Recent Uhaul trailer rental experiences?

[junglesmacks]

Here is a thread by a guy that purchased a surplus military trailer in the state of CA and figured out how to get it titled:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/s ... hp?t=34008

Found through this thread:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/s ... hp?t=42651


Really doesn't sound like that big of a deal.

[Mosin]

Thanks for those links! That's encouraging. I read one guy's account on another site who stated that he wasted his money and now had a useless trailer in his driveway, but based on the info in the above links it sounds doable.

So assuming I could get one registered, the only other concern I would have is the height. The tongue sits at ~36-40 in., and due to the off road tires and profile, the load sits much highter than a civilian utility trailer. I know I can get a hitch to sit at the correct/necessary height, but can anyone experienced with trailers comment on stability issues I might have with this much higher center of gravity?

This is the model I would shoot for (assuming Surplus City can procure one, or I can find one used somewhere in CA). I think it's an M105.

http://store.colemans.com/cart/1-12-ton ... -p-35.html

[junglesmacks]

I would say one of the first order of business would be swapping those tires for some 17" radial trailer tires.. the drag on those things would suck gas not to mention give you hitch issues. Call Colemans and see what they think or google that trailer model and see what other people have done or their experiences with them.

EDIT: or not. It would depend on what you're trailering it with and your load too. The best answer as always would be extreme google research by model number and read experiences and mods with them. Looks like milsurp trailers have a pretty good cult following..

http://forum.ih8mud.com/trailer-tech/21 ... ailer.html

Looks like that guy did some kind of axle drop on his to make it work..?

[Mosin]

Killer link once again. Many thanks. In reading through the posts it seems like the lowering effort is to bring the trailer down to the tow vehicle height. I would be towing with our 26' '76 Winny Brave, which has a custom rebuilt 440 and heavily reinforced rear frame/hitch setup, so I'm not sure what, if any lowering would be needed. Alas, I certainly have the forums/links to pursue these questions now, so thanks again JS!

[Mosin]

Looks like the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow (~1hr from me) has several M105s up for auction, starting at $150. This is really enticing. I just gotta figure out if/how this is gonna work before springing for one. In addition to the ride height I'm also concerned about the 2750lb trailer weight...which equals a ~270lb tongue weight out of the gate with no load. I'd like to keep it below ~300lb total tongue weight, which is the maximum allowed on a stock 70s winny (as mentioned our rear frame is beefed up but I still like to play it safe). I'll also have to figure out how to accommodate the hitch, which ain't civvy compatible.

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=3699867

[spacetime]

Topping this. Considering a uhaul 5x8 utility as a natural upgrade to our overloaded sedan from last year.



Hope would be to use it to reasonably hold bikes and rest of our gear.

Assuming the vehicle has the necessary hitch, It sounds like SOP is to:

• get the insurance
• photo / film the trailer at time of rental
• Drive 50-55mph
• Clean the thing before returning it.

Any other more recent notes or gotchas in considering this option?

[Jackass]

These trailers you speak of (fully enclosed?) don't weigh too much and aren't too big, the kicker is the wind resistance they offer. Make sure you don't overtax your transmission, that would be my main point of concern...

I'd get a shorter, open trailer. It'll still carry everything you need without creating excessive extra work for your drivetrain components. Better economy as well.

[spacetime]

These trailers you speak of (fully enclosed?) don't weigh too much and aren't too big, the kicker is the wind resistance they offer. Make sure you don't overtax your transmission, that would be my main point of concern...

I'd get a shorter, open trailer. It'll still carry everything you need without creating excessive extra work for your drivetrain components. Better economy as well.

Hey, I was actually thinking of open, like you're saying. Something like the 4'x7':


The car is a 2002 honda civic, and we could keep heavy stuff like water in the car. Though frankly, at 14 years and lots of miles, I this car does not need to add 'towing stuff' to its list of capabilities at this point.

It looks like I'd need to install a trailer hitch on the vehicle, which is another $80-120. Haven't done that before, but it looks easier than building a swamp cooler!

I got contacted in my rideshare thread with a potential lead on space recently. But I'm going to keep chasing this lead as a backup.

[Jackass]

Yeah, I've seen a Honda Fit pulling one of those small ones, about that size but fully enclosed. I'm thinking the Fit needed a new transmission after that one. I had an old Jeep that I used to tow around here with, 21ft boat, 1 yard of concrete, utility trailers, all just fine. Until I went down South to move my brother back from school for the summer. Had one of those small fully enclosed trailers behind it, which was much lighter than what the Jeep was used to pulling. The wind resistance on that trailer started causing me to overheat at highway speeds, because it was like having a small sail back there...

[dustyfux]

Have you measured out your gear to see what space you need? Maybe you don't need the 25 sq ft in a trailer, and a roof rack will do.

If you haven't made the call, my recommendation is to stop whatever you are doing and pick up the phone. Not sure where you at, but by now all SF Bay Area Uhauls are completely sold out for the last week of August.