The Yahoo my B-I-L rented to truck didn't know much about diesels. I asked about checking the oil and he said not to worry about checking it as he had just finished topping her off. I asked what oil they used and he said,whatever we have laying around. I said any 15-40 right? he said nope,5-30,10-30 whatever we have. I wasn't sure if the truck was going to make it home at that point.
U-Haul doesn't have any diesel trucks?
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If you get a light duty diesel in a large truck just pretend you're driving a school bus because that's the drivetrain under the truck.
If you get a TopKick with a Cat you're good to go, if you get an ISUZU clone remove the peg under the accelerator. It's set for 60MPH on a flat road... Also, rental rates are really high on the weekend closest to the end of the month.
Should you be trying to go fast? No, probably not. I've seen a lot of erradicly meandering rental vehicles. They get ugly when you hit a bump in a curve fully loaded.
Steve
Should you be trying to go fast? No, probably not. I've seen a lot of erradicly meandering rental vehicles. They get ugly when you hit a bump in a curve fully loaded.
Steve
Forgot to mention we were so mad by the time we got the truck I took off (wife was in chase vehicle) without adjusting the passenger side mirror.
The way it was tweaked no midget nor string bean could have seen anything the last time it was rented.
And I drove that way on I-290 to the surface streets of Worcester, MA, because I couldn't find a good place to pull over.
And I drove that way on I-290 to the surface streets of Worcester, MA, because I couldn't find a good place to pull over.
I worked at U-haul while in college for 2 years. 26' is the largest truck they have. The diesels were always a "big problem" because of stupid renters. In winter after telling them to plug in the truck overnight because hey, it's 15 degrees outside, they didnt. Then they would call us and complain my truck wont start, I woulda pluged it in but I packed the extension cord and it's in the truck. Then we would have to send out someone to help them at big $$$$. Or you would have the customer who would use starting fluid to get the truck started because he failed to plug it in, which sometimes worked. That ruined the glow plugs, and anyone who rented the the truck after that guy couldnt start the truck below 40 degrees and we have no proof who did it, $$$$$ to send out a guy and replace the glow plugs. You also had the dumb customers who would put gas in the tank, which did a job on the injector pump at best. I will say U-haul trucks are usually dirty and in need of some help, but every once in a blue moon you get an O.K. truck. Their trucks are the best designed rental trucks with their features, but doesnt do much you much good as U-haul neglects them. Uhaul has one advantage over the rest, you can rent trucks in small towns when the other guys are nowhere near.
You might be able to rent a 26' diesel, the older 26' international trucks have a navistar diesel in them . The International trucks are old and most are used for local rentals now, while the newer 26' trucks which are GM have a gas engine in them and are used for one-ways.
I've never been in a discussion about u-haul's and in my area the reputation isn't so bad. We rented the "mom's attic" size, one of the smallest ones. It was a diesel and it got the job done with no complaints other than filling it back up at the gas station when we were done. It was governed to 55mph and the speedometer only went to 65mph. There were stickers inside that read "Speed kills, slow down and live." and "The tank is empty at 1/2 on the guage." We found that to be false though because before we filled it it said 1/2, but shining a flashlight in there it was 1/2 full at least. They are just trying to prevent an empty tank of course. It ran well, had 60k miles on the odometer so it was pretty new, but when it idled the entire thing shook side-to-side with significant vibration when it wasn't loaded.
Penske and Budget only keep the trucks for a year or two.. they're ALWAYS **** near new.
1. You're right, I wanted to run out of fuel.
2. Thats one of the problems with diesel,its not at every fuel station you come across.
3. So as not to start a ******* contest,I'll leave this one alone.
Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!
Appears I am the first to mention a nifty method of solving the problem of moving the junk from point A to point B.
Sell it!!!!!!!
Keep the momentos and thine clothes, a few pots and pans, couple plates etc.
Why lug the junk around? Take the chance of throwing thine back out? What if you fell and permanently injured yourself?
BAH!!!!!!!
Sell the stuff and buy anew upon arrival!!!!!!
You're welcome.
Appears I am the first to mention a nifty method of solving the problem of moving the junk from point A to point B.
Sell it!!!!!!!
Keep the momentos and thine clothes, a few pots and pans, couple plates etc.
Why lug the junk around? Take the chance of throwing thine back out? What if you fell and permanently injured yourself?
BAH!!!!!!!
Sell the stuff and buy anew upon arrival!!!!!!
You're welcome.
The old 26' internationals are neat, they have a rear air-ride suspension. They have a valve in the cab that you can punch in which lowers the tail end of the truck to 24" off the ground. It makes it a breeze while loading/unloading. The Internationals are a 5 speed stick also.
Hmmm,
Many of the anti-diesel comments are unwarranted. We rented a diesel moving truck and it was great! It was a brand new truck and drove great. We passed 4 broken down Uhaul trucks on our 1200 mile move and were glad we didn't chose that route. We did reserve a Uhaul trailer to haul my second car with our SUV and when we picked it up, we returned it because the trailer was unsafe-missing tie down straps, non functioning brake lights and bald tired.
As for finding a diesel fill station. That never was a problem since every interstate I've driven on was littered with truck stops. No problem with diesel exhaust. Our diesel smoked less than than a oil burning gasser Uhaul truck I got stuck behind going up a hill. None of our items smelled like diesel exhaust and the last time I checked, the exhaust was not routed into the trailer.
Fuel economy was great and not having to slow down on hills was also a great benefit. The only complaint was that the darn thing was governed to 70 mph.
Many of the anti-diesel comments are unwarranted. We rented a diesel moving truck and it was great! It was a brand new truck and drove great. We passed 4 broken down Uhaul trucks on our 1200 mile move and were glad we didn't chose that route. We did reserve a Uhaul trailer to haul my second car with our SUV and when we picked it up, we returned it because the trailer was unsafe-missing tie down straps, non functioning brake lights and bald tired.
As for finding a diesel fill station. That never was a problem since every interstate I've driven on was littered with truck stops. No problem with diesel exhaust. Our diesel smoked less than than a oil burning gasser Uhaul truck I got stuck behind going up a hill. None of our items smelled like diesel exhaust and the last time I checked, the exhaust was not routed into the trailer.
Fuel economy was great and not having to slow down on hills was also a great benefit. The only complaint was that the darn thing was governed to 70 mph.
Obbop, nobody wants to buy other people's tacky crap (except on ebay).
When we moved across country, we went with MoveX, which parks a semi trailer outside your place, and picks it up in the afternoon. You pay for how many feet you used. Then they board up that section and pick up the next customer's load. They estimate a delivery time, and you race them there to meet your stuff, which you then unload yourself again. Worked out great, and cheaper(!) than any rental truck. We were very lucky to find an apartment quickly, or we would've needed to rent storage. There was just no way I was punishing ourselves driving our own truck from FL to CA, no matter how nice.
When we moved across country, we went with MoveX, which parks a semi trailer outside your place, and picks it up in the afternoon. You pay for how many feet you used. Then they board up that section and pick up the next customer's load. They estimate a delivery time, and you race them there to meet your stuff, which you then unload yourself again. Worked out great, and cheaper(!) than any rental truck. We were very lucky to find an apartment quickly, or we would've needed to rent storage. There was just no way I was punishing ourselves driving our own truck from FL to CA, no matter how nice.
agree 100%
We have already done this. Considering that we are consolidating our items, many are not needed. We had a sale and sold quite a few things. Everything that didn't sell was loaded in pick-ups and hauled to the salvation army. I probably won't need a 24' truck, but I don't wanna take a chance of having to make more than one trip. The truck only costs $10 more and gets the same fuel mileage as a smaller one. Mileage charges are the same. So, in this case, the additional $10 for the bigger truck is cheap insurance.quote:
Originally posted by Steve S:
agree 100%
Wow, I had my first encounter with a u-haul dealer today. I guess anybody can get a franchise.
I had to hook onto 4 tow dollys before I could get one with working lights and the whole time I'm getting blamed for having a poorly wired van because, "These dollys all came in recently, they have to work or it wouldn't be safe."
I think the biggest factor was those ridiculous alligator clip wiring adapters u-haul uses. It's a bunch of guess work and on the 3rd trailer the guy skipped using my 4-way receptacle and jammed the alligator clip into my 7-way saying, "What's all this?".
Out comes the multimeter and the hunt for the dead fuses commences... The last trailer we tried had a nice 4-way wired onto it but one wire was ripped in half so he wrapped that together and sent me on my way. Once I got home with the trailer I soldered and shrink wrapped the botched repair. You guys are right about u-haul having a bunch of junk. Their stuff is all a relic from the past.
Steve
I think the biggest factor was those ridiculous alligator clip wiring adapters u-haul uses. It's a bunch of guess work and on the 3rd trailer the guy skipped using my 4-way receptacle and jammed the alligator clip into my 7-way saying, "What's all this?".
Steve
Oh, and btw:
momento: Spanish for moments/time
memento: small object evoking memories.....
last time I rented a uhaul we deliberately stepped up several levels to get a newer unit. well worth the extra $$.
But i really believe the "dealer" makes all the difference, we've had both excellent experiences and stuff that would make Stephen King sqeamish....
momento: Spanish for moments/time
memento: small object evoking memories.....
last time I rented a uhaul we deliberately stepped up several levels to get a newer unit. well worth the extra $$.
But i really believe the "dealer" makes all the difference, we've had both excellent experiences and stuff that would make Stephen King sqeamish....
I worked for U-Haul in the repair shop near Cincinatti, Ohio.
Pretty much junk. They were more concerned about renting the thing out than safety or doing proper repairs.
The 6.9 diesels were always giving them problems. Probly mostly because renters were driving them like a gasser.
Some of the The larger trucks had the 366 GM industrial engine which was a pretty good engine.
I and another guy did an engine swap in a parking lot once. It was a larger truck with a 6.9 and the replacement engines come with everything on them such as alternators, plugs, wires etc.
Just remove old, drop in new and hook up wires and hoses, fill with water.
Pretty much junk. They were more concerned about renting the thing out than safety or doing proper repairs.
The 6.9 diesels were always giving them problems. Probly mostly because renters were driving them like a gasser.
Some of the The larger trucks had the 366 GM industrial engine which was a pretty good engine.
I and another guy did an engine swap in a parking lot once. It was a larger truck with a 6.9 and the replacement engines come with everything on them such as alternators, plugs, wires etc.
Just remove old, drop in new and hook up wires and hoses, fill with water.
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