Need tips on a road trip to trailer a car back from California

[kiwigtx]

Make sure the safety chain is connected and the shackles are in good condition.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Make sure the safety chain is connected and the shackles are in good condition.

Watched a guy lose his trailer leaving Carlisle this year, but the chains saved his bacon.

 

[POMONAMISSEL]

did that in 2020 , a car purchased in mich . so we drove out to get it hauling some parts to deliver , just to help pay for the trip fuel bill . rented a uhaul car trailer there and picked up the car and drove the whole thing back to calif , dropped off the car and then dropped the trailer off .

 

[gtx6970]

I looked at Uhaul trailer rental in Ca last year.
It was cheaper to rent it in Tucson for 3 days than one way out of CA for one day

IMO the biggest downfall is there trailers are short and leave a lot of the back end exposed .
Otherwise , its pulled like a dream behind my 1500

You do NOT get a spare tire for the trailer

Otherwise ,,,,,,, below is good advice

Inspect the trailer tires, I do not believe you get a get a spare with the rental, they will want you to call for assistance if you get a flat. A real paper road atlas or paper maps of your route, not digital. As you are renting a U-haul trailer plot on your paper map the route showing U-haul locations that rent trailers and 24 hr tire service centers. Try to route your trip with the least road construction as uneven pavement is a trailer tire killer. A flashlight, air tank, hazard triangles, fire extinguisher and tools.

 

[DeltaV]

How often does U-Haul regrease the wheel bearings on their trailers?

 

[Cranky]

How often does U-Haul regrease the wheel bearings on their trailers?

Probably never!! I like my own trailer. So far never had a blow out but I don't jack knife my trailers when turning around. Have a buddy that jack knifed them to no end and wondered why he had so many problems with trailer tires....plus he loaded the snot out of them and then jack knifed them.

 

[SteveSS]

That's a whole lot of open country, whichever route you take. Plan your gas and food stops well. Watch the weather. Download some books. That's the best way to eat up a bunch of miles.

 

[Triplegreen500]

Bear in mind, my 'road trip/hauling' truck is my 290k mile, 2001 Ram 2500 Cummins. I travel a little "heavy" when it comes to roadside safety items lol.

My travel pack for trailering includes:

1. floor jack
2. trailer spare(s) - check your bolt pattern, and your load rating!
3. 20v 1/2" Dewalt impact gun with 2 charged batteries
4. 4-way lug wrench (in case of DOA batteries)
5. bouquet of HD zip ties - I grab a handful, then zip one around them to hold them in a bunch.
6. cheap-o set of box end wrenches - I have a set I bought at wallyworld, it's like 39 wrenches, SAE and metric, and they're "disposable" so no guilt if they break or get lost
7. dikes (cutters)
8. vice grips
9. about 10' of residential 12/3 solid core wire. not to use for power, but as heat-proof zip ties if needed ("mechanics wire")
10. jump box
11. tire rope plug kit
12. 12v compressor
13. fluids (oil, trans, coolant, etc) - at least one bottle of each
14. bungee cords
15. 1 or 2 spare HD ratchet straps
16. $500 extra cash (never know when an ATM is gonna take a ****, or your card will lock up)
17. Springfield Hellcat with 2 spare mags (permitted)
18. spare fuel filter for my truck - I have a gauge on my fuel pressure and it if starts reading low, a filter swap is cheaper and easier than a new VP44!
19. cordless screw gun and a box of drywall screws, and a box of self-tap sheetmetal screws
20. combo-tip screwdriver (+, -, torx)
(21. when making a motorcycle-grabbing trip - 1 or 2 2x8" boards as ramps - not bad to have with a rental trailer, either, actually...)

I did much the same when I bought my Charger a few years back. MD to FL to pick it up, behind my diesel. I had a home base in FL (family home), and I know the run - 11h down I95, 11h back. Do it all the time, so no surprises there. Check for construction - Waze is actually pretty good for that, since its crowd-sourced and will show you any delays/reroutes/etc before you get there. Plug in the route the night before, and it'll populate all the trouble spots for you so you can decide which of the alternatives you want to use.

Anyway, when I went to get my Charger I did a 'local' rental on the trailer - rented it near my house, returned it there 3 days later. Towed it down empty (good time to check the trailer, BEFORE putting my new baby on board!), towed home loaded. One of the retractable ramps decided to come free and extend itself while I was driving, so once I got pulled over and got it stowed back in the socket under the deck, I used one of my ratchet straps to secure it so it didn't fall out again.

Check the trailer when you pick it up. It should have 2 chains that go to your truck's receiver, along with a 4 pin plug for lights. It should have a surge brake (telescoping tongue) so make sure it operates. There is a safety-catch (for backing up) - make sure it operates properly and doesn't lock the tongue at random. Check the lights, hooked to YOUR truck to eliminate any issues. It should have two chains that hook to the car's chassis (the Charger). Check the ratchet straps, make sure they operate and latch. Have spares in case they don't. Take a small padlock, to lock the trailer tongue to your hitch ball. (I cheat, I have mounted a backup camera on my truck that catches the trailer tongue, so I can look at it anytime - I have the camera wired to turn on anytime my tail lights are on). For wheel bearing concerns...tow it about 20 miles empty, stop, put a hand on each hub. They should all be cool-to-warm. If one is hotter than the others...go see UHaul asap. Either a brake is dragging, or a bearing needs grease.

When you load, it should have front wheel "net" straps to hold the front wheels. I always over-compensate (especially when towing my Charger) - I use them, THEN I do an X-pattern forward from behind the front wheels, connected to the frame, and I do an X-pattern rearward from in front of the rear wheels, connected to the frame (NOT the diff). Strapping only the wheels to the trailer lets the Charger bounce on its suspension, on top of the trailer's suspension...and that can add to trailer "wag" in certain situations; I prefer front and back FRAME connections, which preload the suspension and help cut the bounce. I strap it, drive 5 or 10 miles, and check all straps for tightness. Usually if they're good after 10...I let it eat the rest of the trip, and just drive.

I do have my truck outfitted with a bluetooth stereo, so I don't have to worry about earbuds, and I have a charger cord hardwired. I have a magnet mount on my dash (below the windshield so I don't block any sightlines) so I can see my waze maps as I drive. I keep an eye on my fuel pressure (it's a 24v thing), and did actually replace mine in FL before coming home because my pressure was a consistent 1-2psi low on the way down. I also carry a tire pressure gauge (digital - forgot that in the list above) since I don't have TPMS on my '01.

And, if you wear contacts...take your glasses, too! I never know when I'm going to have to change mine due to blurring...

And since you're traveling through some "badlands"...take 5 gal of diesel along too, just in case!

Safe trip, and enjoy the new Charger!

 

[POMONAMISSEL]

we stopped for gas a few times during the trip and stayed in hotels and ate in cafes and had to stop at bonneville salt flats , only had a couple shabby stays but we were just passing through , fuel was far less costly than calif . it was a great trip i saw parts of the county that had never seen . we had no issues during the whole trip .

 

[33 IMP]

Almost forgot. I don't know your route, but plan on filling your tank as close as you can to california, but NOT IN california!!!
My nearest california stations to my house in Arizona are right at $8/gal for diesel, three miles into Arizona off I-40, diesel is about $4.50.
Hopefully you won't need to fill up in california to get back home.

 

[64BEL]

We did it in March of 2009 with our Belvedere. Towed it home from Florida to Wisconsin. The truck's lift pump went tits up near Murfreesboro, TN one night. My fuel pressure gauge saved the injection pump as seeing 0 fuel pressure was the only way I knew the lift pump had failed. This is a well known issue with Cummins powered Rams, so I was prepared and had a spare. I changed it in a hotel parking lot the next morning. Good advice from others in this thread.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[SSmoothie]

Check U haul that your trailer is there. One my friends had to drive an hour to the next Uhaul because they gave his trailer to someone else.

 

[PlymCrazy]

We successfully used that trailer from U-Haul the last few years ourselves. The one we rented was called an “Auto Transport Trailer”. Around $55/day in our area. Brought the Duster home from Michigan and the Belair home from PA using that same trailer.

 

[Triplegreen500]

Popular trailer. Here's mine, freshly loaded in Gainesville FL

 

[Mopar Hunter]

Don’t go through Donnor’s Pass.

 

[patrick66]

I thought about it, but then I was also thinking of the better mileage on the way out??

The money you save on fuel mileage will be more than ate up with a one-way CA-MN rental. One or two MPG difference isn't gonna be a wallet-buster.

U-Haul trailers do NOT come with a spare. You have a flat, you have to call the U-Haul 800 number and they'll send a service truck to your location and change the tire out.

 

[patrick66]

How often does U-Haul regrease the wheel bearings on their trailers?

U-Haul goes by time. ALL of their trailers and trucks are in their database for maintenance records, they know when to service the equipment.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Don’t go through Donnor’s Pass.

Should he go through Blitzen Pass instead?

 

[SlingLow]

My trailer has served me well.

Caldwell, ID

Bakersfield, CA

Palmdale, CA

Seattle, WA

Sammamish, WA

Hollister, CA

And a few others where we came home empty. Life is good!

 

[Kobrak]

I picked up a 64 Polara droptop in Hollister earlier this year. Are you headed to Bolsa Rd? Might be the same Mopar guy. I'm curious if you are ready to drive away with an empty trailer if it doesn't meet your expectations. That is always one of my criteria if I haven't inspected the car in person. And don't forget to call your insurer before hitting the road home.

I already have the car in my possession. I bought it when I was out for the auction although it was sort of a barn find. The car was at my cousins house with several others. Long story. Good point on insurance!