BIggest Rentable Truck rig

Hi Folks, I am trying to figure out how to move a car, truck and a four bedroom house cross country DIY. What is the largest truck rig I can rent? Has anyone shipped a car across country lately? What is the going rate?

you can get penske at 30X8X10 in most cities. its a berkleying monster, get horrible mileage (duh) but will easily tow two cars on a flat bed trailer. id recommend buying the trailer, not renting it, as penske usually wont allow you to tow u-hauls or the like behind their trucks, and they dont generally have anything but dollies for single autos.

when we moved out to AZ from FL, we used a budget 30ft, and our own flat bed. we brought three title able vehicles on that trip...

-J0N

renting will cost a fortune... an alternative can be to find and old motorhome, something like the old winnes with m200-m600 chassis. theyre so big and boxy, and old, theyre easy to find for under a grand or two with a 313 or above engine. but if indecent running shape, they can fit a few tons of stuff inside and still tow 10k behind it if needed. if you get a "side bath" you can cut a hatch in the rear to load big stuff, just make sure the door frame is reinforced after, theyre made of wood, just like a stick home, just skinned with aluminum usually. resell upon arrival at destination, what ever you get is pure profit since it just saved you $$$ moving... :) Ive done this a few times, made out well each time, and was able to sell the rigs for more, so i even made my gas money back!

Penske's big truck is actually the 26' International truck, and it's big, real big (3-5 bedroom house). Add a car carrier (not a dolly) and it's almost the length of a semi, a double trailer and you'd be as long and only be able to get in and out of truck stops, period. I know, I took one from ATL to OH because at the time diesel was cheaper and the truck was actually more fuel efficient than the smaller 'big' gas truck. This was THE most UNCOMFORTABLE vehicle I've ever driven, I'd rather ride a riding lawnmower across country again, so be prepared for a crap bench seat w/minimal padding, a steering wheel that doesn't adjust, and blid spots/no mirrors that help, and a 50 gal tank is BS, at 30 GAL the warning buzzer would come on, and stay on until you put more gas in it. I ended up getting better fuel economy but poorer range due to the dam buzzer than the 16' gasser + car carrier on the return move.

I'd go w/the 26' box, add a car carrier, get all the insurance, and pay the extra $500-700 to have your second car shipped. Total you're looking at $1200ish for truck, trailer, insurance and another 300 in gas, plus shipping car (+/- $500 as my best guesstimate), and suck it up for a very grueling trip, but that's just me as it will get you moved fast, and easy.

Going the motorhome route would require you to source one locally, ensure it runs well enough for a big trip like that, insure it, etc. By the time you're done with the hassle you could have been moved IMO, and for larger furniture items a MH isn't going to cut it unless you strip it out and then the resale value falls flat on it's face. Buying a 2 car trailer isn't a small investment either, plus you'll have to find a non-goose neck 2 car trailer which are harder to find (around here) and cost 2-5k depending on condition, so either you'd have to keep it or sell it and hope to make your money back, personally I'd just take the path of least resistance on a move, I've done enough of them to know, DIY is a very good option, but being cheap while DIY on a move will only = pain, which is exactly what you're trying to avoid

I have not personally used this service but I know of two people who recently have...
http://www.upack.com/
A 28ft semi trailer is dropped off at your house.
You take a few days to fill it.
A semi cab then arrives and takes it to your new location where it sits in front of your new house for a few days while you unload it.

All I know is that all of these cross country moves are expensive from any company.

U-Haul's JH model is also a 26' diesel, but stay away from U-Haul. Maintenace is very bad, and the trucks are usually old and badly beaten on. A break down on the road will be miserable. Penske seems to have the best maintained units. U-Haul will be cheaper at first glance, but after that they will tell you the truck you had a reservation on is not available and you wait for the next one. A reservation means nothing to them. BTDT.

Last time I moved (500 miles) I rented the biggest truck I could get my hands on and, well - I won't bore you with all of the excruciating details, but I would never do it again. At one point I shut it off at a rest area and couldn't get it re-started. I had visions of them bringing another truck, and having to transfer the load... I was to the point of abandoning everything and hitch-hiking the rest of the way.

I would seriously look at relo cubes - PODS, ABF or whatever. Drive your own truck and tow the car with a dolly.

cwh wrote: U-Haul ...A reservation means nothing to them.

I completely agree with this. When I was renting a trailer to go pick up my Datsun, I made the reservation with Uhaul a week ahead of time, and called two days before to make sure that they would have the trailer and to find out what size hitch ball I would need. When I showed up bright and early at 8am saturday morning to pick up the trailer they told me that they didn't have the trailer for me and that I'd have to drive to their other store, 20 minutes away in the wrong direction. They did have one available, but it was for the guy who was picking up the trailer at noon. After 10 minutes of yelling, they found me a trailer in the yard and had it ready for me - they just didn't want to do the inspection on it because it was raining. Then we go to hook it up to the truck and the ball was the wrong size, but they would be happy to sell me the correct size ball for only 6 times what it would cost anywhere else. I ended up driving 5 minutes down the road to buy another ball and coming back to pick up the trailer.

Avoid U-Haul at all costs.

UHaul is crap, period, crap crap crap, can't say enough crap about how crappy they craped on their own crap crap.........................POOP!

Their independent dealers, other people and me call them:

Screw-Haul

Uhaul really really really really sucks.

cwh wrote: U-Haul's JH model is also a 26' diesel, but stay away from U-Haul. Maintenace is very bad, and the trucks are usually old and badly beaten on. A break down on the road will be miserable. Penske seems to have the best maintained units. U-Haul will be cheaper at first glance, but after that they will tell you the truck you had a reservation on is not available and you wait for the next one. A reservation means nothing to them. BTDT.

Word!

I was born into a U-Haul Family, then my Father worked for Ryder for 32 + years climbing the ladder. I also worked for Ryder.

Currently, I market used trucks and equipment for others.

I recommend Penske.

Add me to the "UHaul suxxors" list. I reserved a 20' box truck for a local move which somehow became unavailable when I actually showed up to get it. They charged me extra for the bigger 26' job (unlike a rental car place). I bitched but I was over a barrel and they were the only game in town. I had planned on two smaller but better-organized trips in the smaller truck but instead had to make 1 big disorganized trip in the bigger truck.

I've had much better luck with Ryder; never used Penske.

i must be the only person to have good luck with U haul, I've nevr had a problem, and the last three vans I rented were days old when i got them.

cwh wrote: U-Haul's JH model is also a 26' diesel, but stay away from U-Haul. Maintenace is very bad, and the trucks are usually old and badly beaten on. A break down on the road will be miserable. Penske seems to have the best maintained units. U-Haul will be cheaper at first glance, but after that they will tell you the truck you had a reservation on is not available and you wait for the next one. A reservation means nothing to them. BTDT.

+1 for hoping Uhaul dries up and goes away because the company is one of, if not THE, worst I've ever dealt with.

Reservation: Misnomer. My truck was one HOUR away from where I "reserved" it. It didn't make the one hour trip to my house (empty) without breaking down. Then I had to go BACK one hour to pick up the older, crappier truck that was on the lot (which I had to ask them about).

The whole time on hold trying to get my situation worked out was ridiculous. The keystone cops have nothing on Uhaul.

NEVER will I even THINK about pissing on flaming Uhaul anything.

Yeah...It's been 5+ years and I'm still THAT worked up...

Hooboy...

Clem

Yes, Wally, you are the ONLY satsified customer they have.

I'd recommend a 26' International w/ Cummins and 6 speed from Penske, dual tanks if possible. Having logged hundreds of thousands of miles in straight trucks, that was my favorite combo. Uhaul is garbage, Budget isn't much better.

Penske will actually rent you just about any size unit- up to tractor cabs.. You will need a CDL of course, but they have them available.

i drove a 26' foot box truck from penske... the international diesel. It got better gas than the biggest gas one (i've driven a few of those too). The bench/steeringwheel/blindspots are all as previously described... after 8 hours round trip I was ready to pull in and buy a hemmerrhoid cushion to jam on the seat (but of course the steering wheel is hard enough to get your hands on already).

Uhaul is horrible... I rented a car trailer from them and the wiring shorted out my pathfinder, which has a fail safe on it so when the brake lights short out, it won't start.

Interesting to learn this on the side of the highway. Not amusing. Just interesting.

I called htem and bitched so bad because I showed the guy hooking up the trailer the E36 M3ty wiring and told him I thought it would short out and he ASSURED me it wouldn't be a problem.

OHHHH, and he forget to tighten the trailer down on my ball so when we loaded the car, it shot up in the air and nearly through my tailgate.

Uhaul's response?

$30 off my rental.... LAME!

I have rented from uhaul before also... a box truck for an in town move. It stalled out 3 or 4 times, mostly in the middle of intersections, and had to be cranked for 5 - 10 minutes before it would start again.

They rented my mom a 26' diesel non turbo with a 4 speed manual.. my brother averaged about 20 mph taking it out the hilly 2 lane road she lives out... unbelievable slug.

I've rented several gas box truck/car transporter trailers from penske though, including two for 1200 mile moves to and from TX... they've been rock solid reliable, lower mileage units with comfy AC, big towing mirrors, CD players, and bucket seats. They have always had the car trailers available when I"ve needed them, I've never towed on a dolly (dont like not being able to back up)...

I even side swiped a guy with their trailer and it didn't do any damage so they didn't care. pretty cool...

jrw1621 wrote: I have not personally used this service but I know of two people who recently have... http://www.upack.com/ A 28ft semi trailer is dropped off at your house. You take a few days to fill it. A semi cab then arrives and takes it to your new location where it sits in front of your new house for a few days while you unload it. All I know is that all of these cross country moves are expensive from any company.

Some friends of mine have used this system a few times now - it's an awesome idea, and it works great. This way you get to avoid the grueling Saturday of packing and unpacking a truck to return it on time. You have about a week to load it, and about a week to unload it. Plus, if you need more time on either end, you just call them and tell them that. Supposedly there is an additional daily fee for extra days, but my friends say they never got charged much for it. (if at all)

I moved some friends from NJ to Ok.. we used an 18foot penske.. and when we discovered (I had told him it would not all fit) it was not big enough, Uhaul was kind enough to rent us a 12 foot trailer for the rest of their gear.

no issues at all.. except for a snowstorm so bad in West Virgina that I had to use my TomTom as a kind of visual instrament to show me where the turns were so I could slow down ahead of time. As we hit each county, they were turning on their "chains required" signs. That was a fun night

WV doesn't have chains required signs...

I think your tom tom must have taken you off course!

well, they were certainly lighting off the badweather signs on the highway... may have not been chains required (it was a few years ago) but it was something to the effect that you were stupid to be out on the highway, at night, in this storm if your vehicle was not set up for it

lol they put the winter weather stuff on those electronic signs everytime it gets cold out or a flurry falls.

I drove a twenty something foot gasoline penske truck up my driveway (with a foot of snow on it) and fortunately it had the goodyear GSD3's or whatever they are called, the meaty mud type tires on the rear... when I was backing it down our inclined parking area (which terminates in a rather sudden drop of a hundred feet or so) it left a few stains in my pants... I went through the correct motions to stop the vehicle, but it went through the correct motions to slide all the way to the berm.

chains woulda been welcome!

I called penske- their response: "chains are not provided with your vehicle nor will we reimburse you for chain purchase or rental. If the weather is so bad that you need chains, you should not be driving our trucks. We will gladly give you a few free extra days with your rental so you can wait until they clear the roads."

lol

Raze wrote: Penske's big truck is actually the 26' International truck, and it's big, real big (3-5 bedroom house). Add a car carrier (not a dolly) and it's almost the length of a semi, a double trailer and you'd be as long and only be able to get in and out of truck stops, period. I know, I took one from ATL to OH because at the time diesel was cheaper and the truck was actually more fuel efficient than the smaller 'big' gas truck. This was THE most UNCOMFORTABLE vehicle I've ever driven, I'd rather ride a riding lawnmower across country again, so be prepared for a crap bench seat w/minimal padding, a steering wheel that doesn't adjust, and blid spots/no mirrors that help

I can agree with this. A few months ago I rented a Penske truck about this size to move my tools and scissor lift... While I was glad to have a 20 lb bag to move 5 lbs of crap (I wanted the commercial truck for the lift gate), it was a beast to drive... Fortunately, my entire round trip was less than 100 miles. The fuel guage is definitely strange... according to it, I used about 1/4 of a tank... so I stopped to top it off before returning it... open the first tank... fuel level is just below the filler neck... Hmm... go to the other side... fuel level is AT the filler neck... WTF? .. Go back the first side, squeeze in maybe 6 or 7 gallons and continue on my way.