Towing a running vehicle?

My family and I are moving from California to Louisiana on 8/31/2018; my car, a manual 6-speed, 2015 Kia Soul, will be hitched to my mothers automatic, 2016 Jeep Cherokee via tow dolly. I have read over and over that it is okay to leave a car running with its A/C running while stationary for hours on end—is it still feasible to have my Kia running with its A/C on while being towed by tow dolly for 3-4 hours at a time, then shut it down every 3-4 hours when we stop for restroom breaks and the such, the whole nearly 1,600 miles?

So why would I want to do something like this? Our main car will be plum full with people and our pets, yet I have an outdoor cat I want to bring to Louisiana also rather than abandon her or sentence her to euthanasia by dropping her at some shelter. I want to kennel her in my car being towed, but only if I can leave the towed car running, while in neutral with the A/C running on low. Like I said, we plan to stop incrementally approximately every 4 hours, so I’ll be able to check my car and my cat.

3 Answers
3

Why not have someone drive it properly - fewer people crammed into one car and you can swap passengers at each stop - it seems a safer option...

From a mechanical perspective yes, it's actually a very good idea. If I were to tow someone in a broken-down car, I'd have them let the engine run anyway because it would send power to the powersteering pump and brakes, making it safer for the guy being towed, because he can help me brake and it would be easier to turn at low speeds.

If you could have someone in the towed car, that'd be even better, but you can do this without stressing about it too much. I'd ask a vet if they would be willing to give the cat something for the nerves though.

Another advantage to the scenario being presented is that airflow through the cooling system will be higher than in a parked vehicle. Just note that some US states prohibit passengers in a towed conveyance, regardless of operating status.

If you were doing this in the United Kingdom you'd need someone to sit in the vehicle being towed to operate the brakes. We have a very strict 750kg limit on unbraked trailers. Assuming your tow vehicle is going to be fully loaded with people and their sundries I'd also say you'd have to be careful not to exceed the maximum allowable mass on the tow vehicles weight plates.

I also worry about what would happen if the vehicle being towed stalls just a few minutes into a four hour driving stint. If you have someone sat in the drivers seat then they can re-start it but if it's unmanned then the internal temperatures would presumably sore (or the running fans would flatten the battery?).

My personally preferred option would be to drive both vehicles. By all means drive in convoy and make regular stops. The alternative would be to hire a vehicle transporter trailer and put your vehicle on that. I'd abandon the idea of leaving the cat in there too. You're crossing many states and I'd assume the chances that leaving an animal unattended would no doubt contravene some state or town bylaw along your route. You may be better served either moving enough possessions from the tow vehicle to the trailer-ed vehicle to accommodate the cat carrier or have someone book an internal flight and transport the cat that way.

I don't mean to sound negative but what you are planning would be illegal in the UK, hence I have an inherent aversion to what you are suggesting.

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