Ever been turned away by U-Haul?

Was having engine issues and happened 'by luck' to be near a U-haul today in the 60 Bird. Thinking I could rent a dolly or trailer and have a buddy come get me was too easy.

Uhaul minon could not get it out of her head that it was a 'Pontiac Thunderbird' as she gleefully typed into the computer. (which looking back I should have told her it was)

Anyhow, she took great joy in showing me the U-Haul computer said the 60 Bird 'exceeded their weight limit of 4000 pounds' and she could not lease to me.

Eventually got the car to my repair shop via Tow and checked and the Bird weighs about 38 to 39 hundred pounds according to Ford.

UHaul Idiots! I guess they are scared to death of being sued.

 

Unfortunately, the world is full of stupid people and you can't fix stupid.

 

Typical of ALL business today where NO ONE can do their job. People have no desire to work other than pick up a check. Here from Uhauls website is the limits for the auto transport trailer...
Max load: 5,290 lbs.
She can't even read her own work website!!!<!-- mp_trans_remove_end --><!-- mp_trans_disable_start --><!-- mp_trans_add Chargement maximal : 2,400 kg (5,290 lb)--><!-- mp_trans_disable_end -->

 

My buddy needed to haul a 60 Chevy wagon. They said no. He said "how about my Cavalier?" they said sure, and off he went with his trailer.
Ralph

 

Being on the other side of the counter (U-Haul is a sideline at my morning job), I can understand the airhead clerk, as I have delt with some at other facilities. As far as U-Haul itself, whatever they have programed into the computer is what the clerk has to go by (not sure how she got the "Pontiac Thunderbird" to come up.) Whatever their listed weight and combinations are is what we have to go by. Could they be off? Of course; how many car makes, models and variations are there? As far as the being sued part, I don't think they are that afraid, since they have taken steps to try to head off the suits in the first place. For example, do not, ever, try to have as your tow vehicle a Ford Explorer of any year or type. U-Haul will not allow you to tow one of their trailers at all. Don't get me wrong, U-Haul does some stupid and screwy things on their end that can irk customers. I think part of the problem was the airhead behind the counter. My dos pesos.

 

No matter what, you're always towing an '86 Toyota Corolla.

 

never used them myself but a friend wanted to rent a trailer to tow a car . they wouldnt rent to him because his dodge 4x4 was only a half ton ,they wanted him to tow it with a 3/4 ton

 

Same thing happened with my 63 Mercury Monterey. I checked online, and the online system said it was not a problem. However, the behind the counter system said "no - weight exceeded." I asked that the weight was - clerk said "4,300 for the Mercury." I found the weight limit listed as 4065. That allowed us to move forward.

Other time was when I wanted to tow my 1921 Model T Roadster (stock). The clerk had a hard time understanding what I wanted to do. I patiently explained, and of course the car wasn't in the system. Finally she called the central headquarters. They authorized the tow as they researched the weight and determined it to be "about a ton."

 

I called UHaul Corporate and they apolgized and sent me a 30 dollar gift certificate. Anyone need snails and boxes?

 

yeah ive ran into that at uhual tell then you want to haul anything bigger then a kids wagon with a half ton pickup and they wont rent to you

tell them you want to haul a mid size car from the 60-70s on thier regular trailer and they wont rent to you because its too wide

i bought my own trailer and haul it behind my half ton and haul whatever i want

 

I was denied over the phone, so I went to the location and adjusted my story.
In a scenario like this....


Q: What are you towing?
A: 1996 Chevy Cavalier

Q: What year/make/model truck will be used?
A: 2012 Chevy 1 ton dually p/u truck

Hooked the trailer up to my 1/2 ton truck and drove off.

 

They have certain guidelines in the computer and if your tow vehicle is too light and the vehicle being towed it too heavy it gets rejected. It isn't the clerks fault as I'm sure they want to keep their job.

We have rented their trailers a bunch of times and always get a strange look when we tell them the car being put on the trailer will be a 23 or a 27. Their computers only went back to 28 (or at least used to) so they had to call it a 28. Our tow vehicles are approved as one is a Dodge Ram 1500 long bed and the other is a Chevy Suburban. Both have 10,000 pound hitches and towing packages.

To make it easier on yourself, just tell them you are loading a small car, like the Corolla that was suggested.

Don

 

I made reservations for a trailer on line to help my son move. I reconfirmed with them and all was OK...until I went to pick up the trailer and they didn't have one. My son HAD to move that weekend. I had to find a trailer somewher else, and got a rather rough one, but at least it got us out of a bind. They never refunded my $5.00 charge for an online reservation. I know of a couple of cases where people got trailers or trucks that had not been cleaned out and were dirty.
Paul

 

I actually had a problem renting from them because of owning a ford explorer. And when I asked for an explanation all the person could tell me was "because of the tire problems with those trucks" . Anyway i found it easier to deal with towing companies or a different place to rent from.

 

I had an interesting conversation at u haul, the car you want to tow on your rented trailer exceeds the weight limit your wtruck is rated to tow. Yeah but the car has no engine transmission front end or interior. Oh how much do you think it weighs. About half what your computer says. Oh OK

 

I hate lying but every time I have rented a trailer or tow dolly I lie through my teeth. I always go get it with a big truck and tell them its some tiny ricemoble I am hauling. Except they actually do have a 32 Ford coupe in their database and I didn't have to lie about towing that one.

 

Three years ago I went to rent a U-Haul trailer to move my son to college. U-Haul dude says what are you going to tow it with? I said at that time a new Ford explorer, Wrong answer. U-Haul wont let you pull a trailer with an Explorer, need less to say I was just a little bit pissed!

 

If you rent a car trailer from them, don't ever tell them it is to haul a Model A (ask me how I know....). I learned that a 1965 Mustang is the perfect car to haul on a U-Haul trailer and now it is the ONLY kind of car I ever haul when I rent from them!!!!!!!

 

yep i went that way a couple times , but it was true except for the car did have an interrior and both suspensions

 

Uhaul has done me over a few times- the worst was our move from PA to GA. Mrs. Yankee reserved a truck online for our move date, but when I arrived, there was no truck!

"Oh, they always overbook"... "Okay, may I please speak with an administrator?"... "Sure"... "Mr. McKay, you NEED to understand that a reservation is NOT a guarantee"...

Believe me, I asked her to repeat that a few times. Meanwhile, the first of the 2 crews had showed up to empty the apartment and start loading the truck.

Long story short, we wound up getting a Ryder truck that had no power uphill- turned a 14 hour drive into two full days of hell.

 

I had fun with an Australian company like U-Haul, some of the larger service stations rent trailers over here. When I was moving off base from the Naval Air Station to my own place I needed to get my 28 A RPU project to my new place.
I swear the chick behind the counter almost cryed trying to understand that I wanted to move a car from 1928 with a car from 1938 off of a Navy Base to normal home, but all of my ID was Army and I only lived on the Navy Base but I worked at an Army Unit outside of the Navy Base!
Finally with the aid of some photos of the half built 28 and showing her boss the 38 in the car park they decided that it would be ok to rent me the trailer!!
That was a long morning.

Doc.

 

I did the same thing with my 60 when I rented a Uhaul online. They won't let you haul a 59-60 but a 61 they will. I think it was the width of the car and not the weight honestly. The damn thing barely fit on the trailer.

 

Me: it's a 1964 Ford Galaxie

Them: sorry it says not recommended

Me: oh I meant '64 Falcon

Them: ok sign here

It was still a 1964 Ford!

 

Hmmm.... I had a dodge 1500 reg cab 2WD to tow a 32 ford Tudor. Ummm it let me..l. No issues.

 

Tell you all about my U-Haul _______________ (story)

Bought one of those U-Haul E-250 Ford Vans (you know, the ones with "Rent me for 19.95" plastered all over them) at a insurance/salvage auction. Was brand new, totaled, hit in the rear.

The van was originally signed to a Pheonix, AZ rental place, where it got wrecked, and the salvage auction was in Pocatello, Idaho. That's where I had to pick it up at.

At the same time the salvage auction, my middle daughter bought a F-550 pick up in LA, but was in school at the time. So my wife and I went out to drive her 550 back.

We took a ' side trip' up to Big M Auto (ole Brillo Face is on here) in northern Calif. Cut across the Sierra Nevadas/Donner Pass, then up to Pocatello to get the van.

Stopped at a big U-Haul place up there. Pointed to one of those 19.95 vans sitting out front. Said, "I just bought one of those vans of yours, what kind of trailer do you guys have that will haul it?" The guy behind the counter asked, "What kind of vehicle are you pulling the trailer with?" I pointed out the other window at the 550, and said, "That!"

The guy behind the counter had a dazed expression on his face and said, "Oh shit!" "That'll more than do it. Good grief, you can't get any bigger than that can you?"

I want a trailer that will haul one of those vans back to West By God, the 550 is gonna pull it all, what have you got?

He typed on his computer and said, ",,,,,,,, number such and such, Auto Transport" I dont' wanna 'auto transport!'. I want a 'trailer!' "that's what we call 'trailers"

We walked down a couple rows of trailers (auto transports) and tow dollys, came to this one row, and he said, "Here, this one here, is the one you want."

"That little thing!!?" "That van won't fit on that trailer!" "It's too short!"

"Yeah it will fit." "Let me show you." Walked clear back to the showroom, he typed on his computer, turned it around and said, "See, that extra heavy duty Auto Transport is the correct length, and weight capacity to haul that van."

To cut the argument short, I took the trailer. When I loaded that van on it, the centerline of the rear tires was less than ONE INCH from the rear edge of the trailer! Those two front U-Haul tire tiedown straps are NOT going to hold this thing on there. No way! EVERYTHING from the center of the rear wheels, BACK, was all overhang! Gingerly drove a couple of blocks to a Wal-Mart.

Bought all the 2" ratchet tiedown straps they had! 12 of 'em Two front, two rear, and three down each side of the Van's frame to the trailer!

Started out of Pocatello on the expressway. Got not quite 50 mph, the trailer started gently wobbling back and forth! Faster I went the more violent the wobble became! We need more tongue weight! Took ALL our gear/clothes/suitcases out of the back seat of the 550 and put them on the front seats/floor of the van.

Well that got us up to 52 mph before the wobbling started. Took the 19.5 550's spare tire steel wheel, and tired it on the tongue of the trailer. Almost 55 now before the wobble started. Found 4, 12" cement blocks, at a dumpster next to another Wal-Mart. Bought 6 more ratchet tiedowns, tied those blocks to the spare tire.

Stopped at a town or two past Pocatello at a block company, and bought 15, 8" blocks and put them right up next to the tailgate in the extreme rear of the 550's bed.

That was it. I had no more room to hang any more weight! 58 mph all the way across the US! Anything over 60mph the wobble got too violent.

The world today, is run too much on what a computer sez! Not much common sense is taught. Bring back the rotary dial phone! That way, I don't have to 'push one' for English

 

When I rented, the main concern was what was pulling it, not what I was loading onto it. Makes sense because the towing vehicle has to be able to stop and I can see a 4 banger Ranger having trouble towing a 3k pound trailer with a 3500 pound car on it. I can see the panic stop in my mind pretty easy.

 

Dude, always tell them you are moving a Honda Civic, never been turned down yet.

 

The uhaul trailers are pretty cheesy though. Friend of mine used one to move a 6000lb lathe and by the time we were done with it, it was bent like a banana.

4000 lb is not much! Besides my 1928 dodge I don't think any of my vehicles would weigh less than 4000lb !

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

I always tell them it's a Model A. I've hauled a '65 Impala on a U-Haul trailer.

 

I always say "60's vw beetle"...
It sounds like theyve added 32 ford now to their system at least.