All:
I went to the local U-Haul shop in Madison (Wisconsin) to get things ready for
my big move to Detroit, Michigan. I asked the guy behind the counter for a
price quote on their "auto transport". It's a two axle trailer that you can
drive a vehicle onto for towing. In other words, a car trailer. It's *not*
one of those two-wheels dollies that let the rear wheels drag on the ground.
Anyway, the guy behind the counter asks what vehicle I'm planning to haul. I
proudly respond "1968 Camaro". He looked up the weight for the Camaro in his
little book. Then he asked what I was going to tow with. I responded (with
just as much pride as before), "1997 Dakota, V8, 5-speed, Club Cab, 4x4". He
checked his little book and said "You can't do it. Your truck is too small to
pull that trailer."
After I picked-up my jaw from the floor, I said "That can't be right. I
ordered that truck to be prepped for towing from the factory."
The guy at U-Haul refused to budge. He will not rent the trailer to me. I
told him that I have the Dakota brochure at home and can bring in the numbers
that would prove the towing capacity. He still wouldn't do it. I was thinking
of the sticker on the driver's side door jamb but there's no easy way to show
it to him: my truck is sitting in an airport parking lot in a different time
zone right now.
I know that someone else on the Dakota list has encountered this problem with
U-Haul. How did you convince them to let you rent the trailer?
After reviewing the Dakota brochure, I have calculated that my truck (V8, 4x4,
CC, 3.55, 5-spd, Class 4 hitch, HD Service package) should be capable of a GCWR
of 9,500 lbs. If the truck weighs approx 4300 lbs, I should be able to tow
5,200 lbs. I can't believe that an "auto transport" and a first-gen Camaro
would weigh more than two-and-a-half tons.
==>I would greatly appreciate it if the guys who fought U-Haul before and won
the battle would email me directly at vieths@kci.wayne.edu. Thanks.
I don't remember the exact U-Haul numbers for my truck and trailer config but
I will get them later today and post them to the list.
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