zero Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Has anyone ever moved a tractor with a rental box-type truck? We are trying to rent a truck to move a lot of household stuff and tools. Central New York to northern Michigan. 750 miles approx. I've been trying to find a way to take one of my tractors on this move. Either an IH B-275 or a Ferguson TO-35. No loaded tires. So tractor weight 3200-3500 lbs. I'd also like to take my 3-point log splitter hanging off the back of the tractor. I started out with a 26' foot truck from Uhaul that allows towing up to a 7500 lb. trailer. They will allow me to use my own trailer but it must hook to a 2" ball. Mine uses a 2 5/16" ball. So then I tried Budget Rental. They only have a 24 foot truck and they require I rent only their trailer. But they say it must only carry an auto that they preapprove. Not a tractor. Only Toyota involved in this is my 1988 Minicruiser that will be following me but not trying to tow anything. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredNewell Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Just a thought - but you asked for ideas. Can you load the tractor inside of the 26' truck and pack around it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Just a thought - but you asked for ideas. Can you load the tractor inside of the 26' truck and pack around it? Yes but then we need all that space for furniture. I'm temped to just use their car trailer, put my tractor on it, and then try to hide it with a tarp over it. The dimensions and weight are both fine. My wife says we need a cardboard box with a car painted on it that we can slide over the tractor. If I used a Uhaul truck - they allow me to use my own trailer and don't care what is on it. Problem is - Uhaul says their 2" ball is welded on and I cannot change it. Won't work with my trailer that needs a 2 5/16" ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 That's interesting I thought any thing over 6,000 had a 2 5/16 ball so if they say it will pull 7,500 you would think it would be changeable. Guess the draw bar is welded to the the rental? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 2" balls can be had with 7500 lbs. ratings. 2 5/16" balls up to 30,000 lb. ratings. I suppose Uhaul welds those 2" balls on there so nobody tries to hook up a trailer with a 12,000 to 30,000 lbs. rating. Mine is 14,000 lbs. but would only weigh a total of 7000 lbs. with my tractor on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Stupid answer that you don't want to hear, is that you are in the market for a new 2' coupler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Stupid answer that you don't want to hear, is that you are in the market for a new 2' coupler. I thought about it. I'd have to torch off the old one and weld on the new one that's going to have inferior towing capability. If it was just a bolt-on swap, I'd do it. I wish there was some sort adapter-bushing that would slip over the Uhaul 2 ball and make it fit tight with my 2 5/16" hitch. This whole deal has gotten a lot more complicated then I expected. But - I've never rented a truck before. I wish I had one more driver around to just take my Dodge diesel and trailer and leave it all up in Michigan. It's just me and my wife as far as drivers go. She's going to drive the Toyota Minicuriser and I'm going to drive the 26' truck and trailer. We are going to take our time and camp in the Toyota along the way. Just me, wife, kid, dog, and my kids d*mn flock of chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Penske, Ryder ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I don't know if you only plan the one trip towing the trailer with a rental truck, but I'd consider consider converting it to a 2" hitch. Once all the moving is finished you could convert it back to 2 5/16". Or teach your kid to drive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Well if you start now you could probably be there on the tractor by the end of next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Penske, Ryder ??? Penske, Ryder, and Budget only allow towing if you rent their trailers and they are only rated for a 4200 lb. load (around 6400 lbs. gross). Uhaul is the only one that allow using your own trailer with a gross weight of 7500 lbs. Ryder does not even rent for one-way trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Well if you start now you could probably be there on the tractor by the end of next month. I don't need it up in MI THAT bad. I have two tractors up there now but neither have a live PTO which I really miss. I have two Fords up there and I hate them both. A 600 series and a 900 series. Both with gas engines and non-live PTOs. Besides - if I sell my NY place - I either have to sell all my tractors in NY - or get them to MI somehow. I already sold two backhoes, two dozers, my 5 foot tiller, 6 foot snow blower, and three farm tractors this month. Now I'm down, pretty much to the ones I'd like to keep. I'd just sell here and rebuy in Michigan but. Stuff up there tends to be more expensive then here in central NY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 I don't know if you only plan the one trip towing the trailer with a rental truck, but I'd consider consider converting it to a 2" hitch. Once all the moving is finished you could convert it back to 2 5/16". I'm still considering that. But I'd rather convert the truck. I drove to the "big city" today and looked close at two Uhaul and Budget trucks. Both have 2" balls welded fast. They want to make damn sure no one tries to change them, I guess. I wish I could find a bum or wino, get him/her sober for a day or so, and pay a couple of hundred bucks to drive my Dodge truck and trailer up there. Note I DID try to hire a trucker with a big-rig to take one big load of heavy equipment up to Michigan. So far, not one trucker has even given me a price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 More from the peanut gallery. Have wife drive pickup and trailer. Flat tow the Toy with the big city truck after dropping the drive shaft. I helped a friend move a year or so ago. She used a service where the moving company just dropped of several shipping containers which we packed, then the mover showed up, loaded them in an enclosed van and 2 weeks later she took delivery. The move was from Riverton WY to Tallahassee FL. No PODS here in WY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 http://www.uship.com/ca/?page=brandca&-_uship&gclid=CPrezcXYgsACFQIvaQod5G8ARg&alwaysShowCCTA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 More from the peanut gallery. Have wife drive pickup and trailer. Flat tow the Toy with the big city truck after dropping the drive shaft. I helped a friend move a year or so ago. She used a service where the moving company just dropped of several shipping containers which we packed, then the mover showed up, loaded them in an enclosed van and 2 weeks later she took delivery. The move was from Riverton WY to Tallahassee FL. No PODS here in WY. #1 - No way in h*ll would my wife drive our truck with 26" foot trailer attached. Even if she DID want to try - I don't think I'd let her. Being scared when driving something can lead to disaster. So can being fearless, I guess. #2 - Flat towing is out . . at least for me. I flat towed a Kia Sportage last year to Michigan with my Ford diesel F250. Never again. That Kia was 4400 lbs. My Toyota a bit more, I'm sure. The laws says now I have to have brakes in the vehicle being flat-towed. Yes, it could be done, but not going to do it. #3 - I priced out those shipping containers with Uhaul. 8' X 5' X 7 1/2' each. I could get five of them shipped for $3000. But they do not come to my house. I'd have to move everything 25 miles to where the boxes would be. Then after they are delivered I'd have a 50 mile ride (one way) to pick the stuff up. That's a lot of driving and loading and unloading with a pickup truck. It might be worth the $3000 if they actually came near our house, and dropped them off near where we are moving too. Using a car dolly and towing the Toyota would be a possibility IF I had another person willing to drive my Dodge truck and trailer - but I don't. That if I could rent the "super" car dolly that has a 4200 lb tow-weight capacity. NO guarantee I can even get that dolly and I also suspect my Minicruiser weighs more then that. There is one other variable here that I hadn't been expecting. Because I live in a rural area - none of the truck rental places will guarantee they can even supply a truck on any given date - even with two weeks ahead planning. It seems to be a crap shoot. We are supposed to make reservations with a deposit and then sit and wait and see what happens. If their truck does not show up on the day we planned for - they simply say "sorry" and refund our deposit. I have been amazed at how "un-user friendly" Uhaul and Budget is. Penske seems to be much better run. Penske is also the most expensive and does not have a drop-off place closer then 80 miles from where we are moving to. Ryder is out because they do not offer one-way rentals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 http://www.uship.com/ca/?page=brandca&-_uship&gclid=CPrezcXYgsACFQIvaQod5G8ARg&alwaysShowCCTA I've been debating if I dare contact them again. I tired once maybe 2 years ago and was sorry long afterwards. I started getting phone calls almost on a daily basis. Not from people giving bids. Mostly from other trucking companies trying to solicit business. That was after I insisted NO phone calls to my house. It went on for a year, and even a little after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 Correction. 5 pods moved by Uhaul will cost $3600 and it requires me to do a lot of hauling, back and forth to load and unload them. One 26 foot rental truck holds more then those 5 pods in total and cost $1400 plus fuel. I'm figuring 8 MPG for 750 miles so add another $375 in fuel cost. Oddly they offer gas and diesel trucks and post show the exact same estimated fuel mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This what my friend used http://www.upack.com/lp/moving.asp?r=m01100&refnum=googlemv&c=G%2FMOVING%2FUS&g=B%2FSELF+MOVE%5F1&m=broad&k=self+pack+moving&ad=25515103036&ap=1s2&gclid=CMy0tezpicACFQyNaQodi5IAfA Also google Mayflower self move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 We've got things covered for now (I think). First - I just discovered that only ONE of the major truck rental companies guarantees they will provide the truck on the day it is reserved. That was a big surprise to me. Duh?? I just assumed that when you pay a $50 deposit to rent a truck two weeks in advance - the truck would be there when needed. NOPE. Not with Uhaul and not with Budget. In fact - I am still amazed after many phone calls with both - how incredibly inept and un-professional they both are. Then upon a recommendation from another person who rented - I tried Penske. NIGHT and DAY difference. People answer the phone that speak American English, the guarantee their reservations, their Website works, and even better yet -they give a 20% AAA discount (my wife is a member). Second - after sending weight and size specs to over two dozen trucking companies and not getting any quotes - a trucker called me from Michigan He's got a step-deck truck and agreed to truck four of my machines all in one load. Deere 1010 crawler-loader, Oliver HG bulldozer, Deere 300B backhoe-loader, and a International Harvester B-275 farm tractor. 850 mile trip for $1700 which is amazing. I was expected a quote of well over $3000. Also - about Uship that someone mentioned here. I tried it. They are just plain awful I had a bad experience with them once a few years ago and swore I'd never try them again. Well - I made the mistake of going back to their Website to see if anything changed. After putting in some machine specs and not agreeing to list anything - I backed out. I did so because Uship looks just as bad now as ever. Well? Even though I backed out I am now being flooded with emails from them. Now I suppose Ill have to wait a year again - before they even slow down They also sent me a "tentative" quote to truck just ONE machine to Michigan for $3450. Not what I'd call a "bargain." Our newest problem is this. The 26 foot truck from Penske is probably 34 feet long. We're not sure we can even get it into any of our driveways where our house is. We live on a 25% grade on a dirt road that is 19 feet wide. Driveway is 18' wide and at a right-angle to the road. Not sure a 34 foot straight-truck can make a turn that sharp. House is 30 feet from the road. So even if we can make the turn - 4 feet of truck will be blocking the road. So this is going to take some figuring. One idea is to widen the town road with my dozer. It's a town road but I own it and can widen it if I want. Not sure how we will approach this yet. Another option is to leave the moving truck on a main town road at the bottom of the mountain that is much wider That would mean we'd have to put stuff from the house in my pickup truck - drive to where the moving truck is - and then move the stuff a 2nd time. We'll see. Somehow we will get the truck loaded. Then get the rented trailer loaded with my little Isuzu diesel pickup truck. Back of that truck will have a big garden tractor in it along with a 15KW PTO electric generator. Hope this will all work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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