Driving a U-Haul 1100 miles with a car dollie....I have no experience and need helpful advice?

Question

I'm female, white and 56 years old....traveling with two small dogs in a 26 foot U-Haul and car dollie. I'm good at just about everything except backing up a 6 X 4 trailer on the back of a riding lawn mower in which I jack knife all most ever time. Do you have any advice so I won't do that? Or is it possible to drive 1100 miles and not packup at all?

And I have no idea how my shitzu's are going to react to this trip! Do you have any suggestions on keeping them happy and feeling good....?

What about the height of the truck....can I fill up at service stations?

Answer 1

Plan your stops so you don't have to back up.  If you must,

then 6 feet is all you should expect to back without causing

damage to your own vehicle.  Most service stations have a

canopy higher than 12' so height shouldn't be a problem for

you.  Make sure you know the height (usually printed on the

corner of the cargo box visible in the rear-view mirror.)

Little dogs are too restless to travel well.  A walk every two

hours or so will help.

Answer 2

I did that a couple years ago, SF to Seattle.

First you have to think differently about driving.  That rig cannot be driven in reverse.  At all.  Ever.  It's not possible.  That means you have to plan every move and never go into a place you can't drive forward out of.  In fact, the only places you'll be stopping (for fuel, food etc.) are truck stops. And that's fine, because truck stops are now friendly to motorists - they also service cars and sell gasoline and are clean and nice and have quite respectable restaurants (I recommend Iron Skillet at Petro).

The trick is, truck stops are not in cities, so you have to catch them out in rural freeway country where you see them.

As for the dogs, a truck this size is a total handful to drive.  Two hands!  So those dogs absolutely cannot be a distraction.  I'm sorry if you find that news discomforting but that's reality.  If you have to spend energy dealing with the dogs, you're much more likely to wreck.  With the bulk of this truck, it will be much more severe than an accident in a car, more likely to injure or kill another person, not to mention total the car you're towing car and damage your stuff in the truck.

You might consider leaving the car and dogs with a friend, taking just the U-haul, flying back and getting the car and dogs.  A U-haul without trailer is a lot easier to handle, you can back it up!  In my experience the savings on the dolly would pay for the airline ticket.  And the Uhaul will get much better MPG (enough to pay for the car's gas).

In any case you will need to go quite slowly.  I'm a skilled driver and i've tried to squeeze speed out of rigs like that, but 45-60 mph is as fast as you can safely go depending on conditions and your experience.  Wind is more of an issue.

Answer 3

Well, at least you're getting a truck big enough to tow your vehicle.

That said, be prepared to get screwed at every turn.  U-haul is notorious for the following:

Taking reservations, but then not holding the reservation.  You may not get the truck you reserved...you might be expecting a late model 26 foot with auto, but get a 20 year old Toyota with manual transmission.  Or you may not get any truck.

Renting trailers that they should know the renter's vehicle cannot tow.  (does not apply here)

Deliberately neglecting maintenance, and renting vehicles that are either unsafe for local conditions (I once had to drive a U-haul with summer tires with no tread, on ice with fresh snow on top of it), or unsafe for ANY conditions (brakes not working, frame rusted to where it isn't structurally sound, transmissions not working properly, things like that)

If you are going to a medium-large city FROM a medium-large city, or you're willing to drive a ways to pick up or drop off the truck, go with Budget, Penske, or Ryder.  ALL will give you better vehicles and better service.  

If you're going from the middle of nowhere to the middle of nowhere...sorry.  If you must rent from U-haul, inspect the truck before you accept it.  Do not take no for an answer, and be prepared to make other arrangements.  

Oh, and you'll be able to fill up anywhere on the interstate, for sure.  It is possible to do most of those 1100 miles and not back up, but before and after getting on the interstate, you're probably going to have to at some point.  

Good luck.

Answer 4

First I would suggest making SURE the uhaul store takes the time to go over everything in the trailer, including what size engine you really need in your car to be able to tow this..unless I got this wrong and you're towing your car, and in the same case, the Uhaul people should take the time to show you the basics about traveling with such a long load...what type of roads you're going on, the tire pressure you need to keep..etc.

As far as your lovely puppies, they seel anti-anxiety mists in the pet stores--if they don't mind being crated for part of the time, I suggest spraying and crating...more for their safety in case of an accident...and don't forget potty stops, play stops and of course food stops.....

Take the time to really do the math on this one--gas mileage on truck x how many miles equals plus the cost of truck plus the cost of the trailer, and exactly what kind of gas mileage you can expect from the towing.....1100 miles is very far and pretty dangerous for a single woman-and I'm the same age and I wouldn't envy you on the highways by yourself.  Do the math and see what it costs....then figure out what you REALLY need to bring with  you and can you sell off the furniture and just get new when you get where you're going with the money you save....at almost $4 on the east coast right now and rising by 20 cents a week--you may need to consider all these options AND gas is over a dollar more in CA.........good luck to you...... can't stop- worried about you traveling....If I were you....I would have  a yard sale- sell my furniture either in the paper shop or newspapers for free with most of my non used items....pack what I can in my car with maybe a carrier on the roof only, my two beloved puppies and feel safer on the road.....you can always replace furniture in another town, and Craigs list has apartments in every city in the world that come furnished and unfurnished.....better yet---do you have a brother who can drive some stuff out for you....or just take the bare necessities and next time back bring more to your new home.....realy scare the uhaul and very expensive idea.  I bet you're looking at the max 10 mpg if lucky x 1100 miles equals 110 gallons at 4/gallon not counting tires, oil changes

Answer 5

I find it that the more I worry about the size of the vehicle the worse driving I do,  Just act like your driving your own car the best you can,  its going to go where you tell it just like your car would.  When you pull in places park far out and take up couple parking spots, that way no need to back up, you really shouldnt have to unless you get going on dead end street somewhere.

As to keeping dogs happy, dont know never owned a dog, sorry. maybe have snacks and toys for em.

Your truck will have the height in feet and inches on side,  going to guess and say going to be around 12' 6", they are going to tell you not to go under anything that is 13' 6" and lower,  just going to have to watch your bridges should be ok on all major highways,  You can fill up at all stations, just watch and see how easy its going to be to get out of the parking lot once you pull in.  If at all possible a truck stop would be the best choice since they have more room even on the passenger vehicle side.  

Good luck, once you get going you wont think about how big the truck is.

Answer 6

More and more states are making it the LAW to secure your dog during travel to prevent accidents caused by dog distractions.  

Anyone that has been in a car with a dog that is barking or jumping around knows how distracting and annoying it can be.

  It is not safe for the dog or the people in the vehicle (or the other people on the road that could be hit while the driver is distracted.)  

Dogs should be secured when they travel to protect them in the event of a crash.

A recommended option is a crash rated seat belt designed for dogs.  

There are several seatbelts on the market, but only 3 are rated for impact.  

Most are only to secure the dog and keep him from jumping around and in the case of a crash the buckles or stitching on these types of harnesses can break leaving your dog unsecured and possibly causing severe injury.  

The straps should be wide enough to offer support without cutting into the dog during an impact.

As for the height of the truck, always check that before you start driving and most all gas stations will have the height posted so that you can see it...drive safe and have fun.....