Towing enclosed trailer cross country?

Tennapennsyltuckyvaniaton, perhaps

 

Honestly not at all where I thought I'd want to move, but heading to Cuyahoga Falls area outside Akron OH. Kinda stopped there randomly and really enjoyed it. Tons of forests/parks, lots of diversity and tons of breweries and good local food. And best of all? Stupid cheap homes for sale. Like insanely cheap. It's more humid that west coast but its also cooler in the summer compared to where I am now. Plus I'm down with cold winters, I miss actual snow. I know that usually when people think of Ohio that it's not exactly appealing but honestly it was my girlfriend and mines favorite place we traveled too on our trip. Pittsburgh was a close 2nd though. That city was fun.

 

Excellent, best of luck and safe travels!

 

@FreshPots, that is a nice area to land. My sisterinlaw lived there for a while, house backed up to the CVNP - beautiful spot. She's in Akron now, and single! Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to you! Go a little west and get up to the Marblehead, Sandusky Bay area - pretty area. And camping on Kelly's Island.

 

The weight of your Tacoma cannot safely accommodate that kind of trailer. We are not talking about managing the heavier weight we are talking about managing excessive swaying and that is too risky.

 

You Will Be Fine... Safe Travels. Had the same trailer loaded with 3 dirt bikes and a 2012 Long bed with a 6 speed and 5 guys in the truck. Drove from Pa to Atlanta and back no issues. Just fuel economy sucked. Worst case is you change the tranny fluid when you land in Ohio!!!!

 

Wow I had no idea U-Haul was that expensive 1-way. I just moved 50 miles away so rented and returned 24 hours later to the same True Value and a 26' Super Mover ran me $130. For $5k could you hire movers and have them do all the lifting and hauling? Just wondering as I have never had to move that far and pay for it. The military moved me many times but it was on their dime obviously.

Edit: Sorry did not catch that you already purchased an enclosed trailer. Good luck with the move.

 

Ha! Thankfully I'm not moving alone. My girlfriend of 4 years is just as excited to explore as I am! I'll look those places up. Thanks!

 

It's all good. Yea prices seem to have exploded over the last couple years. Uhaul 6x12 trailer (that's like 5 feet tall, cant even fit my bed in there) is $1700 one way. Uhaul 15ft truck is $5k. Pod/moving container services are about $7-8k. This trailer was damned expensive but the goal is to sell it soon as I'm out there to recoup most of the cost. Long as I don't eat more than 2k in that transaction I'm happy.

 

The general consensus is that as long as I'm using load distribution hitch and anti sway it should be fine. Plenty of people are towing campers that are longer/taller than the trailer I picked up. I'll be going plenty slowly and carefully. I appreciate the input though.

 

I have like 1000 comments as I’ve done this trip like 4 times. Although the other direction. I’m only going to leave a few though.

1. Weigh your trailer.
2. weigh your trailer loaded.
   
3. Get better highway tires like Michelin if your tires are anywhere close to worn.
   
   
4. Get to know your trailer hubs. Especially the temperature they should be when operating normally. If possible pick up spare bearings.
   
   
5. Get rid of stuff. If your moving spend some time purging stuff.
   (my wife and I moved a while ago [I think 5 years ago] and everything we owned fit into a 5x8) become a minimalist.
   
   
6. Take it slow, and check on your loaded equipment and your trailer regularly.
7. Lastly when you get there convert the trailer into an RV instead of selling it for when the little ones come.

 

Make sure your hubs have plenty of grease and feel them for excessive heat when you stop for fuel. I wouldn't depend on mfg. Tire pressure will make a noticeable difference. Allow yourself plenty of time and don't hesitate to pullover if it feels stressed. I was pulling a similar sized trailer in my '11, and with strong headwinds coming across flats in Texas. 55 mph in 3rd gear was all I could get out of our little 4.0, and it was time to have an unplanned overnight stop. Distribute your weight carefully, secure it very well and take your time. Good luck and happy trails!

 

For the people asking here's a write up I just finished about my cross country travels in my other thread.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...one-like-the-best.704454/page-9#post-26125675

 

Thanks, I will definitely be going slowly and carefully and yea the only thing I'm really worried about is windy areas. The trailer won't be loaded that heavily, mainly needed something that size for my bed/couches. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on tranny temps and watching for any other issues. I'm pretty anal about checking and maintaining my fluids/equipment and I'd rather pull over and hang out for a day than fight winds that make me feel unsafe.

 

Just returned from my trip. Truck did great though it worked hard.

3000 miles at 10.25 mpg FULLY loaded. That's a lot of fuel!
16.1 mpg on the return leg sans trailer. Bucked a strong headwind for about a third of the country. Glad I wasn't towing into that.

The "new" stock trailer tires were NOT up to the task. I replaced with better along the way. Yours is dual axel which is better, but check on your tires and hubs frequently.

Butt

 

Good to know! One of the reasons I got the upgraded dual axle is its got better radial tires and not just "trailer rated" trash tires. One thing it doesn't have is a spare. Probably pick one up before I leave.

 

Number 4, definitely.

Bought a brand new Sea Doo a couple of years ago, with brand new trailer. Trailer bearing overheated and disintegrated on the drive home from the dealership - 50 miles.

I see you are done with your trip - just posting this as a PSA.

 

Everybody capitalizing on the current times

 

Done with the initial exploration trip, still need to move out east. That's crazy that the bearing blew up so fast after purchase...

 

Trailer acquired! Tows great empty! Haha