How to Load a U-Haul Auto Transport Trailer
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 15 июн 2021
- In this video, I show how to use the U-Haul Auto Transport trailer.
Cost to rent these trailers varies widely. Factors that determine the price are if it's a one-way rental or a local rental. I used this as a one way trailer for a 300 mile trip. It wasn't cheap! I paid $188 after taxes.
When checking availability and vehicle fitment of these trailers on U-Haul's website, their system asks for the tow vehicle and what you will be putting on the trailer. This is to determine if the tow vehicle has a sufficient tow rating for the trailer and vehicle on the trailer, as well as if the vehicle going on the trailer will fit based on its weight and dimensions. 
Авто/Мото
Everything I know about this trailer is presented in this video. I can't answer technical questions about what vehicles can fit, what vehicles can tow this trailer, if you can push a dead vehicle up onto the trailer, etc. because I simply don't know those details.
Any technical questions regarding what can fit and what can tow this trailer need to be looked up on the rental details for this trailer on U-Haul's website. Towing with a given vehicle may work if you have a small vehicle like my Crosstrek on this trailer, but a larger vehicle on the trailer may have put my Chevy Colorado over its tow rating, so U-Haul wouldn't have rented to me in that type of situation. This is why you need to research this detail on U-Haul's website.
Thank you for this video. We are gearing up for 700 miles this weekend in a U Haul with car transport trailer. Your video gave peace of mind. Thank you.
Glad my video helped!
Man 3 weeks ago I never even considered something like this and now I’m about to go pick one up and drive it across the country for a new job 🤪
Same thing here
you should always tighten the straps again after going down the road a mile cause it will shift on you initially.
like how often do you suggest tightening the straps? Only after a mile? or tighten them at every gas stop??/
@@anveshm5397 yeah, tighten the straps after a mile you should be good. Check it every once in a while, then you should be good. Good luck!
@@publicEnima thanks for your response. I was about to hit a 2000 mile road trip with U-haul truck alongside towing my car. Its my first time and nervous as the day is approaching. Any suggestions?
Very good info. Thanks for sharing a video that could save lives if someone needs to understand how these trailers work. Much appreciated.
You bet!
This is the best youtube video I have seen...clear and concise. I have a Crosstrek that I am thinking about towing behind my campervan for a cross country trip. After watching this video, I think it is definitely doable. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! I watched a few other videos before renting this trailer and knew I could make a better one, so I did.
Thank you for this video I’m moving from Oregon to Virginia and this gave me confidence to load and properly secure it
Excellent video! Thank you. You helped us make it home safely.
Glad it helped!
These are some good trailers no lie. Perfect for towing a utv.
Thank you, your video gave me the confidence to try this myself!
Excellent video.
I had been considering how to economically get my cool vintage car from Fresno Cal to Monterey Car week in August. I recently saw a Uhaul truck with a car on auto transport going down the freeway.
Bingo!
Right on!
Wow this is exactly what I needed good job sir 👏🏻👏🏻
Glad you liked it!
Thanks we will be hauling an outback from Portland to Long Island, very helpful for visualizing the job.
Glad it was helpful!
This was easier than I thought thanks. Moving my family from FL to NC in a weeks time so I needed this
I towed my classic car for the first time with one of these trailers last year to a show, it was about 150 miles. It wound up being very easy, you almost don't even realize there's a car behind you. I'm getting ready to do it again next week, have a good trip.
@@irocitZ just seeing your message but thank you we did have a good and safe trip setting in just fine been here a month and 1 week and so far so good just like you said it felt like a didn’t have my car behind me
@@raveenb7239 outstanding, good stuff. Me too all was good, now that I did again there was one thing. Evertime I looked in the rear mirror it felt and looked like someone was tailgating me until I realized it was just my own car.
Thank you for a very helpful video the details are so important!!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. getting ready for a cross country trek and glad to have some additional insight. 👍
Glad it was helpful!
If you have larger tires-stock or aftermarket-ask about larger tire straps. My stock 20” 4Runner tires 245/60r20 were too big for the stock Uhaul auto transport straps. I only had 3” of strap material make it through the ratchet. 6” is minimum per the instructions. I picked up my trailer in another state so I couldn’t get longer straps. It worked but I was nervous the entire 1000+ miles and checked it every stop.
thank you so so much! I am transporting my best friend car for her and this was exactly what I needed! Thank you thank you
Glad I could help!
Very informative if you've never used a Uhaul car hauler before!
one of the best video in here! thankyou very much
Glad you liked it!
Thank you for a great Vajayo! I learned a few things watching this!
Glad to hear that!
Thanks SO much for making this video. I am renting one of these next week to bring a new, used classic car to its new home and you have relieved me of any concerns! Happy New Year to you!
Glad it was helpful!
Well done. Especially useful for the older model trailers. Thank you.
Great information and detail explanation.
Glad it was helpful!
Good info! Wheel chocks would definitely be a good idea. Great video! Thanks for sharing! 😎
Thanks for watching!
Wats a wheel chock?
@@sooofunny37 your mom might know...
I'm gonna be using one of those trailers next week, seeing the ratchet for the tire strap just reminded me to bring a can of WD-40 just in case. I don't want the ratchet on mine binding up, anyway glad i watched this.
YES! WD-40 or silicone spray is a good idea.
Love a great how-to vid
Thank you for the great video!!
Glad you liked it!
Good video. Good comments.
Thanks to everyone.
THank you. Great instructional video.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice video, thank you !
Thanks, it was really helpful.
Glad it helped!
You rock bro ❤ much love thanks 🙏
Great video - thanks!!
Glad it helped!
This is a very good video. You should consider being a teacher because you really explain this video well.
Thanks for the compliments! :-)
Thanks for the tips.
Happy to help!
Excellent video. I have to do this. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
great video!
Thanks!
FYI always double check the tongue latch to make sure it's locked if you weren't the one who locked it down when you picked the trailer up. Learned that the hard way loading my mom's 92 Buick onto one of these trailers. Guy at the place we rented the trailer from never tightened the tongue knob so when the car drove onto the trailer the tongue came off the ball, and the forward momentum of the car drove the trailer into the license plate on our dually. I'm hoping that one day I'll come across one of these trailers for sale on their website.
I never allow others to hook up a trailer I'm doing, because they may not do it correctly.
Good video! Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Excellent , Thank you
You are welcome!
Now I’ll be ready for my 1,014 mile drive. 👍🏻
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Perfecto love it 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Excellent video. Will soon be using an auto transport trailer to haul my Can Am Defender. Only thing I believe I missed was engaging the parking brake on your Subaru.
I'd recommend some sort of tie-downs on the back of your Defender.
I set the parking brake but never showed that in the video.
U-Haul Australia now has its own specifically designed fleet!
They come with their own branded wheels and tyres. And they're fitted with Demco EZ-Latch couplers imported from the USA!
I like the Demco EZ-Latch Couplers. I'm tempted to upgrade one of my Home Depot trailers with one.
Thank you buddy...we hit the road in about an hour
Thank you so much
Excellent video! Very helpful. Do you mind sharing the model of the tow hitch ball you used? Thanks!
It's a 2" ball.
Thank you!
Americas funniest home video winner was a guy who didn’t know about the fold down fender and slid his body out the driver side window of his car.
Thanks for the video, wanted to see if these trailers came with straps and how everything worked. Wheel chocks certainly help but you should always put your parking brake on when loading or unloading a trailer.
Yep, parking brake applied when I loaded it up.
thank you
Thanks ! Great info
I was trying to figure out if these trailers use hydraulic or electric brakes. Your explanation that it has surge brakes right at the start was very satisfying to hear. Did you notice any delay or weirdness with the braking system?
I didn't notice and odd behavior with the brakes. I've never towed a trailer with surge brakes before so I was surprised at how well they worked.
Good video; the only issue I have with is your safety chains are not connected correctly. They should be fed THROUGH the holes then hooked through a link and the Rubber safety piece attached. Other than that it’s a great video.
Thanks for the tip! The person at U-Haul hooked them up like this.
Thank you. This is very helpful video. What is the process for renting the truck and the auto transport trailer? Do I get to take the truck home first and load everything on it then come back to get the trailer hookup?
That should work just fine. Just make that arrangement with the U-Haul rental center when you go in to rent the truck and trailer.
thanks man !!!!
Happy to help
Thanks for this...will be towing a car in a couple weeks. Do you happen to remember what size hitch ball is needed?
I think it was a 2" ball
Thanks for the video. I also am gonna be towing a crosstrek. Most posted highway speed limits are 100km/h. I realize it doesn’t recommend going over 55mph. Will I be good to follow posted 100 km/h speed limit while towing the crosstrek?
Yes it will be fine. I towed my Crosstrek at 65 mph
I'm using a UHaul car carrier for my first time in a couple weeks. As others have said, this video gave me a lot of piece of mind. One thing that I didn't realize until watching, however, is that there are only two wheel straps. I imagined all four would be strapped down! Is this standard on all of their auto transports? Also, I'll be hauling a rear engine car, I wonder how that will effect the load. Will I need to load it backwards?
Two straps is all these trailer have. I really can't answer the question about proper loading a rear engine car. Ask U-Haul that question.
Excellent video! Can I use my Ford Explorer?
You will need to check with U-Haul for that answer. I don't have the answer because I don't work for U-Haul. It Depends on what you intend to tow and what the tow capacity is of your Explorer.
Nice video. Have you gone long distances pulling a car transport behind a uhaul truck? (26’) in my case
I haven't done that kind of a trip.
I am towing my vehicle on the Uhaul AT behind a 20 foot Uhaul truck. My main concern is getting in and out of gas stations. Did you have any issues navigating for fuel? Is it a good idea to use the Travel Centers which may have more room to move around vs. standard gas stations?
I'd just pick your gas stations wisely and not go to the ones that aren't made for easy maneuvering. If you are travelling along the interstate highway system, big gas stations are easy to find right off the exits.
Seeing is believing. Sure would be nice if I could see you drive it on the road to see if all is perfectly tighten and safe for the road please.
I towed this trailer with the Crosstrek on it 300 miles across WA State and it did fine. There were no issues.
Do you have a video showing how to hook it up to the truck? Also is there a place for a padlock where it attaches to the hitch?
There's no place for a lock on the coupler due to the style of coupler these trailers use. No, I don't have a video showing how to connect it to a tow vehicle. You just raise the jack high enough to clear your hitch ball, back the truck under the coupler then lower the trailer down onto the hitch ball. and connect the wiring and safety chains.
I am not sure if this question has been asked, Is it possible to add additional tiedowns and/or wheel chocks to prevent movement?
No, it isn't. I'd really like to be able to make a proper tiedown of the rear tires instead of relying on those chains.
I’m curious what tires you have on the Sube. Are they ok on the highway too, or primarily for off-pavement? We’re going to need new tires for my wife’s Forester XT pretty soon, and those look a little more aggressive than the stock tires.
The tires are Falken Wildpeak A/T. They perform amazing in the snow I deal with every winter in Northeastern WA state.
www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeak/t-trail-tire
@@deltabravo1257 So, do your run them all year, or just as a Winter tire? We live near Olympia, WA, so not much snow, mostly wet. Some occasional gravel roads.
Just a couple of things to point out. Chains should be loose. You dont want them to bind when the car suspension is going up and down. The second thing is that you want to drive up until you hit the metal bar with your front wheels. Your right front tire was not all the way up!
Thanks for the tip on the chains.
The problem was that this trailer was damaged - one of the front wheel bars was bent and deformed from what I remember, so both wheels couldn't rest against the front wheel stops.
Those aar just safety chains, not designed to secure the vehicle to the trailer, like the safety chains on the trailer hitch. Just incase the tire straps might come loose or come off.
Hi did you have extra load on the truck when you were towing? Like some furnitures and clothes?
ZERO extra weight in the truck. I was simply owing the car home from when I bought the truck. I didn't trade in the car.
Does U-Haul do the actual installation while you drive it into place? So that someone with experience sets it up after packing your truck but before driving with your car in tow?
I suppose they could do that, which would require driving your tow vehicle with the trailer, and the car you want to put on the trailer back to the U-Haul rental location.
I have hauled Jeeps on trailers many times (had my own flatbed trailer) and I'm familiar with using these ratcheting style tie-downs, so I had the knowledge to do this myself.
hi, thanks for the video. Do you know if UHaul sells these Auto Transport trailers? Thanks
Not that I know of.
We're getting ready to us one of these to carry a car across our state as we move. The U-Haul website said "All towing is subject to inspection. You will need to contact a U-Haul location to schedule a vehicle pre-tow inspection prior to the rental." We're picking the car up about 100 miles down the road from our house as we go. How strict are they about this inspection?
I am not sure.
This video was great. I noticed the trailer says a speed limit of 55mph. Is that really true or would I be safe going 65mph?
LU-haul does that for liability purposes. I can't say how safely you can tow it because I don't know what your tow vehicle is, what your towing experience is, etc. I can't won't say one way or the other due to liability concerns.
How do you raise the trailer up when the front of the trailer is facing down. When hauling? I thought that the trailer needs to be leveled and up for the haul and not close to the ground
Get a different hitch, so the ball height is higher, then the front of the trailer will be higher.
How do you prevent the car's suspension from bouncing the car up and down? The last time I towed a car, that was a problem, somehow remedied by the Ryder Truck Rental folks. It was a 1,200 mile journey. For me, the bouncing was an obvious safety issue. Fortunately, we noticed it before we left town. I've been told that the car's suspension can be damaged if it's chained down too tight. I'd like to tow our Electric Hyundai Kona 1200 miles this time.
You don't.
WHAT IS MINIMUM WIDTH BETWEEN TIRES A VEHICLE CAN BE? I AM TOWING A GOLF CART AND AM CONCERNED THE RAMPS MAYBE TOO WIDE FOR THE CART
I don't know. I didn't measure the trailer when I rented this one back in 2021. You will need to call you're local U-Haul rental place.
Any tip on one that can be used on a 26 foot box truck?
This trailer will work behind any of U-Hauls rental truck, if that's what you are curious about.
Can this be hauled behind a U-Haul moving truck? Or is it only for pick-up trucks and the like?
I checked and apparently my Kia COULD experience damage from the wheel wells and straps if I use the car trailer for 2 wheel drive vehicles.
Yes, it can be towed behind a U-Haul truck.
I have to pick my suv up from the dealership before loading the truck. Once the vehicle is on the tow trailer can I unhitch the tow trailer with the vehicle still on the trailer in order to load up the moving truck? Or do I have to move the vehicle off the tow trailer before unhitching, load the moving truck, hitch the towing trailer back up and secure the vehicle once again.
Check with the U-Haul rental place for that info. I don't want to give incorrect advice on that aspect.
Is it a good idea to enable the parking brake?
Yes, parking brake engaged is a good idea.
How do you reset the brake cable pedal on a auto transport system?
I don't know.
Do you think it'll be hard to push a car up on it. My car broken down and i want to haul it myself. It's a prius
Pushing a car up onto the trailer will take 3-4 people.
great video. can i used this transport to tow a vehicle for 5 hrs away?? thanks in advance
I depends on what your tow vehicle is and what you want to put on the trailer. Check online at U-Haul's website to check your vehicle compatibility with this trailer
@@deltabravo1257 i have a chevy silverado 1500 ill be towing a mini cooper? will that work
Why the lose chains in the back? To allow it to bounce a little?
That's just how the U-Haul trailers are. They don't have a rear tie-down system for the vehicle being hauled. The chain is just a safety mechanism I guess.
Does it work for sedan like cars
Yes, it should. GO to U-Hauil's website and look at this trailer. It will tell you what fits.
Was there a way to lock the trailer hitch connection to the truck so the trailer cannot be separated from tow vehicle when parked overnight?
There isn't a way to lock the trailer coupler.
@@deltabravo1257 thanks. This won’t work for me then. Taking my sports car on a multi day trip for a track day. Would be too worried about the overnight stays if anyone can disconnect the trailer. Seems like a big error on uhaul’s part.
@@FredSHerr I slept in the U Haul truck with my Beretta while in San Antonio while the family stayed in the hotel. Got to keep an eye on the trailer towing my sports car😎
Great helpful video. I have a question, it says 55 mph is the recommended speed. Can I drive 65 mph and tow my car? Will it be safe enough? Because I am going for a 900 miles journey and driving 55 will take me a long time to reach my destination.
A lot of people that rent these trailers have ZERO previous towing experience. U-Haul states "55 MPH MAX" for liability reasons.
I won't say what you should tow with or what speed you should drive while towing, also due to liability reasons.
@@deltabravo1257 Thanks
How would you use that trailer if your engine is disabled?
Not sure. Maybe use a come-along to winch a dead vehicle onto the trailer?
What about loading the car backwards? Loads the engine weight over the trailer axle and releases tongue weight. 🤷♂️
I’ll be doing this in a few weeks. Thanks for sharing
Great idea, I never thought about that.
@@deltabravo1257 of course maybe that put the weight to far back also. Never seen anyone do it. Would be curious what a scale would say. Of course depends on the car as well
@@RetiredUnderachiever nooooo do not, I repeat do not do this. It looks like a good idea but due to the total weight being further towards the rear you can get what’s called whipping and if you respond to it incorrectly you have a high likely hood of becoming a statistic. There’s a reason you don’t see it done and when you do, if they get up to speed and it starts swaying you better stay out of the way.
A properly loaded trailer has 10-15% of its total weight on the tongue. Any less and it will sway dangerously.
What's the longest car you can put on
Will a muscle car fit? a long Ford Galaxy
I don't know. I didn't measure the trailer when I rented this one back in 2021. You will need to call you're local U-Haul rental place.
Can you use this trailer with a pickup truck?
It depends on the size of the truck.
What’s the biggest car you can put in it? I need to know bc I might be using this tomorrow
I really don't know. You will need to look at U-Haul's website, and it will tell you what cars will fit.
@@deltabravo1257 well after 2 days of traveling I can tell you a Tahoe fits🤣🤣🤦🏽♂️..tomorrow is my last day of traveling and dropping it off,hopefully it’s a smooth 5hours
Thanks for the info, very helpful video!! I have to drive 700 miles to my school campus and I don’t want to put miles on my R8!
Glad it was helpful! There are a few videos showing tips on loading a very low ground clearance car such as an R8, be sure to watch those videos as well.
How do you load a car that doesn't start? To take to your mechanic? Thanks
I don't know.
Don’t forget to set the parking brake in the car
Done
My cousin and his wife had one of these and both of them missed that the fender folds down, so my cousin loaded her $hit Taurus on it then he climbed out the window and use sticks to roll up the window and turn off the car, they had to leave the keys in. When they got here and I was there they were trying to do the reverse to get it off the trailer, I come over and see the bungee, unhook it and drop it. Not the brightest bulbs in the pack, roflmao.
Speed limit 55???? I planned on renting one in TX and going north to MN.
Planning the same thing this coming weekend have you done it any advice would be appreciated!
@@Maxamedx I guess we’re still waiting on him to reach MN so he can answer this question.
Where can I buy one ?
Crosstreks are available at your local Subaru Dealer.