Am I being a Dumbass?

I towed my empty trailer to santa Clara California back in July to get an old suburban. I too found shipping to be more than I thought I could do it for but was on the fence about the long drive. That was one of the best experiences of my life doing a cross country road trip. The girl friend couldn't do any driving because of the trailer but even with just me driving we made it in just 3 days. We would leave between 7and 8 and stopped just at dark every night. We did stuff along the way to not make it just a hauling mission. She made me stop at every new state to take pictures of the "welcome to xxxx" signs and we took 5 days to come home because we tried to find a lot of the route 66 stops and went further north in Oklahoma than we needed to just to see the sights. Route 66 is almost all gone and the stuff now is more tourist trap/ fake which is sad but worth seeing.
I took a jack and 2 spare trailer tires but didn't need them. Only thing I had happen was a bolt came out on one of the removable fenders some point and I noticed it the day we got there before I picked the 'burb up. I get the Murphy's law cliche but I also am a firm believer that if you go prepared you usually don't end up using anything.
You say you've been out west before so it may not be as amazing as my trip was to me, but we think back on that trip all the time. As far as price goes, I didn't count food because as said you gotta eat anyway, lodging was actually cheaper than if we had went to a destination (it was a vacation week for me) and yeah fuel was the biggest expense but not terrible. We had figured it all up back then but I remember I still came out cheaper than shipping. Plus I was the one responsible for the cargo, and being I bought it based on pictures, that could have been bad if it was damaged in shipping and I couldn't prove it wasn't there.

I say double how you would normally feel comfortable securing it to move it locally and ride. As stated previously, I'd feel better if you could reduce the overhang but it's probably not going to be too terrible. Plenty of lighting and straps!!
Something else to consider, speed limit in the entire state of California if you have any kind of trailer is 55mph. Just the California part of my trip was 8hrs because of this. And they do enforce it.


Edit: for the record, finding the "full house" house was for her :flipoff2:
 

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broncosbybart said:
I visualize the belly sitting in the plywood
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Yes, the belly or subframe of the chassis will sit squarely on my box of pallets.

broncosbybart said:
they look to be too far toward the cab of your truck
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The box can be positioned as needed forward or rearward. It’s not bolted or screwed to anything. It’s just a platform.
 
Experiences are cool but risking safety and causing a pile up on the interstate is not. I wouldn't trust that plywood to do anything. That chassis is going to weigh a fair amount. I'd want to be sure it wouldn't go anywhere. Not wishing bad luck but really think this through. This is coming from a guy who has lost some things along the side of the road. A few have made good stories but most were just the loss of time and money.

And, rather than sitting it on the pallets like a see-saw, I'd build a cradle for it. That's about all I got.
 
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broncosbybart said:
Experiences are cool but risking safety and causing a pile up on the interstate is not. I wouldn't trust that plywood to do anything. That chassis is going to weigh a fair amount. I'd want to be sure it wouldn't go anywhere. Not wishing bad luck but really think this through. This is coming from a guy who has lost some things along the side of the road. A few have made good stories but most were just the loss of time and money.

And, rather than sitting it on the pallets like a see-saw, I'd build a cradle for it. That's about all I got.
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8CE13EC8-E99D-4A66-8D7A-D7138086619A.jpeg


It’s on the internet... has to be true.
 
BigSouth said:
View attachment 284996

It’s on the internet... has to be true.
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Ha. True enough. I'm not worried about the pallets but I do think the majority of the weight will end up on the plywood and tailgate below the pallets- which I don't like at all.

I really like the idea of a steel frame fastened using the bed bolts to support it though
 
I would do the trip in a second.....

But if time permitted I would try to find someone who wanted a trailer moved from out there, back this way. At the very least you could charge gas money, and have something to haul the buggy in.....

Kill two birds with one trailer.......
 
83oldyoda4x4 said:
Id just roll on, but did i miss how much it weighs ? Im a firm believer in the min straps make it the most fun to haul. jk jk
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Don’t have exact specs on weight. I’m betting under 1500 lbs.
 
That chassis will be less than 1200 lbs, likely closer to 1000. My jims garage chassis welded out for paint was only 675.

Frankly, I would build some 'drive over fenders' out of 2x6 in your bed, tailgate down, let the rockers sit on the 2x6, no extension, back it in, flag it, roll on.

@loosecannon ...and I went to central Missouri, through TN, St. Louis, then back through the south in less than 50 hours (2100 miles). 5hrs sleep in the middle. Had a blast. But I'm a sucker for a road trip. Sketchier the better.

@Paul.... no good would come of this but the trail of bullshit left nationwide... unfortunately you can't ride bitch in a dodge crew... that dumbass down pipe hump in the passenger floor board is no good for long legs.... not to mention that sorry excuse for a back seat.

Do your thing Brian, it'll be a fun trip, trouble free or not.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 
My father keeps meticulous records on everything. A few years ago he made two trips to Texas with his motor home. On one trip he towed the car with him. It cost a total of $60 to make the round trip with the car behind the motorhome from West Virginia to Texas and back. I would imagine the total cost of dragging the trailer wouldn't add another $150 to your trip.
 
GotWood said:
My father keeps meticulous records on everything. A few years ago he made two trips to Texas with his motor home. On one trip he towed the car with him. It cost a total of $60 to make the round trip with the car behind the motorhome from West Virginia to Texas and back. I would imagine the total cost of dragging the trailer wouldn't add another $150 to your trip.
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I don’t know what it is, but my truck gets great mpg’s solo (let’s say 19-21), and just average pulling a trailer (13-15). I’d say the delta would be more like $200-300. Not to mention, hauling an empty trailer makes the ride miserable and only slightly less miserable with nothing but a chassis on it.
 
BigSouth said:
I don’t know what it is, but my truck gets great mpg’s solo (let’s say 19-21), and just average pulling a trailer (13-15). I’d say the delta would be more like $200-300. Not to mention, hauling an empty trailer makes the ride miserable and only slightly less miserable with nothing but a chassis on it.
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How about a utility trailer instead of a full car hauler? A 5x10 shouldn't hurt your mileage that much.
 
LBarr2002 said:
How about a utility trailer instead of a full car hauler? A 5x10 shouldn't hurt your mileage that much.
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Yeah, I’ve been considering that route too. I’ve got access through a buddy to a 6x12, but I don’t have any experience with pulling a single axle that far (just around town). Not to mention, it’s been sitting, unmoved, in his yard for about 2 years.
 
mcutler said:
That chassis will be less than 1200 lbs, likely closer to 1000. My jims garage chassis welded out for paint was only 675.
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That’s the kind of info I’ve been looking for. Those numbers make sense, but Google couldn’t confirm anything so I was guessing high.
 
All of the joking aside, call the companies and the dude I posted. You may be surprised how much cheaper you will pay if they can top load the chassis.

Pulling a small single axle trailer that far may be a huge pain. That's a ton of miles on small diameter tires.
 
Yep. Bring fishing rods, camping gear, hiking shoes, and don't forget your GoPro.
By the end of the trip you'll hate yourself for weeks afterwards for not spending more time out there.
 
I say go for it but lose the canoe rack. I would also be looking to get the chassis as low in the truck bed as possible. Get some of those magnetic lights from hf for like $9 and double strap it. Use those fancy Mac tie downs and use others to triangulate it down more. Don’t be afraid to go buy a couple pieces of wood like others have said to build another shorter box. Or turn it upside down.
Look at it like a long road trip/vacation with the bonus or getting a moon buggy halfway.
 
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