Getting Hitched In A Hurry

[DallasSteve]

There's a saying that may apply here "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency for me".

I am planning to buy a car (one my research says can be flat towed) today and I want to get it set up to tow behind my Class A motorhome Wednesday or Thursday so I can move on to a campground I have reserved for Thursday afternoon. I probably have waited too long to get the best deal, price wise. I did a quick search for trailer hitch online in the area and mostly what comes up is UHaul. I don't see a Camping World in the area. What would you suggest I do in this situation?

Order a hitch, base plate, brake adapter today from Amazon or Walmart with next day delivery?
Go to UHaul? A car dealer? A car service shop?
Would you set everything up yourself?

I don't trust my mechanical skills much if it's very complicated and I don't want to watch my expensive new vehicle roll into a ditch at 60 MPH.

[Grit_dog]

Lemme get this straight, you changed your plans because it would have cost you an Uber ride across town? $60 Uber gets me from my house to downtown Seattle during rush hour. Normal Daily commute for many.
Not following the logic, but.....

[Y-Guy]

Bummer but probably the best decision, take your time and do it right. Haste makes waste.

[DallasSteve]

Y-guy

I cancelled my reservations and I plan to pick a 30 day spot here. Sigh. we live in our motorhome. It will give me time to pick a hitch setup without pressure and maybe even get it all hooked up myself. I actually feel better knowing I did the work because I know I won't cut corners, but if it gets tricky I'll pay a mechanic to bail me out.

[Y-Guy]

DallasSteve, happy to help. Glad you didn't jump to fast. Dropping a $120 for uber is a bit much but you know a friend might do it for a lot less.

Enjoy the weekend even if you leave the Jeep behind.

[rexlion]

Gettin' hitched in a hurry... sounds like a Las Vegas marriage! 😄 Good luck!! 😉

[DallasSteve]

Y-Guy wrote:
Check your manual. Jeep Wranglers say "Front or Rear Wheel Lift or Dolly Tow - NOT ALLOWED" They need to be Flat Towed or on a Flatbed.

Y-Guy

I just checked the manual. You are correct. No dolly for my Jeep. A full trailer would put me over my weight limit. I don't have 2 drivers so I probably won't be able to keep my camp reservation on Thursday. I checked Uber and they would shuttle me for $60, but it's probably not worth that to me.

Thanks for posting or I might have wasted my time, money, and if I didn't check the manual first, much worse.

[Humpty]

Have the dealer deliver the jeep to the next campground?

[Tripalot]

We pay the price and take our vehicles to our trusted RV dealer who does the install. Not the cheapest way to go, but has always been done correctly with no problems.

[Horsedoc]

If there is two in your party, have one drive the towed and follow/lead for this one trip.
Sometimes a rush causes problems that normally would not occur. Lack of torqued bolts, loctite applicatio

[Bumpyroad]

This makes me think of another saying,
"Haste makes waste"

I "assume" that there is only one driver available?

BUMPY

[wildtoad]

Not sure you’ll get it done in the time you want. But look into a NSA Ready Brute Elite. It’s a towbar with built in braking system. The part that attaches to the Jeep is just a steel cable the runs from the front of the car to the brake pedal. Very easy and virtually foolproof. I use the Roadmaster base plate and it works quite well.

[Y-Guy]

Check your manual. Jeep Wranglers say "Front or Rear Wheel Lift or Dolly Tow - NOT ALLOWED" They need to be Flat Towed or on a Flatbed.

[DallasSteve]

carringb wrote:
What are you buying? If its not AWD, what about just dollying it this first trip? I certainly would not want to rush a baseplate and wiring install.

Interesting idea. I bought a 4 door Jeep Wrangler. It weighs around 4,300 lbs and my hitch max is 5,000. How much will the dolly add in weight? Does the dolly come equipped with brakes? Thanks for your input. That may be the best solution.

Edit: I did a quick search and I found one that weighs about 500 pounds. I would be right at my max, but it might be a solution.

Random Dolly

[carringb]

What are you buying? If its not AWD, what about just dollying it this first trip? I certainly would not want to rush a baseplate and wiring install.