Flat towing vs trailer

[Matt Cramer]

I've been pondering towing the Dart if the turbo build turns out to be a bit un-streetable, although it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up at least as good a street vehicle as my C10 currently is. But in case it doesn't, I have been wondering whether it would make sense to flat tow it with a tow bar, or use a trailer. The Dart will probably have a final weight of around 3,000 lbs. I can see several advantages to flat towing:

Much less weight being pulled around.
Less affected by crosswinds.
Lower cost.
Less drag should make for better towing mileage.

The disadvantages I can think of:

No trailer brakes - but the lack of weight could offset that.
I'd have to remove the driveshaft (automatic transmission) to tow.
If something in the suspension breaks instead of the drivetrain, it would need a trailer anyway.

Is there something I'm missing? I don't see many racers flat towing their cars, so there may be something I've overlooked here.

[STINEY]

Rock chips.

Some cars track like crap. Some track just dandy. All are a royal pain to back up, its darn near impossible, pretty much you just end up shoving the front tires sideways.

Good trailer brakes are a dream to stop. My setup stops FAR better with the trailer loaded and hitched, than with the tow vehicle alone.

Ever consider using a full-floating rear axle? Then you can just leave the driveshaft and pull the hubs, letting the rear wheels free-wheel.

[Beagle]

Downside of a trailer - 4 more tires / bearings / brakes / tags / storage space / deck replacement eventually
Upside of a trailer - once you have one that is set up right, you'll never want to flat tow again (imho).

[squirrel]

It better run sixes if you're gonna tow it....

[milner351]

if you're towing a long distance - I wouldn't want to put all those extra miles on "race tires"

i've never flat towed, I've had my share of troubles with trailers (lights - grounds mostly, blown tires...)

Trailers do eat a fair amount of storage space if that's an issue.

[quick 52]

Have a friend that uses a car dolly for the track and took it to Florida once

[TheSilverBuick]

I've contemplated this before. I'm still considering how I would bolt a tow bar to the front of the Skylark so in the event I toast the engine I don't have to rent/borrow a trailer. Interestingly enough the barn came with three or four tow bars like you would clip to the front of a jeep.... I would only flat tow it for semi-emergency reasons though, not regularly.

I don't know what transmission you are using, but aren't there some Mopar transmissions out there with a rear pump so you wouldn't have to pull the driveshaft? (and I agree with Squirrel ) )

[squirrel]

Rear pumps were common in automatic transmissions in the 50s, by the mid 60s they were gone. And those early transmissions are usually not ones that work well in a car that is unstreetable.

[SpiderGearsMan]

Flatbed

[Russell]

Drive it to the track if you break it cal AAA

[TheSilverBuick]

Rear pumps were common in automatic transmissions in the 50s, by the mid 60s they were gone. And those early transmissions are usually not ones that work well in a car that is unstreetable.

Clears that up =P Was worth a thought I suppose.

[Beagle]

Uhaul trailers pull really nice.

[Russell]

I disagree they are very heavy, and they can be very picky about the size of your tow truck.

[MR P-BODY]

Myself.. I would never flat tow it... I use to drive to the track years
ago till I broke a axle... the next week I built a trailer.... just tooo
much wear and tear on your hot rod to be flat towing

[yellomalibu]

I went from driving my car to the track to getting an open trailer. I raced every weekend and I got tired of driving to the track, changing my tires, racing, changing tires again, then driving home... but changing tires in the rain Sucks. The rain-outs were the deciding factor.
Sure, tying a car down to the trailer in the rain isn't much fun either, but I only had to do that a couple times. Usually, I would either beat the rain to the trailer or wait for it to stop or lul.

...the next step in the evolution would be to get an enclosed trailer, but to me, that requires more than a half-ton truck.