Towing a U-Haul Trailer for the First Time: A Step-by-Step Guide

Renting a cargo or utility trailer is how many people tow for the very first time. You are moving apartments, hauling furniture, or picking up a project car, and suddenly there is a trailer behind your vehicle. Rental trailers are designed for this, but the driving still takes care.

This guide walks you through the process from reservation to return. Rental companies, including U-Haul, set their own rules about which vehicles can tow which trailers and what hitch equipment you need. Always confirm the requirements with your rental location, and follow what they and your vehicle’s owner’s manual tell you.

Step 1: Confirm Your Vehicle Can Tow It

Before you reserve:

• Check your owner’s manual for your vehicle’s towing capacity, maximum tongue weight, and any requirement for trailer brakes or a transmission cooler. See How to Read Your Truck’s Towing Specs.
• Check your door-jamb payload. Passengers, cargo in your vehicle and the trailer’s tongue weight all count against it. See Towing Capacity vs. Payload.
• Remember the trailer’s own weight. The rental trailer weighs something empty, and your cargo goes on top. Your total trailer weight is trailer plus cargo.
• Towing with an SUV or car? Read Towing with an SUV first.

Rental companies usually check your vehicle when you reserve or at pickup. Their system may approve or decline certain trailer and vehicle combinations. Follow that decision.

Step 2: Make Sure You Have the Right Hitch and Wiring

You need:

• A receiver hitch rated for the trailer, with the correct ball mount and ball size to match the trailer coupler. See What Size Trailer Ball Do I Need? and Trailer Hitch Classes Explained.
• Working trailer light wiring with a connector that matches the trailer (commonly 4-pin flat on small rental trailers, but confirm). See How to Wire Trailer Lights.
• Mirrors that let you see past the trailer. Wide trailers may need towing mirrors.

If your vehicle lacks a hitch, many rental locations and hitch shops can install one. Get a quote and confirm the rating.

Step 3: At Pickup, Inspect Before You Sign

Walk around the trailer with the rental staff, or on your own:

• Tires: look for damage and obvious low pressure. Ask what pressure the trailer tires should run, or read the sidewall and trailer label. See Trailer Tire Safety.
• Lights: with the trailer connected, check running lights, brake lights and both turn signals.
• Coupler and latch: make sure the coupler sits fully on the ball and the latch locks. Many rental couplers use a pin or clip, so make sure it is in.
• Safety chains: cross them under the coupler and attach them to the hitch, with enough slack to turn but not so much that they drag.
• Ramp or door: confirm it latches securely.
• Take photos of any existing damage.

Not sure how much slack to leave or why the chains cross? See our step-by-step guide on how to hook up trailer safety chains.

Use our Pre-Trip Towing Checklist as your guide.

Step 4: Load It Right

How you load the trailer affects how it tows more than almost anything else.

• Heavy items go in front of the axle, low and centered side to side. A common guideline is about 60% of the cargo weight forward of the axle. See How to Load a Trailer.
• Do not load the back heavy. A tail-heavy trailer reduces tongue weight and is a classic cause of trailer sway.
• Tie everything down so it can’t shift under braking or in a turn.
• Stay under the trailer’s maximum load printed on the trailer or in the rental paperwork.

Step 5: Drive Like You’re Towing (Because You Are)

• Slow down. Many states set lower speed limits for vehicles towing trailers, and rental contracts may have their own guidance. Check the speed limits for your route.
• Leave much more following distance. You will need more room to stop.
• Make wider turns. The trailer’s wheels track inside the vehicle’s path. Swing wider so the trailer clears curbs and posts.
• Change lanes gently and use your mirrors before every move.
• Watch for sway. If the trailer starts to sway, ease off the gas, keep the wheel steady, and do not slam the brakes. See Trailer Sway Control.
• Plan fuel and parking stops where you can pull through instead of backing out.
• Wind, rain and hills all need extra care. See How to Tow a Trailer in the Rain and Towing Uphill and Downhill.

Step 6: Backing Up

If you can avoid backing, do. When you can’t, go slow and put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel: move your hand the direction you want the trailer to go. Short trailers react quickly, so make small corrections. Practice in an empty lot first. See How to Back Up a Trailer.

Step 7: Check at Every Stop

At each fuel or rest stop:

• Walk around the trailer.
• Check that the coupler, pin and chains are secure.
• Check the tires.
• Check that the lights still work.
• Make sure the load has not shifted.

Step 8: Returning the Trailer

Unload, sweep it out if your contract asks you to, and return it on time to the agreed location. Unhitch only with the trailer on level ground, chock the wheels, and keep your fingers clear of the coupler.

Building Real Confidence Before Your Next Tow

A rental tow is a great first experience. If you might own a trailer someday, TowPro Academy’s online course gives you a complete foundation: hitching, loading, mirrors, backing, sway and emergencies, in 51 short video lessons across 6 modules, with 950+ pages of downloadable lesson guides. Pass the 50-question final exam with 80% or higher to earn a certificate of completion. See the course, or start with our beginner’s guide to trailer towing.

FAQ

Can my car or SUV tow a U-Haul trailer?
It depends on your vehicle’s towing capacity, payload and hitch, and on the rental company’s own approval process. Check your owner’s manual and ask the rental location.

What hitch do I need to rent a trailer?
A receiver hitch and ball mount rated for the trailer, the correct ball size for the trailer’s coupler, and working light wiring. Confirm the specifics with your rental location.

How should I load a rental trailer?
Put heavier items in front of the axle, low and centered, and secure everything. Avoid loading the rear heavy, which can cause sway.

How fast should I drive with a rental trailer?
Slower than normal, and within any lower towing speed limits in the states you drive through and any guidance in your rental agreement.