Tow or Trailer and 818

[john g]

I am hoping to bring my 818 to the Maryland state inspection garage in the next month. Can I tow my 818 on a U Haul dolly, put it on a U Haul trailer, or hire a rollback tow truck? I am about 30 miles from the garage. My guess is that towing, while least expensive, is not a good idea. If it is possible and advisable, could I tow an 818 with my Subaru outback?

Thanks,

John

[michael everson]

In MA the car must be flatbread or on a trailer. No wheels on the road. Beware.
Mike

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I am hoping to bring my 818 to the Maryland state inspection garage in the next month. Can I tow my 818 on a U Haul dolly, put it on a U Haul trailer, or hire a rollback tow truck? I am about 30 miles from the garage. My guess is that towing, while least expensive, is not a good idea. If it is possible and advisable, could I tow an 818 with my Subaru outback?

Thanks,

John

Hi john,
Trailering or towing an completed 818 need special attention because of it ground clearance.

Put 2 wheels on a tow dolly, the other end drags.

The 818 can not handle the approach angle of a roll back wrecker.
Also you need a plan on where to attach cables and chains.

A car trailer is you best option. But you will need your own ramps. I suggest a 1" rise per 10" of length. So if the car trailer is I foot high you should have 120" (10 foot) long ramps. This is so the nose or tail wont drag going on or off the ramps and so the bottom middle of the car doesn't drag going over the apex of the hill.

[Evan78]

The U-Haul auto trailer is listed as 2200 lbs empty, so I doubt you'll be able to stay within your Outback specs for towing. I only know my 2005 Legacy GT w/ 5 speed is rated for 2700 lbs and I think 3500 lbs w/ auto trans. However, the U-Haul site says a 2015 Outback would be okay for towing a 1976 Beetle (I randomly googled it and weight is approx 1800 lbs) on the car trailer.

Their car dolly is only 750 lbs, which might work if you remove the bumper. I've never used one, so I have no idea if there are other areas of concern regarding clearance.

[Westview]

Hi John,

I'm in Columbia building an 818. You're way ahead of me. I haven't figured out exactly how the titling/registration works yet. I know you get the VIN from the state police who do an inspection and you have to have a safety inspection. It sounds like this can happen in one visit. I've seen conflicting information on exactly how this happens. Where are you planning on towing your 818 too and is this for both the vin and safety inspection?

I have an F150 and maybe able to help out with the towing if you can't get things worked out.

[john g]

Thanks for your suggestions. It seems that a trailer is the way to go, and I would be stretching my Outback by using it as a tow vehicle.

John

[Goldwing]

Ya, probably bad form to show up to the inspection with an overloaded tow vehicle, lol. I bet the trooper would love that. I'm in the same predicament with a 3500lb tow rating. I've noticed a lack of available trailers strong enough to handle the 818's lithe weight while still staying below my tow rating.

[K3LAG]

I'm in MD also and have been researching this quite a bit. The title/VIN inspection that happens at the state police barracks behind the MVA is independent of the MD Safety Inspection. The only purpose of the title/VIN inspection is to make sure nothing is stolen and to figure out how much to tax you. Once you pass that inspection, the state police will attach a VIN tag to your car.

Once that is complete, you have to take the car to any certified state inspection facility for the safety inspection. The state does not do these inspections.

You have two choices. After you get your VIN at the police barracks you can go into the MVA and get a temporary tag that will let you drive for several weeks until you get your safety inspection. Once you have your safety inspection you can register the car and get your permanent plates. Or, you can transport your car to a facility for the safety inspection then go get your plates skipping the cost of the temporary tags. I believe the safety inspection includes a road test, so having temporary tags on it probably makes that a bit easier.

The car will be titled as a specially constructed vehicle of whatever year your certificate of origin says (2013 in my case). Technically you are supposed to meet the appropriate OBD2 emissions requirements, but there is supposedly a way around it. I have the information for getting around it, but since I haven't done it yet, I don't know if it really works.

I hope to go through the process in the spring when the weather gets nice.

Oh, the state police only do the title/VIN inspections on Tuesday mornings and by appointment.

Larry

[ehansen007]

Hey John,

Just do the Uhaul. I can say that I've rented one no less than 10 times during my build. What I would do is put some spacers in the springs and get the car raised up as high as possible. It will make things much easier. I've towed my mine backwards for 800 miles (unwillingly) because I didn't have the clearance with the front of the car to get over the front lip of the trailer. Some wood blocks would take care of this. it's still the best way to go if you don't own or want to own a trailer.

[D Clary]

A good driver with a slide back truck can also do it. I have has mu Mustang towed and it is verrry low.

[rtz]

Just find the right truck; or he can use wood blocks/ramps:

cent_lgc_12series_011351533955.jpg

Pretty much up to the driver if he can get it loaded without scraping it.

[grayghost]

The ultimate trailer co. out of Colorado has a great product we might use.
It is a trailer that has a air ride suspension which allows it to lay flat on the ground to load,
and than raises up to travel. Look at the 3X and think a little bigger. I spoke to the owner and he said they were working on a 4X which would do nicely.
sorry no pix or link, but it is worth a look. Grayghost Roger