Movers - Moving Companies, Moving Services, Free Quotes (2024)

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

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

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.