trailer sway and help in an emergency braking situation.

- There is a metal "lip" on the front of the trailer that is too tall for mine front bumper to get over (even when it was stock ride height). Worse yet, the bumper will go over it getting on the trailer, but you'll damn near rip it off backing off the trailer. To solve this I put a 2x4 (couple of them) under the front wheels, drive onto the wood, and then secure the front wheels with the U-Haul nylon straps.

- They nylon straps on the front tires work fine for keeping the car in place (even with the above mentioned wood in place), but I also use additional tie-downs connected to the chassis (NOT A-ARMS!!).

- U-haul will not rent me a trailer if I tell them it's for a Viper. For some reason thier computer says the car does not work with the trailer. That's BS. I tell them I am towing a Miata.

- Feel free to PM me for my contact info if you want to talk further. Good luck!

- Final note - a U-Haul trailer is really the WORST option, but if you live in an area where there is no other trailer rentals available and you dont have the room to buy and store your own trailer it will get the job done.

 

[Newport Viper]

Carmel CA to Vegas to Palm Springs. Not a problem.

I am a moving expert!

 

[escapedan]

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

 

[CarDude]

I moved all three of my SRTs with U-Haul trailers. I got every kind of trailer they have. It fits on all of them, but the older trailers are very narrow and I only had an inch to spare on the tires. With thte ACR I had to use boards under the front tires so the splitter would not hit the trailer. It was difficult, but I hauled all of my cars down with UHauls. That's five different rentals. I have an F-450 so the truck could have hauled the trailer with no wheels, so it was not a towing issue, just a loading issue. I used very long 2x10s to load all the cars.

 

[hemihead]

I towed mine from Little Rock to Vegas, and now I wish I had spent a little more and had it shipped. The windshield is now covered with tiny chips from rock/debris on the road (new windshield $936.00)

I wondered about beating up the car finish on an open trailer. I keep a flannel Cal Car Cover for indoor use only on it while in my garage. What do you guys think about putting this cover on the car to protect it then one of those cheap outdoor covers over it and bungee chord the cheap cover to the trailer when towing on a long road trip? Is this over kill?

 

[plumcrazy]

car covers will do a number on the paint if its while trailering

if it was that long of a trip, you might be able to find a place to sell you some cheap 3m clear bra material to put on the windshield and front fascia temporarily

 

[mangle]

I've done this with a gen-1. It's not that big a deal if you do it right. A couple pics and related comments...

First, get the correct trailer. You need one of the late-model trailers. The old ones are way too narrow for comfort. There was no way I was going to tow it with this little clearance.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Second, find yourself a median in a parking lot you can drive across. They're awesome.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Third, remove the little things in the front. They come off. I think it's a 9/16" nut and 1/2" bolt... 4 on each side. Penetrating oil will help. Unfortunately, I didn't have any. You'll also want to remove the ratcheting tie-down thing (it slides out on the side) to avoid scraping the front fascia on it. Remove it, drive car forward on to the trailer, then push it back in from the side. See second pic... it's definitely taller than the front of the car.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Next, become a contortionist.

You must be registered for see images

To unload, do the reverse.

And please ask if you have any questions.

 

[steve911]

Is your car a vert or a coupe? If it is a vert you do not want to tow it backwards as the wind hitting the rear window and trying to "inflate" the convertible top ( all those open areas around the window). there was a guy who showed up at VOI 10 with the back end of his top all blown out after towing the car that way cause those 3 open areas around the window kept trying to balloon out and eventually tore the seams.

If you have a coupe, never mind.

 

[GlennSullivan]

The uhaul trailer is too tall without the use of auxiliary ramps and I would not trust 2x8's as aux ramps. I would also question the nylons straps that go over the front tires whether they are wide enough to fit properly on our sized tires.

Lastly the car will over hang the end of the trailer. I would never haul a car that way because if you get clipped from behind the first thing the other vehicle will hit is your car and not the trailer.

One more thing, check the clearance between the bottom of the doors and the top of the trailer tires in order to get the door open and get in and out.