Budget truck towing a 1.5 ton generator?

March 6, 2008 5:41 PM

So tomorrow I'm renting a 35 KW generator and I need to rent a truck to tow it. Hearing bad things about Uhaul, should I put in the reservation with Budget tonight?

For the most part the I was told the 35 KW generator would weigh about 1.5 tons (probably closer to 1 ton). So my question is...can a 10 foot budget truck be able to tow that weight? I'm doing this kind of last minute (this being a kind of last minute thing all around) so I wasn't able to call, and all my "research" turned up nothing. Let me know if this is possible.

posted by MPnonot3 to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

The maximum payload of a 10 foot budget truck is 3100lbs.

I think you should be fine. My regular car has a 1 ton towing capacity!
posted by aubilenon at 5:49 PM on March 6

Fine if it has a trailer hitch, that is. (No idea if this is standard on moving trucks).

Also, I applaud you for avoiding UHaul. Doing that usually is my first piece of truck rental advice.
posted by aubilenon at 5:50 PM on March 6

If you can, rent from Penske -- you know, those ubiquitous yellow trucks you see all over. I rented one to move a year ago, and it was the cleanest, most professional truck rental Ive ever had. Turns out theres a reason all the businesses rent from them! They came out cheaper than uhaul or budget, but they were definately oriented towards business rentals. A small hurdle, not really a problem. I dont know how they handle short notice rentals...
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 6:09 PM on March 6

aubilenon, payload refers to weight a vehicle will carry, tow refers to weight a vehicle will pull.

A 1/2 ton truck should be adequate.
posted by Mblue at 6:21 PM on March 6

Mblue: yes, I realize that. I was basically working under the assumption (delusion?) that towing capacity is usually higher than cargo capacity.
posted by aubilenon at 7:55 PM on March 6

A 1/2 ton truck should be adequate.

Even a 1/4 ton truck (the small size -- Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, etc) will almost always tow 2000 pounds comfortably; most SUVs have this capacity, as well.
posted by Forktine at 7:58 PM on March 6

most midsize and up cars are rated to tow 2000lb. this is of course with a hitch that is also capable of the same amount. you don't see many tow ratings above 2k until you get to trucks and vans. I'm pretty sure that its a wheelbase issue that keeps them from going over 2k.
posted by TheJoven at 8:02 PM on March 6

I used to use Uhaul. Got screwed over one too many times and ended up at a Ryder last time. They are quick, nice, and cheap.

They have a Rental Service Guarantee that they honored for me when it took them 40 minutes to get me a truck (only because the truck scheduled back was late being returned):

* Clean, mechanically sound vehicles
* Check in and out in 20 minutes or less or your next comparable rental (day) is on us (fixed charges)

15% off if you reserve the truck online.

Hint: The location I went to dealt with a lot of big rigs and had it's own diesel gas pumps, which was way cheaper than using the neighborhood gas station.

While Uhual does seem to be cheaper for truck rental (26' truck for 39.99 a day @ $0.59/mile or $0.79/mile weekends compared to Ryder's $42.46 @ $0.79/mile), I will never go back to Uhaul and found my experience with Ryder to be more than satisfactory.
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 8:17 PM on March 6

I am not saying you need a 26' truck. Only brought that up because that is what I got last time (nice to load everything at once).

Also, the reservation link takes a while to load, but it loads.
posted by B(oYo)BIES at 8:23 PM on March 6

Nthing "avoid U-haul". I've heard too many incredibly awful experiences with them, along with, I believe, a recent report that a high percentage of U-haul's trucks and trailers fail safety inspections.
posted by zippy at 1:39 AM on March 7

1 more vote FOR Penske here... we use them exclusively with my company and if they are a bit more expensive its worth it. I am pretty sure hitches are standard on the trucks - we use them to tow vehicles all the time. Uhauls are scary.
posted by fogonlittlecatfeet at 8:22 AM on March 7