alex
Dork
8/19/10 9:59 a.m.
I've never rented a big car trailer, and I may need just that: something to carry a big old monster with a 122" wheelbase. Ideally something light, because the tow vehicle I have easiest access to is a Liberty CRD (5000# mfr. tow rating).
Who do you like for trailer rentals?
I prefer to borrow instead of rent. If I have to rent, I rent the cheapest trailer I can.
I have only rented a trailer from UHaul. It was pretty beaten up but worked ok. They did want to know what I was putting on it and what I was pulling it with at time of reservation.
Uhaul trailers are REALLY HEAVY! They will tolerate pretty much anything you can put on them though. None of the other big moving chains will rent you a trailer without renting one of their trucks. That said-Uhaul is the devil and I would try to find any other option I could before I give them a penny more of my money. Sometimes the local Rent-All type places rent trailers, but they are usually local only.
U-haul is my auto trailer renter of choice. If for no other reason than they are the only one that will rent you just the trailer. The others insist you rent one of their trucks to pull the trailer with.
U-haul has two auto trailers. The very heavy steel one, and the much lighter aluminum one. Check at the yard to see which you would be pulling.
Cotton
HalfDork
8/19/10 4:48 p.m.
u-haul also rents tow dollys. Since weight is an issue for you maybe that would work best.
MrJoshua wrote:
...That said-Uhaul is the devil and I would try to find any other option I could before I give them a penny more of my money. ...
I agree wholeheartedly. And if you do rent a trailer from them, make sure that they know for sure what size ball you need on your hitch, and that they don't tell you 2" when you really need 2 5/16. And then check yourself that the trailer is hooked up correctly, even if it's pouring rain out, otherwise you may be driving down the highway and notice your trailer popped off the ball and is being dragged by the safety chains. Of course this is after they tell you that even though you made reservations you have to drive to the store across town for a trailer because they didn't want to prep any trailers that morning because of the pouring rain. Surprisingly they didn't say anything about the brake light wiring harness that got destroyed when the trailer was being dragged across the pavement. Not that I have personal experience or anything.
Aside from that, after I put on the right ball the trailer worked just fine and was in really good shape.
Bob
alex
Dork
8/19/10 11:14 p.m.
Cotton wrote:
u-haul also rents tow dollys. Since weight is an issue for you maybe that would work best.
I'd love to use a dolly, but part of this deal involves hauling a very non-roadworthy "car" 300 miles, so I've gotta have something that gets 4 wheels off the ground. Might as well use the same trailer both ways, right?
I can't find a length spec on UHaul's website - anybody know if a 122" wheelbase will even fit?
alex wrote:
I can't find a length spec on UHaul's website - anybody know if a 122" wheelbase will even fit?
http://www.uhaul.com/guide/index.aspx?equipment=towing-autotransport
133" maximum wheelbase length. Yes, it'll fit. I've hauled full sized pickups on them without incident or difficulty fitting them.
Marketplace always have a bunch of trailers for rent around me. You might try there.
The last trailer I rented came from United but I was hauling about 8k pounds of milling machine and forklift.
I had to move 3 pallets of patio block from Long Island the Saratoga so I went to U-Haul. They don't rent flat trailers. Just down the street was a rental place that hat one, two & three axle flatbed trailers among other industrial construction equipment. I ended up borrowing a trailer because they only leased by the month.
YMMV.
I'd rent a 1 ton truck from United Rentals or similar, or beg/borrow/steal one from a friend, would make the towing experience much more enjoyable.