What Size Moving Trailer Do You Need for Your Motion?

At a glance: It's important to get a trailer that fits all your belongings and matches the towing capacity of your motorcar or truck. This guide breaks down how to pick the right trailer to get your stuff to your new abode without a hitch (pun intended).

What'south the difference betwixt renting a truck and renting a trailer? If y'all're non sure whether hitching a trailer to your vehicle is the right choice for your move, bank check out our listing of the all-time truck rental companies.

How much weight tin your vehicle acquit?

Before y'all cull a trailer, you'll need to know the maximum weight of cargo and passengers you can safely carry in your SUV, car, or truck. Your vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the total combined weight limit, including all passengers, fuel, fluids, and cargo.1

When you go to choose a trailer, you likewise have to cistron in tongue weight (how much strength a trailer places on your tow hitch). The tongue weight factors in equally part of your cargo, meaning yous won't be able to load the full weight capacity of your vehicle with your property.

This additional info volition help you effigy out how much stuff you can add to your vehicle and how much you lot'll need to put in a trailer.

Here's an instance: a half dozen,000-pound heavy-duty truck with a 7,300-pound GVWR, can deport 1,300 pounds. However, a 200-pound tongue weight would reduce what you lot could bear in your truck to 1,100 pounds.

If y'all know the weight of all the property you're moving, you can use this data to determine what size trailer you need to haul everything else beyond that weight limit.

What blazon of moving trailer do you need?

Moving trailer type

Cargo

Utility

Automobile

Trip distance

Long

Short

Any

Open up or enclosed

Enclosed, lockable

Open, not lockable

Open up

What it'south best for

Household appurtenances

Bulky piece of furniture, backyard equipment, rugged items

Vehicles

Moving trailer types

Cargo trailer

Bachelor in a multifariousness of sizes, cargo trailers are aerodynamic and lightweight to relieve fuel during your drive.

Plus, cargo trailers are enclosed to fully protect your belongings from weather or road debris, and they permit you to lock everything safely inside.

Utility trailer

For towing odd-sized cargo, tools, and landscaping materials, an open-top utility trailer is often the best choice. While you probably wouldn't desire to utilize one for your Crate & Barrel couch, a utility trailer is great for big or sturdy items like patio article of furniture, m tools, and your fancy Traeger grill.

Utility trailers aren't ideal for long-altitude trips because they don't protect your stuff from damage or theft.

Auto trailer

Car trailers are a solution for relocating your auto when you prefer not to drive or send it. While most companies require you lot to tow an motorcar trailer with i of their rental trucks, U-Booty offers tow dollies and auto carriers that you can pull behind a personal vehicle.

What size trailer practice you need for moving?

The all-time trailer size for your move depends on how much and what kind of stuff you're hauling. Moving trailers come in a variety of sizes, from a minor 4 ft. ten 8 ft. cargo trailer (all-time for a handful of boxes) to a 6 ft. ten 12 ft. utility trailer (ideal for your lawn equipment or ATV).

Take authentic measurements of the stuff you're hauling using our guide to calculating linear and cubic anxiety.

Compare cargo trailer sizes

Cargo trailer size*

Weight limit (lbs.)

Home size

What it fits

iv ft. 10 8 ft.

i,600

Single chamber or dorm room

Small personal items, boxes

5 ft. x eight ft.

i,800

Studio apartment

Twin beds, loveseats, pocket-size tables

v ft. x 10 ft.

i,550

1- to ii-sleeping room apartment

Queen-sized beds, couches, dining room article of furniture

six ft. x 12 ft.

2,500

1- to 2-chamber home

L-shaped couches, pianos, queen-sized beds

*Based on U-Haul's trailer sizing

  • 4 ft. x 8 ft. cargo trailer: Holds up to one,600 pounds and is great for college students packing up their dorm rooms or anyone moving a few pieces of furniture.
  • 5 ft. x 8 ft. cargo trailer: Fits furnishings for a bones studio apartment: a loveseat couch, chairs, a kitchen table, a twin bed, etc.
  • 5 ft. x 10 ft. cargo trailer: Holds a minor apartment worth of items: a queen-sized bed, a couch, chairs, boxes, electronics, and square dining room tables.
  • half dozen ft. x 12 ft. cargo trailer: Holds up to two,500 pounds and several rooms of piece of furniture, including 50-shaped couches, pianos, and more beefy items. May concur up to a two-bedroom home if you're a minimalist.

For homes with a lot of article of furniture and two to four bedrooms, yous'll demand a full moving truck. Notice a truck that meets your needs on our All-time Moving Truck Rental Companies list.

Compare utility trailer sizes

Utility trailer size

Weight limit (lbs.)

Dwelling house size

What it fits

4 ft. x 7 ft.

1,770

Single room

Lawnmowers, tools

5 ft. x 8 ft

1,890

Unmarried room

Twin beds, bulky furniture

5 ft. x 9 ft. with ramp

1,650

ane–2 rooms

Queen-sized beds, bulky furniture, large tools

half dozen ft.10 12 ft.& six ft. x 12 ft. with ramp

two,670/2,110

Several rooms

Queen-sized beds, ATVs, golf game carts

  • iv ft. 10 vii ft. utility trailer: Platonic for k projects or small in-town relocations.
  • 5 ft. x 8 ft. utility trailer: Good for local moves and bigger domicile comeback projects.
  • five ft. x ix ft. utility trailer with ramp: Good for loading and towing ATVs, golf game carts, or heavy appliances (thank you to a fold-down ramp).
  • half dozen ft. 10 12 ft. utility trailer: Comes with a low deck and necktie-downs that secure large items in transit.
  • six ft. x 12 ft. utility trailer with ramp: Holds your heaviest and most awkwardly shaped items.

Open utility trailers are not ideal for carrying that Restoration Hardware dining room tabular array that you spent fashion also much money on. They're actually designed for quick, in-town moves or items you don't mind exposing to the elements. Think tools, patio furniture, and grills—not 1000 pianos and heirloom article of furniture.

Moving trailer FAQ

What size trailer practice you need for moving a vehicle?

Instead of paying an auto transporter to get your machine or motorcycle to your new habitation, why non haul it yourself? To hire a car carrier from Penske and Budget you must also hire ane of their moving trucks to tow that carrier.

If you don't need a whole truck's worth of infinite, U-Haul is your best bet: U-Haul is the merely company that allows yous to tow a motorcar behind your personal vehicle.

Use this guide to make up one's mind which type of vehicle trailer yous need.

What size trailer practise you demand for moving a vehicle?

Vehicle trailer types

Tow dolly:Tow dollies are best for front end-bicycle-drive cars and can be pulled behind your personal vehicle or a moving truck. Notation that two of your wheels will be on the route, which may be less than ideal for long-distance moves.

Car carrier: Car carriers are better than tow dollies for long-distance moves, just they do cost slightly more than. Most automobile carriers have a loading ramp, automated brakes, security chains, ratchet-operated tire straps, and tilt-out fenders in example you demand to access your automobile while information technology's on the trailer.

(Also keep in listen that with a max towing capacity of 5,290 pounds, you may not exist able to haul your souped-upward pickup).

Motorcycle trailer: Tow a motorcycle nearly or far with this trailer. It comes equipped with a loading ramp, a built-in brimming to assistance stabilize your bike's front wheel, and tie-down rings to secure heavy motorcycles in place.

Utility trailer with ramp: For ATVs, multiple motorcycles, golf carts, or oddly sized vehicles, a v ft. x 9 ft. utility trailer has an EZ-load ramp and can be towed behind a personal vehicle or moving truck. It likewise includes tie-down rings and an integrated motorcycle brimming support to secure and stabilize your bikes in place.

Boat trailer: You probably won't find a boat trailer for rent at whatsoever major moving trailer rental company, but you tin get a pickup truck from U-Haul or Enterprise that is capable of towing your boat on its own trailer.

Is in that location a right way (and a wrong way) to load a moving trailer?

Yeah! Putting items in your trailer in the incorrect order or failing to secure them properly can crusade your cargo to shift, slide, and fifty-fifty suspension. Hither are a few tips for loading your moving trailer:

  • Load heavier items showtime and toward the front of the trailer (closest to the car).
  • Place calorie-free items on tiptop and toward the back (near the door).
  • Use tie-downwards straps to secure your stuff before you tow your trailer anywhere.

Where do you get a hitch for your vehicle?

Your motorcar dealer can most likely install a hitch on your vehicle, but you lot may nab a better deal at U-Haul (our peak pick for professional hitch installation).

On U-Booty's website, enter your vehicle year, make, and model to learn about available hitches, pricing, and accessories. Permit the technicians at the install heart know what you programme to haul so they tin outfit your ride properly.

Bonus: trailer hitches sold and installed at a U-Haul Moving Center include a lifetime warranty that covers damage due to collision, theft, jackknifing, or overloading.

Jenny Willden

Written by

Jenny Willden

Jenny'due south been writing stories since she first picked up a pencil and is lucky to call information technology her profession. She'south lived in v U.Southward. states (and counting) and uses her mishaps to assistance you master your next motion.