Towing a trailer

[Ailerongirl]

Hey guys,

I need to rent a trailer for a one way move....I'm hoping for something that's reasonably priced that I can tow behind an Explorer Sport.

I tried U-Haul, but they won't rent a trailer to tow behind an Explorer.

Any suggestions??

Thanks!

 

[Vector4fun]

All-Moving.com


From where to where, and how big? I got a 5'x10' utility trailer you can use, 3500 lb axle, but you got to bring it back.

 

[Ailerongirl]

From Philly to East TN.

In June.

And big enough to hold approx 2 rooms, mostly boxes and bedroom furniture.

Bringing it back is going to be an issue though.

 

[414Flyer]

Make sure it is not one of the Israeli scam operations too

 

[jarhead]

You might try Ryder to rent the trailer. It was U-Haul who just a few weeks ago decided to no longer rent trailers for tow behind Ford Explorers. It was an insurance liability issue based on that whole Firestone Tire/Ford Explorer roll-over frequency that was causing just too many law suits a few years back, so U-Haul just took themselves out of the game to avoid the hassle.

Another thought is for you to rent a U-Haul or Ryder Truck for a one way haul, with a tow bar for your Explorer to be trailed behind you. I know they can do all the hook ups for you, and then you turn it all in and drive your own car away after you get your stuff out of the van.

 

[Vector4fun]

Yeah, picking it up would be an even bigger issue...

It's in Texas.

Seriously, I can't figure that out. I've rented a 5'x10' U-Haul before to put behind a Ford Ranger, and they didn't squawk. That should be big enough, except for King size mattresses, or....



Nope, not gonna go there.......

 

[jarhead]

Vector4fun

It is just the Explorer that U-Haul put the Kibosh on. Rangers never had the roll-over issue with Firestone tires. No other trailer rental place (to my knowledge) has taken this rather extreme position. There are an awful lot of Explorers that they chose to eliminate from a market due to law suits.

 

[jarhead]

Excuse Me

I have been saying "Hertz" when I meant to Say U-Haul!

 

[IP076]

I recently rented a uhaul truck and auto carrier. Only thing I'd say is, they can get pretty pricy...mine was 1500...company picked it up though....

You may not be able to use a dolly with the Explorer, over a certain weight, you need the full blown auto carrier...I dont think the price difference was that great.

 

[JJJ]

your best bet might be to look in the paper for a used cargo type trailer, haul your stuff to TN and either keep it or sell it. The cost might come out the same.

Look in a local cycle trader magazine. In the back there is usually a section for trailers.

 

[pilotman2105]

Moving

I've got the same problem facing me in a month or so. Except mine is about a 1500 mile trip at the end of May, then another trip at the beginning of August. I'm going to try to cram my entire existance into a Plymouth Voyageur. Might be making a few trips too, which sucks...

 

[avbug]

I'm no authority on moving, though I do it several times a year. I just moved again last week, and have another full move to make in two weeks time.

You're usually better to get a dedicated truck (ryder went out of busines; got absorbed by Budget). Uhaul or Budget are usually fairly comparable, but it pays to shop. Take the truck, fly back for your car. Or tow the car. You can tow a uhaul trailer, but you're usually far better off getting a truck and towing your own behind it on a car dolly. The car dolly will be less than an airline ticket, and it will save you a trip.

 

[LearLove]

A-girl,

Many of us here have moved all over many times so you should get good advice.

My first thoughts are:

1) Keep it simple
2) start early

I don't think you can get a trailer big enough for what you need. Too keep it simple get a U-haul/ryder ect. (always go the next bigger truck than the one recommended). I would not recommend the car transporter for the explorer. With the high CG you'll be all over the road. Believe me the car porter is a pain in the a$$.

My recommendation after many many many moves: U-haul truck, start early, drive stuff to new place and then fly back and get car or have a friend or relative drive the car along with you. Instead of boxes (which cost alot) get the huge 5 or 6 dollar tubs w/ lids at Big Lots or Lowes or Home depote to put you stuff in.

Good Luck

 

[EatSleepFly]

I've moved a few times in the past few years, and always used a flat bed for my truck (an S-10), pulled behind a regular moving truck. It was still cheaper than an airline ticket and saves miles/wear and tear on your car. I've used Budget each time, and had no bad experiences. Also, you can get a 15% discount on a Budget truck if you look in the "Mover's Guide" that the post office puts out.

Good luck on the move... I know its a pain!

 

[350DRIVER]

It is probably better to just rent a truck and put the Explorer on a trailer versus doing it the other way. You also may want to look into having a auto transport company ship your Explorer and have your belongings and stuff shipped by a nation wide moving company. I recently shipped a Mercedes from Ohio to San Diego and they charged $780.00 or right around there. Quite expensive but there was no way in he!! I was going to drive that since it would have taken too much time. Your drive is far less distance/miles so probably will be much cheaper as long as you are able to be flexible. I needed the car out there rather quickly so I could not afford to be "flexible" with the transport company so that is why it was a little more expensive to get it out there. Before I sold it I should have looked into how much $$$ it was going to cost, I learned a lesson and won't make the same mistake again anytime soon.

You can do a search online and get the quotes and go from there. A friend of mine drove from Houston to Los Angeles last week and he was able to get a decent price on the truck and trailer through Uhaul so check into them.


If money is not at issue then get it all shipped professionally, atleast that is what I would do if I were you.

good luck,

3 5 0

 

[bobbysamd]

Moving

I moved a number of times during my combined aviation and broadcasting careers. Granted, I did not have furniture to move, but I still had other belongings. My best efforts were when I just packed my clothing and other essentials in my car and had a moving company ship the rest. It just seemed like less brain damage overall. Don't forget, moving expenses, including meals, lodging, fuel, etc., are generally tax-deductable.

Good luck with your move and new job (?).

 

[Ailerongirl]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the responses. The Explorer is actually my sister's car, I was just going to use it to tow a trailer if we could find one.

When we moved to Philly last year I rented a 20ft truck from Penske, and had a dolly on the back for my car. I drove it by myself to TN where we loaded up my sisters stuff, and then we drove tandem up here.

I looked into getting a small truck, but the smallest ones you can't tow a car on, and the prices for a small one are almost what we paid for the 20ft! That's when I started thinking about trailers. Like I said I really won't have all that much, I'm selling most of my furtniture and big items!

I'm going to start pricing all my options with the different companies, and see what I can find that's most economicallly reasonable. That U-Haul no longer rents trailer to tow behind Explorers annoys the crap out of me.

Thanks for all the great advice guys.....just let me know if any of you would like to come up here and pitch in on loading.

 

[FL000]

Hmmmm. Didn't Typhoon just move to east TN? Whatup?

 

[P3tarbaby]

We're moving soon as well and have been looking into various options. You might want to check out the u-pack movers like ABF U-Pack or Movex, where they bring a truck, you pack your stuff in it and then they come back and pick it up and drive it to your destination. You only pay for the truck space that you use. I think this is what we are going to do because when we priced renting a Budget or UHaul truck and tow dolly vs. the U-Pack, the price was just about the same! And that included transportation costs such as GAS, which can really up your costs with a UHaul truck especially right now with the gas prices skyrocketing. With gas, it would actually cost us more to rent a truck and drive it ourselves. Hope this helps.

 

[j41driver]

Re: Vector4fun

It is just the Explorer that U-Haul put the Kibosh on. Rangers never had the roll-over issue with Firestone tires. No other trailer rental place (to my knowledge) has taken this rather extreme position. There are an awful lot of Explorers that they chose to eliminate from a market due to law suits.

Funny part about this is that if you have a Mercury Mountaineer or Lincoln Aviator (both mechanically the same as an Explorer) they'll rent you a trailer. That makes a lot of sense.