[meisnutz]

I have come to know that transporting a car through flatbeds and other car carriers is way too costly and when the destination is far off the cost is impractical. The other issue with transportation through the above methods is that the car may get damaged.

Since the car in question is a vintage car the damage may be repairable to original conditions.If drivers are at your disposal and the car can be rolled then I think that towing is the best and cheapest method and you can be more careful when the car is under your watchful eyes.

Some concerns though: what are the necessary precautions to be taken regarding the parts like bearings , wheels, tires , where to connect the tie rod, what speed is to be maintained, any other precautions.

I did search for the topic in this forum and did not find one.Please feel free to modify or merge the thread.

regards,
Nutz

[Rehaan]

Do you have specific locations in mind? Could you mention them...

What about transport by train - or if its a smaller vintage car, transport by lorry.

Here are some related threads:

1

2

3

4


Not sure how different things will be for vintage cars, but I'll leave this thread open for now in case anything comes up in the discussion.

cya
R

[Jeroen]

Couple of pointers;

Put the tie-rod of even better tie-rope at the manufacturer recommended point. Lots of oldtimers still have specficic towing points, for towing and for being towed.

If it's an automatic you need to be very careful. Most automatics don't take kindly to towing at all. Check the manual. Usually there are speed and distance limitations. On some you can't tow at all.

If the car has power steering and power brakes, they won't work if you tow (I assume the engine isn't running). So steering will be much heavier and braking too, you will really need to step on the brake pedal.

We once towed a car back from Italy all across Europe including the Alp back to the Netherlands. You just need to drive carefully. If anything it is much harder on the car towing than the car being towed.

Jeroen

[meisnutz]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Do you have specific locations in mind? Could you mention them...

What about transport by train - or if its a smaller vintage car, transport by lorry.
.
.
.
Not sure how different things will be for vintage cars, but I'll leave this thread open for now in case anything comes up in the discussion.

cya
R

I want to transport the car from Banglore to Alappuzha(Kerala) a total of 650km. While I was told that flatbeds could cost as much as 25k some packers and movers told me that it would come to 12.5k + extras. Since if i was towing the car with my own car I worked out the cost to be 7k and plus I can guarantee the safety

Trains I suppose is more trouble as there are a lot of paper works but mostly it is with the union workers who load and unload that iam concerned with.(esp. in kerala)

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Couple of pointers;

Put the tie-rod of even better tie-rope at the manufacturer recommended point. Lots of oldtimers still have specficic towing points, for towing and for being towed.

If it's an automatic you need to be very careful. Most automatics don't take kindly to towing at all. Check the manual. Usually there are speed and distance limitations. On some you can't tow at all.

If the car has power steering and power brakes, they won't work if you tow (I assume the engine isn't running). So steering will be much heavier and braking too, you will really need to step on the brake pedal.

We once towed a car back from Italy all across Europe including the Alp back to the Netherlands. You just need to drive carefully. If anything it is much harder on the car towing than the car being towed.

Jeroen

hi jeroen,
The car in question is a 1967 Standard Herald Mark 2.4 speed manual and no power steering or power brakes. This is the reason I am reluctant to use a tie rope.

By the way I am not sure how a tie rod works. Just heard that it was a better option than a tie rope.
Since the car is water cooled I am not sure that it can run the whole of 650 km. Plus the car has few issues with the exhaust pipes and fundamentally I am not sure what else can go wrong with it.

regards
Nutz

[Sudarshan]

Just my 2 paisa

when you tow an older vehicle, which is more than 25 years of age & even if you are towing it for a short distances, say 50 km, there is no guarantee that the suspension, wheels & other necessary components wont break in the journey.

I have done this many times along with the crane vehicle & the towed vehicle lifted from front. the distances I covered were not great, just 100/150 km in one go. but I remember myself kept worrying all the time.(the vehicle was just on rear two wheels)

Some 600 km is a big distance to cover unless the road running parts are in perfect condition.

Have you thought of breaking down in half way through the journey & then packingup all & loading it in a truck ?

I remember myself driving a M 800 , just 16 yr old in average running condition , from Ahmadabad to Pune ( 750 km approx ). It broke down several times with engine electrical & overheating problems. it took 14 hrs to come to Thane (Mumbai)

Come on even if its costing 20 K more, load it on a flatbed & travel along it.

Sudarshan

[zenren]

Transportation by trucks or flatbeds might be the better option. If you put enough padding on all 4 sides, then it could be transported without any damage, provided the truck is not driven rashly. Some of my friends have depended on packers and movers with satisfactory outcome. They typically ensure that enough cushioning is done to prevent damage in case of the car sliding inside the truck.

Do check if there is any additional paperwork needed for crossing the state border with the car inside the truck/train/flatbed. There might be some.

I don't have first hand experience with transporters as I drove my 12 year old Zen from Calicut to Hyderabad and back 3 years later instead of resorting to transporters. In my case, reason for that decision was purely the thrill of driving the long distance and knowing very well that my car was capable of handling 1000km in a day!

[Warwithwheels]

Towing down a 50 year old car for 650 Kms is asking for trouble.

Recently, BHPian Sameer_C transported his BMW from Delhi to Mumbai. He chose Aggarwal Packers & Movers to do the job and is mighty impressed. Costed him about 30K for the 1500Km journey. Do check this out



Other option could be a Zero Degree flat bed truck. The company featured in the video operates out of BLR. You may wanna check that out too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAosaB9TsQk

[meisnutz]

Originally Posted by zenren

Transportation by trucks or flatbeds might be the better option. If you put enough padding on all 4 sides, then it could be transported without any damage, provided the truck is not driven rashly. Some of my friends have depended on packers and movers with satisfactory outcome. They typically ensure that enough cushioning is done to prevent damage in case of the car sliding inside the truck.

Do check if there is any additional paperwork needed for crossing the state border with the car inside the truck/train/flatbed. There might be some.

I don't have first hand experience with transporters as I drove my 12 year old Zen from Calicut to Hyderabad and back 3 years later instead of resorting to transporters. In my case, reason for that decision was purely the thrill of driving the long distance and knowing very well that my car was capable of handling 1000km in a day!

Hi zenren,
I recently read a car transporter falling off a cliff and the consignments being lost.The thread is provided by the administrator at the top. As the car is very dear to me and I cant get a replacement I dont want to risk the same.

[ajay99]

Although I understand your concern about the safety of the vehicle, would suggest you to go by the Flatbed truck option.Since the distance is only 650 kms ,you can follow the truck in your vehicle so that the said classic vehicle will be under your monitoring

[Sudarshan]

One more point goes against towing (be it a fix bar, strap/cable or recovery van towing ),is that the length & speed of the "total contraption" is becoming inconvinent & completely unsuitable for today's traffic condition.

Night towing is disastrous, we have been in trouble at night towing.

Again 650 kms will not be achived with more than an average speed of 40 kmph (Max ). I guess it will be merely 30 kmph average as you wont be crossing the 50 kmph mark. This is not fitting in average daylight conditions.

Will you be risking more money & safety of the car ??

Sudarshan

[the mole]

If I were you I would seat my mechanic next to me and drive down the car. 600 kms is not much you can do about 300 kms a day in these cars if the road is good without ghats etc. We do an annual run from Mumbai to Mahableshwar about 300kms each way and it takes us about 7 hrs even with Ghat sections. We always have a flatbed in toto but till this date "knock on wood" we have never had to use it. just keep a constant speed of about 60 kms per hour and take about two 1/2 hr halts and you should there in 2 days. best of luck

[meisnutz]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Towing down a 50 year old car for 650 Kms is asking for trouble.

Hi warwithwheels,
I have posted an enquiry with the company shown in the video and two others two days before.Yet to receive a call back.

-Nutz

Originally Posted by the mole

If I were you I would seat my mechanic next to me and drive down the car. 600 kms is not much you can do about 300 kms a day in these cars if the road is good without ghats etc. We do an annual run from Mumbai to Mahableshwar about 300kms each way and it takes us about 7 hrs even with Ghat sections. We always have a flatbed in toto but till this date "knock on wood" we have never had to use it. just keep a constant speed of about 60 kms per hour and take about two 1/2 hr halts and you should there in 2 days. best of luck

Iam not sure the car can do such speeds but it is now running good . It has a water cooled engine . Can some one who know deeper about this car give a heads up on the type of problems that I may encounter if:
1.I plan to drive it down
2.If I plan to tow it

Here is the pic of the car.It is a Standard Herald Mark 2

[DKG]

Recommend using a flatbed as it can deliver the car to your home. If the vehicle is strapped down securely there is no risk. Towing a vehicle over 650 kms would put a great deal of stress on the drivetrain of the towing vehicle, not to mention the safety risks.

You could also explore the possibility of using the services of vehicle delivery trucks that regularly deliver new cars to your destination. Most of the them are four car carriers and it may reduce your cost a bit as it's shared over four cars.

[kasli]

My first choice would be if the car has no mechanical issue and after a basic check would be to drive her down.This would take care of two things 1) Its fitness 2) will allow you to make a really long list of what you really need to attend too or no list at all which is rare in our world. Flatbed should be the last resort for a car and especially in the state I see in the pic put up that which looks all good to go.

Cheers and congrats

Originally Posted by meisnutz

Iam not sure the car can do such speeds but it is now running good . It has a water cooled engine . Can some one who know deeper about this car give a heads up on the type of problems that I may encounter if:
1.I plan to drive it down
2.If I plan to tow it

Here is the pic of the car.It is a Standard Herald Mark 2
Attachment 1154257

[the mole]

Originally Posted by meisnutz

Iam not sure the car can do such speeds but it is now running good . It has a water cooled engine . Can some one who know deeper about this car give a heads up on the type of problems that I may encounter if:
1.I plan to drive it down
2.If I plan to tow it

Here is the pic of the car.It is a Standard Herald Mark 2
Attachment 1154257

The car looks absolutely good to go on its own. Stanher will confirm that 60 kms an hour is not tough on heralds at all. Driving down with a tool box, mechanic and simple spares like hosepipes, fuses should sail you through.

The trip,will also bind you to your car, something to tell your grandkids and ofcourse the rest of team bhp. Go for it!