Tow Bars and towing muliple cars

Tow Bar have become fairly cheap, thinking about picking up 3 cars in a trade deal(2 cars for 3 cars plus extensive parts trade), they are rear wheel drive race cars so they are not insured or registered. Round trip is 370 miles Ohio to Michigan and back to Ohio. One of my friends has a truck and trailer , while I have a Mazda cx-5 and another friend has a honda van. I was thinking with the van and Mazda we could use a tow bar.  After talking to the Ohio BMV if the car is touching the ground it must be registered ( so i am putting that idea in pencil, not sure if Michigan cares) Idea#2 Renting two uhaul trucks with trailer is round trip would cost $864 plus gas for truck and trailer. I received a quote from shipping company for $880 to ship 3 cars, but would still need to bring 2 cars up and figure out a way to get a extensive parts package.

Option#1 Other then the legal issues in Ohio, not sure if there is anything else I should be worried about using a tow bars other then just throwing them in neutral and but some lights on them.

Option#2 Way too costly

Option#3 I still have to bring 2 cars up for the trade, rent atleast one truck and trailer. It probably wouldn't be helpful to have two empty trailers, it would also be difficult to time when the shippers schedule would work with mine and the other folks.

Option#4 $$$ other guy bring his cars, but potentially miss out on parts ( he has so many parts that it isn't inventoried) If he is to lazy to inventory, perhaps he will pick and choose what he brings.

3 weekends with Mazda and tow bar and claim ignorance of plates? 

Or weekend 1 with Mazda and tow bar and buddies truck/trailer and collect all parts.  Weekend 2 is Mazda and tow bar and claim ignorance of plates?   

How big are the cars?  Get the biggest Penske truck, have a rollback load one car and the spares  into the truck, one on a trailer, and tow bar number three.

some states specifically except race cars from needing registration while being towed, and sometimes the rules for getting a temporary or in transit (maybe intrastate transit) tag are so loose that you can get one for a few days, once, on as little as a bill of sale and insurance paperwork.

Also, usually if all the wheels are on the ground you need a tag, but if one end is being supported by something else with a tag you don't. That means a tow dolly with a trailer plate on it is usually enough to make a nonregistered car legal, and most rental dollys have plates. In this case a dolly might be a better choice than a tow bar, especially since you don't know if the cars will even track right on a bar.

Does your state have a grace period for getting a tag? In Georgia, when you buy a used car you have 7 days to get a tag. You just need to have the signed title or bill of sale with the date of purchase in the car in case you get pulled over. If it's legal in your state of residence, it should be legal in any state you are driving through. Just say your state has a grace period and you will tag it when you get home.

I live in PA so the rules are different but according to Ohio, you have to get the title first then go to the BMV get a temp tag. How isn't that a$$ backwards. I am going to check my hitch today to see if I can tow dolly the vehicle. I have a class III not sure what the van has. What is the operation of tow dollying rear wheel drive?

Automatic: Disconnect driveshaft.

Manual: bungee it in neutral to be sure it can't get bumped into gear

tomtomgt356 said:

If it's legal in your state of residence, it should be legal in any state you are driving through.

Yeah, while I agree with you, try telling that to Virginia cops.  Let us know how that works out for you when you do.

370 miles is not that far.  Average 60mpg, that's about 6 hours.  3 there, 3 back.  

I'd make at least two trips with truck/trailer.  Deliver yours, bring back one each time.  

370x3 trips = 1,110 miles.  Even getting 10mpg, that's 111 gallons of fuel.  Gas is cheaper than 2.40/gal. for cheap unleaded, so you're talking ~$265 in fuel.  

All in you've got 18 hours of driving.  That's doable in a weekend even with load times.  Load your trailer up Friday night and be ready to hit the road in the morning.  Leave 6AM, arrive by 9AM.  Unload/Load in an hour.  10AM back on the road home.  1PM.. home.  unload/load, eat lunch... hit the road for round 2 by 3PM.  Arrive 6PM... unload/load... go grab dinner somewhere ~ 7PM.  Leave by 8PM, back home by 11PM.  Leave it on the trailer and go to bed.  

Unload in the morning, and hit the last trip at your leisure on Sunday with an empty trailer to grab the last of the spares and car.  

...or beg/borrow/find one more friend with truck/trailer so you don't have to make 3 trips.  I'd second the dolly over tow bar option.  I've dragged around unregistered cars in Michigan on a dolly and so far have had no issues.  If you have a signed title or bill of sale I'd imagine you'd get by just fine.  

Duke said:

tomtomgt356 said:

If it's legal in your state of residence, it should be legal in any state you are driving through.

Yeah, while I agree with you, try telling that to Virginia cops.  Let us know how that works out for you when you do.

I try to avoid "Northern" states.  There are plenty of rust free cars in Atlanta.