Long story short: I’m moving 1,700 miles and I’m really cheap. U-Haul rental prices are currently insane along with other shipping options (they want $1,600 for a one-way 4x8 cargo trailer. It used to be $480 6 months ago!), so I bought a flimsy Lowe’s 5x8 Carry-on utility trailer to do the move with. This thread will serve to document my trip and will be updated with efficiency numbers along the way.
Preliminary research and prep:
I packed all my boxes and weighed each one to get an idea of total weight. I measured and modeled the trailer options I had. This gave me a rough idea of how I wanted to load and distribute the boxes:
Trailer Purchase:
Lowe’s has very low stock, but I called around and found one in good condition about 20 miles away. This one is mine!
Loading up:
Buying the trailer took longer than expected and so did loading it. Tongue weight is roughly 200lbs. I can lift the tongue if I lever my forearms off of my knees. Time to hit the road and see how much trouble I’ve gotten myself into. I’m pretty committed now.
Gilroy to Tejon Ranch:
138 miles @ 448 Wh/mi. 1-2 mph headwinds @ 50°F. 60 mph average speed. Extremely foggy and humid. have to run cabin AC and heater on low to prevent window fogging.
Tejon Ranch to Wheeler Ridge:
117 miles @ 441 Wh/mi. 1-2 mph headwind @ 51°F.60mph average speed. Foggy, humid. Needed to run AC amd heater do prevent cabin fogging up. Slept at wheeler ridge.
Weighed each axel. the trailer only has a 2000 lbs axel and is carrying 1760. I loaded it a bit more than expected:
Wheeler Ridge to Cabazon
Next morning. 175 miles @ 328Wh/mi. 1-2 mph headwind @ 71°F. 58 mph average speed. Very hilly. Keeping cruise control at 7 car lengths of distance to big rigs. Efficiency is much better in warmer weather.
Total efficiency so far is 396 Wh/mi over 432.1 miles.