Have you hauled your truck on a trailer?

In the next several months I will likely be hauling my truck on a trailer for some long distance runs. My current plan is to rent a U-Haul car hauler trailer. I trust that many of you have hauled more vehicles than I have and I'm wondering what my tow vehicle needs to successfully and safely pull the trailer with my 3420lb. truck on it. My tow vehicle is a 2013 F-150, 2 wheel drive, 5.0L, with factory tow package (up-graded alt., up-graded battery, trans cooler, hitch, up-graded transmission with tow features) rated to tow up to 11,300lbs. I guess my main question is this: Will I need to have an electric brake controller added to the vehicle or is the trailer equipped with inertia brakes? I'm asking here first because I consider this site to be a 3rd party, independent source of information, before I go asking at U-Haul.

Personal choice but i put a controller on my Yukon as it helps the truck and trailer NOT PUSHING ME DOWN HILLS, which of course can be a bit scary.

We brought our truck back from N.D. on a U-haul or Ryder Car trailer.Can't remember which it was, it had the master cyl. set up built into the tongue . I'm not sure what the correct name for them is. I pulled it with my 2011 F-150 ecoboost with a trailer tow pkg. and couldn't have been happier with the way it pulled. We drug the old girl about 1100 miles without incident. I've been told to Not use a Tow Dolly, so take that for what it's worth. Ours was a 4 wheel Auto/truck trailer.

In 1984, I pulled this same truck on a single axle trailer from Tennessee to Florida with a rented 3/4 ton Econoline van (about 1,000 miles total) without much problem. Well, there was the issue with the temperature gauge showing HOT most of the way, but the guys at the rental place said that was normal. That trailer didn't have inertia or electric brakes. My next adventure at hauling will be more than 3 times that length if all goes according to plan. I just want to be better prepared this time, even though I thought the original haul was well planned, but hindsight shows me I could have been better prepared.
I too have been advised to avoid the tow dolly unless I put the rear wheels on the dolly and that doesn't seem logical either. I understand the wear and tear on the rear axle and transmission if the front axle is on the dolly, but to put the rear axle on the dolly means securing the steering wheel some way so the front wheels don't try to go their own way which seems like a risky thing to do. I'll just use a trailer instead.

A trailer is a wise option. The U-haul trailers should be hydraulic surge brakes, so your truck will do fine. If the trailer you use has electric brakes, like mine does, you will need to put in the brake controller. Since your truck is a 2013 and with the factory tow package, there is wiring already in the truck for the controller, it should be a taped off bundle under the edge of the dash under the column. Sometimes they came with a pig tail in the glove box that matches the controller and then plugs into the harness under the dash. With the tow package, the controller's are easy to install. Here is a pic of mine on the trailer. If I can tow safely with a 48 KB-2, you will be fine with a 2013 that has a tow package.
Bill

I forgot to say that the yellow KB-2 has an electric brake controller installed.
Bill

You might want to check out UHaul ahead of your trip. I went to one place (I think they are independently owned franchises) and they didn't want to rent to me because of what I was planning on hauling on it. They had a list and I don't think that it went back much further than 1995 and of course a 1958 International A120 wasn't on there.



They referred me to another Uhaul guy in the next town over who was a little looser about the rules and he rented me the trailer which worked just fine, but we had to kinda bend the truth about what I was hauling with it and he insisted that his insurance would never cover it (and for a $900 truck, who cares?).

So anyway, look into it ahead of time and make sure you're not all packed, gassed and ready to go, but standing at the rental place arguing with a counter monkey when you want to be putting miles under the wheels.

I will second that! But once you look up the "stats" for their trailers, Make sure that your insurance covers the trailer and what you haul on it. Your insurance will be much cheaper. Then when you go in, give them the track width, ie. "58", The Wheel base, like 127, the weight of the vehicle, From there, they should have not much problem, especially if you have proof that your insurance will cover it. I take it you are driving down and coming back with truck. Look to rent one local and pull behind you round trip, might be cheaper. One way is generally more expensive. There again, only need to tell them that you will have it covered under your insurance and that you will have it for X amount of Days. Do not let them bully you.
Best case is that you could borrow one from a friend and do the trip that way. Just return in good shape!

My Thoughts and others may vary.
Lloyd

Thanks guys for all the help. I was aware that U-Haul could be a little finicky about renting out the trailer and I wanted to be informed before I started talking to them. "Forewarned is forearmed" I've heard and this info from you guys is great.
Although my truck is rebuilt and plenty powerful to make the trip on it's own, it's still an old truck and the misses is not into extended trips in it with all the luggage, etc. Does not have the many creature comforts of modern vehicles, plus the risk of harm to it will be reduced on a trailer. Yes, my trip will be a circuit from Fl. to Va. to Oh. (including Nationals, but not on the trailer) to Tn. to Fl. Same trip we've taken dozens of times.
I found the "pig tail" for the electric brake controller installation and that's essentially what started me wondering about whether or not the trailer would be equipped with electric or inertia/hydraulic brakes. As always, the help garnered here is invaluable. Thanks again.

Coupla points.
Tow dollys should never be loaded with the rear axles on the tow dolly. They should be loaded with the front axle on and the steering wheel in the "un-locked" mode so the dolly can pivot. The other way it is like towing a "spread axle" trailer, and it can not pivot but must drag both axles (dolly and front axle) around corners this is hard on tire, dolly and tie downs, it puts the whole thing in more chance of a failure.
Be careful towing with an unloaded pick-up. Pick-ups are designed to carry weight over the axle. If the towed trailer is heavy it can easyly push the towed rear into a jack-knife. Much better to put some counter-weight over the drive axles then tow with an empty box.
In heavy-haul or "super-load" hauls with semi's they often add 20,000 to 40,000 lbs of counterweight to the trucks that are pulling but not carrying the load on their frames just to keep it stable. Thats right, they add load to an already heavy load.
Surge brake trailer can be towed without any additions to the tow vehicle but the brakes will come on if you try and back the trailer, esp up hill, and dont work in reverse (like backing down a hill) They are simple and work going forward. Electric brakes are much better if you tow the trailer often, and work the same both forward and back and are easly adjusted to the load.
Be safe and do not tow a load that weighs more then the towing vehicle regardless of if it can pull that much weight.