How unsafe is it for a Brat to tow another Brat?

[lepetitprince]

Just like the title. I'm planing to tow a Brat with my Brat using a dolly from Oregon to back to Washington, and I was wondering how unsafe is it to do this.

Thanks

Dan.

[GeneralDisorder]

I've towed cars a few miles, but nothing like the 200 miles you'll be going. My Brat is in great mechanical condition and I wouldn't do it, and I'm usually up for anything. Get a real tow vehicle.... rent a truck perhaps. Towing with a Brat is no different than towing with a wagon.... you can tow small stuff, but a whole car on a dolly with cargo is stretching it a bit. Especially with your Brat being in questionable mechanical condition, and you haveing virtually none of the mechnanical knowledge to fix something should you break down. Couple that with a tow rig that couldn't possibly do 70 MPH safely with another Brat in tow, and you have the makings of a very dangerous trip. Going slower than the speed limit is statistically just as dangerous as speeding. Do the rest of us a favor and don't attempt something this stupid.

 

GD

[baccaruda]

*someone needs to switch to decaf*

 

 

i vote no, this will be making your brat's entire driveline work twice as hard as it's used to. it would be asking for your trans to melt or seize or a head gasket to blow. probably the HG.

good luck with whatever though.

[GeneralDisorder]

Yeah - I towed a '65 Ford 3/4 ton a few hundred yards the other day, and my temp was rising FAST. Got the job done, but it wasn't something I would do long distance....

 

GD

[lepetitprince]

I've towed cars a few miles, but nothing like the 200 miles you'll be going. My Brat is in great mechanical condition and I wouldn't do it, and I'm usually up for anything. Get a real tow vehicle.... rent a truck perhaps. Towing with a Brat is no different than towing with a wagon.... you can tow small stuff, but a whole car on a dolly with cargo is stretching it a bit. Especially with your Brat being in questionable mechanical condition, and you haveing virtually none of the mechnanical knowledge to fix something should you break down. Couple that with a tow rig that couldn't possibly do 70 MPH safely with another Brat in tow, and you have the makings of a very dangerous trip. Going slower than the speed limit is statistically just as dangerous as speeding. Do the rest of us a favor and don't attempt something this stupid.

 

GD

I'm thankful for your advice but I find myself little offended by some of your comments. I wasn't going to say this but I guess I'm. This is not your first time saying I do not have any knowledges on cars. I know that, that is why I keep on asking stupid questions on the board to learn about cars everyday. I know you are very experinced with cars but that doesn't give you right to stand above someone and tell them they are stupid because they don't know much about cars. I'm trying very hard everyday to learn slowly about cars. I know you have been in my place before and I hope you understand how I feel. You may not thinks it is anything personal, but I hope you understand other people's point of view. This is not an attack to a senior board member. I know I recently joined this board, but I think I have a right to defend myself as a human being. I'm 6 years younger than you and I ask you with all the respect that you too give me some respect. We don't know each other, and you only know of me by talking to my friends. I hope that we get to know eachother better, and I wish you could give me more advice in future (I'm not being sarcastic.)

Thank you

Dan

[lepetitprince]

With such tight budget, Carfreak85 and I couldn't come up with better ideas than to use my brat to tow another. I know we have enough money to pay for the cars(in Oregon) and pay for a dolly but I'm not sure if I could rent a truck too. That is additional $200 to the total spending. Since we have to make 2 trips down to Oregon and back to Washington, that is $400 total. Carfreak is getting paid this weekend, but the owner of the cars wants the car gone before this weekend. Hopefully some of my friends will have truck with a trailer hitch.

Thanks

Dan

Don't worry I won'tto such a thing. It was such a thought.

[GeneralDisorder]

No offense intended, or taken.

 

For the record - I never said you were "stupid" - you are twisting my words. I said you have none of the knowledge needed to fix something should you break down. Knowledge is by no means a measure of intelligence now is it? Knowledge implies experience - which you do not have much of - you stated so yourself....

 

The "act" of towing a Brat with a Brat is "stupid", but asking the question "can it be done" is not. Again - knowledge that you didn't have. That's a heck of a lot smarter than just attempting it without asking anyway.....

 

I wasn't attacking you, I was simply stating the harsh reality of the situation. Don't mistake my honesty for an attack. I'm sure you are a very nice guy, and you have the best intentions, but when you are considering taking a chance like this, you need to consider all the elements to the equation. Are you confident in the reliablity of your Brat for a 200 mile trip there, and a another 200 mile trip back towing an ungodly amount of weight? And should it break down are you confident of your ability to fix the vehicle - do you have the tools, and any nessecary spare parts you may need on hand? When I came to pick up that 82, I had everything I would need to fix most any situation that might occur. Not only did I have all the tools and a butt load of extra parts, but I also brought along a proven daily driver, and a friend to cover any unforseen possibilities. We also both have working cell phones, and good AAA memberships.

 

It is irresponsible of you to commit to such a journey without covering as many of your bases as you can. Relying on others to bail you out is not fun for you or them. I wish you luck in your endevour, and most likely nothing will happen.

 

GD

[edrach]

Hooray for AAA. With their Plus package I know that I only have to get within 100 miles of where I want to go. After that if I have trouble, it's just a wait for the tow truck to get me where I want to go. Sorry for the plug, but the cost of AAA Plus is well worth it.

[mcbrat]

if it's perfectly straight and flat ( yeah right! ) and you had a towbar to flat tow it, you could do it. (with a sharp eye on the temp guage....)

 

ShawnW towed a ea81T wagon with a '90 Legacy for well over 200 miles (Rapid City, SD to Spencer, IA) I can't get to mapquest or I'd give you a better number), but he had more power, and it was essentially a straight shot with no hills, and he was flat towing the wagon.

 

if the towee is the same weight as the tow-er, it makes turning corners very interesting. I took a corner too fast one, towing a brat behind my 82 wagon (flat tow again with all 4 wheels down) and the momentum of the brat behind me as I made the turn, literally shoved the rear end of my car about 5 feet sideways into the oncoming lane. luckily there wasn't anybody there at the time.

 

flat towing let's the towed vehicle use it's own suspension, and provides for a really smooth tow. a tow dolly will have a little bit of suspension on it if at all, and provides for a very rough tow experience. the roughness of it will jerk the light subaru around quite a bit

[Dolph]

I tried this once a few years ago and it almost ended very badly. Towing a vehicle that is as heavy as the one you are towing with is unsafe at best. I was only doing about 5 miles per hour and took a turn on a patch of loose gravel going down a very slight hill. The Brat I was towing wanted to keep going straight and I started to jack knife. Luckily I managed to avoid total disaster and pulled out of the turn OK but that was as far as I'd go. I ended up leaving the Brat and coming back for it with a Ford Ranger.

[Craven]

To bad I live Michigan. I'd let you use my truck, a F250 Ford Diesel. You could hook the two cars togeather and pull them both, make a little train. I don't know if it's legal, probable not, but it would do it and not break a sweat.

But seriously you could find some towing company with a rollback and a towbar or tailer to pull both at the same time. Or a truck with a two place trailer.

Towing with a vehicle not made to tow, is not a good or fun thing to do. Dangerous YES, unsafe YES, good idea NO.

[iluvdrt]

I towed a wagon with my wagon for about 50 miles on a car dolly. I didnt have any problems, other than the paranoia that the class 1 tow hitch was going to break off.

[spanky_pete]

You could rent medium to small sized Uhaul truck to tow the dolly with. That way if it breaks down you aren't out anything, plus you can carry spare parts and tools in the back of it just in case. They really don't cost much to rent, as often as I move I use them a lot.

 

Or better yet, you can cut 100 miles off of your trip and tow it to my house.

[BlueSoob]

With such tight budget, Carfreak85 and I couldn't come up with better ideas than to use my brat to tow another. I know we have enough money to pay for the cars(in Oregon) and pay for a dolly but I'm not sure if I could rent a truck too. That is additional $200 to the total spending. Since we have to make 2 trips down to Oregon and back to Washington, that is $400 total. Carfreak is getting paid this weekend, but the owner of the cars wants the car gone before this weekend. Hopefully some of my friends will have truck with a trailer hitch.

Thanks

Dan

Don't worry I won'tto such a thing. It was such a thought.

Ya know.. We're seriously considering heading to portland in the next week here... if I can grab ahold of a cheap GL down there... (Since the Exploder exploded) ... and we were gonna take the truck to haul parts.. but if there are like 2-3 of us going, we could always use the F150 if you're willing to toss a few $ into the gas tank... its really on the way anyhow....

Good bonding time... Keep me posted and I'll keep ya updated

[archemitis]

*unnecessary data removed*

 

the motor that was in my hatch for a few thousand miles, was out of an 89 4x wagon. before i bought the wagon, the previous owner towed a hatch 400 miles, through wisconsin, and the midwest, not the flattest terrain, but not too many hills. and that motor had 200k on it.

 

subarus are tough, i have punished several, and have been pleasantly surprised, how well they stand up to it.

[Humble Nuto 53]

arch is right...

 

88 wagon towed 88 hatchback from newlondon, wisc to stainpaul, mn

of course i didnt hit the road till after one am (less traffic) had been awake

roughly 20 hours when i left....

 

there is certainly a lack of power but i did manage to stay ahead of the diesel

trucks on the uphills flooring it

 

 

bear in mind a few things:

ive been wrenching (and wretching) for over 30 years....

towed hundreds on the tow truck, tow dolly and the miserable tow-bar..

(try pulling a f-250 with a 78 rabbit hahahahahah talk about back seat driver)

 

make sure your tyres are up to pressure, specially in the rear, maybe over 5 pounds.....

anything you tow will tend to push your rear end out in corners, can get spooky, and could get you deep in trouble. truckers call it "jackknife"....

only way out is power, and in a sube, at speed, well... be prepared

 

 

brake waaaay early, give your brakes a chance.... nothing worse than feeling

that pedal scootch to the floor during a panic stop (the brakes get so hot that the brake fluid actually boils in the caliper, steam is compressible)

 

you HAVE to get some kind of tail lights on the tow vehicle, strap down type, magnets dont work, period. need brake lights/turn signals back there.

even if you have em on your tow dolly, its amazing how many people tailgate a trailer or towed vehicle....

disregarding a 2'x4' sign saying VEHICLE IN TOW on the back

 

 

if youre not really really confident in your tool box, your greasy skills, and your tow vehicle find help. nothing worse than being screwed on the road, the "authorities" arent there to help you, they are there to keep you from messing

OTHER people's day

 

 

(another partially useful .02 from the bottom of the barrel)

[MorganM]

*unnecessary data removed*

 

Whats so wrong with the other Brat that it MUST be towed? If you could repair up that other Brat so she is driveable and chance the trip in her and the other Brat under their own power. Instead of towing one that doesnt run and blowing up the one towing leaving you with 2 broken Brats on the side of the road.

 

If it cant get there under it's own power you might rethink how bad it really needs to get there

[Nug]

I towed an Armored Personnel Carrier with a HMMWV. 10000 lb tower, 40000 lb towee.

 

Wide open, low range, 4wd. Top speed 10mph.

 

THAT will push you around a corner!

[iluvdrt]

I towed an Armored Personnel Carrier with a HMMWV. 10000 lb tower, 40000 lb towee.

 

Wide open, low range, 4wd. Top speed 10mph.

 

THAT will push you around a corner!

I am close

 

I tow a ch-53e helicopter(36000lbs apx) with a a/s32a-42 tow tractor(14000lbs), and i have towed with a a/s32a-30a tow tractor(8ooolbs).

 

Like I said, I wold just be worried about the hitch coming off on the brat. Drive cautiously.

[spanky_pete]

Dan,

 

If you want, I can give you my cell # in case you need some roadside assistance while traveling through my area. I'm sure there are others willing to do the same as you pass through theirs. Let me know and good luck.

 

-C

[Qman]

First, by the title I can tell he thinks it might be unsafe. Secondly, it's notalways what is said but how it is said.

 

Dan, for short distances it works but for longer distances it will be rough on the equipment and can be dangerous to you and other drivers. I once towed a Gen1 Brat with my Hatch. Flat tow with a tow bar. The weight was about the same but the Brat being longer was a scary ride. I hit a corner at about 20mph and almost didn't recover. It shoved the rear end out so fast and far that it was tough to bring it back in line. Be very careful with whatever you decide. I, personally, would flat tow anything that far.

 

Ken

[lkindred]

Dan - this is Lynn, Ken's girlfriend - were you the one who was coming down today to get the Brat? If so, what's up?

 

 

 

Just like the title. I'm planing to tow a Brat with my Brat using a dolly from Oregon to back to Washington, and I was wondering how unsafe is it to do this.

Thanks

Dan.

[PHATBRAT]

I guess it all depends on how confident you are in your abilities/knowledge, what route you will be taking etc....

 

Me personally, I would do it however THAT IS ME! I have towed quite a few cars and trailers and such. As for towing a BRAT with a BRAT, as long as you are driving a primarily flat route with very few stops/hills (Highway) and you stay in the right lane with the flashers on in the car being towed. Don't make any sudden turns left or right (you can always turn around) and don't accelerate or brake too quickly you should be alright. Keep the speed down (If you want to save money and tow with your BRAT than you have to accept the fact that you will be going quite slowly and it will take a while). I guess the bottom line is, if your BRAT is in good enough shape to take the trip with a load, you have a good route, and you don't drive like an rump roast and you really take your time, it can be done. However, I do not know you, and I do not know the condition of your BRAT so I will not recommend it.

[subynut]

Personally, I would not recommend it. Towing a viehicle that weighs the same as the tow rig, but the tow rig was not designed to tow is asking for trouble. If it was like, 10 or 15 miles.....maybe, if that was ur last resort. But 200 is out of the question. I recommend 1) try and C if U can get it running enough to drive it back on it's own power. OR 2:) Find a friend with a minimum of a 1/2 ton truck and a trailer. It's safer. For me, spend a little more and get home safely instead of risking an accident or breakdown in the middle of nowere. Subies were not designed to tow. Maybe a utility trailer to get the new sofa home, but not another viehicle.

[PHATBRAT]

BRATs aren't that heavy. But I do agree on the point of towing a vehicle with another vehicle of the same weight/characteristics. What I don't get is how it's ok for 10 or 15 miles but not 200. If you guys are talking safety issues here than 1 mile is the same as 1000.