Uhaul Trailer

[speedjunkie]

Since I've been planning to bring my FC back with me I've been looking into getting a trailer. My dad has one but it doesn't have brakes and it's 18ft. I'm afraid towing that back might be a bit too much but I might have to do it.

Originally I looked into renting a Uhaul trailer for $413 and I might still do that. Then dad said he got his for $400 so I looked on Craigslist. I found some 18ft dovetail trailers, brand new, but they're $1700-2000. I looked at the one for $1750 and then realized I didn't have the right cable hookups for the trailer and I'd have to get the Pathfinder modified. Then I realized that's a bit more trailer than I need and than I really want to pull with the Path anyway. Dad said he'd like to sell his trailer and get one of those. Hmmm, now I can buy dads trailer for $400 and sell it in Colorado and get something else later.

But I need a trailer and don't feel like selling and buying trailers, and would also like to have brakes on whatever I'm pulling out there anyway. I looked at a Uhaul trailer and it has the brakes built into the trailer and it takes my exact electrical connection. But do they sell they're old trailers? Yup! How often? Seems like every 20 years or so lol. I've found ONE and it's on eBay and the guy is asking $2500, built in 92 and he says it has a lot of new parts, new tires etc but the pics look like old tires and who knows what.

Now I'm just wondering if I can build my own at some point lol.

[RX-7 Chris]

have you checked other rental companies?

[ecam8000]

Dad's trailer could have brakes added. Even if the axle does not have the mounting for the backing plates, they could be added or new axles swapped under the trailer. Many axles have the mounting tabs for brakes. Brake assemblies are rather cheap. Complete axles with brakes are pretty cheap - priced some 3500 lb with brakes for $200-250 range. Building a trailer is simple, but the cost of steel is what will get you. By the time you get the frame, deck, fenders, coupler, axles, fenders and lighting priced - you are usually better off buying used. Companies that build trailers get truck loads of steel (and great pricing). To build the "ultimate trailer" that I want to, I'd have about 4 to 5 grand in it. Even modifying the one I have is not cheap. I'll probably sell mine and buy another.

U-hauls are built tough and heavy. Your Path may have a tough time with it and the car. I've pulled with many medium sized rigs. Even the Expedition with the 5.4 was a dog pulling the Miata around on my flat bed. Then again, I also have the Diesel, and I am spoiled.

If you want to borrow mine (when it is not in use) let me know. It should be free until the beginning of June. After that it is working on race weekends.

A brake control and the current "standard" 7 way RV plug are easy installs and adaptors are available (even at Walmart) to adapt the 7 way RV to all other hook ups. Plug the adaptor into the 7 way and the trailer connection into it. Used to have all the adaptors in the glove box, but never used any of them. Most trailers are wired for the 7 way these days, and those that aren't can be easily.

[D Walker]

any trailer over I think 8 ft has to have brakes in CO, and of course you would need to ad a brake controller to your Pathfinder.

It might be cheaper to just ship it back. I had a car shipped from Alabama to Denver last year for $500-ish and the guys were awesome about it. took three days door to door on an open transport and since one of the windows would not go up the crew who did the driving taped it up for me. You just have to really shop around because shipping is cutthroat right now and fuel prices are high.

[speedjunkie]

have you checked other rental companies?

Yeah I've been looking around. Penske has what looks to be the exact same trailer but they don't sell them. Ryder has some trailers but I can't tell if they're the same. No one else seemed to have them.

Dad's trailer could have brakes added. Even if the axle does not have the mounting for the backing plates, they could be added or new axles swapped under the trailer. Many axles have the mounting tabs for brakes. Brake assemblies are rather cheap. Complete axles with brakes are pretty cheap - priced some 3500 lb with brakes for $200-250 range. Building a trailer is simple, but the cost of steel is what will get you. By the time you get the frame, deck, fenders, coupler, axles, fenders and lighting priced - you are usually better off buying used. Companies that build trailers get truck loads of steel (and great pricing). To build the "ultimate trailer" that I want to, I'd have about 4 to 5 grand in it. Even modifying the one I have is not cheap. I'll probably sell mine and buy another.

U-hauls are built tough and heavy. Your Path may have a tough time with it and the car. I've pulled with many medium sized rigs. Even the Expedition with the 5.4 was a dog pulling the Miata around on my flat bed. Then again, I also have the Diesel, and I am spoiled.

If you want to borrow mine (when it is not in use) let me know. It should be free until the beginning of June. After that it is working on race weekends.

A brake control and the current "standard" 7 way RV plug are easy installs and adaptors are available (even at Walmart) to adapt the 7 way RV to all other hook ups. Plug the adaptor into the 7 way and the trailer connection into it. Used to have all the adaptors in the glove box, but never used any of them. Most trailers are wired for the 7 way these days, and those that aren't can be easily.

Yeah I thought about just putting brakes on dads but it's more trailer than I need and I'd still have to modify the Pathfinder for it. I can't see the Uhaul trailer weighing much more than my dads, if any. It's shorter and there isn't as much material. Plus it already has brakes setup the way I need it so it's more appealing. If I had to put that money into making a trailer I'd just buy an enclosed one and a bigger vehicle lol.

Thanks for the offer but I need the trailer here and now. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer another time though lol.

any trailer over I think 8 ft has to have brakes in CO, and of course you would need to ad a brake controller to your Pathfinder.

It might be cheaper to just ship it back. I had a car shipped from Alabama to Denver last year for $500-ish and the guys were awesome about it. took three days door to door on an open transport and since one of the windows would not go up the crew who did the driving taped it up for me. You just have to really shop around because shipping is cutthroat right now and fuel prices are high.

Yeah trailers in IL have to have brakes but he's gotten away with it for now. And I'd rather not do anything more to the Pathfinder.

I might just rent the Uhaul trailer for now just to be safe. They quoted me $413.

[Shadowden]

Do you need a flat bed trailer, or could you use one of those dolly style trailers where you just drive onto it? Maybe not since you are RWD with the FC.

[RX-7 Chris]

you can use a dolly for a rwd. you just need to put the rear wheels on the dolly and lock the front wheels so it tracks straight.

[speedjunkie]

I'd like to have a full trailer, not just a dolly. I'm gonna try to get this one on eBay. My Nephew lives in Wichita and he can help me get it. If not, I'll just rent one from here and turn it in when I get there. I can do without a trailer for now, but I'd really like to have one.

[RX-7 Chris]

just flat tow it all the way here, haha.

[speedjunkie]

I said I was going to if I couldn't find a trailer lol.

So for the last 5 or so hours of the auction I watched it so I could slip in at the last minute and make a bid on that Uhaul trailer. The buy-it-now was $2500 and the highest bid had been $1500 for a while. It got up to $1550 in the last hour and I waited until about the last 10 seconds to make a bid. I bid $1800 because I didn't really want to pay more than that. Then once I hit place bid, I had a sinking feeling...the feeling that I hadn't signed in LOL. It asked me to sign in and I couldn't remember my password. I guessed correctly but it was too late...bidding on this item has ended. FUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!

As Simon said..."worst ebayer ever!" lol.

So I sent the guy a message telling him I was about to bid $1800 and he let me know that since it didn't reach reserve that he was putting it on Craigslist and asked if I wanted to make an offer first. In his message was correspondence with another previous owner of one of these trailers and he said he got it for $2100 and sold it for $3400 on Craigslist. I told him I could do $1800 or maybe even $2000. He said $2000 seemed kind of low, so could I do....







$2100? LOL! Um, OK I guess I can toss another $100 in there lol. So I'm stopping by Wichita tomorrow on my way back to buy the trailer lol. I rented the very same Uhaul trailer tonight and I figured I'd turn it in when I get to Wichita and swap the car over to the one I buy. Although, as difficult as it was getting the FC on this one, I won't be swapping the car over and leaving with that trailer tomorrow unless he has a winch haha. Not to mention they said I might be double charged for turning in the trailer to somewhere other than where I planned. Um, OK. So maybe I'll just take the car all the way home on this one and then come back and get the trailer. Not sure yet.

[speedjunkie]

I called the guy on Thursday when I was driving back here and told him I was just going to drive straight through to Colorado and I'd come back and get it. He acted like I was ditching him and I assured him I wasn't. I called him Saturday and again yesterday and left messages. I got the feeling he sold it already, but he called me back last night and we set up a plan for me to come get it. He's going to Dodge City on Thursday and said he'd tow the trailer there so I could meet him there to get it, that way I wouldn't have to drive as far. So I'm leaving early morning Thursday so I can be in Dodge City by noon to meet him. Yay! Gotta love getting up early to drive a long distance again lol. At least my trailer search will be over.

The one I towed out here worked awesome as well. It looked like it was a bit heavy for my vehicle, but I already had the back end weighted down with a lot of stuff I was bringing back anyway...engine parts, a heavy subwoofer box, etc. Once I unloaded that stuff Thursday night the back end raised up quite a bit, which actually really surprised me. I did get a check engine light on the way home and I stopped in Junction City, KS at an Auto Zone to get it checked out. It said something about timing on bank 2, but the vehicle was driving fine so I took a chance and cleared it out and it never came back. Still driving just fine.