Working on a long distance move after selling our home and an extra car. We still have our small car to move. I was wondering if a UHaul truck will kick up rocks and damage the front of an unprotected car or if the angle of the rear of the truck is low enough to send the rocks underneath the trailer.
Thanks,
Mike

I hauled my car on a flatbed behind a Penske Truck for about 1200 miles. No damage to car.

Same, 26 foot truck pulling flatbed trailer w Honda Accord on it.

VA to Houston TX via FL panhandle...1,500 miles or so.

All good! As I recall the trailer is pretty close to the back of the truck and I think the truck had good mudflaps so rocks were not an issue.

I towed my Honda Accord from Atlanta to California. No problem with rock damage.

But the gas cost was sky high. I think I got like 8 miles to the gallon. Plus the Uhaul I had was kind of underpowered for the task so at times I was going slower and cars backed up behind me.

If I had to do it again, I would drive the car by itself.

Pulled my 86 Corvette on a U-Haul open flat bed car trailer behind a Penske 25 ft truck from Tulsa to Orlando, in the snow...

Zero damage...

I've towed cars behind u-hauls about a dozen or so times on moves, without a problem. Penske and others, as well.

I did have a car carrier fail behind a u-haul on a move to Phoenix, once, but it was a private carrier that I'd borrowed from an inlaw. The tongue broke off outside of Wickenburg. In the rear-view I saw the vehicle begin to swerve without feeling it pull on the uhaul, then my Samurai moved into the lane next to the uhaul, like it was going to pass me. Not what I was expecting to see.

Thanks for the advice. I don't want any rock chips on my 2006 S2000 and I don't want to drive 3 rigs, including the UHaul, with only 2 drivers.

Mike

Have you looked at shipping it, enclosed?

How about using a car cover and securing it around your car firmly?

I pulled the biggest U-Haul truck twice, pulled a car hauler with my honda accord. I did not notice any rock chips on the front. Maybe I just got lucky.

I towed this behind a 15ft U-Haul truck...





300 miles on an open flat-bed car trailer and arrived safely in NH w/o incident or damage...

Trailered a Toyota from Seattle to DC and a Honda from Denver to DC without trouble or damage.

Timely question! I may be doing this very thing.

Those who did it, was it a real hassle to maneuver into gas stations and hotels?

The length of the Uhaul matters a little, the bigger ones have tons of feet behind the axles, to catch rocks kicked up, and the uhaul trailers sit pretty high and close to the rear...some the vehicle should be good from rocks thrown by you. Depending on your route though, you may want to consider rocks thrown from other vehicles.

Travel up the Alcan, cardboard and plastic wrap are pretty common. The issue is the dust that gets between them and the rubbing of paint. I'm not sure what the solution is other than an enclosed trailer in that case. For me...it was an older bronco, so I didn't worry too much about it.

Our 2013 Alcan caravan:

quote:

Originally posted by ador:
How about using a car cover and securing it around your car firmly?

I pulled the biggest U-Haul truck twice, pulled a car hauler with my honda accord. I did not notice any rock chips on the front. Maybe I just got lucky.

I would NOT do this. I've seen them "buff" their way to bare metal on a $300,000 concourse restoration.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
Timely question! I may be doing this very thing.

Those who did it, was it a real hassle to maneuver into gas stations and hotels?

The last thing you ever want to have to do in a long Uhaul...is back a trailer. The tail swing is huge, and their hitch is on the bumper. Straight back a few feet is no big deal, but by the time you can see the trailer around the Uhaul, you're already past the point of recovery (jackknife).

Former Enterprise car wrangler here. You should have no problem with the car hauler, provided:
The car hauler is in good working order and in good condition. Fully inspect it with the rental agent before you roll off the lot with it.
Follow the proper procedure for securing the car to hauler.
Make sure the electrical connection between the rental truck and the hauler is fully functional.
Some vehicles with low ground clearance can be difficult to load onto the hauler.
I would tell customers to bring the car they planned to tow to our lot on rental day. I would then demonstrate how to load / unload the car and make sure it was properly on the hauler. Then I made sure the truck / trailer electrical connections all worked right before they left the lot.
I rented out quite a few truck and hauler combinations and dont recall any reports of damage to car being hauled.

I'm a 28 year U-Haul employee and I've never had a customer claim that type of damage.

In 1991 I pulled my Ford Escort from Maryland to Houston, TX. No issues.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
Timely question! I may be doing this very thing.

Those who did it, was it a real hassle to maneuver into gas stations and hotels?

Look for an out before you pull in. Most gas stations, restaurants, and hotels won't be an issue. The outside pumps usually have the best egress.

Pulled a car hauler from the Pacific to the Atlantic when I got out of the Marines... no damage to the car at all. I have seen rocks get picked up by the larger Penskie trucks, but the larger U-Hauls are much lower. The smaller vans aren't as big of a risk.

As for maneaurivibility, having a ground guide to assist is a lifesaver. Have a pull-through spot is awesome, but having to cut a corner or reverse is much easier with another set of eyes.

I highly suggest a flat hauler vs the tow dolly, for one the flat carrier has a surge brake that will help keep things in check, while saving wear on the car you are towing.