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Old 08-01-2018, 06:26 PM   #1
maa
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Would you tow with a rental truck?

Our truck broke down on Sunday and was towed to the dealership for warranty work and won’t be ready until next Monday. We were planning to leave Friday AM for a 10 day trip to CO. We work full time and going with friends so moving the dates around isn’t easy. So, would you tow with an Enterprise F-150 or similar? We are going 1,000 miles each way. Cancel the trip?

We have kids and a truck we really like so getting a rental isn’t appealing but neither is not going. But is it even a good idea to tow for 2,000 miles with rental?

Thanks!!
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Old 08-01-2018, 06:32 PM   #2
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Why not?
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Old 08-01-2018, 06:34 PM   #3
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There are some earlier threads/posts on this, but you have to make sure that the rental company knows what you plan to do, and that the truck is equipped and insured correctly.

Using the new search box above in blue, "tow vehicle rental" returns:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tow+...com&gws_rd=ssl

Recent threads:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...le-166124.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...nd-164946.html

Note the detailed posts about the info needed by the rental companies.

What size and model is your AS? Do you normally use a weight distribution hitch? The rental company will need to know all this, and your insurance company too. Given the short time-frame, not sure if you can pull all this together IMO.

Good luck,

Peter
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Old 08-01-2018, 06:43 PM   #4
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Thanks! Looks like the safety aspect of it is okay. Still not excited about going with a lower trim level, no bed cover and additional $500 out of pocket but it may have to work if we want to go.
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Old 08-01-2018, 06:44 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OTRA15 View Post
There are some earlier threads/posts on this, but you have to make sure that the rental company knows what you plan to do, and that the truck is equipped and insured correctly.

Using the new search box above in blue, "tow vehicle rental" returns:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tow+...com&gws_rd=ssl

Recent threads:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...le-166124.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...nd-164946.html

Note the detailed posts about the info needed by the rental companies.

What size and model is your AS? Do you normally use a weight distribution hitch? The rental company will need to know all this, and your insurance company too. Given the short time-frame, not sure if you can pull all this together IMO.

Good luck,

Peter


25FB flying cloud and yes weight distribution. Guess will call up Enterprise to see if we can make it happen. I was thinking we may need to get insurance through them.
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Old 08-01-2018, 06:46 PM   #6
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Those earlier threads/posts have quite a bit of info on U-haul also FYI.
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Old 08-01-2018, 07:11 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maa View Post
Our truck broke down on Sunday and was towed to the dealership for warranty work and won’t be ready until next Monday. We were planning to leave Friday AM for a 10 day trip to CO. We work full time and going with friends so moving the dates around isn’t easy. So, would you tow with an Enterprise F-150 or similar? We are going 1,000 miles each way. Cancel the trip?

We have kids and a truck we really like so getting a rental isn’t appealing but neither is not going. But is it even a good idea to tow for 2,000 miles with rental?

Thanks!!
7

What truck do you have? Shopping for new and this is what scares me me about everything outside of a tundra.
hope your trip gets salvaged however it takes.
25 years ago our young family was on our first night of a week long trip in the Sierra and our tent was destroyed in a wind event and faced going home or....renting a trailer from outfit that set up for you in your campsite, turned into a very memorable camping trip.
possibly one of the best so don't throw in the towel too easily.
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Old 08-01-2018, 07:14 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by AlinCal View Post
7



What truck do you have? Shopping for new and this is what scares me me about everything outside of a tundra.

hope your trip gets salvaged however it takes.

25 years ago our young family was on our first night of a week long trip in the Sierra and our tent was destroyed in a wind event and faced going home or....renting a trailer from outfit that set up for you in your campsite, turned into a very memorable camping trip.

possibly one of the best so don't throw in the towel too easily.


Thanks for sharing! We have a 2016 platinum f150. Started it up in our driveway on Sunday and transmission fuel starts pouring out. I guess I’m glad it happened before our trip, not during.
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Old 08-02-2018, 09:23 AM   #9
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25FB flying cloud and yes weight distribution. Guess will call up Enterprise to see if we can make it happen. I was thinking we may need to get insurance through them.
I would also make sure it has an integrated trailer brake or one you can connect.
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Old 08-02-2018, 09:39 AM   #10
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Would you tow with a rental truck?

I’d be causing a ruckus at the dealership to get a loaner. My ford dealer had my focus for over a month and I put around 3,000 miles on their loaner.
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Old 08-02-2018, 10:04 AM   #11
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It is highly likely that I would take the daily driver and stay in a cabin, tent, or motel. But given a commitment or necessity to take the trailer, I would have no issue using a rental. It's a tool. When you need a tool, you get a tool.

Hope you have a plan and the execution is rolling forward. Pat
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Old 08-02-2018, 10:07 AM   #12
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^^^ x2

An excellent short-and-sweet comment, Pat!

Peter
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Old 08-02-2018, 10:11 AM   #13
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One important question is whether or not the rental truck is set up right for towing. Not just the integrated brake controller, you could work around that, but the tow package in general, usable differential ratio, etc.

I know that some on the forums have rented F250s, but I don't know where. Maybe a commercially-oriented office of one of the big rental companies? Even a base-trim F250 XLT gasser should be set up to tow. I think the XLT even includes the brake controller by default, and I know it has tow mirrors by default.
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Old 08-02-2018, 11:50 AM   #14
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https://www.enterprisetrucks.com/truckrental/en_US.html
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Old 08-02-2018, 11:54 AM   #15
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We have towed with a rental from Enterprise Truck Rental (not their car division). They have trucks equipped for towing. You supply what your trailer needs for your hitch. We had plans to use again since we didn’t own a truck, but we ended up buying a truck. But in your case, I would at least see what is available. Where we rented, they were 3/4 ton and above. First saw about the possibility at a tiny house festival where all the tiny houses were towed in with rented trucks and picked up their business card.
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Old 08-02-2018, 12:35 PM   #16
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We have towed with an Enterprise Rent-a-Truck - the minimum truck they will rent for towing is a(n) F250/2500/etc. - it was fine, rented it for a week for $700 unlimited mileage and had no issues whatsoever. If we ever had a problem with our TV I wouldn't hesitate to rent one again, no sense in ruining a perfectly good vacation with a less than reliable TV.
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Old 08-02-2018, 12:36 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ajwbarnard View Post
We have towed with a rental from Enterprise Truck Rental (not their car division). They have trucks equipped for towing. You supply what your trailer needs for your hitch. We had plans to use again since we didn’t own a truck, but we ended up buying a truck. But in your case, I would at least see what is available. Where we rented, they were 3/4 ton and above. First saw about the possibility at a tiny house festival where all the tiny houses were towed in with rented trucks and picked up their business card.
rental? Local Toyota dealership attempted to get out of supplying me with a loaner while performing warranty work for a week.check your insurance and warranty policies.
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Old 08-02-2018, 12:46 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by maa View Post
Our truck broke down on Sunday and was towed to the dealership for warranty work and won’t be ready until next Monday. We were planning to leave Friday AM for a 10 day trip to CO. We work full time and going with friends so moving the dates around isn’t easy. So, would you tow with an Enterprise F-150 or similar? We are going 1,000 miles each way. Cancel the trip?

We have kids and a truck we really like so getting a rental isn’t appealing but neither is not going. But is it even a good idea to tow for 2,000 miles with rental?

Thanks!!

maa -


You might also check with your dealership to see if they'll help out with any of the rental cost, &/or if they'll loan or rent you a truck from their demo or used stock for the trip. If it's warranty work being done, then they may be required to provide you with a replacement loaner truck or SUV (like-kind vehicle), but you'll have to pay for any extra days beyond the repair time.


Since 2012 we've been towing all the time exclusively with rentals for 5+/- long-weekend trips per year to vintage trailer rallies with our 1960 Avion T20 (3000 lbs wet/loaded, 22'-6' including the Hensley Cub).



There are some things you'll need to know however.



1.) ALL of the CAR rental companies specifically EXCLUDE towing in their rental contracts, so the days of going to your local or airport Hertz, Enterprise,Alamo, Budget, Avis, etc. & renting to tow are over (as I found out in 2012, contrary to the old days which I remembered). So you can't just call your local Enterprise, as you stated, & rent to tow, otherwise you're be personally fully liable for any damage by anything - including any extra wear on the vehicle.



2.) While UHaul rents F150s &/or other 1/2 ton pick-ups for towing, they are NOT equipped with a 7-pin electrical connector, so even if weights capable - they don't have the connections to run your trailer brakes - so they're out. UHaul trailers use surge brakes, so none of their trucks of any type have 7-pin electrical set-ups as far as I know. Since UHaul charges per mile + day/week rates, they tend to be way too expensive for a trip like yours.



3.) When I looked into the options, I found that all of the other commercial truck rental companies or divisions like Hertz, Budget, Penske, Ryder, United, etc. either don't have pick-ups &/or require far more extensive business account & liability insurance coverages, & those with pick-ups like United tend to be trashed work trucks.


4.) I've only found 2 viable rental options for TV pick-ups - Enterprise Truck Rental & Toyota's TRAC.


a.) Toyota TRAC (Toyota Rent A Car) is at participating dealerships, but they typically only rent cars for their warranty & shop work customers - so you'll have to call around to find one near you which also rents the 1/2 ton Tundra &/or Sequoyah SUVs, & verify that they still allow towing, & to what distance/state(s) (they may limit it to within your home state). We had to stop using TRAC in 2013 when the dealership which we used was sold off & stopped doing trucks/SUVs (it was the only one in the SoCal LA/OC area renting the trucks & was 25 miles away).



However, if the dealership has trucks/SUVs in stock equipped to tow, then you may be able to use their TRAC as a Rent-to-Buy trial at any dealership if they'll allow towing & distance that you need, but not buy at the end.



http://www.toyota.com/rental/



b.) Enterprise Truck Rental is probably your best bet, but they typically only have 3/4 crew cab pick-ups (rarely 1/2 ton), & what you get depends upon their stock at your local location (usually F250 &/or RAM 2500 of late). In our experience the trucks are relatively nice, if not top trim line.



You'll need to set up an account with them (easy), & unless you can add them as an additional insured to your business account at their current limits (if you're a business owner/sole proprietor, I think it's $1MM each/$2MM total Umbrella Liability), but it's usually easier to just buy their insurance per day on the truck (& probably cheaper than adding an insurance policy rider).



With their insurance, the trucks are running me about $75/day & $800/wk with insurance, but for your trip you'll probably go over their daily/weekly allowance, so ask for a quote of the total (with their insurance or without, as to your preference). And going TX to OR, you may need to set up a waiver for out of state travel, but another option for both the mileage & out of state, may be to set it up as a monthly rental - especially if your own truck will be out of service for a longer time.



https://www.enterprisetrucks.com/truckrental/en_US.html



We've done 500-800 miles with the rentals, & I have to say that the 3/4 tons have heavier duty suspensions, so they tend to be taller & ride harsher than the typical 1/2 ton.



However, if you don't need the long/full size/8' bed, then request a short bed which will ride a bit better in our experience, as well as having a smaller turning radius for maneuvering. You should probably also request the larger crew cab with the kids, unless their used to a smaller size in your own truck.



We have a very tight 8' driveway with only 20-24" clear each side at the narrowest, plus a narrow 36' wide old school street with parking both sides - so the 3/4 tons are a challenge for me, & worse with a long bed since we'll get up to about 50' for the total rig with the larger crew cab + long bed trucks.



If you can work out the distance & interstate towing details, etc. & the cost won't kill you - then the Enterprise Truck Rental can be an experience close to what y'all are used to with your own truck.


Good Luck & Safe Travels!

Tom
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Old 08-02-2018, 12:50 PM   #19
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We have towed with an Enterprise Rent-a-Truck - the minimum truck they will rent for towing is a(n) F250/2500/etc. - it was fine, rented it for a week for $700 unlimited mileage and had no issues whatsoever. If we ever had a problem with our TV I wouldn't hesitate to rent one again, no sense in ruining a perfectly good vacation with a less than reliable TV.

I think that the daily is 50 miles & the weekly is 450 or so miles - not unlimited, unless it's changed since this past May 2018.


Also, all of their pickups are set-up for towing with both 4-pin & 7-pin dual electrical connections, but you'll probably need the adapter sleeve for their 2.5" receivers, since most of our trailer hitch bars are only 2". They have the adapters, but you may need to ask for them to put one in the truck.


Also check the receiver height relative to your truck & the AS coupler or Hensley/PP head height - because you may need a different drop for the taller 3/4 ton trucks that they rent - & the Fords are about 1" - 1.5" lower at the receiver, than the Dodge/RAM 2500s.


Cheers!
Tom
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Old 08-02-2018, 02:35 PM   #20
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Last August we had plans for an RV trip with friends for the solar eclipse. A week before we were to depart, the transfer case on our 2500 failed. Unfortunately, none were to be found in the area and we didn't want to have it cracked open and rebuilt. We opted to rent a 250 from Enterprise. Though a bit pricey because we took out the "walk-away-from-it" coverage, it was quite a bit less than other sources. The truck had the complete tow-package with integrated brake controller. Good to know that these options are available for those of us that tow travel trailers!
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