MikeyB

I'll buy a trailer before renting a U-Haul again.

MikeyB

xtoyz17

I already have a 24'+4' dovetail construction-ish trailer for heavy loads. Smaller car carrying capable trailer is next on the list after that fiasco. Damage done if I had to pay for it would've cost more than a trailer.

Totallyrad

I've rented from U-haul several times and never had a disaster or a fiasco but.....I always stand right there with them while hooking up and if it doesn't look right we fix it before I roll a wheel off there lot. I also keep tools in my box and the 15" crescent or the channel locks get applied to that big square nut on the top of their hitch and it always needs it.

Oilguy

That is like having someone else saddle your horse to you.... Bad Idea!

jdunmyer

My most recent experience with U-Haul was last October, when I bought my 2001 Dodge truck. It was in San Antonio, TX, I'm in Michigan. Reserved a car-hauler trailer for pickup in S.A. before leaving. Drove the VW Jetta to TX, and
on the way, they called to confirm the reservation and to have the trailer available at the location closest to where I was picking up the truck.

Trailer was there, but one light was out. I told the kid, er, technician, that I'd pick up and install a bulb; he gave me $2.00 to pay for it! The trip home went well except for the lights, another tail light quit and it wasn't a bulb this time.

I've had other experiences with U-Haul, and they were also positive.

Obviously, YMMV

06 DIESEL

I have only used U Haul once and it was not that bad, but I will not use them again if I don't have to. I went to pick up the trailer and they told me where it was, no help at all. I had to find it, make sure I got the correct one (luckily I did), hook it up, figure out that stupid screw thing to clamp it down, check the lights, etc, all by myself. They did not have my moving pads or dolly there so I had to stop by another one on my way home to pick them up at that location. Luckily it was sort of on the way home, only about a mile out of my way. The trailer pulled horribly, both empth and loaded. If my company was not paying for the trailer I would have rented locally or purchased and sold once I got the move done.

OneBigDoofus

So the real moral of this whole story (thread) is to pull over in the ditch & get the heck out of the way when there any Uhaul's in sight?

Fueling around

I'll speak from experience that is really a good idea for ANY rental.

I got a wood chipper from local rental store. I didn't have the correct size ball but they said no problem they would add it on the rental. Well the tech didn't get their loaner ball tight enough. I stretched out the hole in the bumper pretty good and the tow distance was only about 5 miles round trip.

GMScott

While crossing from PA to Ohio on I80 one night I was pretty close to a U-Haul transporter carrying 1 unit on the truck and towing a small unit on the hitch. Well for a long time, there used to be a pretty bad hole in the slow lane right at the border so out of habit I usually move over to the fast lane. Good thing I did that night, cause as soon as the U-Haul truck hit that pothole, he was moving pretty good, the little trailer broke loose and started spinning around all over the westbound side. I moved over onto the grass in the median and it just missed me. I was wondering where the heck are the safety chains??!!! And THAT was supposedly a professional driver who didn't take the time to hook up the chains!!
Lesson learned that night - Anticipate the unexpected!! Oh, and STAY AWAY & AVOID all U-Haul/rental equipment on the road!!

annabelle

My coupler came apart also. They had also hooked up the lights incorrectly.

xtoyz17

Rep. West Ins. (u-hauls underwriter) approved 760 dollars in repair. Faxing the info back shortly, and then the check should be issued sometime today.

Chrisreyn

Back when i was working the road, and the truck stop here in town was still open, we used to catch kids going thru the lot unhitching trailers..semi's and smaller ones too......guess they thought it was funny...
wasnt an everyday thing, but it happened often enough that it wasnt rare......
Got me in the habit of checking my hitch EVERYTIME I stop, and never letting someone else tell me that its OK.. If I am driving, its my responsibility..I'll hook up and latch it, if they insist, fine, I can always go over it myself after they're done.

Alaskaskiff

...And one more to add to the list. Rented their largest enclosed trailer for a move...6X10 I think. In any case picked it up from the rental place. They couldn't make the lights work. Claimed I had ground troubles. Took it home and checked. Their trailer was wired wrong. Fixed that and while under the trailer I noticed that the front bolt on the driver side spring was backed 2/3 of the way out since the nut had fallen off some time ago. Since this was their last trailer and there is no customer service in NYC I just got another bolt and fixed it up myself, likely saving a major accident. Never again...they suck!

Dodgezilla

The business I manage does Budget truck rentals in addition to our regular equipment business. We have car carriers but will absolutely NOT rent you a trailer without getting the truck too. Too many issues with liability and such when you let someone hook it to their own truck. All it takes is a small bind when you are hooking the trailer up and the tongue will feel tight but as soon as you move the truck it can unbind and then the tongue can get very loose. When I handled the truck rentals myself I would always hook the trailer up, tighten the ball, and then drive down the parking lot and check it again. I can assure you all that there is nobody at any truck rental place that is "Trained" to hook a car carrier up to a truck. 99% of the people doing truck/trailer rentals hate their job and don't give a crap. The other 1% disappeared when I stopped doing the rentals myself.

As bad as everybody thinks U-Haul is, the awful truth is that they are and probably always will be, the leader in the rental truck world because they spend as little as possible in maintenance, keep trucks in their fleet way past their prime, and the public always calls them first due to the name recognition and false advertising about pricing on the backs of their trucks. That's all I have to say about that...

Finney

A couple of months ago I rented a 2 axle enclosed U-Haul to go form Bowling Green Ky to North Platte Neb. I called the dealer and told him I wanted him to check the wheel bearing before I picked it up. He said no problem. The next morning I picked it up and looked at the dust covers on the axle's. They had not been off in years. I went inside and told the manager the brearing's had not been checked as I had asked. he said it was not necessary as the speed limit on the trailers were 45mph. (there is a sticker on the fender) I asked him if he expected me to get on the interstate and drive 45mph. I then explained to him I would be setting my cruise at 80 and if I looked in the mirror and saw a axle smoking that he would be responsiable for the content's of the trailer being the brearing's were not checked. He decided it would be a good idea to check the bearing's then. The reason I asked for this about 6 years ago I did a job in St. Louis. When I was moving back to Bowling Green one of the wheel bearing's went out and set fire to the trailer. We saved the contents but the trailer was fried. the rental co. took me to court to try to make me pay for the trailer. Didn't work they wound up having to pay me for my lost time and damages to the contents.