I'm looking at a car in Wisconsin and am trying to figure out how to get it home as it is a non-op currently. I've got business in St. Louis at the start of December and have been thinking about flying to Milwaukee, renting a cube van, picking up the car, and making the trek to Canada. Has anyone moved a car with a U-haul? It looks like the inside dimensions will work, I'm just wondering if there are appropriate tie-downs, etc in the floor of the van. I'd likely need to hire a tilt deck to load it.... could use my car trailer and ramps at home to unload it. Pros.... cons? Any comments appreciated.
I would worry about it bouncing around in there. You'd be surprised how much a car's suspension exaggerates bumps from the truck's suspension - my car was tied down tight on a flatbed and I watched it bounce a couple inches off the deck (I mean the tires actually left the surface) when the driver hit a pretty good dip at a fast pace. In a closed box truck that could equal disaster. But I'm anxious to see if anyone has actually done it. What kind of car is it? I think a fenderless roadster might work but not so much a 1955 Lincoln.
Oh, those videos are hilarious! For what it's worth, U-Haul will be happy to rent you a car HAULER that you pull BEHIND the box truck. It's an open trailer but I moved 1,000 miles with my really nice 1971 Grand Prix 15 years ago and didn't have any problems.
Yes I have and I dont recomend it. You have nothing to tie the car down with in the floor. I went across towm and it moved around pretty good. Its was wheel blocked, in gear and tied to the walls. Wasnt a good feeling knowing it could come thru the fibergl*** cab at anytime I was stopping. Other than that just rent a truck and car trailer.
if your going to rent a U-haul don't tell them your putting a car in there inquired about that and they said no! when i added it all up the cost killed the deal + gas, bad news think your better getting a Hamb guy to pick it up for you
People from Mexico come to the US and buy up cars & trucks. I live right of I-35, one of the main roads heading to Mexico so I'm always seeing them convoying south with several vehicle linked together like a train. Usually a U-Haul type box van with a small pickup in the bed, pulling another pickup behind it. Lots of these I've seen have plates from out of state, so they are traveling quite a distance through Texas to get back to Mexico. I have a friend that hauled his '65 Falcon in a U-Haul van when he moved from South Carolina to Texas with his daily driver on the car trailer behind it. He let the air out of the tires after he loaded the car in the box, then used 4x4 pieces of wood as wheel chocks and screwed them to the wooden floor of the box. A few straps to keep the car from hopping around. He said it made the trip fine and didn't budge. I prefer a car trailer, but if I had to use a U-haul, I would take the wheels off and rest the car on its axles.
There are no good anchors to tie it down with, and like mentioned before things get shaken up pretty good - I moved an MG inside one, had some plywood stacked along the side between my car and the box, all wedged in and tied off real tight. After some miles I looked in the back to check on things only to see that the plywood had broken loose and rubbed all the paint off the edges of both front and rear fenders. You also have to watch the weights - the U Hauls are not able to carry much - I was overloaded by the time I added in all my other junk...alos not the easiest thing to get a car in and out of...It can be done, but not easy and some risks involved...
First off, its illegal to put any motor vehicle inside a U-Haul truck rental. That doesn't stop people from doing it of course. Better to just rent the car transport trailer they have for that purpose.
I loaded my 1930 Coupe in the back of a Penske from San Antonio to San Diego and pulled my 1995 Mazda B2300 no problem, tie downs and chalks worked fine, just kept checking them everytime we stopped. I actually went to an old abondened grocery store, drove the car up to where the big trucks off loaded their cargo in the back and drove it right on in, no problems..
Why not just look in the hamb cl***ifieds for one of the many car hauling services? In the end, it would cost no less money than doing it yourself, and it would take far less of your time and worry.
The one thing I hadn't mentioned was it would make the importing simpler if I was at the border with the car when crossing. I could pay the duty etc at the time. I'm guessing most of the transporters on the HAMB would not be able to get it across the border so I would have to meet the tranpsorter at the border anyway, then there's be the h***le of transferring the car to my trailer, parts, etc. A bonded carrier that could clear customs for me would be the way to go. Just tough to find a bonded hauler for a non-running car...... so far anyway.
This has been brought up at least once in the last year. It's a bad idea. No one has mentioned the liability involved. U-Haul will never cover you if you are using their equipment dishonestly and something happens. You'll be voiding any agree with U-Haul. Read the rental agreement that you will have to sign to take the truck off the lot. It's just stupid in so many ways. As mentioned there's no good way to anchor the car inside the box and it's probably going to bounce around just in normal tansport, causing damage to your car and the inside of the box. Then add a sudden stop and you're going to have your car come visit you up in the cab, just like getting rear ended. Rent a car trailer meant to transport a car.
I sold a V-8 Vega to a friend 25 years ago and he cam to Oklahoma from Texas with U Haul box van and he took it a local depot and loaded it up, said it went real good till he hit the ****ty part of I-35 at the Okie/Tex border and the door came up and out the back it went! He and his brother flat towed till the found a part of the Interstate where again he loaded it back up and off they went! Of course this ***** burnt the car to the ground several months after getting it by not repairing a leaking fuel line! So there you go, dumb and dumber!
One more to consider, is it a h***le to transport a car into Canada? I just thought I've read posts about it being a pain, I don't know.
I spent a few years towing with a flatbed wrecker and have been hired once or twice to load a vehicle into the back of a box truck. Trust me fellas, a car or truck can and will move around on the deck, either by bouncing up and down or slipping to one side or another. I've had vehicles, properly tied down, manage to come loose either sliding a bit around a turn or by spitting the chains out on a big bump. No matter what the means of transport are, please remember to always properly secure your cargo.
It's no h***le at all. I've imported 4 cars in the last 10 years. 3 were shipped, one I drove. You just need to ensure the ***le for the vehicle is at the point of entry US customs office 72 hours prior to crossing so they can do their checks to clear the vehicle for export (likley ensure it's not a stolen vehicle). With a bonded (if that's the correct term) carrier, they can clear customs for you, a non-bonded, the importer would be required to be at the border to clear customs.
Remember they need the paperwork, ***le, etc. at the border for like three days before you can cross, that is on the American side going into Canada. I live right on the border and have had three cars left at my place so the paperwork could be processed. Make sure you check with customs on both sides of the border before you show up with the car to cross.
good memory! Now I am hauling the blue Henry J. Recently made a trip to NJ, had a Javelin in the truck and the 50 Olds in the trailer. Brought back a Barracuda in the truck and 50 Pontiac in trailer. But my truck is all set up with winch, anchors for ratchet straps and ramps. I would not use a U-Haul truck. We used to rent them out and there is no place to tie down a vehicle. Perhaps a pickup and tow dolly or rented trailer would be a better alternative.
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