Not Sure What Size or Type of Trailer to Rent? Here's How We Help You Choose

One of the most common questions we get at Fort Worth Trailer Rentals Pro is:

"What trailer do I need?"

Sometimes a customer knows exactly what they need. Other times, they know what they are hauling but aren't sure which trailer is right for the job. And quite often, someone has already picked out a trailer before talking to us—and we end up recommending something completely different.

That's okay. In fact, we would much rather help you choose the right trailer before you leave than find out later that the trailer, tow vehicle, or load wasn't a good combination.

After dealing with hundreds of trailer rentals, one thing we've learned is that choosing the right trailer involves a lot more than asking:

"Will it fit?"

The "If It Fits, It Ships" Mentality Doesn't Work With Trailers

One of the biggest mistakes we see renters make is assuming that if something physically fits on a trailer and doesn't exceed the advertised load capacity, the trailer must be appropriate for the job.

That's not always true.

Trailer capacities are important, but they're only part of the equation.

We need to consider the weight of the load, how that weight is distributed, how the trailer is constructed, the tow vehicle, how the load will be loaded and unloaded, and where the renter is going.

That's why our first question is usually:

What are you hauling?

If we're familiar with the equipment or vehicle, we may already know quite a bit about it. If we're not, we'll ask additional questions.

How much does it weigh? What are its dimensions? How are you planning to load it onto the trailer?

Those answers can completely change which trailer we recommend.

A 10,000-Pound Forklift Is a Good Example

Forklifts are a perfect example of why looking at load capacity alone can get you into trouble.

Suppose you're moving a forklift that weighs approximately 10,000 pounds.

You might look at several trailers with enough advertised load capacity and assume any of them will work.

We don't look at it that way.

A forklift puts a tremendous amount of weight into a relatively small area. That's very different from carrying the same amount of weight spread over a much larger portion of the trailer deck.

We have multiple trailers that could potentially handle that amount of total weight when the load is distributed appropriately. But for a 10,000-pound forklift, we recommend our 24-foot tilt trailer with 8,000-pound axles and 12-inch-on-center crossmembers because we want the trailer structure underneath that concentrated load to be appropriate for the job.

That's the difference between asking "Can this trailer carry 10,000 pounds?" and asking "Is this the right trailer for this particular 10,000-pound load?"

Those aren't necessarily the same question.

Your Tow Vehicle Matters Just as Much as the Trailer

The next thing we ask is:

What are you towing it with?

We want to know the towing capacity of the vehicle.

If the renter doesn't know it, we'll ask for the year, make, and model and help them look it up.

We're not only concerned about the trailer's GVWR and load capacity. We also need to consider the tow vehicle's ratings and the combined weight of the truck, trailer, and cargo.

A common example involves our 24' deck over tilt trailer.

We require a 3/4-ton truck or larger to tow it.

We've had customers select that trailer online and then tell us they're planning to tow it with a half-ton pickup.

In that situation, we're going to talk them out of that trailer.

The fact that someone can physically hook a trailer to a truck doesn't mean it's the right towing combination.

Sometimes We Talk Customers Into a Less Expensive Trailer

Something customers may not expect is that we'll sometimes recommend a trailer that costs them less money—and makes us less money.

We've had customers want to rent one of our heavy tilt-deck trailers to haul a car across the country.

Could a tilt trailer haul the car? Absolutely.

But that doesn't automatically make it the best trailer for the job.

If our 20-foot car hauler or 22-foot car hauler can safely handle the vehicle, that's often what we'll recommend instead.

Why?

The car hauler can weigh roughly 3,000 pounds less than the heavier trailer.

If you're towing across town, that difference may not be your biggest concern. If you're towing hundreds or thousands of miles across the country, pulling around an unnecessary 3,000 pounds can make a significant difference—especially in fuel consumption and how hard the tow vehicle has to work.

We could make more money by renting the customer the larger, more expensive trailer.

But that's not how we believe trailer rental should work.

Our goal is to put the customer in the right trailer for the job, not the most expensive trailer we can rent them.

We Also Want to Know Where You're Going

Another question we ask is:

Where are you going, and how long do you need the trailer?

The best trailer for a short local move isn't necessarily the trailer we would recommend for a long-distance trip.

Trailer weight becomes more important over long distances. So can fuel economy, tow-vehicle capability, ease of loading and unloading, and the renter's comfort level pulling the trailer.

We want to understand the entire job—not just what's sitting on the trailer.

Then We Ask About Your Towing Experience

One of our last questions is usually about experience.

How much experience do you have towing a trailer?

There's a reason we ask.

Two renters can show up with identical trucks and identical loads and still have very different levels of experience.

We want our customers to understand what they're towing and be comfortable operating it.

And we'd much rather someone tell us, "I've never done this before," than pretend they know something they don't.

We can explain things.

Questions are free.

Trailer damage, vehicle damage, accidents, and ruined trips aren't.

GVWR and Load Capacity Can Be Confusing

Two terms every renter should understand are GVWR and load capacity.

GVWR is the maximum allowable loaded weight of the trailer. Load capacity, or payload capacity, is how much cargo the trailer can actually carry after accounting for the trailer's own weight.

But we don't stop there.

We also consider the towing capacity and ratings of the tow vehicle and the overall truck-trailer combination.

This is where renters can get themselves into trouble when they simply look at a trailer listing and think:

"My equipment weighs X and this trailer says it can carry X, so I'm good."

Maybe.

Maybe not.

The numbers need to work together, and the type and distribution of the load matter too.

So, Have We Ever Talked Someone Out of the Trailer They Picked?

Absolutely. Many times.

Sometimes their truck isn't appropriate for the trailer they selected.

Sometimes they're choosing far more trailer than they need.

Sometimes another trailer will accomplish exactly the same job while being thousands of pounds lighter.

And sometimes the customer's load technically falls within a trailer's published capacity, but the way that weight is concentrated makes another trailer a much better choice.

We aren't trying to get every customer into the biggest trailer in the yard.

We're trying to get them into the right trailer for the job.

If You're Not Sure, Ask Us Before You Book

If there's one piece of advice we'd give anyone trying to decide which trailer to rent, it's this:

If you have any uncertainty about which trailer you need—or you don't completely understand GVWR, towing capacity, and load capacity—contact us before you book.

• Tell us what you're hauling.
• Tell us what it weighs and its dimensions if you know them.
• Tell us how you're planning to load it.
• Tell us what you're towing with.
• Tell us where you're going.
• And tell us about your towing experience.

We'll help you work through it.

We'd much rather spend a few minutes helping you choose the right trailer than have you discover after you've picked it up that you chose the wrong one.

At Fort Worth Trailer Rentals Pro, we're not just renting you a trailer.

We're helping you figure out the right equipment to safely and efficiently get the job done.

Your Adventure, Our Trailers…Let's Roll!