You could... but I wouldn't. Those u-haul trailers are heavy and tend not to handle well. You're looking at the large box? It's not so much the weight that'll get you, it's the aero. If you kept the speeds reasonable (65 or below) and you weren't tackling hills, maybe. Otherwise why waste the Mini's mileage? Rent a truck and a dolly and tow the Mini (assuming you're moving and have to have the Mini).

 

Yeah, I'd agree with Dixon - the 4x8 trailer is a bit too much, height & weight. Uhaul does have a smaller aerodynamic pod on wheels, though. My trailer quest started with trying to find an enclosed trailer, but I haven't found one light enough to let me haul bigger bulky things. Do you intend it for moving, or just a trip with a purpose?

 

Just today I added a new item to my towing arsenal...

It's a 1988 Starcraft Starblazer popup camper



A few years ago I built a teardrop camper, but had to sell it due to the purchase of a new home....and nobody would go camping with me because it was too small .

I found this and the price was right. It's in decent condition. It weighs about 1000 lbs and tows well. Our trip home was 2 hours on the interstate and it followed behind us just fine doing 70 mph. From the side, it doesn't look all that big....it's the width that makes it seem so huge....6 1/2 ft. We don't take long camping trips, so this will go to surrounding state parks and such....shorter trips.

At any rate, now I have a winter project getting this camper cleaned up and in shape for the spring. I'm thinking about painting it Red and keeping the top white to match the car.


 

Yeah it's intended for moving, a long-distance move of about 2200 miles. The items moving are not heavy, but there's a queen box-spring and mattress, etc, that won't fit into the small pod that I probably otherwise could get away with.

The reason for towing a trailer vs renting the truck and towing the MINI would be purely economic - $550 for the trailer + hitch vs $1200 for truck + tow setup.

 

Then how about renting the open-bed frame trailer they have, and just get REALLY good at tarping things down? As long as you get a big enough tarp (and or figure out visqueen plastic wrapping and taping), it shouldn't be that much of a problem; that Uhaul open bed frame trailer is almost the same thing as the one I have and should be light enough for the MINI. Good luck!!

 

ML: The only issue I'd consider is the considerable wear and tear on the mini due to the move. You've got the Cooper, and your trans may or may not be up to the task (don't know which year you've got)... sorry! It would be an adventure, and likely would be OK, but there are risks too.

 

OOOOH! Sorry, ML - I didn't realize you had an MC. Dixon's right, as usual. Got friends willing to tow for you?

 

Not that far! I'm probably going to end up either just getting the U-Haul and towing the MINI, or getting a POD for all my stuff and having it moved that way, and driving the MINI. I'll find out in the next few days if it's a problem I even have to worry about.

 

Well, all the best - whatever way it ends up working out!

 

An easy tow!

 

After today's towing adventure, I thought I'd share a picture. I sold a sailboat to a guy in Virginia.....so met him about halfway down in Eastern KY to make the sale.



Talk about getting funny looks from others on the highway! It was probably more the fact that I was towing a sailboat somewhere and it was below 30 degrees outside than it was the MINI tow vehicle, though.

 

That is a SWEET boat! Which bigger one did you get?
(Seems that's always the case, so I thought I'd ask!).

Had to add pics of one other thing I've towed, both with the dealer car and my own (mine's the astro black). The Mini of Pittsburgh Grille Car has even been in the Dragon, and did respectably well (when well-towed).

]

 

I tow my boat all the time with no problems...

 

Action video, please

 

Nice try!

 

 

My new "DRAGON SHACK"

 

I love it! And considering the original photo nice work.

 

We used to haul a pop-up about that size with our 1968 Ford Galaxie 500....

 

I think the pic I posted above is a bit deceiving....with the trailer in the foreground, it makes it look WAY bigger than the car. The box of the camper is only 8' long and 6'-ish wide....really not much bigger than a utility trailer. It is a bit tall since I dropped the axle a couple of inches and put on larger wheels......and I'm going to have to figure out a way to see over/around it better (rear-view cam?). Also, it's well under 1000 lbs (i'm guessing around 800 lbs now that I've stripped some stuff out of the inside) and the tongue weight is 50 lbs or less.

I took it on a test run to see my family this weekend...about an hour each way on the interstate. I had no trouble doing 70 mph. Once you get going, you really don't know it's back there. Takes a bit longer than usual getting up to speed, but it's not that bad.

Here's a better pic....size is a bit more realistic from this angle...

 

Awesome!

 

Yeah, that's not bad. The first photo was pretty deceptive.

 

That rear view cam idea is actually realistic - kits area available at Costco (and probably a dozen other places) for under $100. You may need to extend the cable, but that'd be pretty cool. Nice rig!

 

that is a pretty nice pop up camper.
there's a mini cooper driver that builds and sells teardrop trailers on ebay. look like nice quality. I found a local trailer maker who is making a 3'X4' trailer for me to haul an ice cream freezer around for events.
will have to post it if I can ever get a hitch that's stocked.