Boone, NC to Eugene, OR

Hello everyone!

I am moving from Boone, North Carolina to Eugene Oregon on July 30th.

I will be driving a 2001 Toyota Camry which will be pulling a 5 x 8 uhaul trailer.

I see that the suggested routes tend to go through the middle of the country, I am trying to avoid extremes in temperature and elevation gain so that I will not overly stress my car. This summer seems like it will be incredibly hot as I move across the country.
I was thinking of going to Fargo, ND and then moving all the way west to Oregon on the I-90 I believe.

Any suggestions would be great! I am a college student so money is tight, but minimizing distance traveled while making sure that my car survives are important.

Thanks

Welcome!

I hate to put a damper on your plans, but I don't think a Camry is rated to tow a loaded trailer that size. I'd ship your stuff and drive the car out with no trailer. Fill up the passenger seat, back seat, and trunk, and put a roof bag on it if you have to, but please forget the trailer.

Most efficient route:

US-321/I-81/I-40/I-24/I-57/I-64/I-70/I-29/NE-2/I-80/I-84/I-5. 2800 miles, 5 full days. Suggested overnights:

Paducah KY
Lincoln NE
Rawlins WY
Mountain Home ID

I am a little worried about the trailer, but its pretty much a done deal. Had a hitch installed, talked with other people about it. They said its not the best, but you should be ok.

That being said, It costs a considerable amount of money to send things across the country. Its just not in my budget.

I decided to not move with the trailer.. its gonna be too much for me to handle. Safety is really coming to mind here.

GLC was trying to save a possible huge repair on your car, or an accident because your car is not rated to tow that much weight. Is there any way you could rent a small U-Haul truck and a trailer to tow your car on it???


Donna

@ DonnaR57, I wish I could to that but it would literally cost me almost $2000, and that was before putting one drop of gas in it. Gonna move all the essentials and buy or ship the rest of my belongings out there.

Now I just need to hope that U-Haul will return my money : /

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Erikmang

I decided to not move with the trailer.. its gonna be too much for me to handle. Safety is really coming to mind here.

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Thank you for listening.

I spent a summer 5 years ago going back and forth between Chicago and Joplin towing a 5x8 with a full size pickup truck, and that was enough of a pain in the butt.

Hello Erik,

ASU graduate Foy here (BS Geology, Class of 1978). Congrats on the move. I hear Eugene is VERY nice. Not Boone, perhaps, but where else is? Grad school in Oregon, perhaps?

The last time I rented a trailer from U-Haul, admittedly some 10 years ago, they had an exhaustive question list concerning the vehicle I planned to tow it with. Like my online friend glc, I towed with a half-ton rated fullsize pickup, so it was no issue, but it was quite clear they'd have declined the rental if I'd have been attempting the trip with an inadequate tow vehicle, and specifically one which was not itself rated to tow a fully-loaded 5x8 trailer (where each make and model has a maximum towing weight rating identified by the manufacturer). That likely being the case, I'd hope you could easily recover your deposit/rental fee from U Haul, as it seems they were about to rent you a trailer falling outside of their own policies.

And you can trust glc and me when we say: A fully-loaded 5x8 is a LOAD. No way you want to drag that thing from NC to OR with a Camry.

Lastly, it's rare that temperatures in the northern Great Plains are appreciably cooler than the middle or southern Great Plains. It's been over 105 deg in St Louis all week, and Chicago is right up there. Likely Minneapolis/St Paul, too. Your best bet is the shortest route, and don't push the speed. All-day sustained 70-80 mph running in hot weather is a great way to pop a hose or fitting, blow a tire, or overheat and cook your automatic transmission. If your Camry has lived in Boone for a long time, making sure your cooling system is completely and recently serviced is a must. Easy does it--this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Safe travels,

Foy