Driving cross country tell me everything

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Shann

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Sep 2, 2004
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So my Son is moving to Seattle to go to grad school. He is planning on moving in April. I volunteered to help him drive out there and then fly back. (He lives near Hartford CT).

His plan is to put everything in a UHaul truck and tow his (manual transmission) subaru behind him. According to the interwebs, you can tow a manual transmission subaru not an auto but we need to check on that further.

Neither one of us has ever towed anything. UHaul says no problem just rent a a towbar.

I think it sounds like a bad idea. He has the unfettered confidence of a 25 year old male.

What should I know about the towing but also anything about the best route to take, etc.

Thanks.
 
If you take I-80/I-90 through PA/OH/IN/IL you're going to need toll money. See if U-Haul or whichever truck rental company you go with offers an IPass/EZPass and can bill you later for all tolls. It'll save you a bit of time and money.
 
It ought to be OK to tow his Subaru using a "tow dolly" while leaving the Subaru transmission in neutral. The front wheels rest on this so only the rear tires will be on the pavement. You can rent one of these from U-Haul. But don't believe anything they say about towing. Their goal is to rent you towing equipment and they don't really care if you or your vehicles will survive the experience. Do the homework yourself. Your son's Subaru owner's manual would be a good place to start on what method is acceptable for towing the car.

Only bad thing about a tow dolly is that you are not supposed to back up while the car is in tow, so you have to plan all your parking situations around that.

Another option. How much cr*p is your son moving? If it's not a lot, you can install a hitch on the Subaru and pull a *small* cargo trailer, also rentable from U-Haul. If you do this, stick with a single-axle trailer -- anything else will be too big and heavy. U-Haul will also be happy to install a hitch and wiring on the car for you. Again, the Subaru owner's manual will tell you what the car is capable of.
 
If you are towing in April, watch the weather reports as the time to move gets closer. Plan on allowing extra time to dip south (or even WAY south) to dodge snow/ice.

I know folks up there in "Yankee land" drive and tow in the snow all the time, but most of those towing experienced people have been doing it for years. You say y'all have never towed anything. Bad weather could really delay your travel schedule.

I learned about northern US travel/weather planning the hard way - I got transferred from Kelly AFB in San Antonio to Newport Naval Station in RI back in March 1986. Left Texas in the upper 80s on a Monday. Got up in Harrisburg PA on Friday morning to 3 inches of snow and more blowing/accumulating all the way to RI. Towing for the first time in snow with no notice, training or experience was an eye-opener, even though I had been towing stuff for over 16 years.
 
You will be going through the mountain passes in Washington so be careful, there should still be snow in them in April. I drove to Seattle from Texas in May and there was snow in the passes. Kind of weird for a Texan that just came from a hot and humid climate.
Your boy should have a blast in Washington, I liver there for 4 years and loved it.
 
I've made that drive multiple times on all the major routes. Myself I'd go I 80 to Ogden and then 84 to the 82 to Kennewick to I 90 at Ellensburg. Unless there's a late snow you should be OK mid-April on. I guarantee you'll have rain. If you really want a weather safe route drop down I 70 to I 44 to I 40 and then take I 5 up to Seattle. The only sticky point there would be Albuquerque. The southern route would be a lot flatter too. U-Haul trucks are regulated for speed, so make sure he plans on that. An 800 mile day in one of those is a bear. I did the Southern Route from Pittsburgh a couple years back in a rig like he's considering (closing out my mom's estate) and Just rolled through. Flagstaff in 3 days - no problem (but I'm used to long days driving). 4 would be easy. Add two days (stop around Sac/Redding) and it's an easy trip with good roads. (Note that St Louis to Amarillo is a long stretch, as is OKC to ALB, and there's not much between Amarillo and ALB.)

Towing isn't the easiest thing to do, but lots of people do it for the first time in situations like his. Me, I'd drive in convoy. The gas price isn't going to be that different and parking's easier. Plus you can use the car to get around unless you want to just live off whats available near the interstate motels. Parking at the hotels for towing is not going to be a problem; they see those rigs every day.

Other than gas you should be able to make the trip on $700-800 expenses (food and lodging). It might be cheaper if you make your hotel reservations ahead of time online and plan your route by miles each day. I just used Priceline and Hotwire the night before, but I knew the route and where I wanted to stop.
 
Shann said:
So my Son is moving to Seattle to go to grad school. He is planning on moving in April. I volunteered to help him drive out there and then fly back. (He lives near Hartford CT).
Click to expand...

It's 41 hours of drive time, according to Google Maps, which is usually the most accurate source. With fuel stops, meal stops, and rest stops that's going to be 45-50 hours total. U-Haul trucks aren't speed-demons so it could likely be more. Relax and take plenty of rest stops. If you have time, I like to stop for an hour or two each day at a park somewhere and get some exercise and fresh air.

His plan is to put everything in a UHaul truck and tow his (manual transmission) subaru behind him. According to the interwebs, you can tow a manual transmission subaru not an auto but we need to check on that further.

Neither one of us has ever towed anything. UHaul says no problem just rent a a towbar.

I think it sounds like a bad idea. He has the unfettered confidence of a 25 year old male.
Click to expand...

I think No Problem. :thumbup:

Some tips:

Towing isn't terribly difficult but it takes some practice. Driving a U-Haul truck will take some adapting as well if neither of you are experienced with driving larger vehicles. Most of the U-Hauls models will drive just like a full-size pickup, but some are larger. Adjust the mirrors so you can see if anyone is in the lane next to you; don't worry so much about seeing way behind the truck.
When you drive through cities and congested urban areas, pick a lane and stay in it. Changing lanes unnecessarily is a hazard, especially with limited visibility and limited experience. I'm usually towing in a center lane, if there is one, to avoid the fast lane and avoid merging traffic.
Give yourself extra space for pulling out into traffic, and don't cut curbs too close when turning.
Take a laptop or something that you can use in the hotels for internet. Check weather and road conditions, make reservations for the next night's stay, pick restaurants for lunch and supper ahead of time, etc.

Route? On what's already a 4-5 day drive I wouldn't want to extend it by making it a scenic back road drive, especially with the cost of the U-Haul rental and fuel.
Google recommends a northern route through North Dakota and Montana. That will probably be fine as it's interstate the entire way, but watch the weather for spring blizzards and be prepared to shift to a more southern route through Omaha - Ogden - Boise.
 
It will be much longer than the 41 hours in driving time that Google Maps predicts. GM (and Mapquest as well) use the post speed limits for each stretch of road on the recommended route. U-haul recommends 55mph max when towing anything with their vehicles - its actually posted on the outsides of their vehicles as well.

So if you follow GM's recommended route, it is 99% Interstate Highways, which have max speed limits of 65 to 75 mph.

4299 miles at 55 mph (U-Hauls' speed) is over 78 hours of drive time. Even with 2 of you sharing the driving, you can't drive for 3 days non-stop. So you gotta add a some sleeping time to BobW's breaks, eating, gas fillups, etc.

Add in March across the northern tier states, towing a trailer?? Better figure at least a week. You might as well take in some of the sights while you're at it. May 2 weeks. :D
 
Tips on hauling " if you don't look it's not there". Congratulations on your son's success
 
zzyzzogeton said:
It will be much longer than the 41 hours in driving time that Google Maps predicts. GM (and Mapquest as well) use the post speed limits for each stretch of road on the recommended route. U-haul recommends 55mph max when towing anything with their vehicles - its actually posted on the outsides of their vehicles as well.

So if you follow GM's recommended route, it is 99% Interstate Highways, which have max speed limits of 65 to 75 mph.

4299 miles at 55 mph (U-Hauls' speed) is over 78 hours of drive time. Even with 2 of you sharing the driving, you can't drive for 3 days non-stop. So you gotta add a some sleeping time to BobW's breaks, eating, gas fillups, etc.

Add in March across the northern tier states, towing a trailer?? Better figure at least a week. You might as well take in some of the sights while you're at it. May 2 weeks. :D
Click to expand...

^^^Very true!^^^ Also consider that while towing, your gas mileage will be substantially worse, so you'll be stopping for gas more often. You'll also be driving slower. And you'll be more fatigued. All things to consider.
 
Are you driving the U haul back or doing a one way with it? Look at the full costs for both choices.
 
You might also add up the projected costs for truck and towbar/car dolly rental, gas costs based on rental truck mileage (not good), motel costs, food costs, toll fees (the google map route shows hundreds of miles of tolls), and any other foreseeable cost.

Subtract the same total for just driving his vehicle one way and get the difference.

Then get a quote from a BBB rated moving company with a good reputation to see how much they would charge to haul his stuff out there.

It MAY be cheaper and easier in the long run to pare and ship his stuff, unless he has a bunch of furniture he can't bear to dispose of and buy replacements for when he gets to Seattle.
 
Might be a good idea to take no more than he can fit into his Subaru, and drive that. Or tow a light trailer for the essentials (Harley, etc.).:D
 
Another idea is to simply have your son fit what he needs into his Subaru and drive it out to Seattle and then fly home and ride his Harley across country.
 
Shann said:
So my Son is moving to Seattle to go to grad school. He is planning on moving in April. I volunteered to help him drive out there and then fly back. (He lives near Hartford CT).

His plan is to put everything in a UHaul truck and tow his (manual transmission) subaru behind him. According to the interwebs, you can tow a manual transmission subaru not an auto but we need to check on that further.

Neither one of us has ever towed anything. UHaul says no problem just rent a a towbar.

I think it sounds like a bad idea. He has the unfettered confidence of a 25 year old male.

What should I know about the towing but also anything about the best route to take, etc.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

If his Subie is a manual transmission, the only way to tow it is on a flatbed, tow it with 4 wheels on the ground, or tow using a drawbar BUT with the driveshaft disconnected to the rear differential. Otherwise, you'll end up with a fried transmission/differential. Do not trust what Uhaul tells you. If in doubt, call your nearest Subie dealership & ask them.

(owner of 6 Subies in our family since 1999)
 
This might be a stupid question, but if you're both going and you're going to fly back, why doesn't one of you drive the UHaul and the other drive the car?
 
After reading Cruffler's post, I have to correct what I said earlier. On my old part-time 4wd Subaru, it was OK to tow with the front wheels on a dolly. Newer AWD models, however, have a viscous coupling between the front and rear axles that could be destroyed if you use a dolly. So Cruffler is right that you have to tow with all four wheels either on the pavement (flat tow) or on a flatbed trailer. This makes your towing endeavor much more expensive, because you'll have to rent a larger trailer and larger tow vehicle, or buy and install a towbar rig on your Subaru to flat-tow it.
 
Put a Skybox on top if it's an Outback or a Forester, and connect a trailer to the back if his load isn't great. What we did when moving from SF Bay area was to employ a car carrier company and we drove our Forester across with only the previously mentioned Skybox and trailer. Good luck either way!
 
You should not have any problems with the towing depending on the size of UHaul truck you get. I tend to want one of those little trailers that you lift your front wheels off the ground for a tow. Seattle is a LONG drive. I don't envy you at all. Pay attention to the weather in the Rockies even in April. You can get snow up until around June most years. Years ago I got snowed in in Wyoming in late May.

I saw a little van towing two vehicles on tow bars the other day on the interstate. Amazing.
 
Back in 2002 my wife and I rented a U-Haul, we were moving out of the cornfields to California (Modesto) to find fortune and adventure. On our way back from the rental place spirits were high right up to the point I hit a low hanging train trussel.

Needless to say we came to an abrupt halt, my petite wife cracked the windshield with her head and our blue heeler that was in between us reached zero gravity as she was flung all over the cab. I managed to bonk my nose on the steering wheel rather smartly.
My wife got out and was sitting on the embankment moaning as neighbors and traffic behind us were looking on. The first thing I wanted to ask her was " Did you get the extra insurance?" (I was looking at the chainsaws and other tools to be rented at the U-Haul place while she filled out the paperwork for the truck). Instead I said "Are you OK? Didugetheextrainsurance?". She had spent the extra 60 or 70 dollars for the additional insurance. (The "grandma's attic" was pushed in).
Pretty good woman other than sleeping with other men.
Moral of the story... Watch out for low hanging bridges and stay away from adulterous women. Enjoy your trip
 
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