HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

[Neted]

my old dependable tow truck was totaled two winters ago when another car spun out right in front of me. The "Compromise" was a Dodge Durango for my then 18 year old son to drive. Now he's off to college, with the truck. My other son is still in college, four cars on the insurance policy. Needless to say adding another truck to the already bloated transportation budget is not going to fly. Has anyone looked into or rented a Tow Vehicle for a weekend? I'm in New Jersey and the quote I got online for a 2500 was $305 a day. What have others done???? I need to tow a 27 foot Crowline, weight with trailer is 8500 pounds

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

try rent a dent or U Haul. Do you belong to AAA.?

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Hertz has a 4x4 super cab 3/4 ton for $200.00 per day. Call 1-888-777.2700. One is a GMC 2500, and the other is a Ford f250.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

My other son is still in college, four cars on the insurance policy. Needless to say adding another truck to the already bloated transportation budget is not going to fly.

Just a suggestion, but if your kids aren't aren't at home, get your name off the title and insurance! It will cost a little more, but could save you $$$ in the long run if they have an accident. Insurance them for state minimums, and have no financial connection via title or insurance. (used to work in insurance, saw all kinds of horror stories when the kids went away to college and did stupid things)

Hertz has a 4x4 super cab 3/4 ton for $200.00 per day. Call 1-888-777.2700. One is a GMC 2500, and the other is a Ford f250.

That they will allow you to tow with? Most of the car rental agreements I've seen specifically disallow towing, and lots of places will go so far as either remove the hitch or weld a block into it. (uhaul is fine with it though)

From hertz's web site:
Can I tow with a Hertz car?
No. Towing is a violation of the rental agreement and is not permitted under any circumstances.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

You might to find yourself an old 3/4 ton truck to pull your trailer with. You know, a truck old enough to not require collision insurance.

Otherwise, see if you can store your boat at a marina on the trailer. They may charge a reasonable amount to put it in the water for you.

Or, just leave your boat in the water during the "boating season" at a marina.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Hertz has a 4x4 super cab 3/4 ton for $200.00 per day.

I had trouble with Math.
But even at two or three days a month, it sounds like a car payment would be a lot cheaper!

... a Dodge Durango for my then 18 year old son to drive. Now he's off to college, ...

He must be taking a Heavy Load of classes! :facepalm:

Recover your truck and get the boy a KIA!

 

[southkogs]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

You might to find yourself an old 3/4 ton truck to pull your trailer with. You know, a truck old enough to not require collision insurance.

I'm with Bamaman ... getcha' a old 'un.

 

[lncoop]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

I'm with Bamaman ... getcha' a old 'un.

+2, or +1 for Uncle Willie.

 

[MarkSee]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

+2 for UncleWillie's idea of getting a cheap beater for the kid at college with sensible insurance and the dependable tow vehicle stays at home. My 15+ year old will be driving later this year and no way he's going to be driving the truck....unless it's to pull the boat up the ramp.
Mark

 

[ezmobee]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Just to be clear, are you considering renting a tow vehicle every time you want to use your boat? or just to get it to a marina for the season. Cuz if it's the first one, well you're gonna need to get yourself a truck. (8500 seems high to be towing with a Durango)

 

[AmigoAzul]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

If it's going to a Marina like EZ said I would call the Marina and see if they have a tow service. When I lived in Jersey and had my boat slipped an didn't have a truck the Marina came and got it for me and charged less than a rental truck you can't use to tow with. I also know that in Jersey there are a lot of companies that specialize in towing and splashing the boat for you.

 

[Neted]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Just to be clear, are you considering renting a tow vehicle every time you want to use your boat? or just to get it to a marina for the season. Cuz if it's the first one, well you're gonna need to get yourself a truck. (8500 seems high to be towing with a Durango)

I rack store the boat at a nearby lake. However the lake is about 2 feet below normal levels so I don't see being able to use it until we get a lot of rain. I also take the boat out frequently during the season to head to NY harbor or down to Cape May. Once my son is back from school I'm good until the end of August. Last year I was using the boat through Thanksgiving so I really need to find a way to move the boat around. The Durango is rated for 8900 lbs I know I'm close but I'm very careful.

 

[dave11]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Rent a local Uhaul DC, their 14 ft van for 19.95 a day plus mileage.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Ok now normally I don't jump people but are you seriously towing a 27' Crownine with a Durango? You state the towing capacity of the Durango is 8900 lbs and the boat with trailer is 8500 lbs?

Neted, In my opinion your in very bad shape Sir, there is no way on Gods green Earth I would tow your setup with a Durango, and just so you know I have owned one and Loved it, no matter how careful you are it only takes one idiot for you to wad up your rig and possibly hurt someone, then you have a much bigger issue, called the Legal system.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

^+1

towing my 3600# boat, 1200# trailer, full tank and gear was more than I wanted to tow with my durango. could she pull it yes. however a good side wind and the boat was steering the truck.

I now have a 3/4 Dodge Ram with a turbo diesel

 

[MTYPockets]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Best I can find, the highest towing capacity for any Darango is 7400 Lbs. That is with the 5.7 Hemi and tow package.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Just to further my point just a bit, we don't know what model you have but judging by your pic you have a 268 CR so a 2000 Crownline 268 CR Dry is 7100 LBS and carries 80 gallons of gas at 6.25 LBS per gallon were at 7600 LBS now add a trailer at 1500 LBS and your at 9100 LBS without gear or water weight within the boat in other words your over.

Now if I am wrong and you have a 270 then that's even worse, dry weight is 7600 LBS and 85 Gallons of gas is 531.25 Lbs your at 8131.25 now trailer at 1500 LBS your at 9631.25 LBS again without water and gear again your way over.

As MTY stated the best tow capacity I can verify for the Durango is 7400 LBS, unless were both missing something you are in deep doodoo should you have an issue.

What we don't know from you are a couple specifications such as your specific model of boat and the year of the Durango but you are clearly over weight in a fairly congested part of the country, and your original tow vehicle was destroyed by the very same scenario I am worried about only with you towing a 9000LB boat, I think you need to look at options that do not include using the Durango to tow that boat.

Look I'm really trying not to hammer you on this but your tow vehicle is not going to cut the mustard, I tow constantly over a long distance, my lake is 100 miles from where I live and we go every weekend, I haul other things around the 15,000 LB GVWR area and once you involve "Public" into your travels you bring out the absolute worst case scenario, so you really want to over tow your load or in other words get a truck that has the towed capacity covered and then some, I can tell you I have had idiots take the emergency lanes because they couldn't stop as quickly as I can with my load, not saying that I can stop faster then anyone with a similar load just that you can't assume everyone around you is an attentive driver, you want to talk about pissing me off, the only thing I hold dearer to my heart then my wife and kids is my Harley and my Crownline. but the reality is that there are those that make you drive defensively very very defensively and if the deck is already stacked against you there is only trouble to find.

 

[oregoncruiser]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

I'll resist the tempatation to jump on the bandwagon and continue the thread hijack with more lectures. Instead, I'll answer the OP's question.

My neighbor routinely rents a U-haul for the aforementioned 19.95/day plus mileage. He uses this method twice a month all summer. He is not limited by money (I don't think) but swears it it tons cheaper because he'd never use the truck if not pulling his boat. He told me his total rental costs are less than insurance alone on another vehicle. Makes sense to me.

 

[marauder11]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

Not sure about policies in the states but i have looked into renting a truck for towing in Canada and "No" was the answer i got. Was told to look into a lease company was not really an option for a weekend.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: HELP! I need a TOW VEHICLE

might be local policy, but no car rental companies around me rent trucks for towing. Not even UHaul - yes you can rent a Uhaul and tow, but only if the trailer is a UHaul trailer rented on the same contract as the truck.

My neighbor routinely rents a U-haul

I suppose some do it, but if they read the contract, they'd probably learn they are driving around without any insurance... and if the truck breaks down and UHaul come to retrieve it, and your boat is hooked to it... you might get sued for a transmission or whatever.

Hertz contractor services and other places that rent heavy equipment, may have trucks which can be rented for towing any trailer.