LUVTruck.com

ok, so they gave me a Trooper 4WD , not sure of the year, I posted some pics of it and was told it was 87 or newer. The truck ran great before it got some kind of fuel problem(fuel pump I'm guessing). I want to put my 73's body on the trooper's frame. I'll have a bigger engine, better tranny(5-speed ) and best of all 4x4 . Anyhow, the truck is in Phoenix, AZ and I want to bring it home using my luv. My dad has a towing bar somewhere in the back yard, and I was planning on using that , until a friend of my dad offered to let me use his trailer. I was reading old posts, but couldnt quite come up with a concluscion. What do you guys recommend? trailer or tow bar? what are the advantages/disadvantages of either?
Also, since i lifted my truck (torsion bars/shackles) I was able to squeeze in some 32x11.5 BFG's in the rear. Havent gotten around to doing the front. Should I leave these on for the trip (lower RPM's?) or switch back to the other ones I had on it, some 205/75R15's? I plan on taking my time, I'm not trying to rush back home and probably do most of the driving at night, that way my engine will have cooler air running through it.
Any help/comments/advice would be greatly appreciated. I've never towed anything any further than two miles, and am completely lost..
Thanks
-Jose

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LUV is...

hahahah i wouldnt try it man thats kinda far

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77-luv-stock (Selling or Parting out motor blew up)

75-luv mikado-V8 350 soon

Well if you are a noob to towing you should probably learn how to do it with a fullsize and a small trailer before trying this.

-I have to check my owners' manual, I don't think there's anything in there about towing. You might not be allowed to tow with these trucks since they weigh so little. The Trooper weighs more than a LUV.
-These trucks have tiny brakes. Especially since yours is a '73 and has front drums. If you do try it I would go with a UHaul car trailer that has surge brakes. But I don't know that UHaul would even rent to someone towing with a LUV.
-I think the absolute safest way to tow a Trooper with a LUV is not to do it. About the only other way is to take Route 66 the whole way, don't get on the freeway, and go about 35.

Please note, you are much better and more useful to us around here alive than dead from a car wreck. That's my sarcastic way of saying be super careful man, and borrow someone's fullsize if you absolutely have to tow it yourself.

My $0.02, but hey, you asked.

If it were me, ( I drive a big rig), put it on a trailer and a full size newer pick up on the front.
There is a pretty big hill ( about 10 miles long) to go down into Indio on the way home, and you'll need better brakes and a bigger tow vehicle than a LUV to get down it and live.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

I 4 wheel my luv quite a bit, I have only tryed to tow with it once and the only two stock things in the drivetrain are the radiator and the rearend, I was towing an empty trailor. I ended up having to get my k5 and tow the luv home on the trailor because the radiator blew and one of the bearings in my center section burnt up and locked. I would say don't try it because your gonna have to pay someone to tow your luv and the trooper

Just my .02

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No luv right now =(

Woah, those are a lot of no no's..
I really wanted to do this with my luv. Everyone around here is also telling me that its not a good idea. My dad's friend told me that if I even steped foot on the freeway while towing the trooper,the first highway patrol to see me was gonna ticket me. He let me borrow his trailer, it turned out to be one of them two wheel dollies, but that thing sticks out more than a foot on each side from the luv. I guess im gonna have to go with my dad's truck..

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LUV is...

Width is not an issue anyway. The issue is the towing vehicle being lighter than whats being towed, lack of power and lack of braking. I assume your dad's truck is a full size? that and the dolly will work great.

I used to have an '86 3/4 ton big block Suburban, and a '73 20 foot tri-hull family/ski boat on a dual axle trailer. The boat weighed 5000lbs on the trailer. I got stupid one day on the I 5 up near Stockton, I jerked on the wheel too hard to pass a slow poke and got sideways! The boat threw that Burban's back end all over the place. I saved it after over correcting twice, but I saved it and my family. Had to stop and change my shorts after that too.
My point is it's scary what a towed vehicle can do to the towing vehicle. You'll want the bigger truck up front.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Ok, so I can take either a Silverado or a Savanna 3500. I'm leaning more towards the savana, since you've made me see that a heavier car is the way to go.

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LUV is...

alright, i got everything set up and ready for my road trip tomorrow..
Im taking my dad's savana, since that would be the heaviest vehicle, available to me, to tow with. I changed the brakes yesterday and finished setting up the lights for the tow dolly today..
Also, when I had the idea of towing the trooper back with the luv, eln1972luv mention taking back route 66. I want to take route 66 on the drive back home, but I dont know quite how it runs. Has anyone taken it before, or have any info that can help me?

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LUV is...

66 runs up along the I40, out through Flagstaff AZ. Phoenix is south of that on I 10. your best bet is to just run the 10 both ways. I've run that route many times.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Yeah, I knew it ran north of phoenix, through flagstaff, but its not on the map anywhere.. some websites sell the maps, but I'm not gonna get it in time..

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LUV is...

Well, Bobby Troupe's song gives the route (so who else here is a big enough nerd to know that Bobby Troupe wrote the thing, and that he played Dr. Joe Early on the show Emergency! about paramedics?)

Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona (AZ)
Kingman (AZ), Barstow (CA), San Bernardino (CA).

Ron's right though it literally runs right along I-40 in the west, that's the road that replaced it. It's marked on Google Maps usually as the National Trails Highway. In CA, part of it is called CA66, goes through Needles at the CA/AZ border, across the desert (lots of little towns), through Barstow and Victorville, and then down the Cajon Pass. It was paved over by the freeway (except for one little strip) over Cajon. Not that I've ever researched Route 66.

Although I originally suggested it because you could go slow, it is supposed to be a nice, scenic drive.

I like that.. Any place online where i can find the route?

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LUV is...

Just google "Route 66 in CA" and "Route 66 in AZ" and click on about the first 10 links that come up for each. That should do ya. Hopefully it won't be TMI.

Ok so we got the truck home safe and sound. I gotta say taking the savanna instead of the Luv was probably the best thing i've ever done, thx for the advice. Even though the truck was heavy and all, I could feel the trooper pulling and whatnot in the freeway when the wind decided to kick. the stopping wasnt really that noticeable, im guessing cus of the massive brakes on that thing.. We ended up just taking the 10 back home. We were too tired and restless to take the big detour of going up north to flagstaff. That and we wouldnt be able to go too fast since I was towing the trooper.
I'm gonna start working on it during the week, hopefully I can get it running and I can start my swapping soon.

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LUV is...

than u will have ur 4x4 luv just dnt like cali gov find out

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77-luv-stock (Selling or Parting out motor blew up)

75-luv mikado-V8 350 soon

yeah, those bastards always trying to ruin everything!!

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LUV is...

yeah but u got a pre smog luv so ur good lol unlike my 77....

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77-luv-stock (Selling or Parting out motor blew up)

75-luv mikado-V8 350 soon

So its been two months and I havent done a damn thing..
Stupid work.. and stupid school.. and stupid drinkin.. and stupid cars.. and stupid friends.. and stupid dogs.. and stupid stupid stupid stupid!!!!!!!!!!

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LUV is...

That sure sounds like a whole lot of STUPID!!!

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In life there is the "Way things should be" and then "There's the way they are".

2005 Silverado 3/4T Crew Cab
1981 Luv 2WD
1979 Luv 4x4 Currently going through Open Heart and Cosmetic surgery
1995 Roughneck JetBoat
1981 Luv parts trk