Apache Junction auto transport

Apache Junction is the eastern edge of metro Phoenix. The Superstition Freeway, US 60, runs out of Mesa, passes the south side of town and then narrows into a highway that climbs toward Gold Canyon, Superior and Globe. The old Apache Trail leaves from the middle of town and winds northeast to Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flat. Past the city limits there is national forest and not much else.

Carriers reach Apache Junction from the Mesa side, by US 60 or Loop 202, and most treat it as the last stop on an East Valley run. Our office is on Ironwood Drive just north of the Apache Trail. Ironwood, Idaho Road and the Apache Trail itself are wide enough for a carrier to stop, and drivers frequently use them as meeting points for homes on smaller streets.

With the Superstitions and miles of desert trails at the door, Apache Junction has more modified four-wheel-drives than almost anywhere in the state. They ship all the time, and a few details make the difference between an easy load and a problem.

Height comes first. A tall lift and large tires can put a Jeep or truck over seven feet, and on a two-level carrier that limits it to certain positions. Measure from the ground to the highest point, including any light bar or rack, and give us the number. Tire width matters as well, because the ramps and tracks on a trailer are only so wide.

Soft tops should be latched and zipped, or taken off and stowed inside, since highway wind will work a loose one free. Doors and tops that have been removed should go back on for the trip. Lock the hubs out, set the transfer case in two-wheel drive, and tell the driver about any quirks, such as a cutoff switch or a clutch that has to be pressed to start. A purpose-built buggy that isn't street legal is quoted by phone and usually travels on a flatbed.

Garages, carports and back lots in Apache Junction hold a lot of unfinished projects. When one is sold, inherited or finally sent to a restoration shop, it needs a carrier that is ready for what it is.

Be specific when you describe it. A car with an engine that won't start is one thing. A rolling shell with no engine, no brakes, flat tires or a missing steering column is another, and the driver needs to know in advance. Before pickup day, air up the tires or fit a set of rollers that hold air, and move the car to where a winch cable can reach it in a straight line. A vehicle wedged behind a shed with a tree in front of it can't be loaded by a carrier and will need a local tow truck to drag it out first.

Loose parts are the other question. Fenders, trim, glass and boxes of hardware stacked inside a project car shift on the road. Pack them so they can't move, keep the driver's seat and the area around the steering wheel clear, and note on the inspection report that parts are riding inside at your risk. Titles, keys and anything irreplaceable should travel with you.

North and east of the city center, many homes are on an acre or more, on county-maintained or private dirt roads. Gates, cattle guards, low power lines and sandy washes are all common. After a summer storm a wash that was dry in the morning can be running by afternoon. If your place is one of these, the driver will not bring the trailer in. Plan to meet at the nearest paved road with a wide shoulder, and if you keep animals, secure them and close your gates behind the car on the way out.

The Apache Junction office also books shipments for the towns farther up US 60. Gold Canyon is an easy extension, ten minutes past the end of the freeway. Beyond it the highway climbs through Gonzales Pass and the Queen Creek Tunnel to Superior and on to Miami and Globe. Carriers can drive it, but few have other business there, so those pickups work best with flexible dates. Some customers in the mining towns choose to bring the vehicle down to Apache Junction and hand it over here, which usually gets it on a truck sooner.

From late fall to early spring, Apache Junction's population swells with winter residents, and traffic on the Apache Trail and Ironwood Drive slows to match. On weekends in February and March, the Arizona Renaissance Festival east of Gold Canyon backs US 60 up for miles in both directions. We schedule weekend pickups east of town around festival hours, and on any winter day a morning window is the safest choice.