Renting a truck and trailer to tow my Jeep for a few events this year

Mach4x4

Mach4x4

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If this is the wrong forum for this, my apologies.

I'm doing more wheeling with the TJ this year. I live in northern NJ and I'll be wheeling in Tennessee and West Virginia, among other locations.

A friend of mine had a work truck and trailer we were going to use to trailer the Jeep to those events. However, he had a recent development in that his work situation changed and he is no longer able to use the truck and trailer for transporting the Jeep.

Is it a "thing" to rent a truck and trailer for this purpose from someplace/somewhere? I'm not looking for a favor, just to pay the fair market value of renting a truck and trailer. I can't be the only person who has come across this challenge... suggestions?

Thanks!
 
I’ve rented a uhaul trailer a couple times to tow my Jeep. You could most likely rent a uhaul, and a uhaul trailer, but you’re probably going to be looking at $150-200 a day.
 
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Before I broke down and bought a trailer I rented a uhaul trailer to tow my Jeep.

Something to consider if you go this option, uhaul uses stock Jeep specs to pair you up with a trailer so if you have a wider stance you may want to work with an agent to make sure it will fit. I'm on 35's and stock axles and it was a tight fit. You will also need your own axles straps as their over the tire straps that come attached to the trailer wont fit over larger tires. A big draw back to uhauls trailers is their braking mechanism is mechanical and I burnt up a set of rotors because it wasn't working very well.

You could also try an equipment rental place. They will usually have trailers too but especially the nicer ones with electric brakes.
 
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It's become very common to rent trailers for different purposes where I live. I have a buddy who owns a dump trailer for the purpose of renting it out. I would check on facebook, I know there's online services for renting trailers from individuals also, I'm sure others can chime in on specifics.
 
Thanks. I've got 38" Toyo Open Countrys and a JK Dana 44 front axle (Ford 8.8 in rear). Too wide for the auto trailer?
 
Renting a uhaul truck and trailer a few times a year is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying your own. One thing you may run into lately is availability.
 
MangoTango said:
Something to consider if you go this option, uhaul uses stock Jeep specs to pair you up with a trailer so if you have a wider stance you may want to work with an agent to make sure it will fit. I'm on 35's and stock axles and it was a tight fit.
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I never rented anything from U-Haul but I've heard more than one story about them being difficult to impossible about what vehicle you're putting on their trailer and/or what you're towing it with. Due to that, if I needed to tow a non stock Jeep I'd probably try to find out what vehicle came from the factory roughly the same size and weight as that specific non stock Jeep and tell them that is what I am going to pick up.

This may be a better idea:
MangoTango said:
You could also try an equipment rental place. They will usually have trailers too but especially the nicer ones with electric brakes.
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JEEPCJTJ said:
I never rented anything from U-Haul but I've heard more than one story about them being difficult to impossible about what vehicle you're putting on their trailer and/or what you're towing it with. Due to that, if I needed to tow a non stock Jeep I'd probably try to find out what vehicle came from the factory roughly the same size and weight as that specific non stock Jeep and tell them that is what I am going to pick up.
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They were absolutely horrible to work with. I put in a rental request about 10 day sin advance and it took me driving 45 minutes to where my trailer was supposedly sitting to measure it my self. Then they canceled that reservation on me that evening because it had a bad wheel bearing. I lost it on the agent and they found me another one close by the morning of the trip.

It might be more expensive to buy a truck/trailer but it sure is less hassle.
 
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Yeah the issues above with uhaul sound fairly anecdotal. Their entire business is renting stuff to haul other stuff…
 
Why not consider a hot shot service? Just have the Jeep "shipped" to the event and back.

It's something worth pricing out...

-Mac
 
TRE3TOP said:
Yeah the issues above with uhaul sound fairly anecdotal. Their entire business is renting stuff to haul other stuff…
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it's about liability and they're not going to set themselves up for a lawsuit for letting you do something stupid like tow a 5000lb built Jeep, on a full deck trailer, behind a '94 Ford Explorer. The trailer will do it as long as it's big enough, but they care what you're pulling it behind, and it seems like their criteria is a bit more stringent than just the factory tow capacity. Show up with a 3/4 ton diesel and it's unlikely they'll give any hassle. They rented me a trailer to pull a '90 Bronco II behind an '02 5.4L F150 but I've been turned down before too...I think maybe to pull a LS series Lexus, which weighs about 500lb more than the Bronco II, with the same truck. But my memory is fuzzy on exactly what vehicle I was wanting to tow.


In this situation, renting a trailer wouldn't be bad, but the mileage charge for the truck would add up to a lot. Still cheaper than buying one for sure.
 
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I always rent a U-Haul trailer when I wheel. I have no cheap means to store a trailer of my own. My TJ on 35s and 1.5' wheel spacers fits fine with room to spare. You need to make sure you have a proper tow vehicle. I used to have a 2005 Escalade that met their requirements and now I tow with a 2015 Navigator which is even better. As someone else noted, you will need your own straps. I bought Mac straps that have been excellent. The U-Haul pick-up trucks are rated to tow all of their trailers.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
it's about liability and they're not going to set themselves up for a lawsuit for letting you do something stupid like tow a 5000lb built Jeep, on a full deck trailer, behind a '94 Ford Explorer. The trailer will do it as long as it's big enough, but they care what you're pulling it behind, and it seems like their criteria is a bit more stringent than just the factory tow capacity. Show up with a 3/4 ton diesel and it's unlikely they'll give any hassle. They rented me a trailer to pull a '90 Bronco II behind an '02 5.4L F150 but I've been turned down before too...I think maybe to pull a LS series Lexus, which weighs about 500lb more than the Bronco II, with the same truck. But my memory is fuzzy on exactly what vehicle I was wanting to tow.


In this situation, renting a trailer wouldn't be bad, but the mileage charge for the truck would add up to a lot. Still cheaper than buying one for sure.
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Yes I’m well aware how towing and tow ratings work. I’m speaking to the ones having their reservations canceled for various reasons. It’s really not rocket surgery to tow a Jeep with a u haul trailer.
 
I have rented 1000s of vehicles thru enterprise over the years and unless its a commercial truck you're not allowed to tow unless you're willing to risk any damage occurred. "Don't ask, don't tell" with them. Of the times that I have needed to tow a trailer, I had to go to the commercial truck enterprise (their line of 2500/3500 gas and diesel trucks) and without the discount I had at the time, it probably would have been somewhere around $200/day. Plus the cost of the uhaul trailer ($60/day). Rental costs go up quickly, so if you are only doing a day trip, then I think it would be easier/cheaper to just take your jeep to the trail.

As to renting a trailer--the uhaul ones are just ok. I rented one last year for $60/day. They are heavy bastards with no rear tie down locations depending on the vehicle you are towing. They only have a safety chain to wrap around the axle. The provided wheel straps are nowhere close to fitting 35" tires, so factor in a new set of straps.

20210814_114131.jpg
 
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TRE3TOP said:
Yes I’m well aware how towing and tow ratings work. I’m speaking to the ones having their reservations canceled for various reasons. It’s really not rocket surgery to tow a Jeep with a u haul trailer.
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that's the problem, U-Haul finds a way to make it rocket science. Nothing I've ever wanted to tow would have put it close to the 9,400lb tow rating of my F-150, but they still turned me away.

I've never had them cancel reservations on me but I did have one take 8 hours to make a 2 hour drive because the driver they sent to help me on the side of I-44 wouldn't listen when I told him it needed a fuel pump, and then I had to argue with them when they tried to charge me $350 for returning it late. That was 2007 though, I've rented a few times since then without issue.
 
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