2020 Tundra Towing 24 ft car enclosed trailer

Hey everyone. I've got a couple questions and I'm up for any recommendation's that you guys might have. I'm going to be moving from Boise to Oklahoma because I got military orders but I will be moving with my girlfriend. If it was just me moving, I'd just be renting a small u-haul trailer and I could fit all of my items inside of it but with her, she has a car and her entire apartment so I was looking at buying an enclosed 24 ft car hauler to put her car in and her apartment items. Is there anything specific that I should be looking for with regards to the truck. I know the tundra is a beast of a truck and will have no problem hauling 10k lbs (I'll probably be closer to 8k). I know I'll need a weight distribution hitch and trac's on the inside of the trailer so I can tie the car down. This will be my first time hauling a trailer haha. I should've probably hauled something smaller first but I gotta deal with the circustmances. Thank you for any reccomendations! I really love this community haha

 

Maybe a stupid question but why couldn't she drive her car while you drive the Tundra towing a trailer? Also, if you definitely want to tow the car, why buy a car hauler instead of renting one?

 

She doesn't want to put a bunch more miles on her car. I really even haven't looked into renting one. Do you know any reputable places that allow for renting such a large a trailer? I was always under the impression that only u-haul and companies like that have the smaller trailers and that's it

 

I rent all my trailers from a small local outfit so that won't help you; that being said, they carry trailers in all different sizes including up to car haulers. I have heard U Haul is sketchy but you'll have to check Google Maps or something like that to see what else is around you.

 

Got it. Sounds good. I'm also looking forward into the future because I know I'm going to have to move again eventually and having my own trailer would give me less headaches later on

 

All I see from u-haul is small trailers. And the places that I could find online that had large trailer rentals require it to be returned in the same place which I won't be able to do

 

What about shipping her car? I paid $500 to ship a car from Florida to New York.
You would be probably break even on the cost of a rental and gas mileage while towing.

 

A 24' trailer with a car inside would be quite a load for a 1/2 ton truck. I moved from Cali to Oregon using a 24' trailer coupled to a '06 F350 and I could not fathom doing it in a Tundra. The flats are not much of an issue but any hills will make you sweat.

 

I've heard the exact opposite haha. I also bought the tundra knowing that this would be a possibility so ill let it sweat a little

 

Wont the military ship a car for you? Or does hers not qualify since she is not a dependent? Just trying to remember what my brother told me back when he was moving around from base to base.

 

Shes technically not a dependent yet

 

Can she drive your truck? You could drive a rental Uhaul box truck with uhaul car trailer with her vehicle on it and both of your items in the box truck.

A 24’ steel car trailer loaded with a car and all her stuff is gonna be rough. What kind of car does she have or how much does it weigh? You will have to be careful with the weight distribution in the trailer as well to not exceed tongue weight. You need to have all the proper tie downs to hold her cargo and the car without anything falling onto her car. Most basic car trailer just have 4 d rings. You will need tow mirrors for your truck to see around the trailer.

 

I rented my last large car hauler from Penske Truck Rentals. Not sure if that is an option in your area.

 

You need to look at other options, you asked for opinions- that trailer purchase and move plan will be costly and a miserable trip.

It makes little sense to purchase a $6k-10k trailer that you plan to use once so your girlfriend will not have to put 1500 miles on her car.
Your truck could be overloaded with that trailer loaded with the car and hauling all your belongings= unsafe for everyone around you on the trip. The trailer alone will be close to 4000lbs maybe more, cars are 3000-4000lbs and then add in all your belongings, apartment furniture, etc. weight adds up really quickly and things weigh more than you might expect. Also, total weight is really not the issue for 1/2 trucks. It is the tongue weight and you can research that- stay within the tongue weight limits and the rest will be golden. Even so, towing near limits is an awful experience even for just 100 miles.....your move is 1500 miles!

Jim is correct- Even paying for shipping of her car and the apartment items will cost way less than purchasing that trailer which would be sketchy to tow 1500 miles anyway. And you will not be dogging and hurting your truck in the process.

Lastly, you need to consider what may go wrong on a long tow like that. Need jacks, tools, air pump, spare tire for the trailer, etc. When you think about all the "what ifs" involved in a move and tow like that you will probably find other safer, cheaper and smarter options.

 

I would let a carrier ship her car. See what furniture can be listed as "yours" for household goods and let TMO ship it if you can. If you live in the dorm you may have a max allowable that they will move. You can do a partial ditty move and they will pay you a portion for mileage.

 

That is hardly a high mile trip for her to drive and for the reasons already mentioned it seems more than a little silly to me at least to try to buy a trailer just for this?

I am guessing that you will end up with a small space inside a trailer too if the car is in there with your stuff and it will be a lot heavier than needed for sure too.

I have an aluminum 12' trailer that is ideal for this kind of move and I have used it a lot and UHaul rents a 6'x12' trailer made to do this and please tell me what exactly is the issue with UHaul?

I have used them a lot and never had an issue unless they try to give me a shitty trailer in the first place and I just dont let them give me that trailer,they usually have more to pick from.
You do need to bring a cable and lock to lock the trailer to your truck if stopping for the night as the UHaul Trailer coupler will not lock and there are also no Jacks on the trailer because they do not really want you to unhook unless it is at the UHaul store but these are minor issues really and the trailer that you get from them a a lot nicer than many trailers that you can buy yourself,it is a no brainer to me.

YMMV though obviously.

 

I assume you will be moving in together in OK? Do you need to bring ALL of both your HHGs? Is there duplicate items that you can sell in ID? She is worried about putting 1500 miles on her car?!?! Why don't you look at moving some of her items into your place and letting TMO move them. Rent a car dolly, fill her car up with HHGs and the back of your truck to get that weight included for a partial DITY and be on your way. Another thing to look into is doing a full DITY. Look into ABF. But now we are getting into what is the way for you to move and maximize your dollars for moving...i can promise you spending 6-10k on a trailer isn't the way.

You came asking for suggestions and help finding the right answer. I think you have been given the right answer/recommendation numerous times and while it might not be what you want to hear its all honest and truth.

Curious are you a 13B?

 

These were my initial thoughts also before reading the responses.
Have her drive it there or ship it.
Only 2 valid reasons to not drive it that I can see:
1) It is under lease and the additional miles will push her over her allotment.
2) It is unreliable and cannot handle a long journey all at once.
Otherwise, 1,000 ~ 1,500 miles on a vehicle these days is nothing in the full life of the vehicle...

 

Plenty of good info already provided, and much more you can research if you are so inclined.

The one thing I would add to all of it: Don't try to run the speed limit when towing. Towing is a slow endeavor. Plan accordingly. Even if you aren't towing a huge amount of weight you will have a better experience, cause less strain on the vehicle, and save on fuel if you run 55-65 MPH instead of trying to run the speed limit everywhere. This is doubly true for any kind of a hill/grade.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Thank you for your service, and travel safely.

 

I’ve moved cross-country too many times. Would pay to have her car shipped. She drives your truck and you drive a Penske. Alternatively, you could tow her car behind the Penske.

U-Haul customer service is miserable, so would avoid.

 

I had relo'd several times myself from '96 thru '09. L S Shoe nails it...
Particularly the U-Haul comment.
One of their 25' rentals dumped several quarts of oil out of its engine into my new driveway. Their office was less than 10 miles away and they complained about having to bring Oil-Dry and to pick up the truck.

 

Many of the UHaul outlets are just other kinds of businesses of all kinds that can pickup and rent the UHauls for a small commision.

Thus like every other kind of business they will be all over the place as far as customer service goes.

Since there are more UHauls by far than the others that rent these things it stands to reason to me that we would also hear the most horror stories about them in proportion.

I have had good and bad with every brand but when I have needed assistance on the road the fact that there are so many UHaul outlets around has really been a plus for me.

 

I’ve had too many bad experiences at both the local and corporate levels. They’re ubiquitous, yes, and that may be the only reason they’re still in business. People don’t realize there are alternatives.

 

Haggle a good enoughdeal, buy it, move, sell it. Move again? Repeat.

 

What did you end up doing, OP?

I’m pretty firmly in the “don’t buy a $10k+ trailer just so your GF doesn’t have to put miles on her car especially if you’re going to pull it with a half ton truck” camp.

If I didn’t trust the car to make the trip, I’d sell it before moving and find her a new one in OK.

 

I get that regional difference issue, and that is why I said "good deal" as in find a quick sale need like someone who is hurtin' for cash. Are they abundant, no! However, never hurts to try! Personally, If I were OP, the car gets sold in Boise and a replacement is purchased in OK. Then the truck gets trailered behind the penske box truck. Just sayin'