Driving a UHaul truck that's towing a car

[Eeezee]

I'm moving from south Arizona to Irvine, CA (Orange County). I'm going to be driving one of the smaller UHaul trucks with a Auto Transport hitch attached to the back (all 4 wheels of the car are off the ground)

Has anyone reading this ever done anything like this before? I've never driven a moving truck, nor have I ever towed anything. There are warnings all over the place that the maximum recommended speed is 45MPH, but that's ridiculously slow for driving on the interstate. I should be able to speed up a little if I leave plenty of stopping distance, right?

 

[iamwiz82]

The 45mph limit is a reccomendation for inexperienced drivers. As long as you are cautious you can go faster.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Check out the equipment before you head out. That includes tire pressures/condition/etc.

<-- has seen a Uhaul trailer cause a pickup to flip on it's side and send it into a center median first hand. (killed a kid that wasn't in a child seat)

 

[slsmnaz]

I did it from TN to AZ and it was a haul. I don't remember the 45mph warning though. I went 70 (as fast as the truck allowed) pretty much the whole way and had no issues.

Only thing to be careful of is pulling into gas stations and rest stops. Unless you are good at backing a trailer, make sure to leave yourself a way to drive straight out. I made that mistake.

 

[KMc]

Well, if you are towing a car/trailer with a U-Haul truck, 45 mph may be all you can get out of the thing any way.

The one most important tip I can give you if you have never towed a trailer before is NEVER put yourself in a position where you will have to back up. When pulling into restaurants, gas stations, etc., always pull in and give yourself a way to be able to drive straight out. Backing up with a trailer can be tricky and this is not the rig to try and figure it out with.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: KMc
The one most important tip I can give you if you have never towed a trailer before is NEVER put yourself in a position where you will have to back up. When pulling into restaurants, gas stations, etc., always pull in and give yourself a way to be able to drive straight out. Backing up with a trailer can be tricky and this is not the rig to try and figure it out with.

I was about to suggest the same thing. Backing up while towing something is a PITA. Especially if you've never done it before.

 

[Eeezee]

Yeah, I can understand not wanting to back up while towing. How are turns though? Do I have to particularly worry about a wider turning radius? How easy is it to jackknife if I'm taking, say, a 90 degree turn from one 2-lane road to another without crossing into an oncoming lane? I'm not as worried about interstate driving (except maybe some of the hilly parts) as I am about driving in the city.

 

[KMc]

You do need to take wider turns. Essentially, the rear wheel of the trailer that is on the inside of the turn will track to the inside of the wheels on the truck. So, when making a right turn in the city, you need to go wide so you don't hit the curb with the right wheel of the trailer. Similarly, when making a left turn at an intersection, you need to go wide to keep the left wheel of the trailer from clipping the car in that left turn lane. Use your mirrors when making a turn to watch that trailer wheel and make sure it is going where it needs to.

Basically what you want to do is square off your turns. In a car, you typically carve through the turn in a nice smooth radius. When pulling a trailer, you want to drive farther into the turn before turning the wheel and then make a sharper corner. This way the trailer does the same and clears those obstacles (curbs, cars, pedestrians, etc.) on the inside of the corner.

 

[BoomerD]

As a rule of thumb, the back tires of what you are towing will track inside the pulling vehicle by about 1/4 the length between the rear axle of the towing vehicle, and the rear axle of the trailer (or in this case, the rear axle of the car on the dolly)

n/m, just saw that all 4 tires are off the ground...

Be sure the truck you're renting can handle the total weight of the trailer and the car. It MIGHT require a larger truck than you actually need for your posessions.

 

[wedi42]

rent something besides a u-haul
get a good truck instead, like a penske or budget

 

[BoomerD]

Since towing that trailer is goind to add quite a bit to your costs, (cost of the trailer rental, PLUS reduced fuel economy( why not leave the car with family or friends while you move, then go back for it later? Maybe fly down, then drive back? If you watch the airline specials, you should be able to fly for under $50. Another option would be to rent a car one-way...some little econo-box that gets good mileage.

 

[thomsbrain]

bring a fully charge cell phone, that's all i have to say. u-haul trucks are in notoriously poor repair. consider yourself lucky if it is firing on all cylinders, the mirrors aren't rusted stuck, and all the brakes work.

i've have much better luck with penske trucks (you can rent them at most Public Storage locations, for instance). The trucks are usually much newer. However, I don't know if they rent trailers or if the trucks even have hitches.

either way, good luck! I'm sure it will be "an experience."

 

[natto fire]

Originally posted by: johngute
rent something besides a u-haul
get a good truck instead, like a penske or budget

You are aware that the rental companies do not manufacture the trucks?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy

Originally posted by: johngute
rent something besides a u-haul
get a good truck instead, like a penske or budget

You are aware that the rental companies do not manufacture the trucks?

They do MAINTAIN the trucks... in theory atleast.

Edit:
And spec out/equip the trucks.

Ryder w/ a diesel+International chassis=FTW!
Uhaul w/ gas+Ford Pickup chassis=FTL.

 

[wedi42]

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy

Originally posted by: johngute
rent something besides a u-haul
get a good truck instead, like a penske or budget

You are aware that the rental companies do not manufacture the trucks?

i used truck in the same context as the original poster.
why didn't you flame him?

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: johngute
rent something besides a u-haul
get a good truck instead, like a penske or budget

I actually drove a Penske since it was cheaper for my move. Very good ride

 

[davew0670]

watch out for wheelchairs