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Need suggestions for hauling a rig without buying a truck/trailer...

4K views 30 replies 14 participants last post by  FunkSkunk 
#1 ·
As I contemplate making the journey to the Rubicon or Moab, etc...I think about the possibility of major breakage on the trails and the problems involved with getting my Jeep home.

1. Jeep is my daily driver, so I have built it very carefully to play with the big boys on the trails but still get me to work every day...but, as we all know, there is always the chance that you won't be driving home a the end of the day.

2. Speaking of work, I have to budget my vacation days carefully, so if I make the trek to somewhere like Moab, I need to be back to work as planned and cannot sit around while my Jeep gets fixed in some other state.

3. I wouldn't know what shops, etc. to use in a place like that (I am sure I could get a list ahead of time of shops that won't rip you off or take forever, etc., but I guess that isn't my real point). Probably a good idea to know where to turn for parts or quick fixes if needed, but without having established a relationship with a shop ahead of time, I wouldn't trust that my Jeep could be fixed and on the road for a long road trip in a short turnaround that would be needed... (I am not communicating this point well - but you probably get the gist of it).

4. I don't have the $$$'s, space at my house, nor the inclination to buy a truck and trailer just to haul my Jeep around once every long while.

I am sure many others are in the same position I am in. So...given the above factors, what do people recommend for trips like this? Is there a U-Haul truck that is the perfect size to rent and just drive the Jeep inside the back and take off on the occasional long distance trip? Are there companies that rent truck/trailer combos for this type of thing and are they cost-effective? I know another option is to find others that are heading up to events and see if they have room for one more Jeep on that trailer... of course, borrowing from friends or club members is always an option, but I would rather not put people out that way....

Anyway - I am curious about what others do to ensure they can get their rigs home at the end of the weekend or whenever without buying a truck/trailer.

Thanks! :cheers2:
 
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#4 ·
Thanks for the replies...

Looking for more inputs and ideas.

I agree with 2005X that the tow bar wouldn't necessarily work if you have a broken axle or something - I had thought through that option and ruled it out - that is why I didn't put that idea down.

I want to know what other people have done in the past, or good ideas for the future. Renting a trailer and small box truck seems like you are paying for two things...when I could rent a truck and drive it into the back and maybe pay for one item (hopefully cheaper) - and then not have to worry about the long distance towing of a trailer with a crappy rental truck. Safer?

The U-Haul concept was just an idea I had - looking for better ideas, though...and want to hear what others in my situation have actually done, rather than theorizing what would work. Does anyone do anything like this on a regular basis and do you have any lessons learned?

Thanks.
 
#6 ·
I have rented an RV and trailer for my YJ before, then drove from San Diego to Moab and back. That was ~7-8 years ago. While not cheep, it was a good way to go since a family of five of us were making the haul.

Since then, I bought an 30' RV & 16' trailer of my own. Then I added a 3/4 ton truck & full sized camper so that I had the flexability of using the RV or the 3/4 ton truck to tow the trailer & YJ. Then I sold the RV & 3/4 ton gasser (Hemi) truck & bought a dually 1 ton 4x4 Mega Cab CTD.

I'd consider renting the truck, camper, and trailer to the right person. It wouldn't be real cheap thou. :laugh:
 
#7 ·
No tie downs in a rented box truck, eh? Maybe with some rubber tire blocks and tie off to the rails or something....I wonder if it would fit in any of them even...

I might take you up on that one of these days, Joe...because I'm sure you would hook up a fellow Jeepin' San Diego guy with a smokin' rental deal on that trailer from time to time... :cheers: I watch the San Diego thread - has always looked like a good bunch of folks. You guys ever go out with the Justruns people? When I have time and the Jeep is up, that is who I usually run trails with these days. Just curious if we have ever met before.
 
#10 ·
I bought a Jeep in PA and they drove it into a semi, put it in Park and pulled on the brake and it was in the same place in Cinciinnati two days later.

Dunnage bags are what they are supposed to use. But you will need to whole set up (bags, fill nozzle, compressed air or CO2).

I don't see why you couldn't stabilize it inside a box truck with ratchet straps from the wheel rims to the inside rails. They all have side rails to tie up to.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the responses. :)

For some reason I thought more people would be in the same boat as me and be interested in this topic! Oh well - I'll figure something out when I need to I suppose.

Maybe I just borrow or rent a trailer and tow it up behind the Jeep...then if I break down I can rent a truck to tow the trailer with the Jeep on it home....one way...or rent a trailer/truck if I break and not worry about it until then...just make sure there is a place up there ahead of time that I can rent from...

Thanks!
 
#13 ·
Hey Snook - I read your thread - what a sweet build! Great read and then suddenly you sold it and had something else...with no explanation as to why you bought the other stuff.

Something like this is awesome, but doesn't fit what I am looking for...like I said in #4 of my original post: "4. I don't have the $$$'s, space at my house, nor the inclination to buy a truck and trailer just to haul my Jeep around once every long while."

I am trying to figure out a solution for that once a year trek out to Moab or the Rubicon, etc...without buying a trailer/hauler etc. I am still hoping to hear from people about how they do this... Does everyone just borrow a truck and trailer from someone they know or something?

I looked at U-Haul's website to see what they offer....and saw a car trailer...but it had these restrictions:

http://www.uhaul.com/guide/index.aspx?equipment=towing-autotransport



"The vehicle being towed:
Must not weigh in excess of 4,000 lbs.
Must have a maximum outside-to-outside tire width of 79.25"
Note: outside tire width over 75" must use late-model U-Haul Auto Transport (identifiable by silver galvanized color).
Must have a maximum wheelbase (distance from front axle to rear axle, usually posted on the driver's side door jamb) of 133 inches.
Low-hanging equipment on the vehicle being towed such as spoilers, air dams, ground effects, etc., may be damaged by contact with the Auto Transport during loading and unloading. Make sure there is enough clearance for these items. "
I think most Jeeps weigh in around 4500-5000#'s, correct? Probably could risk it....but....I'm not sure it would be a good idea.

So if you were willing to risk the extra weight....you could rent this thing and a pickup truck like: http://www.uhaul.com/guide/index.aspx?equipment=truck-pickup



...and make the trip to wherever....and then when you are done...you turn them back in...they didn't cost that much...and you are done with it. Any thoughts on that U-Haul trailer? You could even drive the Jeep to wherever you are going and reserve the truck/trailer at your destination....then cancel and lose your deposit if you don't need them and drive your Jeep home unscathed. (I have no idea what U-Haul's policy on cancellations is...) The deposit would probably be worth the peace of mind. Thoughts?
 
#14 ·
There are groups going from the San Diego area to Moab all the time. Club events, national events, etc. I would suggest that you join a club with lots of people trailering and someone will have room for a broken Jeep on the way home. Locally, thats what we do. I have a vehicle that can squeeze two rigs on and if someone has serious breakage that can't be fixed on the trail, I load em up and deliver to the door.
 
#18 ·
Yea, the first time I had an issue with somebody borrowing it - it was my Division Officer, a Navy LT. I got it back with 2 flat tires, two crushed lights, missing the chains, a burnt bearing, missing WDH bar, plus a few other issues. Needless to say - I was pissed. :mad:

Plus, he kept if for about 7 more days than I had said he could borrow it. I ended up not going to Moab because of this idiot. He talks the talk of a jeeper, but doesn't walk the walk. :thumbdown:

Here's what the trailer looks like. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm considering renting the truck/camper/trailer out to the right people.

 
#19 ·
For the industry of rental, there really isn't one place that would have everything you would want. You will have to pay a quite a bit for the one-time use when compared to the cost of owning a suitable setup. But if its once a year, you may be happy with the results.
I can only guess what your intentions are:
not to drive Jeep
pull trailer/jeep
no camping
hotels/condos use

If your intentions are not to drive the Jeep, then you'll need a vehicle that can pull the Jeep. That leads to a pull vehicle and dolly(flat towing) or a flat bed trailer. If you need a vehicle to pull, why not look at using one that is also a camper. Once you decide on the pull vehicle option (not to drive Jeep), other choices help make a choice on which type of pull vehicle.

To save money, you could pull the Jeep with a dolly or flat tow it. Yah, if you break this limits your capability to pull it back home, but if you are broken, you'll need to repair before you can daily drive it again. Repair it at/near home or at the wheeling location. With flat towing or tow dolly, you really don't need a big vehicle. You need a capable vehicle to pull the Jeep. This saves money.
If you want to use a camper and not hotel/condo, then you'll need to choose how big a camper you can handle and could pull the Jeep/trailer. There are different classes with pulling capabilities as well. This would support a base camp and is easily relocated when necessary. You may need reservations at campgrounds. Cost wise, probably a lot more than a hotel/condo choice.

So it really depends on your choices you make and how deep your pockets are willing to get.
 
#20 ·
I wouldn't recommend pulling into the back of a UHaul. For one, it's prohibited by their rules, so if anything happens, you're screwed. Or if they catch you they may be able to raise havoc. I know Hertz "repo'd" a guy's rental Shelby GT-H when somehow it was discovered that he was racing it in the Car and Driver One Lap of America. He rented an Escalade from somewhere else and continued racing...
Also, as has been said, the tie downs are insufficient. They're not meant to secure a vehicle. So if somehow anything happens to cause some bouncing, the Jeep breaks loose, pulls the railing down, dents/scratches the Jeep up, tears up the interior of the truck, and referring back to #1, you're screwed.
Last (that I can think of :D) how you gonna get it in? If it's broke to where it doesn't drive, how you gonna get it in there? Plus the lack of ramps, which I suppose you could borrow or buy....

EDIT: So after finishing reading the thread, it appears you have already kinda moved away from this idea...Oh well, too bad I have no constructive ideas...
 
#22 ·
If you rent a pickup from someone, be sure of their rules on towing. I used to work for Hertz, where towing is streng verboten, and had a customer come in pissed that Hertz was making him pay for the busted rear axle he got while towing his boat. I told him no towing, gave him the literature saying no towing, he did it anyways. I don't know what others say. U-Haul would allow it but they charge by the mile...
 
#23 ·
Maybe you could find rentals near where you are wheeling and plan on renting a truck/trailer for the way back if you break down. If you don't have any problems you save a lot of money and if you do break down, at least you have a plan for the return trip.

Random semi related story: I was going camping and hit a cow with my S10 on the way up. Rented a Uhaul trailer to bring the truck home. You would be surprised how fast a cow can run in front of you.
 
#24 ·
Maybe you could find rentals near where you are wheeling and plan on renting a truck/trailer for the way back if you break down. If you don't have any problems you save a lot of money and if you do break down, at least you have a plan for the return trip.

Random semi related story: I was going camping and hit a cow with my S10 on the way up. Rented a Uhaul trailer to bring the truck home. You would be surprised how fast a cow can run in front of you.
Yeah, that is the plan I settled on for now...just have a trailer/truck reserved near to where I plan to go in case something happens...
 
#26 ·
U haul will rent you a truck and trailer to haul your jeep. Think of how many u hauls you have seen towing a trailer with a vehicle on it. Most people have to do that with at least one vehicle when they move. The husband drives the loaded u haul truck with his vehicle on the trailer behinf it andf the wife follows along in her car with the kids.

I have rented just the trailer and had a friend tow it for me and I have rented the box truck and trailer to do it myself. If you don't have or want to buy a truck and trailer and only use it once twice a year the uhaul truck and trailer would be the way to go.
 
#27 ·
I just went to the Uhaul site and their car hauler is rated at 5200 lbs, so I should be good to go with my rubicon. They didn't list the towing capacity of their trucks but I guess they would fix you up with a workable combination for a price. This is starting to sound like Plan B. Since i don't have any other need for a tow vehicle/trailer, the money I would save by not having those would pay for a lot of emergency uhaul rentals. The convenience factor isn't there but hopefully the emergencies will be few and far between...
 
#31 ·
I recently considered renting the UHaul car trailer for a weekend wheeling trip. The cost they listed on the website is PER DAY! So take your trip and multiply the cost per day, oh and if you don't return it back to the same location there are additional fees! So for me to rent the UHaul trailer it was going to be about 250 bucks! just for a fun wheeling weekend! I thought about for a long time (about a half second) and decided I wasn't going to just throw my money away and decided to find a used car trailer on Craigslist. Within a couple hours I had found my trailer and was driving it home. Picked it up for about $600 and I've already got my money back out of it. Yes I know you said that you didn't have a tow rig or the space or the money.... but do your really have the money to give away to these rental companies?? I think you'd be surprised at home little it would take to find a used trailer and truck to haul your jeep.

The other option would be to make some new friends. Find some more jeepin buddies that have a trailer who would be willing to take your rig with them to wheel. I'm sure there is more that a couple wheeling guys in San Diego that have a car trailer big enough for two jeeps. There's got to be a 4x4 community in that town somewhere!?!
 
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