Towing enclosed trailer cross country?

at least it aint nose high

 

Pay a mover, drive the truck. That distance and weight is asking for trouble.


And you can drive the fun way instead of being stuck on the interstate

 

I pulled a 7x14 with a Honda Talon 4 seater, no problem. My truck is heavy as hell with all my camping gear in it. And that's on US 95 coming north with the winds of shit blowing in my face. I think you'll be fine.

 

$5k seems high. I am in the process of moving from Texas to Arkansas, a 6 hour drive. Their 15ft truck cost me $675 with the insurance. I have also towed their 5*8 trailer which cost $180.

 

Doesn't matter when I attempt to reserve it, 1 month to 3 months out is about $5k. It sucks

 

Both of these give me hope. I'd love to just spend the money to buy a trailer and then sell it once arrived at destination. It's definitely the most cost effective option and a 7x14 would haul all my stuff well enough.

 

Get a quote from Budget Truck rental or Penske. Uhaul is crazy high right now.

 

Already have. They're within a couple hundred dollars of each other.

 

I rented a 5x10 trailer from u-haul in JAN 2020 when I left CA (to FL) and I spent about $650. If I had driven to AZ to pick up the trailer it would have been $350ish (which me driving there and back was not a possibility at that point). My point being is you may need to shop around to different areas to not be completely ripped off. Originally I wanted the u-haul truck and car hauler, but the price was asinine.

The trailer was 100% full + my bed had (5) 16x8 33" tires/wheels in the back + a full back seat of ice chests / a passenger / driver / sliders / shell / etc and my truck had no problem.

Edit: MPG wasn't great - be prepared to spend a bit on gas depending on how far you go.

 

I would remove as much weight as possible and tow.

 

I pulled a 6x12 fully-loaded (probably overweight) from WY to PA. Fuel economy sucked but it worked out ok.

 

When I moved, I bought a 7x14 aluminum trailer. It cost a little more but it’s also lighter. I figured I could sell it after I moved and still come out ahead vs renting a truck.

just take your time and you’ll be fine. When you get into a hurry is when you have issues.

be sure to get a brake controller for the truck if you don’t already have one and a trailer with brakes if you are buying one (if you are renting a uhaul, they have surge brakes so you don’t need the controller)

also make sure when you load the trailer, you pay attention to the weight distribution. You don’t want to stuff all the heavy stuff in the very front or it’ll be tongue heavy and suck to tow

 

I towed an overloaded 6x12 uhaul from Alabama to Colorado a few years ago. I didn't have any issues, just leave plenty of braking room in front of you.

 

I think this is the plan. I appreciate all the input!

 

I'll be towing a 6x12 next week from NorCal to the coast of NC where my daughter is stationed.
Anything to rent for the job was stupid high. I bought a practically new Craigslist trailer for the same $$ to rent one.
Thankful I have the 6 speed, but not looking forward to the fuel bill.

Good luck with your trip!
Butt

 

Have you looked into paying a pro moving company and driving the Taco yourself? Or maybe getting the U-Haul and having the Taco transported professionally.

My friend is moving from Memphis to my area around Philly. He will rent a truck and I'm flying down to drive his Taco back. Anyone that would do something like that with you?

 

Have you considered loading a POD. Then having the POD delivered to the new address.

This would allow you to take an easy ride across country with stops to see some of the beauty of the USA.

 

I live in an area with a lot of towing going on. Huge land yachts towing full size SUVs, fifth wheel trailers, trucks & passenger cars towing every type of trailer known to man, horse trailers, farm equipment, etc. One thing you notice right away is that many of these rigs are way overloaded. With some, it looks like the front wheels are barely touching the ground. All these vehicles can tow, probably even get up to the desired speed of 80mph on a level road.
The thing they can't do is stop. Nothing like seeing an overloaded rig coming down a mountain road, can't stop and can only stop by crashing into whatever's there. Or the land yacht or overloaded truck/trailer doing 75mph on the interstate, can't slow down or stop and causes a giant pileup in the middle of nowhere.
Safety should be #1. Not only your safety, but other drivers. You might take a chance and make it fine. However, if things happen as they so often do, $5K would have been a bargain.

 

Totally understandable statement. I like to consider myself a careful driver, especially if I'm carrying a loaded trailer with everything I own in it haha. I have upgraded brakes on my truck and would definitely be using a trailer with electronic brakes on it. Anything other would be guaranteed suicide. I appreciate the thought.

 

Yea, that was my first choice. Problem is that's a $7k bill. I'm trying to save as much money as possible with the move.