Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

All I can say is I can't believe my own words are coming back to bite me in the ***...
Here I was teasing you northern guys about snow / salt / rust and now I am about to join your ranks not far from NYC. God help me.

Anyway, I am single and don't have a lot to move. I moved to PR 9 years ago and after a failed marriage this left me returning to Atlanta with a car and a suitcase. I have intentionally not gone crazy buying furniture and such anticipating that this day may come. So now that it looks like it is approaching soon I am debating how to move.

The trailer hitch is only $180 and the 430 is rated to tow 2000 lbs. I can easily sell some items and just use a small trailer. Trailer itself weighs about 900 lbs. This only leave me 1100 left in packing. That is probably enough. I just don't want to hurt the car in the process.

The other option is to rent the small box truck and flatbed towing trailer. Seems excessive but it would be less stress on the car. It would quadruple the cost and also equal terrible gas mileage. Probably 8 - 10 mpg.

Anyone actually tow 2000 lbs with their 430? If so, how did she act?

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Wow, big change for you. I remember moving a similar distance using a Cadillac CoupeDe Ville and a hitch. As far as fuel economy goes both car or truck will yield similar numbers when loaded. So IMHO cross that off the comparison list.

Now, the cost of the truck vs the car (free) is a real factor. Both the cargo and car trailer prices should be similar, so they cancel each other out.

In my experience, there's only one way to know what that loaded trailer will weight. Commit to it by renting and loading, than weighing. What do you do if it's over the limit? Are you willing to leave some items behind? Another issue I had way that the trailer was loaded tongue heavy. Other than unloading and reloading the trailer, the solution was to buy bags of sand to load the rear of the trailer, lightening the tongue weight but raising the overall weight.

Weight keeps jumping out at me. If you were moving 500 miles, I might be willing to push the limits of the car. But the distance and the hilly areas you'll be towing through are going to really push the engine, transmission and unibody. Plus you'll feel the strain on your car and that is exhausting. I was a fishing guide for many years towing a boat. Using a smaller 6 cylinder vs an 8 cylinder made a huge difference in my fatigue level and that was only an hour each way per day.

I say you can always earn more money to pay the truck cost. Why abuse the car you've cared for over $1000 for a truck rental? Pick and choose your times to be thrifty. This isn't one of them.

I'd also look into the need to disconnect the drive shaft on the car when towing it on a two wheel dolly vs. a full size open trailer. Not sure if a disconnect is recommended for such a distance.

I think you can make it in two full days if you stop at a motel for the night halfway.

Best of luck in your decision and keep us posted

BTW what town in NY are you considering? Queens, LI or Westchester County? Either way there's great train/public transportation into Manhattan.

Afterthought. As an option, maybe renting a van would be cheaper than a truck. You can load the van and the car with your stuff. As long as the van can pull the load.

jimbosr1

do a pod.you load it and they ship it.pretty reasonable too.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Minimal hassle and stress. I like it.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the suggestions. I called pods and they want $1800 and it will take a minimum of 6 days of shipping time. That won't work for me. I will probably go with the U-hall option and just tow the 430 behind the me. I think the LS could tow the trailer fine but I also don't have a desire to install a hitch. U-hall small truck and flatbed rwd car trailer is about $800 plus fuel. Only about a 13 hour drive from Atlanta.

Where I'm going to is around Princeton / Plainsboro, NJ. This is the area I'm looking at living in. The company is headquartered in Monroe Township. I was considering just across the border in PA on advice but I don't want an hour commute each way. Especially in the winter. Taxes are cheaper in PA but the wear and tear plus fuel / mileage seems to negate this. I will tell you one thing. It's not cheap to live up there. Salaries are higher but so is the cost of living.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Truck and full trailer makes the most sense. Less hassle and not a lot of money. Sounds like you could do the drive straight through if you wanted. Though I wouldn't think you'll be able to go much over 60 mph.
I have a friend in Princeton, he says it's nice there. With snow and ice, you're smart to keep the commute shorter. the cost of housing is crazy high. A lot of people live in smaller places than what we may be used to. If you were buying a home, PA. might make sense. Plus there's substantial state income taxes to consider.

Kansas

Both the LS430 and LS400 were rated by Lexus Europe to tow 2,000 kg - that's 4,400 pounds. You would also need an electrical harness and power the trailer lights from the car battery positive cable or from an accessory power point in the engine compartment fuse box. The power cable for the trailer lights on my 2000 LS400 ran underneath the car and I did the same thing per the manufacturer instructions when I installed a hitch and trailer light harness on my 2014 Sienna last year.

The LS makes a wonderful tow vehicle - towing 2,000 pounds would be a snap. So effortless that you would be checking your mirror to verify that the trailer was still attached.

But I would rather use a pod or a regular moving company.

volson

Use penske or enterprise so you don't get a ragged out pos rental truck. I had a friend who spent way too much on gas since the trucks are old pieces of poo.

takimanpgt

Are you working in Monroe Township or do you need to be closer to Monroe Township? Living in Princeton/Plainsboro and commuting to Monroe is the same as maybe living in Newark, DE and crossing the river on a commute every day. No matter what you want - the commute is looking like an hour. But living in DE or in PA has the benefits of lower taxes to offset the commuting costs. Living in NJ zips and commuting the same "time" distances will end up costing you more.

It's been a long time since I commuted in the tri-state area but that's what I can suggest - live in DE or in PA.

And as everyone has said - I'd rent a Penske truck and trailer instead of towing behind the car.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

I did a quick Google about renting moving trucks.
1) End of the month and holiday weekends are high demand. If you can be flexible about your date, avoiding the end/beginning of the month, you'll find better deals.
2) Some horror stories about confirmed reservation but no truck available. Overbooking is most likely during time period mentioned above.
3) Check with several rental companies for best rate for several different dates.
4) More people renting one way FROM the northeast. You may be "helping" the company return inventory to the NE and get a better deal.

I did see that Curt hitch company makes a hitch for your car, 2500 lb max. No drill, bolt on for $180 plus shipping plus electrical connector. The post about overseas towing specs made sense. Maybe driving your car isn't so bad after all.
Just an alternative if you have to move at the end of a month. Assuming that a trailer is easier to obtain. The posts about overbooking trucks makes me nervous.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Thanks again for all the advice!

I will definitely price out Rider, Penske, and Enterprise.

Takimanpgt, I'm very interested in what you said about commute times. I am working in Monroe Township. Things are happening very quickly and I may not have time to really visit the area before selecting a place to rent. Not looking to purchase anything immediately.

Plainsboro is only 10 miles from Monroe Township. You are saying it's an hour commute to go 10 miles? I would ideally like to keep my commute time down to 15 - 30 min. I travel all over the US with my job but the times I am driving to the office I don't like long commutes if I can avoid them. South Brunswick was another area I was looking at online.

As far as PA goes, Yardley and Newtown were suggestions but they are about 30 miles from Monroe. Is it really worth driving this far? I know a lot of people do it. What about tolls along this route? I appreciate any local advice as I am not familiar with this area and trying to research online is not ideal.

Jabberwock

The single most scary drive of my life was driving a fully loaded 26 foot Penske moving truck approximately 900 miles to the DFW area. The loaded truck was way more difficult to drive than I thought is would be in terms of dealing with crowded interstate traffic. There are really no good places in most of middle America to stop that are not a real security risk to you or your property so be prepared to drive non-stop. I did save a bunch of money by moving myself but I vowed I would never ever do that again.

There is a company called http://www.upack.com/ that might also work for a move. I am looking at them for a possible upcoming move if I can work the required logistics.

Driving a car pulling fully loaded trailer or a truck pulling a car trailer from ATL up the crowded NE corridor is going to be some exciting driving. Not something I would consider doing given my last experience.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I can understand where you are coming from Jabber. I have truck driving experience so I am not too worried about this part. I use to have my class B license for 28 foot / air brakes commerical and drive this truck to events with a much heavier load then I will be moving. I don't drive trucks anymore but I can handle it no problems. Surprisingly Penske is about $200 cheaper then U-Hall. I think I will be going this route. $689 with no fault total coverage insurance. Not too bad at all.

takimanpgt

My bad - there are two Monroe Townships within NJ and the southern one jumped into my mind as I was reading your post. You are referring to the one North East of Philly while I was thinking the one South East. And that's why I was scratching my head going - that's a mighty long commute by itself and wondering why you were negating living in PA.

Now that THAT matter is clear - I think you will be very happy with the Princeton/Plainsboro area.

Jabberwock

A diy truck rental makes good sense if you have large truck driving experience. A diy truck move definitely saves money compared to using a interstate moving company. I had no experience driving anything larger than a pickup truck so for me it was honestly terrifying at times. My comment for anyone with no truck driving experience is to think twice before signing up to drive a large truck especially pulling a car trailer.

I was surprised at how much diesel fuel I used driving the loaded truck. I think the fully loaded 26 ft Penske was averaging about 7-8 miles to the gallon. This was back when diesel was about $3.60/gal.