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We've done it a few times. It is magnitudes cheaper than paying a traditional moving co.
Once we even had a horse trailer behind the U-Haul. My mare gave birth enroute CA to MN.
You have to watch it in the gas stations. DH clipped a pump with the car dolly behind the truck. It wasn't that big of a deal....the trucks are easy to use otherwise.
We moved about 200 miles once from a new 1800 sq ft house to an apartment. Biggest U-Haul they made at that time in 91. We had to force the back doors closed we had so much crap in the truck. We got outside a town and were travelling through a forested area and broke into a prairie and the wind almost tipped me over. My wife and kids were behind in a car. Just about the time I was ready to throw up with visions of our stuff scattered up and down the highway, the truck righted itself.
We had to stop at the next town so I could unwind a little. I've driven a lot of different things and that is the only time in my life I can say I had no control over my vehicle. I think I would have just left all that junk on the side of the road and kept on going.
Moving something yourself is not too terribly intimidating. Our 1st long distance move was 11 hours away. Spouse's company would have paid for professional movers, but we heard the horror stories and rented trucks and trailers and did it ourselves. Second move I caved and let spouse's company pay for professional movers for the 18 hour trip, but I would NOT let the movers touch some items. I rented a U-Haul trailer not once, but twice during that move. Needless to say I wouldn't let professionals do it ever again. Third move was 16+ hours..we bought a large cargo trailer and returned to moving ourselves.
Fortunately for us, time demands regarding the moves were not too much of an issue and allowed multiple trips. Before these moves the most trailer driving I did was taking the horses to the vet or boat to the lake which is all local and not stressful. I did get tired of the crappy highways in some states. Oklahoma gave me a flat tire on a new trailer and tires. Next time I drove through that area with a load, I got stopped by the city police wanting to know why I was driving so slow. I let him know how I felt about that stretch of Oklahoma highway. Another state gave me a blowout on my SUV which blew my fender trim loose.
Just research your routes and plan for the random trouble event. Ever since those moves and my personal experiences.... my respect for truck drivers has grown significantly.
Penske 26' rental moving trucks available to the public do not have air brakes.
I lack sufficient knowledge about trucks, to dispute this. However, when standing next to that 26' truck, while my girlfriend was trying to rock it back and forth from the snow-pile in which it got stuck (another story in its own right), when she released the brakes, there was a telltale "pssshh-psshh-psshh" noise in sequence from every wheel... sounded to me like the purging of compressed air.
I have moved to different states, several times. Only once did I use a professional mover.
I never once had any problem driving a U Haul box shaped truck. Of course, I did so back
in the latter 1990's thru the mid 2000's. They had decent U Haul offices that were easier
to deal with then they are now. Now they are hit or miss depending on who is in charge.
I got lucky with my professional mover. He was super honest. My neighbor, 2 yrs. ago
had a nightmare scam pulled on him. He hired a Mayflower mover, not sure which one
but supposedly a professional. They packed the truck, locked it and demanded thousands
more in order to take it across country. I think they scammed him out of 15K, and that
was after he paid the initial amount quoted.
As for my professional mover experience, he charged a very reasonable fee and he had
me carefully place stickers on everything that he in turned documented in front of me.
He never asked me for a dime over what I initially paid up front. That was back in 2007.
To take in a few former posts, yes, 26k lbs is the GVWR weight limit for a CDL, and you also have to be licensed to operate air brakes.
There’s a lot of room for fudging as modern 3500 pickups can easily exceed that, and you’ll see plenty of hotshot drivers doing so - with a CDL.
The rental box vans aren’t that hard to drive, you just have to get used to the width and be aware of things you never had to before, such as height restrictions or wind. Maybe I’m jaded having driven a lot of different vehicle types from motorcycles to 18-wheelers, but I certainly would not be scared of a U-haul. As I said before, route yourself well to avoid problems, and just be aware of the vehicle and the fact that motorists around you will not act as you would normally expect them to.
Ive used the biggest truck Uhaul has several times over the past 40 years... and one of the other big names once. Never had any trouble driving them. As I recall, Uhaul has the lowest deck... so the ramp isn't as steep. More important the older you get.
We'll be moving several states away in a few months and I'm paying somebody this time. Don't have it in me anymore.
I am a lot more hesitant in my 60s than when young. My eyes are worse. On-coming lights have a lot more glare at night. My sleep is worse. My reaction time is slower. I can't drive as many hours continuously as when young. I would be hesitant at my age. I have more wisdom but less moxie.
I am the same way. I drove a big Ryder truck back in the late 70's but now I would be hesitant to do the same. I think these pack and they drive are a best solution.
I've driven a U-Haul truck. I wouldn't do it now, though, because it's boring.
There are 800 miles between our California home and our Arizona home. I have done this trip many, many times. But if I had to do it at 45 mph, just shoot me. I prefer my van, with the bathroom, kitchen and sofa that converts into a bed.
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