Suggestions on towing a Tahoe

[ScottyBoy]

I am getting my late brother's 2001 Tahoe in the near future, but I will have to transport it over 350 miles from New Orleans back to my house. The Tahoe is in bad shape with well over 300k miles and runs like crap, so I don't even wanna try and drive it that far. I think I can tow it with my Suburban, but I was just wondering what would be the best way to do it. A tow bar? A tow dolly with the front wheels up on it? Or should I try and find a 20ft car hauler trailer that the Tahoe will fit on?
And before anyone even says anything about me wanting this old raggedy Tahoe, it's for sentimental reasons. It belonged to my brother David who passed away in 2007. My youngest brother Dennis got it after David passed away, but Dennis has not kept up with it at all. Pretty much just puts gas in it and drives it. Now it needs so much work that he wants to get rid of it. I'll take it off his hands before I let him sell it. I want to keep it in the family since it was David's pride and joy. Even if it take me years to get it in pristine condition again, I want to fix it up and maybe give it to my son.

 

[MadDogDelpho]

I feel like a tow dolly would work fairly well for a 'Hoe. A tow mar might not be enough and a full trailer might be too much, so I think a tow dolly would be just right.

 

[PG01]

Flat tow it.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I am getting my late brother's 2001 Tahoe in the near future, but I will have to transport it over 350 miles from New Orleans back to my house. The Tahoe is in bad shape with well over 300k miles and runs like crap, so I don't even wanna try and drive it that far. I think I can tow it with my Suburban, but I was just wondering what would be the best way to do it. A tow bar? A tow dolly with the front wheels up on it? Or should I try and find a 20ft car hauler trailer that the Tahoe will fit on?
And before anyone even says anything about me wanting this old raggedy Tahoe, it's for sentimental reasons. It belonged to my brother David who passed away in 2007. My youngest brother Dennis got it after David passed away, but Dennis has not kept up with it at all. Pretty much just puts gas in it and drives it. Now it needs so much work that he wants to get rid of it. I'll take it off his hands before I let him sell it. I want to keep it in the family since it was David's pride and joy. Even if it take me years to get it in pristine condition again, I want to fix it up and maybe give it to my son.

Pretty cool that you're doing this, for you and your son. I congratulate you. Now... Not sure about a dolly--is it 4wd?

 

[cmc76]

i thought about this after seeing it yesterday. Years ago, any time i would tow with a dolly, i would pull the driveshaft.

 

[Tonyrodz]

i thought about this after seeing it yesterday. Years ago, any time i would tow with a dolly, i would pull the driveshaft.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[jarydM]

if its 4x4, put it on a car hauler. your sub should pull it easy.

if 4x2, pull the drive axle. But the cost between a tow bar, and a hauler isnt enough that I wouldnt just use the trailer anyways.

 

[ScottyBoy]

It is 2wd. And yes, I realized that if I am towing it that far on a dolly with the rear wheels rolling on the ground that I will have to remove the driveshaft. That's not a huge issue though, just four bolts and it pops right off. I was also planning on stretching a rubber glove over the transmission tail housing so that trans fluid doesn't spew out everywhere.
I also thought about running a cheap trailer light wiring harness thru the Tahoe and just splicing it into the tails. Then when I plug it up to my trailer light wiring harness, the lights on the Tahoe will function just like trailer lights. I can also grab some bulb bases from the junkyard and actually make up a harness and pop those bulb sockets into the tails, then I would not even have to splice into the factory wiring at all.

 

[ScottyBoy]

Oh and here is a picture of the Tahoe in question. It's an older picture though, it's not this nice anymore. This picture was taken in 2007 at my brother's funeral. Since then the wheels are gone, (now has 07 Tahoe 17" stocks) dents and scratches and even key marks all over, and most recently a minor front end collision. The SS bumper and grill are now gone and so are the the projector headlights and turn signals. And the guy who did the body repair did an absolute shit job. The hood doesn't even close properly, and the radiator support is still all bent up. I never could figure out where my late brother got those projector parking/turn signals from. It's the only set I have ever seen, never seen anyone else with a set.

 

[jarydM]

It is 2wd. And yes, I realized that if I am towing it that far on a dolly with the rear wheels rolling on the ground that I will have to remove the driveshaft. That's not a huge issue though, just four bolts and it pops right off. I was also planning on stretching a rubber glove over the transmission tail housing so that trans fluid doesn't spew out everywhere.
I also thought about running a cheap trailer light wiring harness thru the Tahoe and just splicing it into the tails. Then when I plug it up to my trailer light wiring harness, the lights on the Tahoe will function just like trailer lights. I can also grab some bulb bases from the junkyard and actually make up a harness and pop those bulb sockets into the tails, then I would not even have to splice into the factory wiring at all.

Thats more work than I would do, but you're a bit more versed than I in electronics.

If it were my truck, or car, for the time and wanting to do it right, I would just get a hauler.