I'm moving to Chicago from FL in October. I've got two little girls that I don't want to put though a 20 hour car ride, so they'll be flying up there with mommy. I've got two cats, so I was going to put them in my Volvo R wagon and drive them up there, then fly back and drive the rental truck and tow the MINI on the full car carrier.

I'd much rather drive the MINI up there, but that would mean three trips and I just don't have the time.

So my long winded question is - I've seen the car carriers that hold the car down via covers that go over the top half of the tires, and some use chains to go over the axles. I'm renting the truck and trailer from Penske, which uses the tire straps - which makes me feel a little better about it. Am I worrying too much? Anyone have any towing horror stories that might talk me out of towing it?

 

I'm not going to be much use answering your question, but I'm in the same boat; I'm moving from Indianapolis to New Hampshire in about a week. I'm renting a 22' Penske and car trailer from them. I'm a little concerned about *getting* the MINI on the trailer.

Are there any clearance issues with loading the car? I've been driving around Upstate NY for the last week and I swear the plastic lip rubs on something at least twice a day (maybe the dealership lowered the car for me the last time I was in?). I've towed a Jetta with the same Penske setup before; I don't really anticipate any problems, but I'm not going to have any extra time to come up with Plan B if this doesn't work for whatever reason.

 

All I can add is that the mini would not even clear my old porsche ramps! Had to get some very low angle Rhino Ramps at Wally world...you may have to extend the ramps to the trailer to make the up angle a bit less slope!

It was a pain until I found those Rhino ramps...also found a small 6000 lb floor jack that fits under it, so I can finally get the little bugger up on jack stands to work on it! (Kragen)

 

My MINIs just barely clear the grey colored Rhino ramps. Nice ramps too. I'd just wait until you have the trailer and then figure out what you need to do with various ramps or strong boards.

 

I would really rather drive the MINI up there - that would be much more fun than worrying about it on the back of the truck for 1200 miles. I guess I could drive the MINI over to the Penske place and see if it will clear the trailer - if it won't I'll have a much better reason to tell the wife that I'll need to fly back and drive the MINI up there. I'm already making 2 trips with my other car and the truck, and I was trying to avoid a third.

What was really funny is that when I called Penske to add the car carrier to the reservation, they asked the make and model of the car being towed. When I told her, she said: "I'm sorry, you won't be able to tow that. It's too heavy."

She was of course kidding, but she said it so dead-pan I thought for a few seconds that she was serious.

 

Towing is not hard it's the backing up that is the "bear", I find it's just easier to unload the trailer and unhook it and move it around by hand, rehook it and reload it, believe it or not. And I know how to back a trailer since I was 16 y/o. The problem is the wheelbase differences.

I bought a 22 y/o Cortez Motorhome in Sausalito and hooked the rental car up behind it with those belts over the wheels and proceeded down the Coast Hywy, and that motorhome had DRUM brakes on all 4 wheels. After returning the rental car back to 'Frisco from L.A., I then ran the Cortez back to Fla.

They generally stay right behind you where they are supposed to be, just remember backing up is near impossible if the wheel base on the truck is longer than your towed rig, it'll keep jackknifeing on you so always park where you don't have to back up.

Check the straps after you drive 20 miles or so if not sooner and if it rains, they could loosen up. Good Luck.

 

If you do have a problem clearing it take two 2X4s and put them in the middle of the ramps and the road and drive ur MINI onto that and then onto the ramp it should clear it considering thats how they unload Lamborghinis at Unique Autos

 

Why not drive the MINI the first time and tow the wagon. If your cats are anything like mine they're gonna be pissed off no matter what car they're in! At least you'll be driving the fun car!

 

I've had a little towing experience I thought I'd share. First, a full car trailer is much better than the two-wheeled car dollies you see behind all the motorhomes. I bought a dolly last year and pulled my MINI to a cabin we had rented. Major problems, especially since my MINI is lowered. I used 2X4 to get in on the dolly. And in taking it off. . . I pulled the whole front lower bumper off.
Secondly, car trailers with a "dove-tail" end are much easier to load for cars with little ground clearance. A trick I've learned through ownership of several British cars is that once you hooked and secured your trailer onto your tow vehicle deploy the trailer's tongue jack--lifting both the front of the trailer (and the tow vehicle). Don't go so far as to lift the tow vehicles wheels off the ground, just lift the suspension a bit. By raising the front of the trailer you will make the angle for loading much better.

 

I thought about doing it that way, but I can't really fit the two cat carriers and the other gear I'm taking on the first trip in the MINI. Also, I don't want one of the cats to have an.....ahem......."accident" in the MINI, as I would never regret it as I'd have to smell the evidence for years to come.

The wagon isn't as boring as most wagons though - at least it's got 300hp, AWD, and a 6 speed manual, as well as a great stereo to keep me busy while listening to cats whine for 20 hours. It's also leased, so if the cats pee in it I wouldn't have to live with it long term .

DC champ, thanks for the 2x4 suggestion - I'll pick a few up at the Depot just in case.

The more I think about this, the more I would rather take another weekend and drive the MINI up there. I won't have to worry about driving a 26' long truck + the car trailer in the tight environs of the city of Chicago either...

 

 

I did end up successfully hauling my MINI from Indiana to New Hampshire on a car carrier from Penske. The only problem was that the very bottom of the air dam hit the front wheel stops; it just popped over them, but you could hear it. I think my car's ever so slightly lowered due to the wheels and tires I'm running. I would recommend finding a couple of scraps of 2x6 or 2x12 board to put under the front wheels. Other than that, it was a piece of cake!

 

Loved Katesmini's suggestion!! ANY excuse to drive my Mini, especially for a longish ways!!

 

The 2x4's and 2x6's idea is exactly what you need to do. I helped a friend drive from NYC to San Diego last summer. And while it was a bit tricky in the cities, it was actually easy because most other drivers will give you alot of clearance. We did the "fast" drive and I always had visions of the car carrier flying off and passing me on downhills, but it never did. It held like super glue.

Some advice:

1. Every gas stop, check the tension on the tire straps.
2. Make sure you NEVER have to back up. That means pull thru gas stations, hotel parking lots....etc.
3. Be careful getting stuff out of the back of the truck....stuff shifts. Nothing like a dolley flying out the back onto the hood of your Mini...ouch!

Lastly...if you're gonna use a car cover....make sure it's secure. We saw a few billowing behind a few on the road. Not pretty.

Good luck and have fun!

 

if you want to purchase a car carrier to use on multiple occasions, i would recommend purchasing one of the old uhaul trailers they have for sale. they are reasonably priced and in pretty good condition. just an idea!