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Moving with a 5x8 trailer

13K views 47 replies 9 participants last post by  normalabby 
#1 ·
Howdy folks! I'm going to haul a 5x8 trailer full of stuff from South Dakota to Washington. I've never driven with a trailer before. But before I bought this car, I had never driven a manual transmission, and I learned in a week to do the reverse of this drive!

I have a manual 2005 XT. I'll run OBD Check on my phone throughout the trip, I got an infrared thermometer to check wheel temp, I'm going to get brakes installed. I'm currently donating and selling a bunch of my stuff, and I don't know exactly how much I'll have to move. I don't fear about filling an enclosed trailer, I will be moving with zero furniture... but I do have a lot of various hobbies that take up space.

Two things I hope to get some input on: which route to take and general thoughts about the trailer choice.

Route 1

I've driven this a lot- I know all the stops my dog and I can make. It's shorter and less overall elevation gain. I dread dropping down into Idaho from Montana.. and going over all the various passes.

Route 2

Longer, more elevation gain/loss but the steepest slope is a lower grade than route 1. Far far less familiar route. I've gone the second half from SLC-Seattle, but not from my current location to SLC.

Trailer 1
United XLV 5x8

Trailer 2
Tractor Supply Company 5 x 8 Utility Trailer, 1,600 lb. Payload Capacity, 2,000 lb. GVWR - Tractor Supply Co.

I'm really torn on the trailer choice.
(1) I want to go the enclosed route because then I have free storage for a few months (I will need storage for a few months). I have a place to park it outside, I will not have a place to park it inside.
(2) I will be rained on during that drive. If I am not, this truly will be a crazy dry spring for the West.
(3) The cheapness of the open trailer is enticing. Money will be tight for a few months, so any savings is important.

I also have been looking into the options for the trailer after it will be empty. There are some pretty neat things people have done with cargo trailers, to make them more like teardrops. But I could also build that up from an open trailer, so the after-use is less important.

Edited to add: anything extra I should do to my car? Could a sway bar upgrade help? I haven't had mine looked at (but I also don't have any specialty shops around).

Basically- any thoughts?



Bonus- hitch photos. I'm currently having the car looked at by a mechanic buddy.

 
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#40 ·
Good point - and also, make sure that you have a hoist/jack that can lift your trailer or carrier... some car lift jacks have special ends/tips that slide into side of the car but would not fit under the trailer as the "tips" could get damaged or are in odd shape not suitable of lifting a trailer...
 
#42 ·
^^ This (jumpsuit) seems to be a trend now; not that many in Colorado nor at Whistler but in major ski resorts in Calif (Mammoth, Squaw, Heavenly) you can see more and more of those...LOL

Typically I am not attached to things but this one is for keeps! Not for sale!
 
#43 ·
Update! The trailer is ready! Going to pick it up this weekend. I got trailer brakes/brake controller installed, too, to fall on the overly cautious side of things. These guys were great to work with and got the trailer done right before the deadline! Excellent timing also being that I won't have to take a day off to go pick it up.


 
#48 ·
Sorry it has been so long!
I can't remember exactly because it was split into a deposit and pickup cost. So, I think somewhere around $3500. I really love the darn thing. I've since built up a bed platform so I can have storage.

Oh! And the move went perfect, I unnecessarily stressed a bit.
 
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