Author Topic: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours  (Read 13018 times)

Sri C.

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Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« on: May 13, 2013, 05:25:20 PM »
The small sedan I have is sometimes not sufficient for hauling away large items I can get off craigslist.

Is there a way I can rent pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours (maybe 2 - 4 at most) for less than $70?

Distance travelled would be from min of 10 miles to a max of 60 miles roundtrip.

(I did read about the trailer blog post but sinking ~$400 for that is not something I am looking forward to + the apartment I live in has open sheds for parking and no closed garages)

Rural

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2013, 05:49:03 PM »
Check at Home Depot. They used to rent trucks by the hour, I believe. Some UHaul stores also rent pickups.

ruthiegirl

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2013, 05:53:05 PM »
I just bought a washer and dryer set off of Craigslist and rented a pick-up at Uhaul.  I thought it was a bit overpriced -- $40 for about 4 hours and less than 30 miles of driving.  Uhaul's base price is good, but they also charge per mile which can add up if you have a long way to go. 

My BIL regularly rents a minivan when he wants to haul stuff.   I have seen him cram a huge sofa into a minivan with no trouble at all.  He spends about $35, but get unlimited miles. 

ScottEric

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2013, 06:12:32 PM »
Yes! I've been thinking about this a lot lately.  Zipcar has some cargo vans and pickups in my area, but it seems like a it's pretty much the same as renting a U-Haul truck/van. Part of me wants to buy a super cheap pickup and car-share it with everyone I know who's in the same boat, which would be nice, but probably a LOT less cost effective.

Sri C.

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2013, 06:41:10 PM »
I just bought a washer and dryer set off of Craigslist and rented a pick-up at Uhaul.  I thought it was a bit overpriced -- $40 for about 4 hours and less than 30 miles of driving.  Uhaul's base price is good, but they also charge per mile which can add up if you have a long way to go. 

My BIL regularly rents a minivan when he wants to haul stuff.   I have seen him cram a huge sofa into a minivan with no trouble at all.  He spends about $35, but get unlimited miles.

A minivan will be just fine for the purpose and the $35 tag is very welcome!

How do I get the same "deal" here in Irvine (is this a local deal?)

Bakari

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2013, 07:30:37 PM »
If you happen to live in the Bay Area, BioDiesel Hauling charges $40 per hour (plus $1 per mile), in 15 minute increments, with NO MINIMUM
If the job takes 15 minutes, the labor charge is $10.  If you and the CL item are within 10 miles of BDH base, the grand total charge, including fuel, help loading and unloading, dolly, blankets, everything, would be $20

If you don't own a car, its 25% an hour less.

Oh, and the truck runs on 100% biodiesel made from 100% recycled waste vegetable oil, and is a certified "green" business.

Disclaimer: BioDiesel Hauling is me ;)

http://www.biodieselhauling.org/


If you don't live in the Bay Area, check your local Craigslist listing for haulers, chances are there is someone else doing something similar.
Unlike any kind of rental, you don't have to figure out a way to get to and from the rental place, so it saves you some time and fuel.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2013, 07:32:21 PM by Bakari »

Sri C.

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2013, 01:31:17 PM »
If you happen to live in the Bay Area, BioDiesel Hauling charges $40 per hour (plus $1 per mile), in 15 minute increments, with NO MINIMUM
If the job takes 15 minutes, the labor charge is $10.  If you and the CL item are within 10 miles of BDH base, the grand total charge, including fuel, help loading and unloading, dolly, blankets, everything, would be $20

If you don't own a car, its 25% an hour less.

Oh, and the truck runs on 100% biodiesel made from 100% recycled waste vegetable oil, and is a certified "green" business.

Bakari, I wish I was near you as I would have definitely loved to take you out on a beer. Unfortunately I am in Socal Irvine.

If you don't live in the Bay Area, check your local Craigslist listing for haulers, chances are there is someone else doing something similar.
Unlike any kind of rental, you don't have to figure out a way to get to and from the rental place, so it saves you some time and fuel.

I did try out your suggestion on searching on craigslist but the only keyword I can come up with is "hauling": http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/search/sss?zoomToPosting=&query=hauling&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

This got me only two useful hits with people offering hauling services but they looks like atleast two guys in a large truck which I overkill for me who just need to move a few desktop computers and matresses within a 10 mile radius.

Is there a better set of keywords I can use.

I am actually just interested in hauling stuff myself and need to rent a pickup truck or van that I can stuff these things in and UHaul's pricing of $20 is good only for the first 75 minutes and you have to pay by the mile + gas which brings the final amount nearer to $50 - $60

Is there a way I can rent a pickup truck or van for a day (~4 - 5 hours) for something less than $50 or whereabouts with mileage + gas factored in or is this being too optimistic?

No Name Guy

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2013, 03:48:38 PM »
If you have a hitch on your vehicle, you can rent a cheap, open trailer from U-Haul.

For example, here in the greater Seattle area I went onto the U Haul site and checked their trailer rates:  $15 for a 4x8' enclosed or 4x7' open.  No need to buy one.

If you don't have a hitch, consider getting one.

See what The Man did....

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/08/turning-a-little-car-into-a-big-one/

Sri C.

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2013, 03:56:12 PM »
If you have a hitch on your vehicle, you can rent a cheap, open trailer from U-Haul.

For example, here in the greater Seattle area I went onto the U Haul site and checked their trailer rates:  $15 for a 4x8' enclosed or 4x7' open.  No need to buy one.

If you don't have a hitch, consider getting one.

See what The Man did....

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/08/turning-a-little-car-into-a-big-one/

Right, but as I mentioned in my OP:
Quote
(I did read about the trailer blog post but sinking ~$400 for that is not something I am looking forward to + the apartment I live in has open sheds for parking and no closed garages)

If I can get a daily rental for $40 or less (I already have offers from people willing to haul stuff for me for $50 but you never know what it finally lands up being!) I need atleast 10 trips to break even on the trailer + since I live in an apartment with open sheds for parking, a trailer will cost more in storage fees than it will save me in the whole)

Is it a good idea to fit a trailer to my sedan? It's a Honda Civic and I am not sure what I have to attach to make it trailer capable.

ruthiegirl

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2013, 04:17:15 PM »
I just bought a washer and dryer set off of Craigslist and rented a pick-up at Uhaul.  I thought it was a bit overpriced -- $40 for about 4 hours and less than 30 miles of driving.  Uhaul's base price is good, but they also charge per mile which can add up if you have a long way to go. 

My BIL regularly rents a minivan when he wants to haul stuff.   I have seen him cram a huge sofa into a minivan with no trouble at all.  He spends about $35, but get unlimited miles.

A minivan will be just fine for the purpose and the $35 tag is very welcome!

How do I get the same "deal" here in Irvine (is this a local deal?)

He is in Portland, so no help to you. 

Do a quick Google search and you can find all kinds of places.   I did one for Irvine and found several places that rent minivans for $36 a day.  Not a bad price.

I like to use Kayak when scouting for rental cars.  http://www.kayak.com

Good luck!


m8547

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Re: Renting pickup trucks (open back) for a few hours
« Reply #10 on: May 18, 2013, 08:21:14 AM »
Is it a good idea to fit a trailer to my sedan? It's a Honda Civic and I am not sure what I have to attach to make it trailer capable.

My Honda Civic ('06-'11) is rated to tow 1000 lbs. If you have a different model year, check the manual. To tow a trailer, you need a hitch, a wiring package, and a ball for the hitch. I had a hitch installed by Uhaul for around $150. If you are handy it would be an easy job to do yourself, but I liked their installation guarantee and it was easier to have them install it. I didn't get the wiring package because I use it exclusively for a bike rack, but between that and the ball, figure maybe another $100. You can get a price estimate from Uhaul's website or by calling them.

Trailers are heavier than you would think, so only the smallest trailers are appropriate to tow with a Civic. The Uhaul sport trailer looks silly, but the next smallest box trailer weighs 850lbs empty. You might be able to find a smaller and lighter box trailer, but they are rare and I don't think Uhaul has them. The smallest open utility trailer is 630lbs empty, which leaves a reasonable amount of weight for cargo.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!