U-Haul Denial

[chorky]

U-haul is such a joke. They have insane restrictions, but the last time I had a trailer and van from them it was a complete POS. Brakes hardly worked, tires were all cracked and well past replacement time, steering linkage had as much play as a 80's buss.... terrible. I would rather invest in my own trailer in the future than use them again.

they also said no to my dad getting a small cargo trailer years ago in his 2002 Ford Explorer with the v8 and 7K towing rating. But they had no problem letting a old Ranger with a 3500 pound rating renting the same trailer.

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[JoeInOh]

100%. They're fine with it if you have a composite plastic or fiberglass hard top though. Totally safe.

That is exactly what was going to start saying - but, for some reason, I decided that I would be wasting my breath.

 

[JoeInOh]

I rented a car transport from Uhaul in San Diego as well as cargo trailers in Washington state. I would go to another U-haul dealer.

OMG! I should back there tomorrow and show them these pics!

 

[Cape taco12]

Did they ask what top or inspect it? Because if you just tell them you have a composite top your not really lying…

 

[redriderjf87]

They're acting like a JT would tow like a short wheelbase CJ, because they both have Jeep badges. And then forgetting about those little roll bars under the top.

CYA for no reason other than CYA. How dumb.

 

[Aceman8772]

OMG! I should back there tomorrow and show them these pics!

I think it really comes down to the individual at the rental place. In both San Dawg and Washington State, the rental peeps came out and hitched up the trailer and took pics of the hook up. So, it wasn't like they didn't know it was a soft top.
If they want to make money in this economy, they will say to themselves, "It is a truck made by Jeep. Not a Jeep or SUV."
Sorry you are going through this.

 

[halsjeep]

I went to rent a U-Haul car dolly today from an actual U-Haul facility (not from the back of a car repair shop). The counter person told me that I was not able to rent any trailerable item there because my Gladiator has a soft top. I must have made a face or something because the manager walked right over and said that "they do not rent to Jeeps with soft tops because the occupants will die in a roll-over, U-Haul policy." I asked if that was corporate policy and he said yes. I figured I wasn't going to get anywhere with either of them so I left. Does this make any sense? Did anyone hear of this before?

Thank God I don't ever have to tow with this thing - certain death is imminent.

Yes, unfortunately this has been the case for several years. i had trouble every time I moved.

 

[BearFootSam]

I went to rent a U-Haul car dolly today from an actual U-Haul facility (not from the back of a car repair shop). The counter person told me that I was not able to rent any trailerable item there because my Gladiator has a soft top. I must have made a face or something because the manager walked right over and said that "they do not rent to Jeeps with soft tops because the occupants will die in a roll-over, U-Haul policy." I asked if that was corporate policy and he said yes. I figured I wasn't going to get anywhere with either of them so I left. Does this make any sense? Did anyone hear of this before?

Thank God I don't ever have to tow with this thing - certain death is imminent.

Lol....if only they knew...

 

[BearFootSam]

Yep, it's not the "Soft Top" it's uHaul's policy to not allow convertibles to tow their trailers, they're just too dumb to make an exception for Jeeps which they consider convertibles because the tops come off.

False https://www.uhaul.com/Blog/2014/04/21/towing-with-a-convertible/

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

No open or soft-top sport utility vehicle is allowed to tow a U-Haul trailer, because in the event of a crash, these vehicles offer less collision and ejection protection.

https://www.uhaul.com/Tips/Towing/Trailer-User-Instructions-122/

 

[Jefe1018]

The JT can even go back and forth - hard top today, soft top tomorrow.
Mine identified as topless - a third option - a year ago.

Good on you papa, stay non-trans-top-aphobic.

 

[USMC_1Wire6337]

Lol....if only they knew...

Gaaahh... Soft top with a soft top.... You are threatening the very fabric of the universe!!!

 

[phunktion]

Here's the policy. https://www.uhaul.com/Tips/Towing/Trailer-User-Instructions-122/#:~:text=No open or soft-top,less collision and ejection protection.

I was denied at my local U-Haul - then got home and looked further into the policy and the website. If you rent w/ a Wrangler - it asks you soft top or hard top (and denies automatically if soft top), If you switch to Gladiator, that option goes away. That - paired with the verbiage "No open or soft-top sport utility vehicle is allowed to tow a U-Haul trailer" (not truck/pickup truck) seemed like a deliberate choice NOT to prohibit the Gladiator. Either way - I called back, talked to the guy and asked him to look further into the policy details - and he found that in their systems it RECOMMENDS not to tow with the soft top, but it was different than the Wranglers where it strictly prohibited it. He apologized, said the policy has always been no soft tops and he assumed it was that clear cut.

It's worth asking them to look at whether their system has different recommendations for Wrangler w/ soft top and the Gladiator, and point out the "SUV" verbiage and that the website doesn't ask about the top when booking the trailer. There simply hasn't been a mass market soft top pickup truck so all the employees' know is decades of Wranglers. I was able to rent in the end.

 

[Kevin_D]

they also said no to my dad getting a small cargo trailer years ago in his 2002 Ford Explorer with the v8 and 7K towing rating.

That came about because of the Explorer/Firestone problems in the late 90’s-early 00’s.
As late as 2015 they still wouldn’t rent a trailer to an Explorer.

Kevin

 

[j.o.y.ride]

I went to rent a U-Haul car dolly today from an actual U-Haul facility (not from the back of a car repair shop). The counter person told me that I was not able to rent any trailerable item there because my Gladiator has a soft top. I must have made a face or something because the manager walked right over and said that "they do not rent to Jeeps with soft tops because the occupants will die in a roll-over, U-Haul policy." I asked if that was corporate policy and he said yes. I figured I wasn't going to get anywhere with either of them so I left. Does this make any sense? Did anyone hear of this before?

Thank God I don't ever have to tow with this thing - certain death is imminent.

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