U-Haul has 12 different trailer options to fit your move, so choosing a trailer might be difficult with so many options. While so many options might be overwhelming, they are easy to narrow down and figure out which one will work best for you. To find out more about U-Haul trailers, check out this guide.
What You'll Need First
Before looking at which trailer is best for your move, it is first important to get a hitch for your vehicle. U-Haul is the nation’s largest hitch installer, so not only can you rent a trailer through them, you can get a hitch installed through them as well.
The process is pretty easy. All you need to do is tell U-Haul the year, make, and model of your vehicle and they’ll give you the options that fit your vehicle. You can even do this on their website and get the information yourself to judge prices and see what they would recommend. You can even choose to have the products shipped to you or to have them installed at U-Haul directly.
Let’s now go over the trailers U-Haul offers.
U-Haul Trailers
U-Haul offers three different classes of trailers: Cargo trailers, Utility trailers, and Car / Motorcycle trailers. We will go over the trailers and what you need to know about each one.
Cargo Trailers
U-Haul offers 4 different cargo trailers, and each one has vehicle requirements. One important thing to remember about cargo trailers is they are designed to be lightweight and aerodynamic to save you on gas. They are also covered, so they protect your belongings. Here are the options:
4' x 8’ Cargo Trailer
- Inside dimensions are: 8’1" x 4’1” x 4’
- Volume: 142 cubic feet
- Maximum load: 1,650 pounds
- Empty weight: 850 pounds
- Has padded rub rails
What you need to know
- Your tow vehicle weight must weigh more than your trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
5’ x 8’ Cargo Trailer
- Inside dimensions are: 8’ x 4’8” x 5’4”
- Volume: 208 cubic feet
- Maximum load: 1,800 pounds
- Empty weight: 900 pounds
- Can hold a queen-size bed
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must have a hardtop (if it is a Jeep or an SUV)
- Your tow vehicle weight must weigh more than your trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Load trailer heaviest in front
5’ x 10’ Cargo Trailer
- Inside dimensions: 9’10” x 4’9” x 4’7”
- Volume: 230 cubic feet
- Maximum load: 1,550 pounds
- Empty weight: 1,250 pounds
- It does have automatic hydraulic surge braking
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must have a hardtop (if it is a Jeep or an SUV)
- Your tow vehicle weight must weigh more than your trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Load trailer heaviest in front
- Must not exceed hitch ball height of 25”
6’ x 12’ Cargo Trailer
- Inside dimensions: 11’7” x 6’ x 5’5”
- Volume: 396 cubic feet
- Maximum load: 2,480 pounds
- Empty weight: 1,920 pounds
- It does have automatic hydraulic surge braking
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must have a hardtop (if it is a Jeep or an SUV)
- Your tow vehicle weight must be at least 80% of the loaded weight of the trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Load trailer heaviest in front
- Must not exceed hitch ball height of 25”
Utility Trailers
Utility trailers are open trailers that are perfect for landscaping or oversized cargo. These requirements are also similar to U-Haul's cargo trailers.
4’ x 7’ Utility Trailer
- Dimensions: 7’8" x 3’4”
- Maximum load: 1,770 pounds
- Empty weight: 630 pounds
- It has heavy-duty tie-down rings
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must have a hardtop (if it is a Jeep or an SUV)
- Your tow vehicle weight must weigh more than your trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Load trailer heaviest in front
5’ x 8’ Utility Trailer
- Dimensions: 108” x 51.5 "
- Maximum load: 1,890 pounds
- Empty weight: 1,000 pounds
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must have a hardtop (if it is a Jeep or an SUV)
- Your tow vehicle weight must weigh more than your trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Load trailer heaviest in front
5’ x 9’ Utility Trailer With Ramp
- Can be used to tow a motorcycle as well as other cargo.
- Dimensions: 9’2” x 4’9”
- Ramp width: 4’9”
- Empty weight: 1,240 pounds
- Maximum weight: 1,650 pounds
- 57”-wide spring-assisted ramp
- Has a motorcycle chock
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must have a hardtop (if it is a Jeep or an SUV)
- Your tow vehicle weight must weigh more than your trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Load trailer heaviest in front
6’ x 12’ Utility Trailer (w/ ramp)
- U-Haul offers a 6’ x 12’ trailer with and without a ramp.
- Both dimension: 12’ x 6’2”
- Ramp width: 4’9”
- W/out ramp maximum load: 2,670 pounds
- W/ ramp maximum load: 2,110 pounds
- W/out ramp empty weight: 1,730 pounds
- W/ ramp empty weight: 2,290 pounds
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must have a hardtop (if it is a Jeep or an SUV)
- Your tow vehicle weight must be at least 80% of the loaded weight of the trailer
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 2,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Load trailer heaviest in front
- Must not exceed hitch ball height of 25”
Car / Motorcycle Trailers
U-Haul offers options to tow your vehicle if you are driving one of their rental trucks, or if you simply need to tow a vehicle.
Tow Dolly
- Can only tow a front-wheel-drive (FWD) vehicle
- Can tow a rear-wheel-drive car (RWD) but the drive shaft must be removed to avoid damage to the transmission
- Maximum load: 3,450 pounds (for FWD car) or 3,900 pounds (for RWD car)
- The trailer has tire straps and vehicle safety chains
What you need to know
- Your vehicle must weigh 750 pounds more than the vehicle being towed
- You have to have a Class 2 tow hitch
- Must have a 1-7/8" or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 3,500 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Must not exceed hitch ball height of 25”
Auto Transport
- This trailer allows you to load your entire vehicle onto it and is therefore great for four-wheel-drive (4WD) and RWD vehicles.
- Maximum load: 5,290 pounds
- Empty weight: 2,210 pounds
- The trailer has tire straps and vehicle safety chains
What you need to know
- Vehicle must equal or exceed 80% of the combined weight of trailer and vehicle being towed
- You have to have a Class 2 tow hitch
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 5,000 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Must not exceed hitch ball height of 25”
Motorcycle Trailer
- Dimension: 7'8” x 3’10”
- Ramp width: 3’9”
- The trailer has a built-in motorcycle chock
- Maximum load: 1,600 pounds
- Empty weight: 800 pounds
What you need to know
- Must have a 1-7/8” or a 2” ball hitch with a minimum of 3,500 pounds
- Maximum speed is recommended at 55 MPH
- Must not exceed hitch ball height of 25”
What You Should Know
Now that you know the trailers that U-Haul has, you need to choose which one will work for you:
When moving, your best bet will be a cargo trailer
- These trailers are covered so your belongings are protected from weather, and from wind from driving
If you have taller cargo or landscaping, then a utility trailer is right for you
- This trailer is open so you can fit bigger items in it, and some of these trailers come with ramps making them easy to load
If you have a vehicle to tow, you have options
- You can use an auto transport trailer or a tow dolly
- There are also two options for motorcycle towing, either using a designated motorcycle trailer or a 5’ x 9’ trailer with a ramp and motorcycle chocks.
To make sure you can tow, go onto U-Haul’s website and look through their towing guides. They even have a guide to seeing the benefits of renting versus buying a trailer. You can also check to see if your vehicle can be towed. All you need to do is enter your vehicle's information, as well as the tow vehicle’s information and U-Haul will check to see if it can be towed.
