Need help: Florida to Washington State

rockhillmanor wrote:

Farmer Jane wrote:
Hello, I am new to Open Roads Forum and am looking for assistance, ideas in transporting a 28' travel trailer across country. I will be moving from Florida to Washington State sometime this coming summer (2016) and would love to be able to have my TT moved. I don't have a tow vehicle and don't know anyone who has one I could rent. Also, I will need to drive my own vehicle across country so that I have transportation when I arrive. I'm not sure if it's even feasible to make this happen, but thought I would ask. Any suggestions, comments would be appreciated.

No problem it is done all the time. And you are in luck.
You are in Florida and as Ocala is called the Horse Capital of the World and THE racing, breeding state.

Look up 'horse transportation' in your area. Or call one of the big horse racing farms near you. They will give you referrals.

They all also offer trailer transportation. They go back and forth from Florida up North several times a month running those huge LQ horse trailers. The will have ample and correct tow vehicles also.

Their rates are WAAY lower than so called 'RV' transporters and IMHO they are far more experienced and trusted.

You even might luck out on one of them dead heading and will give you an even better price.

They are the ones I used to move my RV from Wisconsin to Florida. Was half the price the 'RV' transporters wanted.

Wow, that sounds very interesting. And I never would have thought of that as an option. You are correct that there are lots of horse people in Florida, most in Ocala. I will look into that. Thanks!

Farmer Jane wrote:
Hello, I am new to Open Roads Forum and am looking for assistance, ideas in transporting a 28' travel trailer across country. I will be moving from Florida to Washington State sometime this coming summer (2016) and would love to be able to have my TT moved. I don't have a tow vehicle and don't know anyone who has one I could rent. Also, I will need to drive my own vehicle across country so that I have transportation when I arrive. I'm not sure if it's even feasible to make this happen, but thought I would ask. Any suggestions, comments would be appreciated.

No problem it is done all the time. And you are in luck.
You are in Florida and as Ocala is called the Horse Capital of the World and THE racing, breeding state.

Look up 'horse transportation' in your area. Or call one of the big horse racing farms near you. They will give you referrals.

They all also offer trailer transportation. They go back and forth from Florida up North several times a month running those huge LQ horse trailers. The will have ample and correct tow vehicles also.

Their rates are WAAY lower than so called 'RV' transporters and IMHO they are far more experienced and trusted.

You even might luck out on one of them dead heading and will give you an even better price.

They are the ones I used to move my RV from Wisconsin to Florida. Was half the price the 'RV' transporters wanted.

DownTheAvenue wrote:
To all the U-Haul suggestions: U-Haul will not allow you to pull any trailer with any of their vehicles except their own trailers. So......the U-Haul option is off the table.

That was not the case as of last spring. The only exclusion I can find on their website is this:

U-HAUL wrote:
If you plan to tow your own trailer, check with a U-Haul representative to determine the maximum trailer weight you can tow.

NOTE: Many of the older trucks are restricted to towing U-haul's trailers because they have welded balls which are an oddball 2-1/8" ball. However, the 2008+ E450 based U-Hauls have a 2" receiver, and are rated for 10,000 pounds trailer towing or 7,500 on the 20-foot model.

You might consider selling your trailer in Florida, then use the money to buy a new trailer when you get to Washington.

Sounds like it's possible, but with many challenges to overcome first. I will keep looking into these options.
Do people ever loan their RV to others who want to travel (in my case cross country) but don't have an RV? Maybe that's not realistic, but what do you think. I would pay for fuel and camping sites and they would have a nice trip for cheap?

carringb wrote:
Also... how long has it been since your trailer was last moved? Be sure its roadworthy before taking such a long trip. Wheel bearing service and tire age/condition are two things I would definitely check into before the trip.

The trailer would need to be completely gone over to get ready to tow. While it is in really good shape structurally, it has not been moved in 3 years so I know it would need a lot of work before it is road ready.

donn0128 wrote:
Another option. Pay to have your car hauled, rent a truck and tow your trailer.

That's a good suggestion. So, I could find a truck to rent that allows towing and send my car out separately.

To all the U-Haul suggestions: U-Haul will not allow you to pull any trailer with any of their vehicles except their own trailers. So......the U-Haul option is off the table.

Before getting too excited about the U-Haul truck, call them. It's probably still you're cheapest way to go, but here, on top of the daily fee, they charge $0.59 per mile and a $1.00 per day environmental fee. I didn't look up how far it is from Florida to Washington, but let's use 3,000 miles times $0.59 makes it $1,770, plus fuel.

Rather than flying back it get your car, maybe you could rent a van, put the car inside, pack some household goods around it, hook up the RV and make it all in one trip.

Someone reported earlier that U-Haul will only allow you to tow trailers with surge brakes because they don't have electronic brake controllers on their trucks. That may be the case and then it's up to you to decide what you want to do.

Bill

Also... how long has it been since your trailer was last moved? Be sure its roadworthy before taking such a long trip. Wheel bearing service and tire age/condition are two things I would definitely check into before the trip.