So we are planning to move in about 8 months. We are saving money so that we don’t have to use any credit cards for this move. We are trying to figure out what is more cost effective: driving the tow truck and our car, or driving the tow truck with the car being towed by the truck. We will be renting a large 24’ Budget Rental truck and the car in question is a 1994 Olds 88. The current MPG on the Olds is about 24-27 MPG Highway.
now im assuming the tow truck must be your property, otherwise, why would you need it.
if you have to move both, towing the olds is the best option. tow trucks generally have a big 6 cyl diesel or better, so depending on what kind of heat the truck is packing, you have enough oomph to move anything and wont affect the truck mileage obscenely.
I’m presuming you just mean a truck that would be towing, not a wrecker.
The unknown variable is how much the fuel economy of the truck will be affected by the extra weight of the olds. That would depend on how big of a motor the truck has and how loaded up it is. I suspect that it is most likely to be more economical to tow the car, but if you’d be straining the tow vehicle it may not be by much and the added safety and convienience of not towing the car may be worth the extra fuel consumption.
How far are you moving, and do you have experience driving a 24’ truck with a trailer attached?
If you’ve never driven such a vehicle, or have no experience towing a trailer, I suggest you drive the car separately.
Besides, the extra cost of renting a trailer or dolly on which to put the car will probably cancel any fuel savings.
You will have to have a dolly so that the front wheels of your Oldsmobile are off the ground. You will need some kind of lights on the Oldsmobile to indicate turns and braking. I don’t think it is worth the trouble. The Oldsmobile is, no doubt, more comfortable than the truck–you drive the car and have your spouse drive the truck.
Drive the car separately. The extra cost of a dolly, lights, etc., will negate any gas savings. Besides, you need to be very experienced/skilled in driving a large vehicle with a car in tow. There is considerable chance you will damage the car as well in some way.
A friend moved from East to West in such a manner, the spouse driving the car, and they used walkie talkies to stay in touch. They switched drivers to reduce the overall fatigue.
Have a good move!
if your tow truck is a flatbed, perhaps you could load stuff in the Olds and load it on the truck.
If it’s a normal 2 wheel tow truck, just drive separately
I have experience driving the 24’ truck and I have experience towing, though I do not have combined experience. Your responses seem to make sense, in that the cost of the dolly and indicator lights would offset the cost, if not cost more. So that answers that question.
And my spouse is my wife who would be with our newborn…I don’t think that I am going to have her drive the truck at all ;-). It is not chauvinistic, it is a first time father being protective of his new family…chivalry, not chauvinism.