Towing a U-Haul 12 foot trailer through Kentucky.

[prince402]

I went back and checked to find that any Explorer earlier than 2011 will be rejected with this statement:

U-Haul has chosen not to rent behind this tow vehicle based on our history of excessive costs in defending lawsuits involving Ford Explorer towing combinations. This policy is not related to safety issues. This is an unusual circumstance for U-Haul – we have built our success for over 60 years by saying 'yes' to our customers. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and are committed to working with our customers to find alternative options to help with their move.

• Rent a truck, van or pickup instead

 

[Mbrooks420]

I did get a uhaul a few times with the Mounty. Last time was to move some “lawn furniture”. After leaving I loaded up 6500-7000 pounds of gravel. 4 loads.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I went back and checked to find that any Explorer earlier than 2011 will be rejected with this statement:

U-Haul has chosen not to rent behind this tow vehicle based on our history of excessive costs in defending lawsuits involving Ford Explorer towing combinations. This policy is not related to safety issues. This is an unusual circumstance for U-Haul – we have built our success for over 60 years by saying 'yes' to our customers. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and are committed to working with our customers to find alternative options to help with their move.

• Rent a truck, van or pickup instead

And this is the 2011-2019 forum....

Really anyone can get one. Rent it online, reserving it with the Mountaineer that matches your specs.

 

[Theo B Roma]

I have a bone stock 2012 explorer with 116000 miles on it. It has the factory tow package, new brakes.

can I tow, at highway speeds the big boy u-haul 12 footer THROUGH the mountains of Kentucky? We are moving from Columbus Ohio to Cumming Georgia.

That trailer, will be near max of the 5000 pound capacity. Full of my tools, compressor, quick jack, etc.

Will I trash the transmission?
Should I service the transfer case and change the water pump first?

plan b is to just rent a pickup and let it do the work.

​

You won't have a problem with a U-Haul trailer. They will not rent a trailer to an Explorer. Even with the trailer package. They got sued by a guy who was towing a U-Haul trailer and didn't know what he was doing, had an accident and killed his whole family. He won the case and now they won't rent to any Explorer. I have towed many trailers with my 2002 V8 without any problems.

 

[Mbrooks420]

You won't have a problem with a U-Haul trailer. They will not rent a trailer to an Explorer. Even with the trailer package. They got sued by a guy who was towing a U-Haul trailer and didn't know what he was doing, had an accident and killed his whole family. He won the case and now they won't rent to any Explorer. I have towed many trailers with my 2002 V8 without any problems.

You clearly didn’t read the thread. A newer Explorer CAN rent from uhaul. Period.

It wasn’t over a single guy who killed his family, it was related to the Firestone Tire Rollover debacle.

 

[RangerNutt]

Through the fall season, Hertz was having some incredible deals on truck rentals. Might be cheaper than a trailer rental.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Delete

You can edit/delete your own posts by clicking the 3 dots.

 

[RangerNutt]

OT but commending the forum on providing users with that function; most don't. Now to figure out why repeated refreshes show not posted, leading to multiple posts to begin with -- but first time experiencing that here, hopefully the last.

 

[peterk9]

Sometimes a post will show up in the 'Approval Queue' which means it requires a moderator to look and approve or reject it because the post matched possible Spam criteria. That might explain the delay in seeing it posted.

Peter

 

[jamesTexplorer]

Sometimes a post will show up in the 'Approval Queue' which means it requires a moderator to look and approve or reject it because the post matched possible Spam criteria. That might explain the delay in seeing it posted.

Peter

 

[jamesTexplorer]

Can we revisit this?

We delayed our move but now, we bought a house and are selling ours this weekend

How about it? 12 foot U-haul from Columbus Ohio to Atlanta.

It’s not gonna be loaded to the gills. Just tools, weird stuff (bikes, grill, yard tools, etc.)

Just had to change the water pump. It’s got new brakes, Goodyear tires, alignment and a trans fluid change. I did the full drive line fluid swap this past summer.

 

[jamesTexplorer]

I’m not worried about the engine. That 3.5L is strong. In fact it could be ordered in NA for the F150 XLT 4x4 at the time.

It’s the transmission. I know it’s a police car but still. 5000 pound tow rating? That’s gonna push it hard up the hills.

 

[94Eddie]

Is there a way to monitor transmission temperature while you are towing? Maybe with a code reader through the OBD2 port? This might allow you to keep from stressing the transmission and PTU too much.

If you do use it to tow I recommend you drain and refill the transmission and PTU after the trip is over.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d add a huge cooler and do the mountains at night when it’ll likely be 50 or less.

 

[JAPeterson]

I still think that you would be better off renting one of their larger trucks and perhaps putting the Explorer on one of their trailers if you want to do it with a single person in one trip.

When it comes down to it if you overload the trailer or if the combination of the Explorer and trailer + contents is larger than a specified load rating for the Explorer all the liabilities are on you.

Even back when I moved from one state to another years ago I rented a large U-haul box truck instead of using my truck and a trailer. More for convenience but that truck handled it better and I got it all done in one trip plus having a friend drive a vehicle over to me.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d probably go for it. Why bother having a truck if you’re going to have to rent one when you need to tow something. I wouldn’t want to drive uhaul equipment that far. Anything I’ve ever rented from them wasn’t anything I wanted to drive more than an hour.

Are you taking just one car? If not I’d load the other car up to the gills.

 

[94Eddie]

If there is a way to monitor transmission temperature then I would probably do it too. That said, my old school brain has a hard time accepting towing 5k pounds with a vehicle having a transverse mounted engine.

 

[JAPeterson]

I’d probably go for it. Why bother having a truck if you’re going to have to rent one when you need to tow something. I wouldn’t want to drive uhaul equipment that far. Anything I’ve ever rented from them wasn’t anything I wanted to drive more than an hour.

Are you taking just one car? If not I’d load the other car up to the gills.

Most people vastly underestimate the weight of things that they place into a trailer. And I don't mean by a little but a whole bunch.

Plus I don't believe that any U-haul trailer comes with any type of weight distribution, some will have surge brakes.

When it comes down to it the OP has to be willing to accept the liability of what he places into the trailer along with the weight of it.

And the Explorer is not a truck in any shape or form as far as hauling and pulling a trailer.

 

[Josh P]

I'd tow with it too. The explorer will do fine moving the trailer. I'm curious what the speed is when the trailer will start to violently sway? Years ago I rented a 6x12 and asked my dad to pick it up with his 89 jeep Cherokee. Above 50 mph it was like the tail was wagging the dog.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Most people vastly underestimate the weight of things that they place into a trailer. And I don't mean by a little but a whole bunch.

Plus I don't believe that any U-haul trailer comes with any type of weight distribution, some will have surge brakes.

When it comes down to it the OP has to be willing to accept the liability of what he places into the trailer along with the weight of it.

And the Explorer is not a truck in any shape or form as far as hauling and pulling a trailer.

All uhaul enclosed trailers have brakes. All of their double axle trailers have brakes. Get insurance on the trailer, and your car insurance covers whatever is in the trailer.

My Mounty tows great, and I’d much rather be in it than a truck like a Ranger or Colorado.