I have a stock LJ that I'm starting on, I plan on taking it a few hundred miles to use. Seems the cost to set it up for flat towing is about the cost of a nice trailer to tow it on. Any thoughts on this?
Flat tow or trailer?
- Thread starter CaliSteve
- Start date
I tow my Jeep on a trailer. If I go to Moab or where ever and happen to break something (gears axle etc) I can get it home.
BendLarry
TJ Addict
I can said that even when I'm building mine thinking that I want to be able to drive it any where. We hit the build point where we start to look for the right tow vehicle.
Thinking like @lowranger , Trailer will be more efficient way, been more important bring the Jeep back home in case of a breakdown.
Thinking like @lowranger , Trailer will be more efficient way, been more important bring the Jeep back home in case of a breakdown.
Have to agree, plus might need it for other uses. Got "featherlite" on the mind but budget also.
no way will it cost you the same plus the trailer has maintenance this comes from experience as i have owned a car trailer for the past 20 yrs. each has its own pros and cons.
I'd love to have a car hauler trailer, but first I'll need a tow rig that can handle the additional load and a place to store both it and the trailer.
Until then I will be paying paying $56 extra each year for a "premier" AAA membership ($119 vs. $56) so that AAA can flatbed my jeep from the trail head up to 200 miles to the "repair facility of my choice" or home (one 200 mile tow or three 100 mile tows per year). If I'm farther away than that, another alternative usually less expensive than a commercial tow or flatbed is to rent the smallest U-Haul box truck with a U-Haul car hauler trailer for the one way trip home.
My rationale is that I can pay for many years of AAA membership upgrades and several U-Haul long distance truck and trailer combos for less than the price of a trailer, not to mention the price of the tow rig.
Until then I will be paying paying $56 extra each year for a "premier" AAA membership ($119 vs. $56) so that AAA can flatbed my jeep from the trail head up to 200 miles to the "repair facility of my choice" or home (one 200 mile tow or three 100 mile tows per year). If I'm farther away than that, another alternative usually less expensive than a commercial tow or flatbed is to rent the smallest U-Haul box truck with a U-Haul car hauler trailer for the one way trip home.
My rationale is that I can pay for many years of AAA membership upgrades and several U-Haul long distance truck and trailer combos for less than the price of a trailer, not to mention the price of the tow rig.
I set mine up for flat towing (behind my F-250 diesel) for a couple hundred dollars so I'm not sure where you are getting your costs comparisons.
Depends on the quality of the equipment, and if you want to be 50 state legal to flat tow. A good adjustable tow bar and mounts could run you up to $1000. $75 to get lights on the toad, and another $1000 for supplemental brake system such as a brake buddy. Can you do it cheaper? Sure you can, but how much does a trailer cost?
I paid $1,300 for my 16 foot flat bed car (Jeep) trailer and pay $10 for every 5 years to register it.
Have researching trailers in the 3 to 4 k range, those are new, pre-owned nice condition about 2500
Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Added weight, but you have the advantage of trailer brakes.
If I could find a trailer even close to that price I would snag it up, but no luck so far.
Keep hunting for the right trailer. I have a buddy how flat tows behind his RV, when he gets there he usually doesn't wheel that day because of the time it takes to get all the tow bar parts off and reinstall drive shafts.
I remove chains and roll off the deck.
Same for when he goes home, I pull on the deck, chain down and in 10-15min I'm good to go. He has usually an hour + of screwing around.
Here's my setup, the trailer is overkill but it came with the truck.
The ability to not worry about what's broken on the way home is excellent for peace of mind. Also consider, all the wair and tear still happens if you flat tow. So wheel bearings, axle bearings, tires. The only thing you save on is the engine and trans... The two most reliable parts of a jeep.
—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
I remove chains and roll off the deck.
Same for when he goes home, I pull on the deck, chain down and in 10-15min I'm good to go. He has usually an hour + of screwing around.
Here's my setup, the trailer is overkill but it came with the truck.
The ability to not worry about what's broken on the way home is excellent for peace of mind. Also consider, all the wair and tear still happens if you flat tow. So wheel bearings, axle bearings, tires. The only thing you save on is the engine and trans... The two most reliable parts of a jeep.
—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
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