Porsche 911 on rental trailer?

[Rekoob]

Hi gang! firstly this is my first post and i am new to 911 ownership.
I have a metalic brown '78 911sc targa that has been in the family near 20 years now.
I currently live in south florida, however, i am moving to Vancouver BC next month.

My question is this. Has anyone used penskee or uhauls car hauler with your porsche? If so anything special you had to do to get her on there? I have the penskee truck and trailer reserved already but when entering the info on the car a note comes up mentioning the height of the car. I have extra ramps from my motorcycles that im sure would work if need be. But i do plan to take the car on and off throughout the trip(12 days) and want minimal fuss.

Any input or experiences would be great!
Thanks in advance

[redturbo911]

Depending how low your car is you might want to bring some wood planks along with you.

[csapp05]

Unless you can safely back the car on the trailer you will probably be swaying like crazy going down the road. Also, that is one hell of a long distance, tires, brakes, etc can really bite you if a tire pops 4-500 miles in! Also, the truck will use more fuel, and backing up is a pain if not impossible with the rental. Finally if the 911 is lowered, the straps they provide probably wont work, probably wont work stock height!
I would use u-ship or horseless carriage (ie professional insured) and pay more for piece of mind.
Good luck on the move!

[Chuck.H]

I trailer my 911 and Jeep all the time - I have my own trailer so I'm not sure how different the Penske one are.. if your car is low, bring some planks like some have suggested.

One thing to always check is that you have sufficient trailer tongue weight - if there isn't at least several hundred pounds pushing down on the hitch ball then the truck becomes unstable - this may be why csapp suggested loading backwards. I never do but I still get sufficient weight by getting my 911 to the very front. The easiest way is to watch the truck drop as you load the car - no drop, no weight.

HTH,
Chuck.H
'89 TurboLookTarga, 360k miles

[KTL]

Backing the 911 on the trailer would put too much tongue weight on the tow vehicle. I'd also argue that U-haul's trailers are probably better maintained than most people's personal trailers.

Sure, they're beat up from a lot of use. But U-Haul has a lot more liability loaning the trailer. So they have to make sure it's in good operational condition with decent tires, OK brakes, fairly recent shot of grease in wheel bearings, etc. Most people maintain their own personal trailers pretty crappily in my experience.

Go look at the trailer ahead of time to know how you'll do your vehicle hold-down/strapping work. Need to make sure the trailer has suitable tie-down points and also long enough ratchet straps (big honkin fat ones) to reach your tie down points on the car.

[billh1963]

I have hauled 911's and many 914's on uhaul trailers. No issues.

Get the $5K insurance.

Load it normally....you won't have a tongue weight issue. Not sure what all the fuss is about.

The front tires are held down by built in heavy duty ratchet straps with safety chains front and rear. Feel free to add extra ratchet straps if you are nervous. Best to strap to the tires/rims instead of the car chassis. This allows the car to "ride" on the trailer.

[Gus Berges]

±15 years ago, my father and I used to trailer his 993 C2S to autocross days with a U-Haul trailer being pulled by a GMC Safari van of the same vintage. Never had any issue.

[Scott Douglas]

Loading the car can be a hassle, but it can be done.
Here's a pic of my friends car on the trailer for the ride home.
The front spoiler was a pain, but made it.
You may have to raise the front end of the trailer to get the ramps to even out. Backing it on will be an adventure the first time, but if you're planning on doing it multiple times you'll get good at it I'm sure.


Good luck and drive safely.

[Ayles]

I went the u-haul route. Get some nice long 2x10 boards. I also had to use a portable winch since my car is a roller. I noticed that driving the truck and trailer combo was a lot more fatiguing than the normal drive.

I was nervous about backing the whole rig into my driveway. I live on a super steep hill and it was my first time backing a vehicle that long. To my amazement I didn't have an trouble. Just went slow and had a couple spotters.

[Jesse16]

I bought and brought home my 87 from Florida on a rental u-haul trailer using my 1/2 ton chevy to tow. Absolutely no problem at all loading or towing. Just newby drive on/off jitters. They guy I bought from said "no way" he'd load my car for me. I'd be a pro now.
No wood or other req'd at all.

[Jesse16]

FYI, mine went on the trailer front first, I have no rubber chin spoiler so that helped me. Also I think I jacked up the tongue some to improve the angle.

[Charles Freeborn]

I brought my 911 from NorCal to Or some years ago on a POS U-Haul, pulled by an even bigger POS U-Haul truck no problems. Didn't know any better and put it on nose first. Still towed just fine.
For a trip your length give the truck and trailer a thorough inspection. Look for things like uneven tire wear indicating alignment out and so on. Give yourself as many extra days as you can in case you need to reject the truck they are offering.
Penske also rents car haulers, and overall I've found their equipment to be in better condition than U-H. If you took a 26' truck and have access to a loading dock you might be able to get a car inside....not legal of course...
Have ALL your paperwork for the car on hand for the border crossing. I've heard horror stories about customs getting very particular about titles, etc. Don't even bother to try to drive on through. Stop and go in to talk to them with all your paperwork.
Florida to BC... that's going to be some culture shock. Vancouver is a favorite town of ours. Lovely people those Canadians, eh?
-C

[Rekoob]

All the different suggestions have been very helpfull and insightful. I spoke with the penske guy closest to me and he was very nice and told me to bring the car by and i could load her up and confirm how she fits.
Thanks for the help folks! Looking forward to both the trip and the northwest

[michael lang]

I don't own a trailer but whenever I go to NJMP and the family comes with me I always put my car on a UHaul. The only thing I would suggest is put a brick at the end of the ramp to decrease that angle at the top of the ramp so the rails on the trailer don't rub on the undercarriage of your car as you drive up and add a 4X10 to extend the length of each ramp. It will make loading and unloading less hairy.

[LjH]

U-Haul, no question. Hauled early 912 from Atlanta (400+ miles one way) Didn't even know it was back there.

[porsche930dude]

they say dont load them backwards if you have a rear spoiler because the fiberglass can rip off if the wind hits it right. But I doubt itll be a problem with a box truck in front of it. get a light one if you can . i think they have aluminum ones. might as well try and save as much weight as you can

[Cherry Bomb]

U-haul was no trouble when I had to extract my "garage find" 911 from a long hibernation. I was surpised at how well it all worked out. The front torsions were already cranked "up" so front lip clearance was a non issue. I also jacked the trailer up until the truck's bumper began to raise, this reduces the entrance angle.

[lateapex911]

U Haul has several trailers, as do the others. In my experience, I see more U hauls at teh side of the highway than any others. And U Haul has stood me up several times on rentals. As in I reserve, I show up, they no have. I bought a one way plane ticket to Las vegas, got a cab to the U haul joint and no truck or trailer. Nice.

These days i have my own truck and trailer, but once in awhile, I need a box truck, so I call U Haul to get a quote. Then i call Penske. Then I use the U haul quote to negotiate.
They won't match, but, thats fine. You seldom have issues with penske. U haul locations are run by savants, sharp guys, lazy guys and idiots. It's a crap shoot.

Most of the trucks have big springs in the back, and the trailers are so heavy that the loading of the car is pretty forgiving.

But, clearance can be an issue so heed the advice of those ^ who suggest doing a test before the big day, and preparing yourself with planks and blocks if clearances are tight.

And get ready for the worst gas mileage you can imagine.

[Rekoob]

Originally Posted by lateapex911

U Haul has several trailers, as do the others. In my experience, I see more U hauls at teh side of the highway than any others. And U Haul has stood me up several times on rentals. As in I reserve, I show up, they no have. I bought a one way plane ticket to Las vegas, got a cab to the U haul joint and no truck or trailer. Nice.

These days i have my own truck and trailer, but once in awhile, I need a box truck, so I call U Haul to get a quote. Then i call Penske. Then I use the U haul quote to negotiate.
They won't match, but, thats fine. You seldom have issues with penske. U haul locations are run by savants, sharp guys, lazy guys and idiots. It's a crap shoot.

Most of the trucks have big springs in the back, and the trailers are so heavy that the loading of the car is pretty forgiving.

But, clearance can be an issue so heed the advice of those ^ who suggest doing a test before the big day, and preparing yourself with planks and blocks if clearances are tight.

And get ready for the worst gas mileage you can imagine.

i agree with u-haul being a shot in the dark. ive had a couple ok experiences with them, and more really bad ones. my move down to florida was with them and was the worst experience yet. i refuse to use them again at all costs. this price with penske was $400 cheaper then uhaul with a bigger truck, newer truck tht has cruise control. gas milage will always be horrid, but ill be light on the pedal. might hit 11mpg!!!

i will for sure bring blocks etc.. to ease the angle. i also plan to use my GoPro with the app to watch from my phone and get a good view of my under carriage clearance when loading.. i have ZERO trust in these guys to spot me properly. gotta love new toys