Maximum travel speed for u-haul trailer?

Question

The recommended travel speed for a pull behind u-haul trailer is 45 mph. At that speed, it will take almost twice as long to get where I am going. I know I've pulled boats and jetskis at higher speeds. The trailer I'm looking at is a car trailer with the car completely on the trailer, not one with 2 wheels on the ground. Can you safely travel at higher speeds? Such as the speed limit for an interstate?

Answer 1

Thats a to be safe speed limit. But at that speed on a highway you would cause a lot of problems. People approaching you fast and havening to swerve to miss you or slow down fast. And if the person behind you had a semi behind him, Well do I have to say more?   60 is a more decent speed. Also if a failure happened on the trailer ( tire or axle or what not ) and it caused a accident, And you were noted at a speed higher than 45. You better have very good insurance. Because your SOL with U-haul.

Answer 2

U-haul has had the same 45 MPH recommendation since the 60's (or earlier) . This is more of a legal "cover your corporate rear" rule than anything else. You do not say what you are using to tow, or what kind of vehicle you will have on the trailer.

The main issue when towing heavier trailers is braking power. The Uhaul car trailer has surge brakes on it. when your towing vehicle slows (you are braking) the trailer if still pushing the vehicle forward. There is a hydraulic brake cylinder in the trailer tongue and that applies the trailer brakes. There is a bit of lag time from when you hit the tow vehicle brakes until the trailer brakes are engaged!

The faster you are going, the more you are going to feel that lag. Depending on the road conditions, traffic, towing vehicle and towed weight, I would feel comfortable traveling in the 60 MPH range.

If you are going on a long downhill section of road (as happens when you cross mountains) make sure to downshift the towing vehicle to use the engine compression to keep you at a safe speed. The trailer brakes are not going to be very helpful and you can easily have a brake problem!

I have towed vehicles on my car trailer many times at speeds in the 60-70 MPH range! My trailer has electric brakes, which makes stopping a bit easier, but I still have to allow for longer stopping distances!

Answer 3

Your best bet for speed and sway is to have a anti-sway bar installed. Remember if your trailer starts to sway do not hit the breaks, that action will compound the problem. If possible step on the gas to apply light pressure on the connection. Plus have a professional install the hookup.

Answer 4

It usually has to do with the size of the tires on the trailer being smaller than your average car's tires. If you car wheels are going along the road at 45 mph, say, then if the trailer's wheels are smaller than you car's, they will be spinning faster, and thus create more heat due to friction with the road and the tire's deformation on the contact patch, which could lead to a blow-out.

That's not to say that there isn't a safety factor built in to the 45 mph limit, but it probably wouldn't be wise to travel much faster than that, especially in hotter climates.

Here's the math:

rotational speed, w, is related to linear speed, v, by the radius of the tire:

w=v/r

Answer 5

I had a small trailer on my Sedan and Drove 365 miles at 70 miles an hour.  Had no problem at all.