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I live in South Orange County CA and I am going to haul about 1000 lbs about 2000 miles, and will need to install a trailer hitch and then either rent or buy a tailor.
My vehicle can haul about 1000 lbs.
Anyone have any experience with doing this? I am looking for a business Who would do a good job installing a trailor hitch at a fair price. I thought U Haul but the ratings on yelp are pretty poor
Any suggestions--IS it better to buy or rent a trailor. We may want to haul more stuff in the future.
It's probably better to rent both the trailer and the trailer hitch ... unless you have an ongoing need for them. Also, 1000 lbs is not much to tow, particularly if you plan to use a trailer with wheels.
You might be as well off to rent a small truck (with low daily rate ($20) from UHaul, Penske, Budget or other, instead of towing it with your vehicle. If it's one way, rent a small truck and tow your vehicle on a rented tow bar (about $100 for 2-days).
You really haven't provided enough details to offer much more than that.
The problem is that commercial grade trailers (U-Haul, etc) weigh a considerable amount more than light duty consumer grade trailers. You would have hardly any cargo capacity left. As for towing, you didn't tell us what kind of vehicle you have. The owner's manual will tell you what your tow capcity is. Any RV dealer would be able to install a hitch and the four pin wiring harness that you would also need. Or you could have the dealer that sells your brand of car do it.
It would be tough to tow the Forester sine we have 2 dogs— the wife wanted to put them in the backseat with us driving the Subaru. She fears the dogs would freak out if they were placed in the towed Forester. Not sure it would be legal to placed the dogs in a towed vehicle.
More than anything it’s transporting the dogs that is such a headache
The problem is that commercial grade trailers (U-Haul, etc) weigh a considerable amount more than light duty consumer grade trailers. You would have hardly any cargo capacity left. As for towing, you didn't tell us what kind of vehicle you have. The owner's manual will tell you what your tow capcity is. Any RV dealer would be able to install a hitch and the four pin wiring harness that you would also need. Or you could have the dealer that sells your brand of car do it.
Which are some light duty consumer grade brands? Maybe I could buy one. We have to tow some of the stuff
That you pack or uhaul boxes won’t allow—ammo mostly, and some chemicals like epoxy, turpentine, etc.
Your car is not designed to tow that combined weight of trailer + 1000 pounds of cargo. The dogs will settle down in a towed vehicle, if you don't trust them, crate them, then place them in the towed vehicle. It is important to remember...they are dogs, not children.
Towing "x" pounds is not always as simple as the vehicle can tow "x" pounds. The Subaru you have, depending on the year, is rated at 1,500 lbs. But that doesn't mean you can actually tow that much. A lot depends on how much weight the car can actually carry (there is a sticker on the door jam, that is total weight with you...etc). You will be putting on 120+ lbs of weight with the tongue weight of the trailer. While you may be able to do this, just think about your car. You will be maxing out, if not over, everything on your car. The tranny, engine, axles. Your car was only meant to tow light loads locally, not like what a truck is meant to. Do you want that? I would rent a truck and car dolly if you want your car to last a long time.
I would not tow with a Forester. Especially if it's one with a CVT. If you tow the Forester, you will probably need to use an auto carrier, so all four wheels are off the ground. Do not use a tow dolly. Those are for FWD vehicles. A tow dolly might be an option if you disconnect the rear drive shaft, but I don't know enough about Subarus to be sure. You'd have to get that answer from a Subaru forum. I don't know the laws concerning animals in a towed vehicle, but I would never do that with my chocolate Lab. The last major move I made she rode in the cab of the U-Haul with me, and my wife drove the CUV. Life was a lot easier not having to tow a vehicle. And with the CUV untethered, my wife could drive ahead and get that night's motel room and we also had a vehicle to go out for dinner.
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