any experience w/ uhaul trailers?

I'm moving from Colorado to Canmore, AB next month and I'm planning to rent a trailer from Uhaul. I'll be towing with a 96 4x4 with the 3.4, and would rather go with the 5x10 than the 5x8. Any experiences or advice I should know about?

Thanks.

 

I towed a 6x12 from cleveland oh to norfolk Va with a regular cab 4cyl. Try to stay under your GCWR. If you don't it makes it very tough on hills and shortens the lifespan of your equipment.
55MPH and under it pulled fine. Over 60 mph, the sway was viscous with no sway controller.
Make sure you inspect everything, including the tires.

 

They're heavy trailers but, if loaded properly, tow very nice. Make sure to have at least 60% of the weight in front of the trailer axles otherwise it will wag horribly. They're a little jerky because of the surge brakes at times. I towed the 6x12 fully loaded with a 2nd gen V6, no problem. Take your time and you'll be fine.

 

load the trailer in attempt to keep the weight evenly distributed or you'll have horrible sway at freeway speeds.other than that, just be careful and make sure you get their best looking trailer. inspect them before you rent it.

 

I don't think UHaul trailers use standard trailer wiring- you have to buy their adapter when you rent the trailer. It was only about $10 when I rented. No problems towing trailer- I rented the small style.

 

Double check them after they hook it up for you or either do it yourself. I. Made the mistake of letting the 'manager' attach a 6x12 and it popped off the ball on I75 in Atlanta. Lesson learned. My 3.4 pulled the 6x12 very nicely when driven conservatively.

 

great to hear, thanks for the responses. I actually meant the 6x12 not the 5x10... I'm getting rid of almost everything except tools and kitchen knives so I want to make sure it all gets there. My last Uhaul was a trip from Pittsburgh to New Mexico in a lifted 76 Bronco 15 years ago and lets just say I used the HELL out of my AAA Plus before I even left PA...

OT but anybody looking for a 67 Volvo 122S wagon?

 

Use a digital camera to take good pictures of the unit you rent. Make sure the background of some of the pictures includes the rental office. If they try to charge you for old scrapes or dents you show them it was that way when you got it.

If it starts to sway the first time you get up to highway speeds stop and reload it. Moving a heavy tool chest even a few inches forward or back can make a big difference in how it pulls.

 

You really do want to make sure you have a bit more weight in front of the Trailer axle than in the rear. what causes the sway is when you have more weight in the back than in the front and its lifting on the hitch instead of weighting down on the hitch.

 

They use a standard 4-pin connection. I believe the adapter you had to purchase was to go from a 7-pin to a 4-pin, which you will need if your truck came with the factory tow package.

 

The uhaul trailer i used had 4pin flat.

 

whoops nvm

 

I towed one from Los Angeles to Nashville with my old 99 Pathfinder with a 3.3 V6. I don't remember the trailer size, but it was the largest single axle they rent. It towed great. I had loaded it with the heavier stuff in the front and had zero problems. No fishtailing or anything. Even went 60-70 on some of the more straight and flat sections of I40. Oh yeah, don't tow in OD.

 

with my old 4cyl 119hp 99 mazda, on the bumper ball, 5x8, no problems, was only for 150 miles though



im guessing a 3.4l v6 would do great with a 5x10 or 6x12 behind it, theres another guy on the ranger board im on who pulled a 6x12 with a 99 3.0 v6 xcab auto ranger from MD to AZ, and blew his motor in New Mexico, ended up attributing it to his aftermarket tuner.


as for "non standard wiring" every uhaul trailer ive rented has used 4 flat wiring

 

Just got back from a 600 mile round trip with the 6x12. Its a nice trailer to tow and doesn't cause the V6 any problems at all. Keep it in 4th on the auto trans and 65mph is very comfortable. (I took it faster to see if it would weave to check on loading but it was still perfect at 75.)

You will drink gas, 12mpg at 65, 14mpg at 55.

You can easily get up to around 4500 lbs fully loaded. It'll accelerate slowly and take a long time to brake but its still completely stable in good conditions.

However, in bad conditions:
That almost as heavy as the truck itself and with the surge brakes it can be a nightmare. I hit a snow storm going through the hills and traction was minimal. Anything over 30 mph and it started to weave and in those conditions it was bare knuckle time. Easing off the gas brought it back but it was hairy (note this is true of all trailers in those weather conditions but it might catch people out if they're renting the trailer and don't usually tow that much weight. )

As for loading the trailer. Measure the tongue height when its empty and aim for 1"-1.5" sag when its loaded, that'll get you the right weight distribution.

 

You are getting excellent advice:

• loading trailer correctly to eliminate the death sway
• watch them hook your trailer up to make sure they do it right because the independent dealers don't make much commision so they are in a hurry to get you in and out
• check the tires of the trailer
• make sure they note any damage on the trailer
• wiring - they are standard plugs

I used to run storage facilities from Texas to North Carolina and we rented U-haul trucks at some properties. I say some because as equipment quality and upkeep goes the big three are rated as follows:

1. Penske - Our first choice when we were choosing a truck rental company for our properties because they have top notch equipment
2. Budget - 2nd Choice if Penske turned us down we would try to get Budget trucks.
3. U-Haul - Our last choice due to terrible service from U-haul in all aspects but they will make anyone a U-haul dealer.

We chose not to rent trailers at our facilities because it takes awhile to hook them up and wire them for customers and as a dealer we didn't make much commision on them. We as dealers had to go through U-haul training regarding equipment and computer program usage so that is how I can substantiate the advice you are being given.

 

figured id bump this thread, towing a 5x8 on thursday to help my neighbor move back home ... they were gonna rent a truck and just asked for my help, i mentioned that it would be much cheaper to rent a trailer and tow it behind my rig .... neighbors mom then asked if we could use my trailer (made out of the back of a 75 dodge pickup, got it for $150) we took to the dump "that time"

i said we could but if its raining shits gonna get all wet

will report back with pictures

 

Thanks for the thread. I am towing their 6x12 tonight around 1030 back to oregon. Seems like I did good loading as I tried getting the bigger heavier box in first. On post 13 it says do not tow in OD. Now on the 2nd gen Tacomas does that mean I should leave it on regular drive or no? Thanks!!

EDIT: I got my tires at 35psi(discount tires set them there after I rotated/balanced my tires) I was going to go 40psi in back and about 38 in the front..any suggestions? Tires are 285 75 16 bfg km2

 

If your on level flat roads tryu it in drive but if the tyranny keeps dropping into fourth gear to keep up then keep it in forth. If you have any kind of hills then I would just stay in fourth.

 

No overdrive means you should click the little button so that "O/D OFF" shows up on the gauges and it doesnt shift into high gear. It will sound like its doing more work but it won't "hunt" for the right gear and this prevents overheating of the transmission.