How to Haul a Car That Won't Start: Winch, Ramps, and Ball Size
A car that will not start still weighs what it weighed yesterday. It rolls if you push it, it steers a little, and it will not drive itself onto a trailer. That is the whole problem, and it is why a dead project car, an auction buy, a seized truck, or a flooded vehicle sits in a driveway for months longer than it needs to.
The fix is not muscle and it is not a favor from four friends. It is a winch, the right ramps, and ten minutes of hitch homework before you leave the house. Three of the four trailers in our Mary Esther yard carry a wireless winch, and our 7x20 car hauler comes with straps plus a pair of 7 foot aluminum ramps that solves the low car problem.
Here is the whole job in order, plus the two questions folks get wrong when they show up to hook on: what size ball is on your truck, and does it have a round 7 pin plug.
Check your truck before you book
All four of our trailers run a round 7 pin plug. If your truck has a flat 4 pin connector, you need an adapter or a proper 7 pin install, and that is worth sorting out before pickup day instead of standing in the yard at 6 a.m. figuring it out.
Ball size is the other trip-up. Our 7x20 7K Car Hauler (Ole Faithful) takes a 2 inch ball on a standard bumper pull hitch. The bigger bumper pull units take a 2-5/16 inch ball. The 7x36 gooseneck (Goosey) does not use a receiver at all, it needs an in-bed gooseneck hitch with a 2-5/16 inch ball. A friend volunteering his truck is great, but check his hitch, not just his horsepower.
| Trailer | Hitch | Ball | Plug |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7x20 7K Car Hauler (Ole Faithful) | Bumper pull | 2 inch | Round 7 pin |
| 8.5x24 16K (Big Bertha) | Bumper pull | 2-5/16 inch | Round 7 pin |
| 6x10 10K dump (Lil Dumpy) | Bumper pull | 2-5/16 inch | Round 7 pin |
| 7x36 gooseneck (Goosey) | Gooseneck | 2-5/16 inch | Round 7 pin |
If you are not sure your truck is rated for the trailer plus the car on it, run the numbers through our tow guide first. Five minute check, saves a bad afternoon.
Ole Faithful by the numbers: 7 ft by 20 ft deck, 7,000 lb GVWR, 2,750 lbs empty, 4,250 lb payload. Wireless winch and straps included, plus a pair of 7 ft aluminum ramps. Before you book, check the curb weight of what you are hauling against that 4,250 lb payload. Most cars and side by sides fit fine, but a full size or mid size pickup can eat most of it.
The loading sequence for a car that will not run
A wireless winch changes this job because you can stand where you can see, instead of at the front of the trailer yanking on a remote that is wired to the winch. Work in this order and it goes smooth.
- Park on flat, solid ground and leave the trailer coupled to the truck. Do not unhook to load.
- Chock the trailer wheels and drop the ramps at the rear, spaced to your track width. Give them a shove to make sure they are seated.
- Get the car ready to roll. Key on so the steering unlocks, parking brake off, transmission in neutral. On an automatic with a dead battery you may need the shift lock release.
- Run the winch cable out and hook to a rated tow point or the frame, not to a bumper cover or a control arm.
- Stand off to the side, take up slack slowly, then pull. Have someone steering the front wheels to keep the car centered as it climbs.
- Pull it far enough forward that most of the weight sits ahead of the axles. Too far back and the trailer will sway on you.
A cable under load is not something to stand in line with, and a winch is never a tie down. Once the car is positioned, set the parking brake if it works, chock a wheel, and strap it down before you leave the winch as the only thing holding it.
Low cars and why the ramp length matters
Short ramps make an aggressive angle. A lowered car, a car with a big front lip, or a car on flat tires will scrape, hang up on the crossmember, or stop halfway. Length fixes it, because the same deck height spread over a longer ramp is a gentler climb.
That is why Ole Faithful carries 7 foot aluminum ramps as part of the rental. If the car is very low, lay a couple of 2x8 boards under the bottom of the ramps to soften the break angle further, and air the tires up if they hold air at all.
Strap it at four points
The 7x20 and the 8.5x24 come with straps as part of the rental. On any other trailer, ask us about tie downs when you book so you are not sorting it out in the driveway. Whatever you are pulling, four points is the standard for a reason: two forward, two rearward, pulling in opposition so the car cannot walk in any direction.
- Run straps over the tires or to rated frame points, never over a suspension arm that can move.
- Pull each strap tight enough to compress the suspension slightly, then check that the car does not rock.
- Tie off the loose tail of every strap so nothing is flapping at highway speed.
- Stop after the first 10 or 15 minutes and retighten. Straps settle, and this is the most skipped step there is.
When you need more trailer than the car hauler
If the load is a heavy truck, a dually, or a piece of equipment, step up to Big Bertha, our 8.5x24 16K equipment trailer. It runs a 16,000 lb GVWR with a 12,000 lb payload, and along with the wireless winch and straps it carries 3/8 chains and binders. Chains and binders are what you want on anything with tracks, a loader arm, or real weight. We rent it out to jobs all over the area, from Crestview down to the coast.
Moving two vehicles at once or going a long way, take Goosey. The 7x36 gooseneck carries 9,800 lbs of payload on a 36 foot deck with an open center and a steel mesh floor, and it has a winch too. The catch is the hitch: your truck needs an in-bed gooseneck ball, so confirm that before booking.
One dead car, normal distance: the 7x20 car hauler at 95 dollars a day, or 65 dollars for a half day if you are just going across town in Fort Walton Beach or Destin.
Heavy truck or equipment: the 8.5x24 16K at 125 dollars a day, with the chains and binders in the package.
Two vehicles or a long haul: the 7x36 gooseneck at 160 dollars a day, 800 for the week.
What you need to book
Bring a valid driver license and proof of insurance, both are required on every rental. At checkout you can pay in full or put down a 50 percent deposit. Cancellations 48 or more hours before pickup get a full refund, and cancellations within 48 hours are subject to a 25 percent fee.
Damage protection is available with a 150 dollar copay, worth a look any time you are winching an unknown vehicle onto a deck. Details are on the protection plan page. If you would rather not tow it yourself, we deliver, so ask when you book. The yard is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, with daily, weekly, and monthly rates.
Move that car this weekend
Check your ball size and your 7 pin plug, then pick your trailer and see real-time availability and book online. If you want a second opinion on whether your truck is up for the job, call us at 850-240-0479 and we will talk it through. We are local and veteran owned, and we would rather answer the question now than untangle a problem in your driveway later.