Affordable Cargo Trailer?

Hi folks, new owner of a 2007 DCSB, and trying to parse all the options for moving a modest amount of belongings across the country. I'm leaning away from a hard cap and toward a soft tonneau to keep clothes, food, and other quick access things, and a small trailer for the rest.

The 4x8 trailers from Uhaul seem to be all I need, and cost a reasonable $400 for 10 days. However my wife, dog and I hoping to take our time getting from California to Massachusetts, being on the road for up to 6 weeks. I haven't gotten a quote for a 6 week Uhaul rental but suffice it to say that it'll be ... quite a bit more.

What options do I have for a relatively affordable cargo trailer to rent or own? Thanks!

 

There are many problems with buying an affordable (used) trailer - especially in California.

They are usually quite worn out, need new wheel bearings, tires, the trailer leaks, etc.

Buying new will put you above $2500 REAL quick for anything decent.

You won't recoup most of your money, but for the time frame you are describing, if you can front the cash and hold onto it for a while to sell for the price you want, I'd recommend picking up a NEW base model trailer from a chain trailer dealer that has a location near where you're moving to. When a warranty issue comes up, you'll be able to get it fixed when you arrive and then sell it for a loss of similar to what you would pay to rent the u-haul.

 

Thanks, at that point I wonder if it's more convenient to just rent the Uhaul?

I also haven't ruled out renting a storage unit and getting the stuff shipped at a later date, and I'm open to other creative options. Having the stuff with me isn't necessarily a requirement. I think that would cost roughly somewhere in the price range we're talking about.

 

Utility trailers in good shape are easy to sell. I would buy a new one, enjoy your trip with no pressure to get to your destination and sell at your convenience. In the end it would cost less than the rental.

 

What are some good brands in the utility trailer space?

 

I moved our entire household from Florida to Alabama in a 6 x 12 double axle cargo trailer I bought used for $1620 at a garage sale. 5 round trips later I sold it for $1800. They are out there.

 

buy it..new, used, whatever. get a clean one, then sell it when you get there. my buddy did that and broke perfectly even. except the extra fuel he burned.

 

A u-haul trailer won't make sense for 6 weeks. U-haul doesn't care about the mileage so much, they care more about the days they can't rent it to somebody else.

If you are sight seeing you might check the cost of a POD-type storage device that they ship for you. Dragging a heavy trailer around for 6 weeks while you play tourist might get old.

 

This is for sure.

Buy a cap and the money you save on fuel will help pay for the POD - Uhaul has them as well. A couple times a year I rent a U-haul to transport my dirt bikes to AZ while I visit my son and brother. There was a time or two on my return trip to TX when I went past the contracted rental time. I let them know and it seems like I was charged $20 a day for each day I went past the return date.

 

Hadn't given the pod solution much thought. That might work.

Given the Covid situation and that we both work remotely now, we wouldn't be towing anything for 6 straight weeks. We'd likely be changing destinations on weekends, and posting up for a week in several places, as we make our way back. So the idea of towing something isn't a complete non-starter.

 

Don't go with a POD or a U-haul rental (especially an extended rental!). The cost analysis doesn't support your unique requirements of wanting to take your time going cross country, etc. In all circumstances, I recommend buying a small enclosed cargo trailer. If you have room to store in Mass, keep it. If you don't have room or want to recoup your cost, sell it at your final destination.

I literally just went through this exact scenario. I'm moving everything from OH to CO and priced out a POD, a U-Box, and a U-haul rental. In all cases, I hated the idea of spending ~$1,000 for a rental and having nothing to show for it at the end of the day. Plus the need to rush out to CO in 5 days or less, else I be charged a second arm, plus a leg. I shopped around and came across Interstate Trailers, based out of Indianapolis but with satellite dealers all around. I picked up an enclosed 5'x8' with a rear swing door in gloss black for ~$2,100... perfectly matches my '09 DCSB in black sand pearl. Now that I've moved everything cross country, I have a cargo trailer to use for plethora purposes. My extended family has already used it to move to a new residence, and I'm going to use it for small business work, toy hauling, etc.

Long story short, I hate shelling out money for rentals if I have the means to do it myself. For me and my requirements, it was a great purchase and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Great info, thanks. An initial online quote for a pod move was in the 2500 range. Now I'm definitely leaning more toward a small trailer, or fitting as much as I can under a hard cap and discarding the rest.

 

Buy a trailer. Use it to move. Build a cargo conversion to go camping on the weekends in.

 

I'm in the "buy a used trailer" group. There are plenty of deals on nice clean fairly new enclosed trailers out there. I bought a really nice 6X12 V front Cargo Mate with a ramp door for hauling my ATVs. You need to kind of decide the volume of stuff and the weight. For 2 ATVs a 6X12 single axle is perfect. If you're going to be hauling a washer, dryer, fridge, couch, and bed, go with something like a 7X14 double axle. However, pulling that much with a Taco is on the verge of miserable. A ramp door is ideal for hauling things with wheels. ATVs, motorcycles, riding lawnmowers, etc. A ramp door trailer will usually be more expensive than a barn door trailer. If you get a ramp door, make sure it has a side man door.

Interstate trailers are in the Harbor Freight category. Cheaply made trailers for a cheap price. Cargo Mate is a good middle of the road brand. There are other middle of the road brands and then there's higher end trailers that cost a butload.

 

I’d vote the buy used as well. You can find a lot of good condition used trailers on Craigslist, offer up, Facebook marketplace, etc.

 

When I moved, I bought a trailer for a similar reason. I wanted to move at my pace and not have multiple rentals, be rushed or have a rental for weeks

I bought a 7x14x6.5 aluminum hallmark, it was about $8000. There’s cheaper options out there but the aluminum saves quite a bit of weight, plus had the upgrades like LED lights and torsion axels and still looks like new after sitting outside full time.

I could have sold it immediately after my move for less of a loss than I’d have spent on rentals. I still have it though and use it for storage and have used it for a few more moves. It still looks like new and it’s coming up on 4 years old.

 

Buy a used trailer off Of Craigslist . Change out the bearings before you leave on the trip. Take a spare set Of bearings on the trip.

 

$2500??! That's bonkers. Lot's of good posts/info in this thread; hopefully it helps you get closer to a decision. Here's an example of what I'm pulling around, and it tows like a dream behind a 6-banger:

https://www.trailersplus.com/Indiana/Indianapolis/5-Wide-Cargo-Trailers/trailer/4RAVS0813LG001715/

I'm very much a novice in the world of towing, but you can go down some serious rabbit holes just doing research alone. The industry offers trailers in every size imaginable, with standard and unique capabilities. Again, as other contributors have mentioned, just find out what you're trying to accomplish and start doing research in your local area + 100 miles or so. I went pretty basic off the bat and have since outfitted it with E-track, custom shelving, LED lighting on an independent power source, etc.

 

When we moved from Milwaukee to Sacramento we used ABF (2) 6x8x8 containers dropped them off in the driveway or you can have them stored until you need it for a price. (Moved a three bedroom house with just two, but no garage) For what I was doing it was convenient and cost effective over pods or uhaul containers.

 

I just got this one for 1300$ even though I’m on the other end of the country you get the idea. It’s rated for 3500 pounds. 6.5’x10’.

Before and after over a two day period