Towing a Jeep with a U-Haul Auto Transport
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- Опубликовано: 14 июн 2020
- A longtime goal of mine is to drive on the Rubicon Trail in California. I currently live over 1700 miles away from the iconic off-road trail that the Jeep Wrangler's most trail-worthy edition is named after. Because of this long distance, driving my 16 year-old Jeep Wrangler TJ "Rubicon" the 1700 miles (each way) as well as the 22 miles of boulder-laden, obstacle ridden off-road trail seems a little overwhelming. Ever since purchasing my 2019 Ram Rebel last summer, I thought this would make an excellent vehicle to tow my 2004 Jeep out to the Rubicon trail. But in order to accomplish this I would also need a trailer to tow the Jeep. After watching a RUclips video I decided that one way to accomplish this would be renting a U-Haul Auto Transport trailer. This seemed like the perfect little trailer to do the job. It's durable, economic, and easy-to-use. I recently had a chance to bring this idea to fruition and took the Rebel, Jeep and U-Haul trailer on a trial run out to Hidden Falls Adventure Park.
Quadratec TJ Dome Light Switch: www.quadratec.com/products/13... 
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Thanks for the info! Gonna trailer my TJ this weekend.
Thank you so much for this video. I’m taking my TJ 1200 miles and didn’t know what I needed to do to strap the tires! Thanks.
Just be sure to check the straps after a few miles for tightness. I’ve found that they can come a little loose after the first leg of a trip, from the weight shifting and settling. After retightening them it should be good to go. Thanks for watching!
I dig this content, towing is almost a fun little hobby in itself!
Thanks! Yeah it is!
I found a used Penski trailer that I bought for the same reasons you rented yours. I have been fixing it up and mounted a winch on it (in case I break something) and getting it ready to go. We will be going from Houston to Palo Duro this weekend in the 2dr JL Rubicon. Your video really helped with the simple strap solution. Cruising in the truck will be much more comfortable for the 12hr ride. Thanks and jeep up the great videos!
That is awesome that you scored one of those! I've never rented the Penske's butthey always look in better shape than the U-hauls. I used to scour ads looking for used one's, only to come up short! Have a safe trip! Just be sure to check the tightness of the straps after you've gone a few miles. I have found that it'll shift around a little bit, even after making them super tight. Then once I tighten them after that 2nd time, they are usually good to go.
thanks for this Video. I am planning on towing my fathers old Austin champ. it has some pretty over sized tires...my concern was the wheel strap. this totally helped me with that issue
Glad I could help! Just make sure to check the tightness of the straps after it’s been driven a few miles, and especially over bumps. Just to ensure they stay tight.
Just subscribed! Thanks for giving us a personal, in-depth experience with your trailer rental. I enjoyed your camera shots, pretty cool. I’m getting ready to rent a uhaul car trailer here pretty soon- to haul an old Wagoneer. Thanks!
I truly appreciate the kind words! That’s awesome! Good luck with your haul!
Thanks for making this video. I will use some of the tips your provided in my own journey with a uhaul ~>
Awesome! Glad I could be of some help. Just be sure to check the tightness of the straps as they tend to get loose after driving for a bit and with the vehicle settling into position in the trailer.
Thanks bud for the info 🙏🏾
No problem! Thanks for watching!
Next time I would like to ride along. Looks like fun
Anytime!
Just towed my Wrangler TJ 1k miles on the same trailer. It has 33's on it and I had to use the oversized tire straps as well. Towed great behind an '18 Sierra Crew Cab.
That's awesome!
For anyone doing this buy 2” straps with a flat hook on one side to go around the front tires. Do not attach the chains to the bumper d rings. Use axle straps and attach to the Jeep’s axles. Also when pulling the towed vehicle off the trailer always lift the tailgate first on the tow rig. I’ve had a trailer attachment break during loading and we had the tailgate down which resulted in also destroying the tailgate. Had the tailgate been up would have prevented at least that from being damaged.
Thank you for the pointers! I was at a loss in what to do with those chains in the rear.
Two questions. What size are your tires 33? and second What kind of straps did you buy at Lowes. I am literally planning on doing this with my Jeep next week. Your video gave great insight!
The Jeep is on 35x12.50R15s. The straps are just heavy duty ratchet straps. I forget which one's exactly but they were about the strongest one's they had. The length wasn't that important as I just cut the excess off anyways.
Thanks for this vid! Planning to tow my Jeep YJ with my Ram 1500 using the UHaul Auto trailer soon!
Would you do anything different with hooking up that chain in the back for a future tow?
Also did you just use a 2” hitch ball?
🤙
I would just make sure the chain is taught. Depending on how high your YJ is, you may be able to wrap the chain around the frame somewhere or loop it around. It's there as a fail-safe, should the front straps fail. Just be sure to check the front straps periodically as I noticed that they had slightly loosened a little bit on the second time I towed with this setup. They were still plenty snug but always a good idea to check. And yes the standard 2" hitch ball is all that was needed.
The Not-So-Ordinary Car Guy thanks for the reply!
6:01 just like I like it
Lol! "gutentight"
Just rented the U haul and bought oversized tire straps but one strap was over a foot shorter than specified. Didn’t find out until too late.
Oh no! I’m surprised because I had a lot of excess strap that I ended up cutting off.
My first rental for my wheeling truck went so badly they refunded my rental and their oversized straps were cut short. So I got replacement long straps. Use WD40 on the ratcheting mechanism before use. Works better
Wow! And thanks for the tip! Gonna try that next time.
Thanks for posting this. I'm about to move my LJ on 35"s with a busted front axle to our new house. You laid it all out.
What is the width of those ratchet straps you bought? They look like 2".
Yes, they are 2" wide ratchet straps. Good luck on the move! Just be sure to check the tightness of the straps a little ways into your drive, as the Jeep may shift a little. Just re-tighten and you'll be solid! Some others mentioned the way I tied the chain in the rear, may not have been ideal. But I towed the jeep like this several times and hadn't run into any issues. Take for what it's worth!
@@TheNotSoOrdinaryCarGuy I bought an axle strap to handle the rear along with the extra ratchet straps. It'll be well cranked down. I'm just hoping to get a trailer that's been somewhat maintained. U-Haul has a spotty history of letting maintenance go. The drive isn't too far, just over 150 miles. Thanks
@@drooskeedoo3388 Awesome! Sounds like you'll be all set! The good news about those u-haul trailers, I've rented several and of varying ages and conditions, and so far have had no mechanical issues with them. They are built very stout!
14:40 that was your truck saying ahhhhh
What’s the curb weight of your jeep? And also did you use a WDH hitch at all? I’m asking is because I have fox suspensions on my truck lol don’t want to squat so much
Curb weight of standard Rubicon is 3743 lbs. Mine's probably pushing 4600-5000 lb range with all my aftermarket parts. The U-Haul trailer weighs 2210 lbs. So combined weight of 6700-7200 lbs. No I did not use a weight distribution hitch. Do you have a fox suspension on your Rebel or is it a different truck?
I don’t see your truck squatting a whole lot but just from looking at how this trailer looks I would assume it has a bunch of tongue weight. Does it?
They say the tongue weight is about 10-15% of the total loaded trailer weight. The trailer was 2210 lbs plus a standard TJ Rubicon weighs around 3700 lbs. So that’s 5910lbs x .10-.15= 591 to 866 lbs on the tongue of the Ram 1500 Rebel. Also keep in mind the TJ has larger tires and a heavy duty tire carrier with two loaded 5-gallon Jerry cans of gasoline.
Im about to trailer my off road Miata that’s on 27s with a 235 70 r15. Will the straps that the uhaul come with work or should I buy some you think?
You'll be fine with 27s.
Are those 2" or 3" wide straps that you bought? Plan on towing my FJ Cruiser like this
I believe they were 2". Should work great!
I'm going to go buy a 05 rubicon and going to tow it home through 2 states with my 16 rebel on a uhaul lol
Nice! Good luck with the haul! I'm sure it'll do great! Safe travels.
Hi, I moving back to college next week and im kind of nervous towing my car with one of these. Would you say it would be difficult for someone whos never used one? Things such as turning and reversing?
Hi. It's no different than towing with anything else. Take wide turns and always be mindful of the height and the fact that it is there behind you. The u-haul car trailers themselves are built very solid and come with surge brakes so you don't have to worry too much there.
What size hatch pin and ball you are using here ?
I believe a 5/8” pin and 2” ball. It was whatever they recommended at u haul and I purchased it at u haul. Very similar to this: www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200853332_200853332
What ball size and ball mount drop are you using?
I believe it’s a 2” ball with 3.5” drop. Purchased it right there at u-haul.
I just bought a 2000 jeep TJ and planning on taking to Hidden falls next month. I live in San Antonio, but how is that park?
Congrats on the TJ! Hidden Falls is a great park! There’s trails of various levels and varying terrain. I have ran several trails there in the TJ that I have featured on this channel. Perfect place to shakedown the TJ to see what it can do. When you get there, they provide you with a map and can tell you what trails will be suitable for your vehicle.
@@TheNotSoOrdinaryCarGuy awesome, and thanks. It has a 6” rough country long arm kit already on it, it’s at a shop right now and replacing the old 33” tires with new 35” BFGoodrich KM3’s, new steering kit with stabilizer, front shocks, bushings, fluids and power steering pump. It’s very similar to the same setup as yours.
@@limpbizcut44076 Sounds like a good find! Unfortunately I sold mine last year. I wasn’t happy about it but it needed to be done at the time. I sure do miss it!
How wide is your Jeep from end to end of your tires
I'll have to get the tape measure out and measure it for you.
77 inches
Hi, how much about does your Jeep weigh? Thank you.
That's a good question. Google says a stock 2004 TJ Rubicon has a curb weight of 3743 lbs and a gross weight of 4600 lbs. Since I have added some heavier items, such as the heavy duty rear skid plate, rear bumper, tire carrier, 35" tires all around (including spare), two 5-gallon jerry cans of fuel in the back and more, I'd say this thing has to be pushing that 4600-5000 lb range. According to U-Haul, their auto transport trailer weighs 2210 lbs. So combined, the Jeep and the trailer weigh probably 6700-7200 lbs. Which is similar to towing a 25 to 29 foot travel trailer. Wow, I didn't realize I was pulling that much weight, now that I analyzed it. The Rebel pulled it like it was hardly there!
Thanks very much- I have to pick up a 2010 Tahoe that I purchased and am going to haul it on a Uhaul car carrier as well. It’s a little over the weight limit for the trailer but I’m sure it will be fine. Thanks again. .. Greg
how big are those tires? 35s?
Yes, 35x12.50x15, BFGoodrich KM3's, which actually measure slightly smaller than a 35. More like a 34. The Rebel is running the factory 33" Goodyear Duratracs.
I thought you was taking the family ?
Just a solo trial run. Eventually the family would come along.
So driving at night on a gravel road in a Jeep is off roading now, jeez..
You forgot the front safety chain.