U-Haul 16' 10,000# Toy Hauler Utility Trailer Now Available.

[ultrarunner]

I would think the restrictions would be pretty simple. A load less than 6845 lbs and a tow vehicle with a hitch and vehicle rating to pull 10,000 lbs.

There are some tow rated vehicles blacklisted by U-Haul when I looked into it.

I believe Ford Explorer is one now allowed to tow any U-Haul.

I have a half ton pickup set up to tow with high output 350 motor and tow package, etc.

U-Haul said no to towing box trailer but ok for my loaded to max GVW 1985 3/4 van with a 305 and no upgrades.

 

[sklunk]

I'd love to grab an old U-Haul as a small car trailer. But I'm told that very few make their way into private hands because they are rather beat up by the time they are retired.

Actually it's because U-Haul has all their trailers destroyed once they reach the end of their useful life.

In the past they used to sell them off (like rental car agencies do), but there were a few instances of the new owners causing accidents and deaths. There were many lawsuits, and since U-Haul signage could still be seen on the trailers (and in states requiring registration the history could be tracked), some of the suits tried to point responsibility for the trailer condition back to U-Haul and implement in the lawsuits. At that point they decided it was better for their brand to have the trailers destroyed instead of ending up on the used market.

A little-known fact about U-Haul trailers:
None of them come with electric brakes. They are all built with hydraulic surge brakes so that you don't need to have a brake controller on the towing vehicle.

 

[CliffordK]

I doubt it. They would want the tow vehicle to be able to handle the stated GVWR of the trailer.

Otherwise liability issues would be a problem for Uhaul.

They will either support both the older smaller car hauler plus this new car hauler. Or they will allow smaller vehicles (S10 Blazer, Bronco 2, etc) to pull this 10K trailer carrying lighter loads.

If a driver tells them that they're hauling a 3K vehicle + 3K empty weight of the trailer = 6K, and the tow vehicle is rated for 6K, then they're probably OK. One looses a quite a bit of carrying capacity by making a trailer that weighs 3,165 lbs empty.

I wonder how they'll deal with licensing.

Oregon has 2 license classifications for small trailers. "Light Trailer" less than 8,000 lbs GVW, and "Heavy Trailer" grater than 8,000 lbs GVW. For the light trailer (8K, one would then be down to about 4,835 for the load weight).

So, to pull the Heavy Trailer, one either needs Truck Plates (registered by the total weight up to 26K without CDL/DOT. Or, apparently there is a trip permit that one can purchase. U-Haul would likely have to work with the DMV to purchase and resell that trip permit.

U-Haul could get in a lot of hot water if they knowingly rent a trailer to carry loads significantly heavier than they are licensed for.

 

[TMGT]

They will either support both the older smaller car hauler plus this new car hauler. Or they will allow smaller vehicles (S10 Blazer, Bronco 2, etc) to pull this 10K trailer carrying lighter loads.

If a driver tells them that they're hauling a 3K vehicle + 3K empty weight of the trailer = 6K, and the tow vehicle is rated for 6K, then they're probably OK. One looses a quite a bit of carrying capacity by making a trailer that weighs 3,165 lbs empty.

I wonder how they'll deal with licensing.

Oregon has 2 license classifications for small trailers. "Light Trailer" less than 8,000 lbs GVW, and "Heavy Trailer" grater than 8,000 lbs GVW. For the light trailer (8K, one would then be down to about 4,835 for the load weight).

So, to pull the Heavy Trailer, one either needs Truck Plates (registered by the total weight up to 26K without CDL/DOT. Or, apparently there is a trip permit that one can purchase. U-Haul would likely have to work with the DMV to purchase and resell that trip permit.

U-Haul could get in a lot of hot water if they knowingly rent a trailer to carry loads significantly heavier than they are licensed for.

They will probably either not rent them in those states or require that they only be towed by one of their vehicles that is rated/licensed for it would be my guess.

And I doubt they will let any vehicle that is it not rated to tow the full capacity of the trailer rent them, way too much liability.

 

[WinterDeere]

I guess I could look, but I'd assume they must still rent a 7000# GTWR trailer for the majority of their customers? Most full-size SUV's and half-ton trucks are rated to tow at least 7000#, and most towed cars and CUT's owned by the "trailer-less" public are under the 5200# payload rating of most 7000# trailers.

Seems a 10k# trailer is aimed a fairly narrow slice of the trailer-renting public.

 

[newbury]

Actually it's because U-Haul has all their trailers destroyed once they reach the end of their useful life.

And some self destroy.
I rented a Uhaul tow dolly to bring a Honda Civic down to Mississippi with my F350 dually.
All went well until I noticed the dolly was swaying, a wheel broke off and I was plowing the road in Alabama.

 

[WinterDeere]

And some self destroy.
I rented a Uhaul tow dolly to bring a Honda Civic down to Mississippi with my F350 dually.
All went well until I noticed the dolly was swaying, a wheel broke off and I was plowing the road in Alabama.

You can hardly help what some prior user did to an otherwise well-built rental trailer. U-Haul, at least in my limited experience, does buy/build reasonably good quality trailers.

 

[newbury]

You can hardly help what some prior user did to an otherwise well-built rental trailer. U-Haul, at least in my limited experience, does buy/build reasonably good quality trailers.

I fully agree. But they fell short in the maintenance and quality control of their equipment.