Can a uhaul truck tow a 31ft travel trailer for 20-35 miles?

Discussion in 'Expediter and Hot Shot Trucking Forum' started by Ddr1992 579, Dec 28, 2019.

  1. not4hire

    not4hire Road Train Member

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    Or, you could put that in your signature. And you sure can't blame anyone for their comments. Just sayin'...
     
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  3. not4hire

    not4hire Road Train Member

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    :thumbup:

    For the uninitiated I've included a couple of screenshots and a Google Maps link. I once had a girlfriend that wanted to get out and walk it scared her so bad :biggrin_2559: and I was driving nice too. o_O:(

    Google Maps

    down.jpg up.jpg
    [​IMG]
     
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  4. Brandonpdx

    Brandonpdx Road Train Member

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    What I was going to say. A 31' travel trailer will have a 2 5/16" coupling and U-haul equipment only uses 2". Ain't gonna work. Some smaller travel trailers have 2" coupling but not many.

    Other problem is I don't think the electrical pigtail would work either. RV's use a 7 way round plug similar to a tractor trailer and I don't think U-haul trucks have those. They do make an adapter to plug a 4-prong trailer pigtail into a 7 way socket on the truck but not sure if they make an adapter to do it the other way around.
     
  5. Jiggaman_16

    Jiggaman_16 Bobtail Member

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    - Most of the bigger U-Haul trucks come with the 4 flat / 7 round plug
    - receiver / ball mount provision on the rear bumper of bigger U-haul trucks

    see post # 20 on page 2
     
  6. Troy_

    Troy_ Heavy Load Member

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    yep, they make them. in pretty much every configuration you could think of
     
  7. uncleal13

    uncleal13 Road Train Member

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    Actually spun out on return climb. Fortunately had four wheel drive. I engaged it and got up okay. But the transmission got hot, I put transfer case in low range, then I was good.
     
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  8. Zonie

    Zonie Light Load Member

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    I wouldn't just for all the reasons stated above (Ball size, no brake controller, etc) but also cost. They get you for what, $0.59 per mile? Ouch. Two people suggested borrow a truck from a buddy, or find a local small car dealership that may be willing to rent you a truck for a weekend. You'd be surprised what you can find.

    Someone also mentioned an equalizer hitch. It is a load distribution hitch AND a sway controller. They work. I had one when I pulled a TT with my V8 AWD Sport Trac. That is a small pickup with a 7K tow rating. With a Prodigy brake controller, equalizer, and the electronic sway control, this thing towed smooth as glass. MY Tow vehicle weighd 4,500# and the trailer 6,100 wet (Verified at a Cat Scale).

    When you do find a tow vehicle:
    1. Never go down a hill faster than you can go up it.
    2. Pay attention to the traffic ahead of you.
    3. Take it easy.
    4. Don't skimp on not having a brake controller. *
    5. Use lower gears down hills like the sign says.
    6. Don't overload the trailer (The tag on the front Left tells you what you can carry)
    7. Always inflate the tires to max pressure so you have max weight capacity. On the trailer this will be 50-65 PSI.
    8. Trailer tires are usually rated at 65MPH. Stay at or below that. You are on vacation, no hurry.
    9. Be safe and have fun.
    * U Haul trailers have surge brakes. Travel trailers do not.
    sta tow.jpg
     
  9. V2comp

    V2comp Bobtail Member

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    I know this is an old post, but it helped me make a decision this last weekend. So I was gonna rent a 2500 diesel from enterprise as I've done before, but this was a last minute trip and they didn't have any left. I called uhaul after reading everything I could find and the call went like this: Me, "can I tow a 30ft rv with one of your pickup trucks? Her: "yes you can, Me: do they have a receiver hitch and a 7 pin connector?, her: "yes they all do:. Me: thank you. When I got there Friday, I asked the guy behind the counter and he said "absolutely, just get the insurance rider so if anything happens you will be covered". So I rented it, bare bones chevy 1500 Silverado, 2" receiver hitch and 7 pin connector. No trailer brake controller however. I have a 30' RV that weighs a little more than the trucks rating, but I did it anyway given my experience and background. It worked fine (only 60 miles each way), but the suspension is really soft for the task. No sway, but definitely soft. I went slower than normal, never over 55 and I kept my distance from every other vehicle in case I had to slam on brakes. Anyway, if you're not very experienced pulling an(over 7k lb) trailer, or are in a hurry, I would pass on the uhaul pickup trucks. The lack of trailer brakes was a bigger deal than anything else for me. I probably wouldn't have tried it without my load leveling hitch either, which I'm sure made a huge difference. My main takeaway is this, U-Haul could practically care less what you hook up to their trucks and as long as you buy the insurance they don't care. I'm not advocating anyone do what I did either, because I know what I did was more unsafe than it should have been.
     
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  10. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    My buddy had a Ford SUV and U-Haul refused to rent even the smallest size trailer to him.
    He went back home and returned with his mid-size pickup truck and U-Haul rented the trailer to him.
    He returned home and switched the U-Haul trailer to his SUV, then went on vacation with no problems.
     
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