Best occasional use hauling solution with a small SUV?

[Matt Meiser]

Since we moved into town I haven't been using my truck like a truck and we decided to trade it in on a low-mileage Escape. While I don't have a shop I will occasionally have a need to carry a sheet of plywood or other materials for a home improvement project. I'm adding a Class II hitch so we can use our bike rack, and I'll be able to tow up to 3500lb with it once I install a light controller. Looks like I have a few options:

1) Delivery. $unknown cost Subject to their schedules and some places don't offer delivery.
2) Rent a trailer from UHaul. $19/day + $8/day insurance if mine won't cover it. Uhaul is right on the way between our house and Lowes, but subject to business hours and availability.
3) Roof rack cross-bars. ~$120. Have a factory installed rack with factory crossbars which don't make a flat surface but there are numerous aftermarket cross-bar options. This would be for cases where I need a sheet of something and some 2x4s or pipe or whatever.
4) Harbor Freight Folding Trailer. Know a couple people who have these and like them. Looks like I could buy one, add a floor and some removable sides, and register one in the $500 range. Storage is not a problem as I have a few options.

Kind of leaning toward a combination of 2 and 3 but we haven't not had a truck and/or trailer, well, ever since being homeowners. But we also lived out where we were regularly needed to haul stuff and that's no longer the case.

[Mel Miller]

Did you consider wind catching on whatever you would have on a roof rack?

[Matt Meiser]

Yes. Lowes is 5 miles from the house, 45MPH max speed limit but you'll never reach that on a typical Saturday. Obviously it needs to be well tied down. I don't see this as a viable solution to pick something up an hour away.

[Ted Calver]

Unless you are superman, or have lots of strong help, I wouldn't consider putting any substantial size sheet goods on a roof rack. It's hard enough wrestling them in and out of a truck. Raising overhead without messing up the vehicle finish would be tough. For the occasional situation rental seems like a good option. Any of your new neighbors have a truck?

[Jamie Buxton]

Dunno about your franchisee, but renting stuff at my local U-Haul is a pain. The equipment is in bad shape, and the people are burger-flippers -- don't want to be there, and/or don't know anything. It seems to take hours to make a simple transaction. Buying a trailer would be a better deal for me. In addition to considering buying new, I'd also look used.

[Jim Koepke]

Not sure if this is common in all localities, one of our local big box stores has trucks customers can use to take their purchases home.

jtk

[John McClanahan]

I would skip the roof rack. Getting stuff on and off of the rack without damaging the paint of your suv might be a challenge. I had a trailer like the Harbor Freight ones. It was good up to 1/2 ton. Nice and low to the ground, I liked it. I don't have a good place to park it, so I sold it.

I should add, small short trailers are hard to see when trying to backup.


John

[Myk Rian]

I would get the trailer.
Even though I have a PU, I still use my util. trailer often enough to keep it.

Note: U-Haul has a special wiring harness for lights.

[Rick Potter]

Like Jim says,

Where I live, both Lowes and HD have a truck you can rent by the hour. I think the minimum is $25 or so. For occasional use, with that available, I wouldn't bother with other options.

PS: My HD also has trailers for about $25 a day, if you decide to tow.

[George Bokros]

HD by me has a truck available for I believe $19 for 75 minutes. Sides drop down so sheet goods load and unload easily. Lowes has a 3/4 ton Ford pickup

[Mike Henderson]

HD by me has a truck available for I believe $19 for 75 minutes. Sides drop down so sheet goods load and unload easily. Lowes has a 3/4 ton Ford pickup

Same here. $19.95 for 75 minutes but you also have to replace gas. I've used that when I have something that's too big for my SUV and too small for a delivery. I just wish they had a lift gate on them.

Mike

[Matt Day]

I vote trailer. I had a HF folding one for my '04 Subaru Forester but sold it when we moved across country. I'd like to buy another one at some point.
I can fit 9' and under lumber/pipe inside my carc with the hatch closed.
I also have a roof rack for bikes, that also comes in handy when I have longer boards or pipe. mind you, I usually only have a few. i've thought about making a plywood carrier to attach to the bike rack. My thought would be to have stops at the front and back and sides to keep it from moving, as well as strapping them down tightly to counter uplift. The last time I bought full sheets of plywood, I just rented a pick up from Home Depot for $20.
Hands down for me, a trailer is the easiest and most suited for a hobby woodworker. once I can find some space, I will get another one for myself.

[John Huds0n]

Harbor Freight (or Northern Tools) Folding trailer

I hate renting stuff - I always worry about getting it back on time and it is not like you can just walk in and out of U-Haul or some rental yard in a couple of minutes...

I had an 8' folding trailer for years and it worked out great. A sheet of 3/4" ply for the floor and some 1 x 4 for some stake bed style sides when I needed them. Mine was a tilt bed and I even used it for my 500 lb motorcycle on occasion. Get the one that folds in half with the wheels on the end - does not take much room and is easy to move around.

[Matt Meiser]

Our Lowes doesn't have the rental trucks (or any rental equipment) unfortunately.

For the roof rack I'm mostly thinking cases where I need to pick up some 2x4's or pipe. I don't think the Escape is long enough for more than 1-2 pieces which would have to sit on the console. Remember I'm talking about an SUV-shaped car, not a big one. I could see managing a 50lb sheet up there being a problem alone, lighter stuff probably wouldn't like the 40mph wind and a big load I'd use a trailer.

[Matt Meiser]

I'm curious about the special Uhaul connection?