Towing Vehicle Dilemma - can we rent a truck/car to tow our pop-up with?

[SassyGirl1966]

Hi Everyone

I am new here.  Actually I was a member a long time ago but forgot my log-in so I re-registered.

At any rate, I have a question for you.  We own a moderately-sized pop-up and to date have towed it with our V6 Toyota Camry with no problems.

The problem is, our Camry is very old and it will be time to replace it soon.  With gas prices being what they are, we do not want to buy another V6 as the only time we really need it is when we tow the pop-up which is only once or twice a year.   We would like to buy a very fuel efficient car.

My question is:  is it possible to rent a truck or V6 vehicle with a hitch to tow the pop-up?  If so, where would I rent such a vehicle?  I've rented cars before, but I've never seen rentals with hitches on them.

Any suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated.  THANKS!

[wavery]

Hi Everyone

I am new here.  Actually I was a member a long time ago but forgot my log-in so I re-registered.

At any rate, I have a question for you.  We own a moderately-sized pop-up and to date have towed it with our V6 Toyota Camry with no problems.

The problem is, our Camry is very old and it will be time to replace it soon.  With gas prices being what they are, we do not want to buy another V6 as the only time we really need it is when we tow the pop-up which is only once or twice a year.   We would like to buy a very fuel efficient car.

My question is:  is it possible to rent a truck or V6 vehicle with a hitch to tow the pop-up?  If so, where would I rent such a vehicle?  I've rented cars before, but I've never seen rentals with hitches on them.

Any suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated.  THANKS!

I have never heard of a rental car company that will allow towing (for a variety of reasons). However, there are some moving truck rental places that will allow towing. I'm not sure that I would tell them what you plan on towing as these vehicles are really meant for moving and you may just confuse this issue.

You might try U-Haul, Rider or Hertz (truck rental). Let us know what you find out. I know that U-Haul rents pick-ups for $30 a day plus mileage (I rented one for a friend a couple weeks ago). Not sure if there is an extra charge for towing.

[OC Campers]

I looked into this a few years back because our tow vehicle was involved in an accident and we were leaving on a week long camping trip the next day.  Talk about being bummed out.  I checked all the major car rental places and they all said absolutely not.  My problem was our pup was a large popup and we needed a brake controller to drive safely.  Nobody had a vehicle with this installed.  We ended up canceling the trip and charging the other persons insurance for the cancellation penalties.

Do you have a friend or relative that has a vehicle large enough to pull your pop?  Maybe they would lend it to you.  My sister in law's husband is a plumber and they tow there trailer with his conttractor truck.

Jacqui

[Mike Up]

A contractor from down state had a job up here. He bought a 32' TT to live in at one of my favorite local campgrounds, while he was working here. He only had a little 4 cyclinder Chevy S10 that would be lucky to tow a john boat.
 
Anyhow, he rented a U-haul class 7 (think school bus cab size) box truck. Since the trunk was so big, he didn't even need sway control or a weight distribution hitch. He did have a heavy duty hitch to handle the heavy weight of the tongue. There are some heavy duty weight bearing hitches but they are expensive as well.
 
Now with the physical size and length of the U-haul box truck, it was a little tight getting him in. The owner had him drop the trailer in the road, and the owner used his tractor to put the trailer into the campsite.
 
Good luck on finding a solution.
 
Have a good one.

[coach]

I know it is possible. My brother years ago would rent a pick up in Houston to haul his boat from time to time. I'm sure you would have to pay a premium! It was a specialty rental company.

[LACamper]

Try Enterprise Leasing.

[fallsrider]

We have a local rental company called Triangle Car Rental. They rent F-150s with hitches on them. I rented one a few years ago with the caveat that it had to have a hitch to pull my work trailer with. My trailer grossed out around 2,000 lbs., and I pulled it without any brake controller.

You may have a local company in your area. Expect to pay a premium, though.

[sacrawf]

The issue between a V-6 and a 4 cylinder is one thing: 2011 Camry LE 3.5 V6 is rated at 20 city 29 highway.  The 2011 Camry LE 2.5 4-cyl is rated at 22 city 32 highway (both automatic transmissions).

Assume a mixed driving of 24.5 mpg on the 6 cyl and 27 on the 4cyl.

The 6 cyl vehicle driven 150,000 would result in 6122 gallons of fuel used.  The 4 cyl vehicle driven 150,000 would result in 5555 gallons of fuel used.

With gasoline at $3.50 per gallon, you would save $1984 in fuel over the lifetime of the vehicle.  Assuming that you keep the car 5 years (30,000 miles per year), that would mean that it would only cost you an extra $396 a year to operate the V-6 over the 4 cyl.

I doubt that you will find a reliable source to rent a tow vehicle when you want or need it over those five years for less than $396/year.  My suggestion is that you buy a V-6 model you need.  Not only would you be able to tow with your own vehicle, but have better drivablility every day with an extra fuel cost of just over one dollar per day.

However, the 2011 Camry has capacity of tongue weight of only 100 pounds, and I couldn't find the other towing capacities online. A RAV 4 6 cyl 3.5  is rated for 22 city 28 highway (nealy the same overall as the V6 Camry) but has up to 3500 towing capacity with the tow prep option.

My recommendation is to condsider RAV4, Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe, and other small newer fuel efficient SUV's in 2WD.

[Beer Belly]

Look at Enterprise....some of the pick ups have hitches, but most likely will find a Tahoe or Suburban to have a hitch. They do not allow towing, but if you don't get caught, who will know. I work for Enterprise and can tell you that all they care about is Licsence and Credit Card at time of rental, other than that, don't wreck it.....hell, I've seen them put a guy in a car that was staggering drunk and stunk of beer....but he had a Licsence and Credit Card:yikes: