X-country with Uhaul. Yea...I'm insane!
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'05 Outback 2.5i - 5-Spd Manual (Now with a new Family)
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Have a Safe Trip, look forward to your updates!
P.S. -- You Should open a few "place holder' replies, so you can keep the updates near the top!
P.S. -- You Should open a few "place holder' replies, so you can keep the updates near the top!
Have a safe trip, let us know about your towing experience! Also, do you know how much weight you have in the trailer?
What route are you taking?
Keep an eye on those tires.
Keep an eye on those tires.
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Best of luck SeaBass you have big brass shinny one's man! Those 6X12's suck LOL
Post your weights when you can very curious how you managed that and balanced the load to keep the tongue weight in the happy zone for the car. As mentioned keep an eye on the rear tires - check for heat on the rears though don't burn your hands! I had a buddy grab the freaking hub on a trailer we were towing during a stop and burnt the crap out of his hand. I always if worried touch those with the back of a finger so if it is super hot at least I don't burn the side of my finger that gets used.
Post your weights when you can very curious how you managed that and balanced the load to keep the tongue weight in the happy zone for the car. As mentioned keep an eye on the rear tires - check for heat on the rears though don't burn your hands! I had a buddy grab the freaking hub on a trailer we were towing during a stop and burnt the crap out of his hand. I always if worried touch those with the back of a finger so if it is super hot at least I don't burn the side of my finger that gets used.
I towed that trailer completely loaded with a canoe on the top from atlanta to new orleans in a 95 nissan hardbody. 134 horses and inexperience gave me some sphincter exercising moments. Watch your tongue weight!
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91 4runner with the 3l V6 was the 3rd towing experience with that heavy ass 6x12. Was not fun at all. Prior to that it was with a F250 not a big deal with that rig. Recent 6X12 was two trips with my 93 Land Cruiser or crusher/ tank with a very full load both times and again it sucked big time. The trailer in general is crazy heavy to start with.
Take it easy Sea Bass and yes report back fingers and toes crossed for ya. I don't envy you at all.
So just a quick update...my coolant temps havent gone over 200f and atf temps are hovering around 80c. The car is doing very well except that the brakes get very hot and start to smell very easily. I balanced my tongue weight by saving some heavy stuff for last and loading it at the very back. I also had the back aligned with 400lbs in back and had them give me a little toe out to compensate.
The only issue is that anything over 60mph makes the trailer sway like crazy so Im stuck at 55 mph.
The only issue is that anything over 60mph makes the trailer sway like crazy so Im stuck at 55 mph.
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The 6x12 has a pressure activated brake system on the trailer. You might take a look see if everything looks proper - brake fluid etc its all on the trailer tongue.
The heavy gear in the back will give you the sway factor. Not sure if you can easily adjust your packing but - shifting it forward just a little will make a sizeable difference. As long as your not pushing the weight to the front wheels of the trailer it shouldn't impact your tongue weight too much given most of it will be sitting on the two axles.
Yeah as far as sway goes, ideally you'd have the heavy things distributed over the trailer axles, rather than having some things at the far back to offset the weight at the front.
This may not have been an option, just sayin'
This may not have been an option, just sayin'
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Suggest you cure the sway problem before getting on wet / slippery roads. As others have said, moving the heavy items a bit forward on the trailer to increase the tongue weight a bit should alleviate the sway. However, you'll have to walk the fine line of higher tongue weight to avoid sway v. lower tongue weight per the capacity of the Subie and prevention of ghostwalking. Have you weighed the trailer and tongue weight to make sure this trip makes sense?
From the looks of things, it may make more sense to load the cargo in a rental truck and tow the car on a trailer. That option will be more expensive in the short run, but is likely safer, cheaper in the long run, and avoids undue wear / damage to your Subie. Remember, there are some big mountains ahead.
From the looks of things, it may make more sense to load the cargo in a rental truck and tow the car on a trailer. That option will be more expensive in the short run, but is likely safer, cheaper in the long run, and avoids undue wear / damage to your Subie. Remember, there are some big mountains ahead.
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Lex Seabass did quite a bit of pre work and bounced a bunch of stuff off several folks who to a bunch of towing. He knows he's at the edge and the take a larger truck idea was shot down. So making the best of the situation. As long as he keeps the speed out of the sway zone its not a big concern. The 6x12's tow like crap to start with. LOL
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With the double axle trailers the packed weight doesn't exactly pivot front to back the front axle will take up some of the load. If he had a single axle trailer yes as you move the weight forward your tongue weight would see some large changes right away. Two axle rig is more forgiving and is less likely to sway with a out of balance weight distribution.
Pretty sure he could shift weight in the back forward some like a foot or so not going past the center between the two axles and he would see very little change in the tongue weight and if he did he could move some lighter stuff back a little and that would still improve the sway factor some.
Pretty sure he could shift weight in the back forward some like a foot or so not going past the center between the two axles and he would see very little change in the tongue weight and if he did he could move some lighter stuff back a little and that would still improve the sway factor some.
Sorry for the lack of updates. The suby is doing great! The sway is only a problem over 60, so I'm just staying at 55. It feels very safe at that speed. I also lucked out with weather so far. I'm sticking to the south, so no icy conditions and no snow at the moment. It will likely rain the entire length of the pacific coast highway though.
As for the car, the only undue strain on it is if I leave it in 5th going up steep grades. Downshifting gets rid of the heat issue by locking up the torque converter in higher rpm. My tires are also not showing any additional signs of wear in back despite the back suspension being a couple of inches lower. I havent weighed the trailer, but its not too heavily loaded. A few very hard stops have helped free up the trailer brakes. I decided against the truck because I have 2 children that need car seats.
Im currently in Jackson MS and heading to Dallas today. Thanks for the support!
As for the car, the only undue strain on it is if I leave it in 5th going up steep grades. Downshifting gets rid of the heat issue by locking up the torque converter in higher rpm. My tires are also not showing any additional signs of wear in back despite the back suspension being a couple of inches lower. I havent weighed the trailer, but its not too heavily loaded. A few very hard stops have helped free up the trailer brakes. I decided against the truck because I have 2 children that need car seats.
Im currently in Jackson MS and heading to Dallas today. Thanks for the support!
I'd like to know what this costs in the end, including wear and tear on the car if that could be calculated.
Seems like a better way is to rent a truck and a tow trailer, and fly the wife and kids out.
When I moved from Florida to Cincinnati (I suppose right here is where you know I'm nuts!), I bought a used U-Haul 26' truck and rented a tow trailer for the move. I paid about $3600 for the truck, and after I moved I sold it for $3800, so it was kind of like moving for free.
Maybe a risk to buy and own a big truck like that, but I checked it over carefully and selected what I thought was the best one for sale at U-Haul out of about twelve available. They have all the records of when the engine/transmission/rear end, etc. were replaced. I figured it had to have another twelve hundred miles left in it, and it didn't let me down.
No rental time limits on doing it this way, so I could load the truck and drive at whatever pace was comfortable. I also used the truck for storage in Cincinnati until we decided on a house to rent.
Seems like a better way is to rent a truck and a tow trailer, and fly the wife and kids out.
When I moved from Florida to Cincinnati (I suppose right here is where you know I'm nuts!), I bought a used U-Haul 26' truck and rented a tow trailer for the move. I paid about $3600 for the truck, and after I moved I sold it for $3800, so it was kind of like moving for free.
Maybe a risk to buy and own a big truck like that, but I checked it over carefully and selected what I thought was the best one for sale at U-Haul out of about twelve available. They have all the records of when the engine/transmission/rear end, etc. were replaced. I figured it had to have another twelve hundred miles left in it, and it didn't let me down.
No rental time limits on doing it this way, so I could load the truck and drive at whatever pace was comfortable. I also used the truck for storage in Cincinnati until we decided on a house to rent.
That would be a good alternative. I was unable to rent a uhaul truck for under $2k. Then there is the issue with gas and towing the car and plane flights.
My biggest concern is the transmission. I hit the brakes when I downshift to preserve the clutches for engine breaking. I also downshift when climbing since 5th gear keeps the TC at stall speed for way too long. On the highway this doesnt stress anything other than tires suspension and brakes. Ill figure exact costs if you're interested, but I dont count tires or brakes since Im ready to replace them anyway.
My biggest concern is the transmission. I hit the brakes when I downshift to preserve the clutches for engine breaking. I also downshift when climbing since 5th gear keeps the TC at stall speed for way too long. On the highway this doesnt stress anything other than tires suspension and brakes. Ill figure exact costs if you're interested, but I dont count tires or brakes since Im ready to replace them anyway.
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