Square body being towed

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iceman01

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Moving about 900 miles away what’s best way to tow my 76 k10
 

oldretiredafguy

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On a trailer. Too valuable to flat tow, IMHO.

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iceman01

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Just put in a new 383 and don’t really want to drive it that far . So yes that’s what I’m thinking
 

SirRobyn0

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@iceman01 I mean there really aren't a lot of options. Have it shipped, put it on a trailer and tow it yourself, or possibly using a tow bar. But a tow bar is going to require you mounting the mounting plates somewhere on the front of your K10. Probably something like remove the front bumper so you can mount the tow bar to the frame. It's a good option for a small car like in the case of something being towed behind an RV, but a heavy truck would suck to tow bar and might not even be safe as it may push the tow vehicle around.

So that's my train of thought.

But really what I'd want to do is to get the truck up to snuff and drive it. What a fun to drive an old square 900 miles. Invest in AAA, or better world club membership. In a worst case scenario you'd arrive at your destination driving a U-haul truck with your K10 on a trailer behind it. In a best case scenario you'd make some good memories in the cab of your K10.
 

BearKing

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What do you guys think of using a car dolly and disconnecting the rear driveshaft to tow it by only using the front wheels on the dolly? I think I have to do this to get my 86 3+3 4X4 Dually home next weekend. I hope the dolly is wide enough to put a Dually front end on. My car trailer won’t be big enough for the 3+3 Dually. I have hauled a 3+3 SRW but not a Dually. What say you guys?
 

Soundmound

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I'm supposed to pickup a uhaul trailer this weekend to drag my rig to SirRobyn0 Monday. Full car trailer though not the dolly. My rig is an 84 short wide pulled by an 02 silverado 4.8 4x4, I'll let you know how it goes.
 

SirRobyn0

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What do you guys think of using a car dolly and disconnecting the rear driveshaft to tow it by only using the front wheels on the dolly? I think I have to do this to get my 86 3+3 4X4 Dually home next weekend. I hope the dolly is wide enough to put a Dually front end on. My car trailer won’t be big enough for the 3+3 Dually. I have hauled a 3+3 SRW but not a Dually. What say you guys?
I think it depends on how far you have to go. At one time I had logged thousands of uneventful miles with a minivan on tow dolly behind our motorhome. I once towed my Dodge P/U on a tow dolly about 200 miles, on the freeway, behind the same motorhome. The tow dolly was under braked for the heavy pickup and it wanted to sway at 65. The RV's rear end was to heavy for it to actually sway but I could feel it push it right and left, so I pretty much stuck to 55MPH. For that reason I'd rather have a large heavy truck on a trailer, but if I owned the dolly (still have it actually) yes I would dolly it, with the front on the dolly, I'd just use a lot of extra caution. If your not getting on the freeway that would be better, but. IDK do you have much experience with a dolly? I'd feel better about it if you do.

I'm supposed to pickup a uhaul trailer this weekend to drag my rig to SirRobyn0 Monday. Full car trailer though not the dolly. My rig is an 84 short wide pulled by an 02 silverado 4.8 4x4, I'll let you know how it goes.
Ya, and he has a two lane mountain pass to pull. Should be a good test route.
 

75gmck25

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If you have an NP203, the GM instructions for my truck show you can just put the transfer case in neutral and tow it with 4 wheels down. However, I tried it once with my Ford Expedition and it really made me uncomfortable. Towing nearly 5000 lbs with no brakes on the towed vehicle seems like a bad idea if I had to do any quick braking.

I also checked into using a trailer from Uhaul, but that quickly got complicated. They don’t have the squarebody truck length and weight in their database, so it’s up to the local guy to determine if it fits on the trailer. Also, the combination of truck and trailer puts it over the typical 5000 weight for a class 3 hitch.
 

Big Chip

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What do you guys think of using a car dolly and disconnecting the rear driveshaft to tow it by only using the front wheels on the dolly? I think I have to do this to get my 86 3+3 4X4 Dually home next weekend. I hope the dolly is wide enough to put a Dually front end on. My car trailer won’t be big enough for the 3+3 Dually. I have hauled a 3+3 SRW but not a Dually. What say you guys?
You could take the outside dual off to fit it on the trailer in the rear I believe. I thought the track width was the same or similar for single vs dually, it's jut the hub that sticks out on the dually?
 

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Not all states are ok with tow dollies, ran into an issue in either NY or NJ or both many years ago.
 

SirRobyn0

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If you have an NP203, the GM instructions for my truck show you can just put the transfer case in neutral and tow it with 4 wheels down. However, I tried it once with my Ford Expedition and it really made me uncomfortable. Towing nearly 5000 lbs with no brakes on the towed vehicle seems like a bad idea if I had to do any quick braking.

I also checked into using a trailer from Uhaul, but that quickly got complicated. They don’t have the squarebody truck length and weight in their database, so it’s up to the local guy to determine if it fits on the trailer. Also, the combination of truck and trailer puts it over the typical 5000 weight for a class 3 hitch.
@BearKing I did not specifically say this, but I would not even consider this unless the dolly has working brakes. And even if it does you'll likely find that it's not as much brake as you'd like given the weight of the truck.
Not all states are ok with tow dollies, ran into an issue in either NY or NJ or both many years ago.
Did not know, that was a problem.
 

Radiohead

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Having personally moved 4 different squares on both methods, trailer wins hands down. You can dolly it for shorter trips usually without complications but the trailer makes it an easier time overall. With trailering, the drivelines can stay attached so less monkey business.
With U-Haul, get the biggest trailer and tell them it's for a mustang or something. Some associates will get squirelly since your K10 won't It be on the approved list. It will be tight with the lwb truck, but doable. Use proper judgment and you're good to go. Roll safe.
 

SirRobyn0

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Having personally moved 4 different squares on both methods, trailer wins hands down. You can dolly it for shorter trips usually without complications but the trailer makes it an easier time overall. With trailering, the drivelines can stay attached so less monkey business.
With U-Haul, get the biggest trailer and tell them it's for a mustang or something. Some associates will get squirelly since your K10 won't It be on the approved list. It will be tight with the lwb truck, but doable. Use proper judgment and you're good to go. Roll safe.
I've done some chit with U-haul trailers I wasn't suppose to either but do keep in mind, if they find out you'll get in trouble. Even something as simple as a flat on the trailer, the company could fine you and ban you from future rentals. My biggest U-haul sins have been renting trailers with one vehicle and towing it with another, which could also get a guy in trouble, so I get it. Just understand it's not risk free.
 

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I took the govenor off to move my sister to Atlanta. lol the motor went on the beltway. I put the govenor back on while they were bringing another truck. was this a sin? asking for a friend
Eeric
 

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