Towing Long Distance

[BNielsen]

Check brakes, check fluids, if you could, find a local person who rents out trailers.
Most trailers you get from rental places like U-Haul, Penske, Sunbelt, United are all surge brake trailers.
Surge brakes are nice for small trailers; but pulling something with a combined weight close to or over the curb weight of the truck is a recipe for disaster.
But echoing what everyone else says, keep it in 3rd unless you think the truck can old OD, got a trans temp gauge?

 

[Keeper]

Fresh wipers up front (extra fluid on board) and something reflective on back of loaded vehicle as high as possible. Salty road spray may be an issue this time of year, especially after dark. Gotta see and be seen.

 

[RichLo]

Also double check the U-Joints, now's the time to replace them if there is any play at all.

 

[TreeGeared]

All good points about taking your time and making sure your truck is up to date on maintenance. Which it sounds like you have done quite a bit of work to make it a reliable rig. Besides that when you load the trailer make sure you have a correct amount of weight on the tongue of the trailer and you are not tail heavy. They make hitches with scales but if you don't have one a tape measure to check front and rear trailer deck height before and after loading is a good check as well. In general make sure the front of the trailer compresses about and inch more than the back. You will know pretty quick if you are tail heavy as the trailer will start to wag.

 

[Supercharged111]

Pay attention to how the transmission is acting. As long as the converter is staying locked it'll stay nice and cool. I'm guessing it has an aux cooler? And since you have the 14 bolt do you also have the 4+1 leaf pack? The 3+1 is going to be a bit soft for that load. I trailered a Crown Vic full of car parts open deck behind my 1500 when it had stock springs and it wasn't good. Truck needed more tongue weight but didn't have enough spring to take it.

 

[BigReb95]

Yes I put new leaf springs in, it’s the bigger leaf pack I believe they are 5+1, so good there. As for the trans cooler I upgraded it when I did my tranny, it’s the Tru-cool Max bigger one and it’s right behind my grille.

 

[Schurkey]

1. How much does the trailer + towed truck weigh? How does that compare to the weight ratings of the towing truck?

2. I would try to make arrangements to rent the U-haul trailer "one way" and pick it up where the truck to be towed is. Why spend the money to buy extra gasoline for an 18-hour drive towing an empty trailer? MAYBE this also means you can drive "there" faster and with less headache, since you're not dragging the trailer that direction.

 

[BigReb95]

I think I might honestly get a rental truck. Not that I don’t trust my truck, I do. But anything could happen.

 

[letitsnow]

If you had your own car trailer and had pulled it with your truck in the past then I'd do the trip without worry. With renting a trailer, it gets to be more of an unknown...

The 4l60e (even rebuilt)/3.73 gears/lift kit/bigger tires/28 yr old truck - that is working against you.

I tow long distances with my gmt400, but it has 4.10 gears/4l80e/smaller tires/stock height. The trailers that I pull are my own, and I know them/my set up well.

Your truck will probably be fine, but renting something newer isn't a terrible idea.

 

[RichLo]

I think I might honestly get a rental truck. Not that I don’t trust my truck, I do. But anything could happen.

Your letting your mind run away, it happens to a lot of car guys.

I am always paranoid the first few times I take my classic cars out in the spring. Every bump in the road makes me think of everything that could be going wrong with the car until I calm down and tell myself it was just a bump in the road.

You've done everything right with your truck and chances are a rental will be in worse shape than your truck but you will just be blissfully ignorant of that neglect.

Trust your truck and it'll get you anywhere. This is why you put all of that work into it, right? Not to just sit in the garage and cost you more renting something else.