<p>DH and I are planning to drive to Boston in June to pick up DD and her things and drive her back to Minnesota and grad school. Renting a UHaul is part of the plan, but we have recently discovered that this will require purchasing and installing a $250 hitch that we will probably not use again.</p>
<p>Do any CCers have alternate ideas/advice? Thanks!</p>
<p>Fly to Boston, and then drive back in a UHaul truck. (We did similar, and it was really cheap.)</p>
<p>We moved D’s this year using a U Haul trailer (two D’s moves!). I recall my husband had to get the hitch. I don’t recall what the hitch cost and I’ll ask him, but I did not think it was as much as you just said. We have an SUV, by the way. The U Haul trailer was used just one way. Drove home without it after moving them in.</p>
<p>We’ve used a cargo van from Enterprise (round trip) and a small automatic box truck from Budget (one way) for the end of college moves. Neither involved a hitch; actually for 24 hours for the round trip and 24 hours for the one way, the rentals cost less than the hitch!</p>
<p>Don’t do what I did on a move when I was in college - I rented a U-Haul trailer, used a bumper hitch (clamps onto the bumper), and loaded the trailer wrong. In one stretch it started to sway then bounce back and forth but luckily I managed to come to a safe stop. I had to unload/reload the trailer on the side of a freeway in the winter in cold country - properly this time. It’s good that they’re recommending a real frame mounted hitch rather than a bumper one - maybe they don’t do those any more.</p>
<p>Renting a van/truck is an idea but they often have fairly steep mileage rates so if you’re considering a van/truck, check out the mileage rates since you’re driving a long ways.</p>
<p>I don’t know if they do it but will U-Haul be willing to buy the hitch back when you’re done? If not, maybe you can check with a camper sales outfit to see if they can provide the hitch for less money or buy it back when you’re done.</p>
<p>If you rent the U-Haul, make sure you load it correctly (more weight ahead of the axle than behind it - pay attention to the ‘load line’). </p>
<p>The other option is to just not move the stuff - sell it or give it away and take a tax write-off if it’s not worth as much as the cost and hassle of the move. She could get new used stuff when she figures out her next move.</p>
<p>If you end up renting a van, make sure the agreement covers “unlimited” milage. Those per mile charges can ring up quite a tab! $250 per hitch installment sounds about right.</p>
<p>We looked into renting a truck, van, etc. and found them prohibitively expensive. For what we would pay for the rental fees we could have replaced everything our D had.</p>
<p>Instead we shipped almost everything back by USPS using flat rate boxes or normal boxes. The most we paid per box was $29.95. We had the boxes shipped to our home.</p>
<p>If your D has furniture you might think about whether or not it’s worth it to rent a trailer or just replace the furniture in Minnesota. Think about the cost and the benefit to see if it is worthwhile. How much of her furniture is worth $250?</p>
<p>We have the same issue, though different cities (New Orleans to Providence). The unlimited mileage box truck was the hands down winner. FWIW we’re renting from Budget.</p>
<p>A link to a thread from last year. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/497318-moving-college.html?highlight=trailer[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/497318-moving-college.html?highlight=trailer</a></p>
<p>The cube vans, or larger cargo vans are better options, but won’t work if you’ve got more than 2 people. Whatever happened to bench seats in tradesmen/work type vehicles? </p>
<p>PLEASE pay attention to the caveats in the linked thread if you’ve never pulled a trailer.</p>
<p>We had a hard time finding a 3-person truck to rent and had to get a bigger one than we planned, just to accomodate me, H & D. Can’t comment on getting something with a hitch as we did truck rentals.</p>
<p>We have rented 3 different times: twice from Penske (best prices, quality service, with online discount, guarantee of actually having the truck you want to rent when you come pick it up. Also, we found that calling the 1-800 number netted even more discounts in addition to the regular discount–I believe it was with AAA). First Penske truck was a small box truck–we flew into Dallas, rented it one way. </p>
<p>The 2nd time, we had to get something bigger just to assure 3-person bench seating. This was more of a challenge than I expected. We rented it locally to drive to Chicago and return there. Both Penske rentals were one-way.</p>
<p>We also rented an Enterprise cargo van to take stuff to S. This one we had to rent at home, drive there, and return in our area. Because of mileage charges, the only way to make this financially reasonable was to rent over several days and do a round-trip drive.</p>
<p>I found that doing google searches on moving trucks netted some very interesting results–generally the worst reviews I saw came from U-Haul renters, best ones from Penske renters, and in the middle for Budget. </p>
<p>Again, if you end up doing truck rental, make sure you check on seating arrangements. The small Penske box truck and the Enterprise had only 2 bucket seats in them.</p>
<p>Good luck with whatever you decide.</p>
<p>SuNa, I just checked with my husband. He told me that my car, a Durango, came with the hitch and so we did not have to purchase the hitch when we rented the UHaul trailer. However, he reminds me that with my former cars, we had purchased a hitch in the past but it may have cost a little less than you were quoted but since some years have passed, that sounds about right. We also had to move two kids and needed a trailer this year for both move because both Ds now have apartments with all the furnishings, whereas the many moves we have made with them each year before the latest ones, we have been able to fit their belongings in our SUV.</p>
<p>I agree with Mini. Fly to Boston and drive back with a 3 person bench seat Budget or Penske truck. U Hauls are not recommended by a moving web site.</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that as an undergrad that she would have that much stuff that needs to be transported. Perhaps she could do a garage sale or goodwill donation and then repurchase at new college’s goodwill/garage sales. She’s got all summer to shop. Who knows, she may find a furnished place. We personally have stuff that we would like to give to DS for his new digs, but alas, his <em>friends</em> digs came furnished except for a desk and chair which he quickly found on craigslist.</p>
<p>It takes a U Haul to move a daughter, and a suitcase to move a son. At least that’s how it seems in our family…</p>
<p>Indeed. That’s one of the reasons we opted for sons.</p>
<p>Less drama too!.</p>
<p>Learn something everyday :)</p>
<p>We are dealing with moving d from NYC (undergrad apartment-style housing) to Atlanta for grad school. We had thought we could do a mini-van rental one-way from NYC, but that is simply not available in any sort of realistic price range. So we are renting a “full-sized” vehicle one-way and have told d to pack and ship as much light-weight stuff as she can (clothes, etc), sell stuff she does not want (dorm fridge that she had in her room, old TV, etc) and we will cram the odd-shaped or heavy stuff into the vehicle. We will see how it goes!</p>
<p>towing something puts a lot of strain on your transmission and brakes. Unless you have a Truck or SUV that is designed to tow, I would recommend NOT putting a hitch on your vehicle. Better to rent a Cargo Van, or dump what is not precious to her.</p>
<p>The LATimes did a series on UHaul trailers. They can be dangerous because most people aren’t used to driving with a trailer and the maintenance on them can be spotty. I’d recommend a van or uhaul truck.</p>
<p>It’s not nessicary to find a uhaul that seats three nor are they comfortable. I would fly out and then one parent fly back while the other drives home with D. I also recommend renting a truck. Unless you have experience driving with a trailer, that is too far for a first time. Or drive out and then caravan back together. </p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter on her graduation!</p>