Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I need to haul household items to NC and so I'll be renting a cargo trailer for the first time, probably from u-haul so if anyone had any pointers or ways to make this easier I would like to hear it..
A 4' x 8' trailer seems big enough because I'll have plenty of room in my car as well, a nissan maxima, I've never used a hitch but u-hauls website says they will set that up and attach it for me.
I prefer to take my usual route which goes through many mountains (I 81)because it has no tolls and little traffic. Does that sound like a problem?
I'm also interested in this question. Anyone know anything about how much slower I'll have to drive, or how much worse gas mileage will be? I'm moving from Virginia to Texas, so the idea of going 55 MPH the whole way is not too appealing.
That depends on the size and weight of the items you'll be moving. According to the uHaul site, you can only load the 142 cu ft/850 lb uHaul trailer with about 800 lbs before you exceed the max. load capacity. A Nissan Maxima probably weighs about 3400 lbs. You're gonna put a pretty big strain on your engine towing a trailer that weighs half as much as the car. Suggest you call uHaul and ask them what limitations they have.
You'll definitely put some wear on the transmission as the Maxima wasn't made for towing. Accelerate down hill, try to maintain speed up hill.
The biggest issue with hauling a trailer is the braking. Since your Maxima wasn't made to brake with a trailer, you'll have to be extra careful. Brake early, or better yet, try to drive in such a manner such that you brake as little as possible.
And if I remember correctly, the setting up the trailer hitch is not a free service and costs several hundred dollars. Make sure you have that figured into your budget. I think it will probably reduce your gas mileage by 25 percent as long as you roll along, all highways, respectable speeds etc.
Maybe Get a "Pod" (there are many company) and let them move it, Would save the strain on your car. You are not limited by weight of what your car can/should pull. The hitch/lights will also cost you $'s. Might be just easyer to pack it up in a pod and let them move it.
Maybe Get a "Pod" (there are many company) and let them move it, Would save the strain on your car. You are not limited by weight of what your car can/should pull. The hitch/lights will also cost you $'s. Might be just easyer to pack it up in a pod and let them move it.
This sounds like a better idea than pulling a loaded trailer through the mountains with a Nissan.
Check the vehicle if towig is recomended;the weight limit and what eqauipment such as coller is required. its likely to be much cheaper to rent a truck.
I would look into a pod, moving company or just sell the stuff. I traveled that route to NC just in a car and found the mountains pretty intense. Pulling a trailer with your car would be a risky. You do not want to break down in the mountains.
Years ago we let a RV sales guy talk us into getting a hitch on our Ford Taurus to pull a small pop up trailer. He said it would be fine. We liked the pop up but wanted to wait till we got a SUV. We were just lookers but became buyers. We paid to have the hitch installed which was about 300 dollars. We took the camper out for a weekend camping trip. After our trip we were at the dealership trading in the Taurus for a SUV. Braking was nerve wracking as the trailer felt like it was pushing the car. Another thing to think about is that a lot of people are not going to like that your car has a hitch. This will be a problem when you sell your car. They are going to be concerned you ragged the hell out of the trans. I know the dealer that took our car was concerned we had a hitch. We explained we had just put it on and decided we were morons for trying to pull a pop up. They said good and said the hitch would be removed before they put the car on their lot. So that was a complete waste of 300 bucks.
thanks for the info. i'll probably haul the back with the stuff and bbring the rest next time.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
