I have a buddy coming back from iraq soon. And when he heads back to base in CA he wants to take his Bronco. But it's old and it wouldn't be such a great idea to drive it that far. So I said we could get a trailer, hook it up to my CTD, and take a road trip down. I have never towed before, and I was wondering will my truck pull that with no problems? What size trailer will I need? My truck has the factory hitch with the tow package, and it has the wring for a trailer. So how do I go about this? Thanks for the help.

 

Your truck should not need much. Does it have a brake controller on it? That would be needed for the trailer brakes. Since you have not towed before, go rent a small trailer and go practice, practice, practice. If you can, find an empty parking lot and practice maneuvering with the stripes on the pavement. Also practice backing up. The key here is SLOWLY!!!! When you try to back up, put one hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move it in the direction you want the trailer to go. Again, SLOWLY!!! Hopefully that will make it easier for you and your buddy. BTW, Tell him THANK YOU for doing his "job".
Tom

 

The truck will pull it with no problem. turn your EZ down on one of the lower levels. Go out and buy a brake controller, it will save your brakes. Otherwise just like MnTom said, practice with the trailer. it wont take long and you will be good with it

 

You will need a trailer that is 18 feet long, at least 78 inches between the tires, and have a load rating that will be equal to or greater than the weight of the vehicle and the weight of the trailer.
So if the vehicle weighs 5000 lbs and the trailer weighs 2000 lbs you need a trailer that can handle 7000 lbs.

If possible load the Bronco with the front toward the front of the trailer.
It will pull much better and will not sway as much.

Rich

 

Do you have a trailer or will you be using a U-Haul car hauler?

If using a rental trailer:

-Skip the tow dolly and go for the car hauler.
-You do not need a brake controller, they use surge brakes.
-Give yourself plenty of room to slow down, the surge brakes are more decorative than functional.
-Check the tires on the trailer, all four will be low.
-Check all of the lights before you leave the dealer, at least one will be out.
-Check the tire binders (the nylon webs) before you leave, there is a good chance they were cut by the last guy because he couldn't figure out how to release them.
-Don't ask why I am so certain.

Have fun.

 

Nevada! The company I manage also does Budget truck rentals. You are absolutely correct about the trailers! Unfortunately the dealer is supposed to do an inspection before renting the unit out again but it doesn't always get done. Man, people put those trailers through heck!!

 

Dodgezilla, I am with you man. I think my record is perfect, I have never pulled out of a trailer rental place with the first trailer that was hooked up to my truck. There is always something very wrong with the first one. I am picky. I have never had a problem on the road with the trailers I have been willing to pull out of the rental agency with. I've seen it all, I'm sure that you have as well.

 

Cool, I was just goin to ask about brake controllers. So the're not a big deal then, and I won't need one? I can see what you mean. Slow early and down shift, makes sense. But I have talked to a couple guys that will say I NEED one. I don't own a trailer, I would rent one. I wanted to go with a company that I could rent here in CO, then ditch it in CA when I get there. I will make sure to check the trailer from top/bottom, back/front. Like I said I have the factory tow package, hitch, a plug, and some wires with 4 holes. What kind of trialer would I need? Thanks guys

Ps. I will tell my friend "thank you" MnTom. And let him know that we support him and the other troops.

 

I've never seen a rental trailer with electric over hydraulic brakes...hence no controller is needed. Take your truck over to your rental yard to get set-up. Should require nothing more than a draw bar w/ball of the proper drop and possibly an adapter for the wiring.

I agree..check the trailer over thoroughly when you rent. When you sign on the dotted line you are assuming responsibility for a number of things including tires. You don't want to sign for something that wasn't right when you started. If there is any questionable areas...get it documented on the paperwork BEFORE you sign off.

Have a safe trip and thank your buddy for me/us.

 

You may have a problem renting just a trailer from U-Haul or Budget. With Budget you can not rent the trailer without renting a truck too. Due to liability reasons I've been hearing a lot of stories about U-Haul going the same route and not allowing people to get just the trailer.
Budget has always had that policy and was actually going to change it because they were losing that money but decided it wasn't worth it. I think U-Haul has a set of standards that your tow vehicle must meet before you can pull one of their trailers and a CTD should meet them easily.
You won't have any problems pulling a little flatbed. Just don't forget it's back there....

 

I have rented U-Haul car haulers one way on numerous occasions.

An no, you absolutely do not need a brake controller with a U-Haul trailer.

 

I will be sure to practice! I know some big parking lots. What kind of speeds are we talking? I have an auto, so when pullin hills do I shift down to a lower gear? What about Overdrive? Any tips and tricks? Thanks guys

 

BDR2500
when you load the Bronco Richard had it right about the motor forward for more weight on your truck. You need about 10-15% of Bronco/trailer weight on your truck hitch so you won't have the tail waggin' the dog. When you get it loaded make a short drive on a street that you can drive about 40-45 MPH and watch the back of the trailer for excess swawing or tail waggin'. You can move the steering wheel back and forth just enough to see how back of trailer reacts. Keep your speed under 55-60 MPH on Interstates until you get the feel of your rig such as makin' sudden lane changes and how quick the rig will stop in an emergency.
Looks like with those 315's your gonna' be runnin' in drive most of the time. O/D is ok as long as your tranny/ torque converter stays hooked up and isn't huntin' on hills. Keep RPM's 2200+ on hills and the Cummins will like it.
Take it easy the first couple hundred miles and think ahead as you drive....JIM

 

when you hit a hill, you should be able to run in overdrive. i know your mods, as im on DTW and talk to you occasionally. If your truck needs to shift out of overdrive on the hills, just click the OD off and let 3rd gear do the pulling.

i wouldnt tow at speeds above 75mph. after 80 it gets ugly. you will notice how the truck acts different with the trailer. it wont take you very long to learn.

 

I've never had a problem with U-haul's auto transporters. Our son and his wife have a Chevy Blazer. Last time I went to fill the propane tanks the guy though I was there to rent an auto transporter "again" to go get the kids broke down on the interstate. It's been three times and once to haul it to Virginia while he was in Italy for military duty. The surge brakes on the U-haul trailers are hydraulic and I've found them to work so well I wish travel trailers used them. The only thing about them is you have to block them with a rock or something to back up a hill.
You're truck should have no trouble at all. I hauled a car to the mountains once with an F-150 300-I6 5spd (mazda tranny) and 3.07 rear end. It did 70 in 5th with no trouble. In the mountains it strained it's kahony's off but got us there and back without any trouble. The worst was a 6X12 U-haul loaded and pulled with my '84 Isuzu P'up diesel. It had 4.10 and those little tires and I still could only muster 55mph on flat ground in 4th with the motor against the governor. But at 288k miles it was still as slow as the day I bought it.