Towing a Uhaul trailer- D or 4??

Hi all,

I have a 2013 Tacoma TRD Sport 4x4 DCLB with the factory towing package.
I am planning on towing a 6x12 Uhaul cargo trailer cross country.
Thankfully the cargo trailer has trailer brakes.

Questions...
1- When I am towing the trailer, should I use D or 4 for local slower driving??
2- When I am towing the trailer, should I use D or 4 for highway faster driving??
3- When I am towing the trailer, should I use D or 4 to ascend hills??

I have read in multiple places that I should tow in 4 and not D to avoid having the truck's overdrive kick in, but wanted to check with everyone here to make sure that is accurate.

Thanks so much!!

 

You do not want the Torque Converter constantly Unlocking/Locking.
The same goes with 4th/5th shifting.

A 12’ box trailer is going to have a lot of surface area for wind resistance.

I’d just leave it in 4th myself. I do it all the time when pulling my 12x6’4” utility trailer.

I have used 5th (OD) but only on long flats and I keep an eye/feel on the Transmission behavior.

 

Overdrive isn’t for towing.

 

I have a 6x10 covered trailer that I pull with my 2105 Sport with the factory towing package and I always leave it in 4.

 

Leave it in 4 and take 'er easy.

As someone who has rented a lot of uhauls - some of their trailers are immaculate, and a few I refused the contract before they had a chance to hitch it to my truck. Most are somewhere in between. Make it a habit that every time you stop for gas, feel each trailer hub with the back of your hand. If you find one too hot to touch, it's not safe.

Have an enjoyable trip.

 

And, check the hitch after they hook it up for you. The last time I rented one, the guy tightened it down but it was in a bind. I could hear it clunking while driving down the road. I checked it again about ten miles down the road and was able to tighten it a BUNCH more. You want to kind of pull the slack out of the ball hitch interface to get it to really seat down.

 

Do uhauls come with a spare tire?

 

Not on anything I've rented, no.

 

4th and don't worry about it. I pulled one 1,000 miles from Florida to Ohio, through mountains and flat land, the truck liked 4th the most.

 

I wonder how often they grease the wheel bearings in those uhauls, probably never. I sure hate to have my stuff sitting along side the road in bumfuck Egypt.

 

If renting a closed trailer at uhaul you need to be sure to look inside. People leave furniture and other junk in the trailers and the dealers do not remove it before the next rental as they want it to be "your problem"