Where can I rent trailer for X-country move?
 

I am moving from NY to OR, and I would like to trailer my 911 behind my Suburban with receiver. Anyone know where I can rent a car trailer one-way?

Plenty of places, but they are HUGE bucks. I've done this a few times.... find a used, open car hauler and buy it. Resell it at your new place.

Uhaul

+1

Open car haulers hold their value well. As long as it's a brand name like Carson or Big Tex you can sell it for what you paid for it.

Find a Featherlite aluminum open car hauler on the East Coast. They're made back east and buying one new on the West Coast is $1,500 more due to shipping. That carries over to the used ones. With a Featherlite, you might actually make a profit.

If you rent from U-haul, inspect the trailer and particularly the tires VERY closely.

All things being equal (whatever you rent will be used), this is the way to go.

Tires, brakes and axles.

I've done it, would do it again. When I moved my Dad's Super 7 from California to South Carolina, we bought a used trailer and sold it for more in SC.

^^^^^This.......You can get a brand new 16x7 Utilty trailer with ramps or a gate for $1500 (no worries about lights or tires) and sell it for a couple hundred less when you are finished with it.

I've never done the x-country thing, but I rent trailers as well as own. I own a car trailer too.

What I'd do is form a check list of what you need in the trailer.

1. tandem axle (2 axles)
2. brakes. I'd go with electronic brakes, not surge brakes.
3. a brake controller in your Suburban (if you go with electronic brakes). The reason is that you can use the controller to adjust for slippery roads or heavy traffic. You can help the whole rig stop better by adjusting the point at which the brakes engage.
4. new or nearly new tires.
5. a 2" ball or better.
6. enough hauling capacity to safely move the car. Think weight of car x2.
7. good, heavy, and well designed tie down loops. If you don't have these, the car will never be secured tightly.
8. proper wheel tie downs with a ratchet, not an ATV type tie down. You might as well just use a rope.
9. road flares or safety triangles (at least enough to place several hundred feet before your vehicle), air compressor, bottle of green tire sealant goop, conspicuity stickers, working lights, etc.

Then I'd price the rental trailer out (say "car trailer" or "equipment trailer" to the rental yard).

Call Sunbelt, Hertz Equipment Rental, Pape, Uhal, Ryder, etc. United Rentals is a pita. Don't call them.

Then price out used good trailers. Try Search Tempest and dial in a search radius. I bought 2 light towers, a water trailer, forklift, etc because rental prices just got stupid high for the 3 months of the year that I use them. But I still rent a tandem axle trailer to move the forklift because it's only $50 per day.

Buy one and sell it at the end, you will be $$$$$$$$$$$ a head.

If you buy, change the bearings before setting out. And keep an extra bearing kit with you. Trust me on this one.

I,ve done it both ways. I rented a uhaul to take a car from Mich to Fl ,even though I owned my own car trailer I didn,t want to drive back with an empty trailer and was travelling out west first. One tire shredded in Fl. A call to uhaul brought a new tire and roadside assistance.
I,ve also bought new a one and travelled with it across country and was able to sell it at home for more than I paid ,so either option works.
Only thing I,ve ever had fail is trailer tires ,even new ones are mostly garbage.

Anyone have experience with ATC aluminum trailers?