[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Can only tell you what not to do with a Uhaul car haul trailer.
Don't haul a B350 1Ton Dodge extended Van on one of them unless you can stay under 45mph for the length of your hauling trip.

Could only load the Van on the trailer forwards.
So majority of weight was on the tongue.
Anytime my Dad approached 45+ it would go into death wobble fishtails.

After the 2nd time I protested that he let me drive.
After the 3rd time I protested to let me out so I could walk the other 90 miles home.
Don't know how we didn't crash on that last one.

Then finally he kept it at 42mph the rest of the way home.
If the Van could have fit on the trailer backwards - it probably would have been even worse that way.

Towed a 66 GTO convertible on a Uhaul trailer with a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 and it did fine.
Even though it was above its towing capacity a little.
Just stayed at 55mph

[jamesq]

I pulled a 65 Lemans convertible from Indiana to S MIssissippi (750 mi) a few years ago on a Uhaul trailer. I used a small Uhaul van as the tow vehicle.

I had a trailer tire blow out just south of Huntsville AL. It took about four hours total for Uhaul to send someone out and replace the tire.

I have used the Uhaul trailers about half dozen times, they are very easy to load and unload and that was my only time to have any issue.

FWIW

James Q

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

When I used the Jeep GC , I had to use my drop hitch upside down as a lift hitch.
Those trailers are heavy just by them self.
Over 2000 lbs

[mrennie]

My only contribution is related to tongue weight. Typical recommendation is 10-12% tongue weight. In my experience 12-14% is a safe bet. Too light and trailers can sway.

[vertigto]

Question for those that have used axle straps for tie down, rather than the web-style over the wheel straps? Did you run them through the wheels? Around the engine cradle and axle tubes?

[dataway]

Along the same line .... does the U-haul car trailer come with adequate equipment to secure the car to the trailer?

[OG68]

Front tire straps and safety chain

[dataway]

Well the transportation of the GTO from NY to TN is complete.

The old GMC truck pulled the 6500 lbs of trailer, car, people and gear with nary a whimper, 65 - 70 mph the whole 1100 miles.

Went through a couple of short downpours, and a couple of hours of drizzles ... but towards the end we had a couple of hours of dry air at 65 mph blowing through the car to dry things out. I put packing tape on a few of the vulnerable side window areas. Was surprised that the car was bone dry inside after the trip.

Trailer performed great, including one panic stop that had all eight wheels chirping in ABS activation. One plus side to ABS on the truck with a hydraulic surge brake on the trailers is the trailer brakes pick up the ABS pulsing and also pulse. Stopped about 8 feet short of plowing into a line of cars in one of the bizarre interchanges in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus or Louisville .... I forget which. Traffic was bad and our route took us right through the center of town in most of the cities.

Jeez, road conditions in this country are going downhill fast ... can't believe some of these roads are considered safe to drive on, absolute horrible in Louisville and Columbus.

But for the most part no drama, trailer towed very stable, pickup and dropoff was easy and quick. Unlike our U-Boxes that were an absolute, horror story experience involving astounding levels of incompetence normally only seen in a Hollywood comedy.

Tractors and equipment also got down here safe and on time, carried by an independent driver out of NY.

So the new saga in TN begins. One last trip to NY to pick of the last of my tools and we hope to never see the state again. NY house is under contract, should be all wrapped up in a couple of weeks (fingers crossed).

Thanks for the advice and information folks.

[Shiny]

I have to move my car in the next 2 weeks and will either rent a U-Haul or pay a transporter. Money obviously favors the U-Haul but I am anxious about it.

Truck is a 2018 Silverado 1500 5.3 without the tow package. We have a 4000-lb fiberglass 5th-wheel camper I'm used to pulling and the truck handles it well, at least AFTER I added a transmission cooler.

Most of my concerns have been addressed in this thread:

- weight

Car and trailer have to be pushing 6000 lbs, which sounds like a lot... especially if my next concern has any teeth. How heavy is the U-Haul?

- brakes

My camper has electric brakes so the surge brakes sounded iffy. Seems they work well, though. Are these trailers maintained well? Any way to tell by looking? I don't want to load the car, get on the road, and find out the truck has to do all the braking.

- sway

Not an issue with my camper, but clearly a crisis to avoid. How do I make sure this won't happen? Does the U-Haul "default" load position make certain the weight distribution is good? Nose-forward?

- trailer width

How wide is the trailer vs my truck? There are some narrow lanes around here and the truck fills them.

- And the BIG concern is traffic. I am only going about 70 miles, but it's a lot of metro Denver. I think I will try hard to stay off the interstate, as getting on I-25 in any vehicle is a death-wish. My "non-highway" options may add 1 to 2 hours... I think it might be worth it, but those smaller roads might have their own hazards (intersections).

Overall, there's only one "don't do it" in this thread, but looking for some reassurance!

Mike

[dataway]

Shiny ... so a flatbed is substantially more than the U-haul? I'm not familiar with local rates ... my 1100 miles trip the U-haul cost $700.

I found the trailer brakes to work very well. The trailer they gave me was a tank, and in very good condition. They weigh every bit of 2000 lbs.

Do you know what rear end is in the truck? I wouldn't think 70 miles would present any problem at all unless they are all uphill, or any really steep grades.

The trailer was all of 2 feet wider than my GTO, has to be a foot wider than your truck.

Here is a link to the specs of their auto trailer:
https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/Auto-...ort-Rental/AT/

I had absolutely zero sway of any kind. I had several butt puckering moments on the trip and the trailer behaved beautifully, it was more composed than I was.

For only 70 miles I wouldn't hesitate, go as slow as you want. If it's only $150 more to hire a flatbed ... I personally would go with the flatbed, mostly just to avoid trailer pickup, drop-off, loading, unloading.

[Shiny]

dataway -

Thanks for the feedback. I don't need puckering and honestly, that's my biggest concern. I'm sure it's not unique, but I-25 traffic through Denver is 75 mph in a 55 zone until it instantly stops, with 10% of drivers failing to notice, let alone accept it. We have seen an average of 3 accidents between here and our new house on every trip. It's like a video game every time, without towing. There are slower routes, though, so that would be the plan.

Good questions and good point about cost vs hassle. I paid about $600 to have it hauled last fall from Montrose to Centennial by a transporter. U-Haul will be about $150 for the shorter move.

I will try to get some quotes for a local hauler. Any advice on finding one? Broker or towing companies?? Is there a directory or online posting site for independent haulers?

[Bills Auto Works]

Shiny,

In your situation, a reputable local towing company would be your best bet. That is such a short transport that it would be really tough to find a single car transporter like RustyTinMan or Myself that would happen to be empty i n the Denver area when you needed it done. I would think though that maybe you have a friend in a car club with a truck & trailer that hauls his own car around to shows & or the race track that you could pay to do it for you.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...closed.614419/

[Shiny]

Thanks Bill,

Understand the challenge and I will call a few towing companies.

I had great luck with an independent transporter in the past, but as you say, I got lucky finding him needing a load when and where I was going.

Mike

[jamesq]

If you decide to rent the U-Haul trailer (which I think are excellent!), consider a one-way rental. I think the better (newer) trailers are used for one-ways as opposed to local rentals.
I found this out when I rented a truck one-way and the guy I dropped it off with said I should not have been issued the truck I had, as it was tagged by U-Haul for local service only!

Good luck, James Q

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by jamesq

If you decide to rent the U-Haul trailer (which I think are excellent!), consider a one-way rental. I think the better (newer) trailers are used for one-ways as opposed to local rentals.
I found this out when I rented a truck one-way and the guy I dropped it off with said I should not have been issued the truck I had, as it was tagged by U-Haul for local service only!

Good luck, James Q

Interesting! Thanks

If I rent the U-Haul, it will be one way. I have dealers within 5 minutes on both ends. I rented a small enclosed trailer to haul some furniture up and it was easy.

Mike

[tinindian68]

Would towing really early in the morning or really late at night alleviate the traffic concerns? I know here in Pittsburgh, I can shave an hour off a trip easy if leave really early or late in the day.

[dataway]

Good point, tow it at 4am if you need to. All my pucker moments were my own fault, towing 19 hours straight didn't help. I agree about the local towing company, going through a broker for a haul like that would be a pain. Might be some local medium haul outfits?
Best solution .. PY member with a trailer.

[Shiny]

I got a couple quotes from local tow companies and find them higher than I hoped. Makes sense, though, considering they would have to tie up a flatbed and a driver for 3 or 4 hours to go both directions.

I have an online quote from a broker who will find a transporter. The quote is quite a bit less than the flatbeds and might be worth it, but still about double the cost of the U-Haul. This also makes sense, given they are carrying multiple cars and probably run up and down the highway all the time for dealers, auctions, etc. I will call them tomorrow and get some specifics.

While I appreciate the suggestion of 4AM traffic avoidance, my brain and body do not function that early and I would become the biggest hazard. If I go U-Haul, I'll try to talk one of my sons into helping me, possibly following me to deter the lane-whippers.

Mike

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Those trailers are heavy , and well built.
I think maintenance is sort of hit and miss overall.
Check the tires (air and condition) and lights yourself.

Had to haul a 66 GTO Vert once using a 94 Jeep Grand Ckee Limited 5.2 (318)
6,000 lb tow rating
The Uhaul dealer was a friend and said the system wouldn't accept the vehicle combo.
So changed it to an 89 VW Jetta as being on the trailer.

About 80 miles up unloaded, 80 miles back loaded with car.
Everything went fine and kept it between 55-60mph with OverDrive disabled.

I think rollbacks are getting $4-5 per mile around here.
Trailers were $75 per day the last 2 times I used them (returned to pick up location)

[Shiny]

Wow, these national transport brokers are all over the place, both in cost and literally.

Is there any way to pick one over another? Does it really matter? Seems they are all just posting a job on some board and it's a crap-shoot who ends up hauling the car... is that accurate?

Ghost Busters !!

At least if I tow it on a trailer, I know who to reward or blame!