cfiiman
Viper Owner
As a finale to my other thread I asked a while ago here about the Uhaul trailer:
http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/673081-Another-Towing-Viper-Uhaul-Thread-Question
I decided to follow up for all those considering towing the car. I decided after speaking with a good friend on the forums here to have a company haul it for me, but after a few cancellations due to bigger customers I decided to go the Uhaul route once again. I wanted to follow-up with this thread to help anyone who might be in a similar situation. My tow vehicle was a V6 Porsche Cayenne which is rated for 7700# but really didn't want to push that, plus I don't know of anyone that rents an enclosed trailer anyway. Since I didn't have room for a trailer renting was the only way to go. I read a few threads of guys who did it and it was a help so here is my tweaks/advice after doing 1000 miles on the Uhaul.
First the other threads are correct, I had 2" on either side of the exahust and that is with the widest (7500lbs) trailer Uhaul offers. So the hardest part is getting the car spot on in the center, use a helper if you can (although my person was not the best so I was constantly getting out of the car myself). You will need to remove the front chocks like others have said, but I found you do not have to remove the strap buckles like others have said, you just need to scoot them to the side and the facia will clear. Once on the trailer I put wood between the tires and side of the trailer as extra insurance the car won't move. Then I used 2-3500lb tie downs and secured the back. The front tire straps on the trailer work just fine for the car. I did not re-install the wheel chocks as I feel with the tie downs and the 2" lip or so it would be fine and it was, but you can if you want. The biggest problem for me came in "wrapping" the car. I followed a guys advice on using the stretch wrap at Home Depot but found it to be a COLOSSAL PITA! After 2 failed attempts I decided to chuck it in the garbage. I don't know how that guy got it to work
I opted then for 3" wide blue painters tape on the front/hood/window/mirrors which worked perfect, so this is my advice to use. My car is stock height and I didn't have a clearance problem using a short wood ramp on the existing trailer ramps, although when I loaded it I used a driveway and had much more room then unloading (we measured at one point on the unload and I had maybe 1/16th of an inch 
The car towed fantastic and never moved which is great b/c there is not much room for error here. My thoughts are the Uhaul trailers are very well built (I believe the heaviest open trailers there are like this at 2200lbs. empty) and work perfectly when you need to transport your car yourself but don't want to own a trailer. Anyway here are some pics from the journey:
Picking up the trailer:
Getting ready to load on the inclined driveway:
Side Angle:
Removed wheel chocks and tie down ratchet (remember ratchet doesn't need to be removed just slide it over):
On the trailer:
Straps and wood braces in place:
Start of the journey:
After 1000 miles
Close up of tape after 1000 miles (not much on there
):
http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/673081-Another-Towing-Viper-Uhaul-Thread-Question
I decided to follow up for all those considering towing the car. I decided after speaking with a good friend on the forums here to have a company haul it for me, but after a few cancellations due to bigger customers I decided to go the Uhaul route once again. I wanted to follow-up with this thread to help anyone who might be in a similar situation. My tow vehicle was a V6 Porsche Cayenne which is rated for 7700# but really didn't want to push that, plus I don't know of anyone that rents an enclosed trailer anyway. Since I didn't have room for a trailer renting was the only way to go. I read a few threads of guys who did it and it was a help so here is my tweaks/advice after doing 1000 miles on the Uhaul.
First the other threads are correct, I had 2" on either side of the exahust and that is with the widest (7500lbs) trailer Uhaul offers. So the hardest part is getting the car spot on in the center, use a helper if you can (although my person was not the best so I was constantly getting out of the car myself). You will need to remove the front chocks like others have said, but I found you do not have to remove the strap buckles like others have said, you just need to scoot them to the side and the facia will clear. Once on the trailer I put wood between the tires and side of the trailer as extra insurance the car won't move. Then I used 2-3500lb tie downs and secured the back. The front tire straps on the trailer work just fine for the car. I did not re-install the wheel chocks as I feel with the tie downs and the 2" lip or so it would be fine and it was, but you can if you want. The biggest problem for me came in "wrapping" the car. I followed a guys advice on using the stretch wrap at Home Depot but found it to be a COLOSSAL PITA! After 2 failed attempts I decided to chuck it in the garbage. I don't know how that guy got it to work
I opted then for 3" wide blue painters tape on the front/hood/window/mirrors which worked perfect, so this is my advice to use. My car is stock height and I didn't have a clearance problem using a short wood ramp on the existing trailer ramps, although when I loaded it I used a driveway and had much more room then unloading (we measured at one point on the unload and I had maybe 1/16th of an inch The car towed fantastic and never moved which is great b/c there is not much room for error here. My thoughts are the Uhaul trailers are very well built (I believe the heaviest open trailers there are like this at 2200lbs. empty) and work perfectly when you need to transport your car yourself but don't want to own a trailer. Anyway here are some pics from the journey:
Picking up the trailer:
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Getting ready to load on the inclined driveway:
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Side Angle:
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Removed wheel chocks and tie down ratchet (remember ratchet doesn't need to be removed just slide it over):
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You must be registered for see images
On the trailer:
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Straps and wood braces in place:
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You must be registered for see images
Start of the journey:
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After 1000 miles
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Close up of tape after 1000 miles (not much on there
):
You must be registered for see images
