Towing a vehicle - opinions

Wandering Sagebrush

Wandering Sagebrush

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I'd like to tow my Ford Ranger behind the F350 and camper. I've got two options, either towing flat, or towing a flatbed with the Ranger on the trailer. The initial cost is roughly the same, with the tow flat slightly higher. I'm leaning towards the flatbed as it means less wear on the Ranger, and I can use the trailer for hauling other stuff.

Opinions?
 
There is also the dolly option, but be sure of your transmission or transfer case's specifics on towing. I've flat-towed, dolly'd, and car-hauler'd all three of my smaller trucks, and in ages long past flat-towed my fiberglass dune buggy all over So. CA. I think the last flat-tow cost me a damaged transfer case. Just got back from using a car-hauler (U-haul) for a trip where we wanted a tow'd and I didn't have the tow-bar set up yet. It was nice having the added brakes, but the extra 2000 lbs I could have done without.
 
Having done both I can say there'd advantages and disadvantages for both. Trailer saves wear and tear on your vehicle but thats another set of tires and bearings to take care of. Trailer can be a real nice platform especially if the weather turns bad. I've had people set up tents on mine. Its more work getting a vehicle up and down on the trailer. Trailers can be a pain in some campgrounds (ie. where to park it) and god forbid you go down the wrong road and need to turn around.

Trailer brakes are nice but my truck doesn't really need help stopping my Jeep. Need a place to keep the trailer when you're not using it. Hey buddy, mind if I borrow your trailer to help move etc.

Flat towing, gotta make sure the vehicle is setup properly. Before I got rear hubs I'd pull the driveshaft, major pita.
 
I've towed with all 3. My thoughts:

1 - the car trailer is nice and about the easiest tow. Can balance the vehicle to get the right amount of tongue weight, and the best part is you can back up the trailer with just a little skill. Worst part was campgrounds that limit to 2 vehicles and now you have to find a place to park the trailer. And also store it, licence it, and maintain it at home. Can put a lot of other stuff on the trailer (BBQ grill comes to mind)

2 - I bought a used older U-haul dolly from the U-Haul Vehicle Center for $500 to tow my 66 Plymouth Convertible to store at my folks place in Montana while we were in a rental about 15 years ago. Hated that thing. It was a pain to pull the car on and then have to drop the drive shaft. And you couldn't back up with it. Pulled the car back from storage the next year and sold the dolly for $500 and was glad to be rid of it. Also the dolly didn't have brakes - was fine towing with my 99 Ram 2500 but a lighter tow vehicle might not be a good choice without some braking set-up.

3. Currently flat tow my 04 Wrangler Unlimited all over. Jeeps are made to be flat towed and easy procedure to put the t-case in neutral for the tow. Got a tow bar relatively cheap from one of the 4 wheel shops. I also picked up a 'Brake Buddy' from Craigslist for $425. Neat little device that sits on the floor of the driver's side and hits the brakes when the tow vehicle decelerates rapidly. I was skeptical at first but have to say its a handy addition. Takes about 2 minutes to set up. Does my Ram 3500 w/ exhaust brake really need brakes on the towed vehicle? Maybe/maybe not but it makes a difference I can feel as a driver and, in Nevada at least, its the law. Worth a few bucks in my mind (I've spent > $425 on worse things).

Maybe try the U-haul trailer option and see if you like it before you invest?
 
Agree with most all comments. I have trailered and flat towed. I currently flat tow my Cherokee. Have a readybrute towbar with readybrake that brakes Jeep on deceleration. Nice to just pull up where ever, unhook and be done. The trailer always seemed to be an issue. NOTE if you flat tow have your towbar as parallel as possible for better braking safety and such. You may need a riser or drop on hitch.
 
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