[kstateskier]

HYPOTHETICALLY speaking...

If I were to move again soon a few states away and if I didn't want to hire a moving company again could I do the following... (assume I'm boxing my stuff myself because I am and did the last time!)

Buy a Loadrunner 8.5' Wide Car Carrier with a 9990 GVWR (3200lbs dry weight) trailer. With an overall length of 24.8' with electric brakes. Hook it up to my 5.7Tundra with a WDH of course!

Sell the things I do not NEED to move, then proceed to load approx 6500lbs of furniture, clothes, boxes and tools into above trailer and tow the trailer where I'm going? Then unload my stuff and sell the trailer!

I'm trying to avoid several things.

1.) Having to hire someone to move my crap again because the last people sucked, were expensive and broke alot of my sh*t.

2.) Having to drive a rented moving truck anywhere and then get someone else to drive my Tundra.

3.) Force myself to sell things I do not need in order to make my next move smoother/easier.

Thoughts on the Tundra handling a nearly 24' car hauler loaded near 9900 lbs for 16 hours? I don't care about fuel mileage.

 

[nsxman2001]

You can do it as long as your hitch is setup right and the wight is placed in the right places..

How many miles?

good luck!

 

[nastyn8]

I moved my brother to Visalia From Sac with a 24' enclosed trailer loaded to the gills. It wasnt 16 hours but it towed fine. Just load as evenly as you can with the heaviest close to the axles.

 

[kstateskier]

816 miles... won't be in any hurry.

The heaviest things I own are my Craftsman triple stack, gym set, air compressor, tools and furniture.

I was thinking boxes and clothes in the front and very back. Tools and furniture in the middle over the axles...

 

[kstateskier]

I should probably point out I'm not new to towing. I grew up towing boats, campers, etc. Understand the importance of stopping distances, and WHD and correct setup.

I've just never pushed my Tundra to these limits and/or considered moving my entire household in a 20' car hauler!

 

[RIjon]

Of course. That's what I did/do. I bought a big ass enclosed trailer in AZ, bought a tongue weight scale, loaded it up to 9000lbs+, and took it to the scales.

WDH, air bags, e-rated tires.... no drama. Saved a ton of money in the long run. I'm about to move again because I am buying a new house but it's not big deal cuz I own the trailer.

 

[kstateskier]

Of course. That's what I did/do. I bought a big ass enclosed trailer in AZ, bought a tongue weight scale, loaded it up to 9000lbs+, and took it to the scales.

WDH, air bags, e-rated tires.... no drama. Saved a ton of money in the long run. I'm about to move again because I am buying a new house but it's not big deal cuz I own the trailer.

Yep my thoughts exactly! However I'm not considering keeping the trailer, just buying to move then selling when I get where we are going. Seems like Trailer values on CL are pretty much the same all over. Looks like a 20'er tandem axle with the heavy GVWR can be bought for around $5k and sold for about the same.

I would purchase a WHD, already have new e rated tires. No air bags but would add them if necessary for this trip. When we moved here the moving company quoted us 11K lbs which i assume is inflated some (so they make more money) and since our last move I've sold or thrown away an entire room filled with boxes of junk I didn't need and shouldn't have moved.

We plan on selling our spare bedroom set (which is heavy as sh*t) before our next move, as well as our king mattress ( because we'd like to get a new one and might as well get a new one rather than move an old one). I'm confident we can get our belongings paired down to the 6500lb range. And if necessary we might get a small one-way uhual trailer to put behind my GF's 4 runner for little things.

 

[riccnick]

We ran my fathers tundra (08 dc with the 4.7 and 5 speed auto) at max capacity (~7,000 lb trailer, and a full bed and cab) 746 miles from Hampden Ma to Leland NC and the truck loved every minute of it. Never ran hot, we were keeping up with traffic as long as there weren't any big hills, and with the trailer brakes, stopping wasn't a big deal either. However, 8 mpg for the first leg of the trip, averaging 60 or 65 mph. 5 mpg for the last leg doing about 70 mph or so. You have the 5.7 and an extra gear, so I don't think you'll have any issues in the power dept. These trucks are built to run all day long at max capacity. The transmission even programmed itself to stay out of 5th gear after about 200 miles, because it was hunting a lot between 4th and 5th. (No tow haul on 4.7's). Just make sure you set the trailer and wd hitch up correctly so you don't get any sway. You'll be good. I wouldn't make that trip with any other half ton truck, after seeing how effortlessly the Tundra did it. 746 Miles, a total of 17 hours driving, there is a lot of room for error in trips like this, but not a single hiccup from the motor, trans, cooling system, or brakes. Can't beat it.

 

[kstateskier]

I literally get "giddy" hearing about good tow stories on our trucks!

A few years back I did a 2 week ATV trip all over Missouri and Arkansas loaded with a 14' trailer with 3 ATVs and the truck loaded with coolers and firewood. I'd say the trailer and gear TOTAL was 4000lbs but the truck just loved it. Damn things ride better with a load behind them then they do empty.

 

[RIjon]

That's what they were designed to do. Might as well use it!

This would be a good time to sell the boss on the Supercharger. It makes towing like a diesel (better actually). I got 11.5mpg average from AZ to RI on winter gas at 70mph weighing in just under 16,000 total. That included the valley between Globe and Show Low in AZ which is always awesome.

 

[John Galt]

I would go for it. Those trailers are all over CL.

 

[kstateskier]

Well this hypothetical plan is coming closer to becoming a real life plan.

Found a nice looking 20 footer (24' total with tongue I think) with tandem 5k axles (9990 GVWR) on CL - electric brakes, brand new tires (4) and its even black to match my Tundra!

Can probably be bought for around $4250 cash. No problem. Pick up a WHD, and I'd have 5-6 weeks to make sure the trailer is mechanically sound, get it weighed, get the WHD setup correctly. Will probably have to store it at a local storage lot for a month or two and bring it home on weekends to load things into it since my HOA wouldn't appreciate a 20'er in my driveway for 5 weeks.

GF even had a good idea to start loading it up on the weekends over the course of the next few weeks rather than havnig to load everything at once!

I really at this point cant see any downside to this plan, other than the time it might take to sell the thing once we get where we are going? Am I missing anything?

 

[RIjon]

Make sure you pull a wheel and check the brakes. I did after I bought mine and the grease seals were completely blown out and grease was everywhere rendering the e-brakes useless... and a fire hazard. I bought all new assemblies from Napa and had it done in a day.

Also make sure you check the tires real well and try to find the age. Trailer tires can be a bitch. I bought Maxis for mine.

I bought one of these scales for the tongue. It was a bit of money, but proved to be invaluable when loading the trailer. I was able to load, check, rearrange, load, etc... and keep the weight where I wanted it. Worth the piece of mind.

Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scales

 

[charlier]

Will probably have to store it at a local storage lot for a month or two and bring it home on weekends to load things into it since my HOA wouldn't appreciate a 20'er in my driveway for 5 weeks.

If you are going to load the trailer and store it at a storage lot buy a set of good quality locks that cannot be defeated by bolt cutters or a hacksaw.
Maybe something like this: Padlock, #37 Shrouded

You might also want to check with your insurance agent to see how the trailer and it's contents are covered (or not) when the trailer is sitting at the storage facility. If the trailer itself is damaged or stolen while at the storage lot and the trailer is not specifically listed and covered on your auto policy you will be SOL. Here where I live a trailer is automatically covered by an auto policy ONLY when the trailer is HITCHED to the TOW VEHICLE listed on your auto policy. As far as the contents inside the trailer, that may/may not be covered by your homeowners insurance which you should check into.

If you are not getting sway control along with the WDH you should seriously consider it. Just today I saw a Super Duty Ford towing a trailer that was swaying a good bit. Needless to say the trailer had no sway control equipment that I could see.

I agree with others that you should double check the code dates on the "new" trailer tires. If they are more than a few months old you should be careful. Also make sure you have at LEAST one spare tire mounted on a rim.

Also do yourself a favor and get a Cabela's: Camco RV Trailer Aid. If you have a flat on your trip and you do not have one of these you will be screwed royally with a fully loaded trailer.

 

[kstateskier]

If you are going to load the trailer and store it at a storage lot buy a set of good quality locks that cannot be defeated by bolt cutters or a hacksaw.
Maybe something like this: Padlock, #37 Shrouded

You might also want to check with your insurance agent to see how the trailer and it's contents are covered (or not) when the trailer is sitting at the storage facility. If the trailer itself is damaged or stolen while at the storage lot and the trailer is not specifically listed and covered on your auto policy you will be SOL. Here where I live a trailer is automatically covered by an auto policy ONLY when the trailer is HITCHED to the TOW VEHICLE listed on your auto policy. As far as the contents inside the trailer, that may/may not be covered by your homeowners insurance which you should check into.

If you are not getting sway control along with the WDH you should seriously consider it. Just today I saw a Super Duty Ford towing a trailer that was swaying a good bit. Needless to say the trailer had no sway control equipment that I could see.

I agree with others that you should double check the code dates on the "new" trailer tires. If they are more than a few months old you should be careful. Also make sure you have at LEAST one spare tire mounted on a rim.

Also do yourself a favor and get a Cabela's: Camco RV Trailer Aid. If you have a flat on your trip and you do not have one of these you will be screwed royally with a fully loaded trailer.

ALL GREAT TIPS! Thank you! I'll be sure and do all of these things. I called a good friend of mine the other day assuming at some point in his life he'd messed with setting up a WDH and he says "10K lbs for 16 hours, F IT Dude you don't need some fancy hit just lug it up here you'll be fine in that ugly tundra..."

Clearly he's not the man to talk to about trailer advice. haha! ******* family problems!

 

[charlier]

ALL GREAT TIPS! Thank you! I'll be sure and do all of these things. I called a good friend of mine the other day assuming at some point in his life he'd messed with setting up a WDH and he says "10K lbs for 16 hours, F IT Dude you don't need some fancy hit just lug it up here you'll be fine in that ugly tundra..."

Clearly he's not the man to talk to about trailer advice. haha! ******* family problems!

You're welcome. Tell your good friend I saw his kissin' cousin in upstate New York. He was the one driving the Super Duty towing the swaying trailer with state minimum or no car insurance. :lol5:

I did a 4 day, 4 state, 1700+ mile towing trip last year. I saw more than my fair share of idiots (driving cars and/or towing trailers) on that trip that I had to share the roads with. Twice on that trip I saw people towing trailers that came within a hair of having a very, very, nasty accident caused by trailer sway on a crowded highway. In both cases they had no sway control and were barely able to recover. No doubt they both had to change their soiled pants.

BTW, if you don't want to spend the $$$ on the Trailer Aid device you can get away with using some wood planks to change a flat trailer tire. 2, 3 foot long by 2'' thick x 12" wide boards stacked one top of one another. In a pinch the boards will work. Just be real careful when pulling the trailer's good tire onto and off of the boards to change a flat tire. Definitely want to be sure you are on solid, level ground if at all possible.

 

[volleyball]

Can I assume you are talking about an enclosed trailer? I would not move my stuff in anything else. Make sure you do a leak test on it before you load it.
Why can you not make two trips?

 

[kstateskier]

ABSOLUTELY an enclosed trailer!

two trips? From San Antonio TX to Kansas City, KS - No thanks!

 

[FinallyGot1]

you can do it

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

 

[charlier]

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

Just curious, what is your total length from nose to your second trailer tail?

Looks like your setup can be fun when it comes to some gas stations and just backing up.