A Tale of Two U-Haul Trailers (Towing Report)

[davidpreuter]

I just returned from a 1,700-mile trip towing two different U-Haul trailers behind my 2025 Maverick XLT EcoBoost AWD/FX4/4K Tow. Overall, the truck did great in some challenging mountainous terrain. But what struck me the most was how different the experience was between hauling a U-Haul 5x8 Cargo trailer vs. the larger and heavier 6x12 Cargo trailer. In a nutshell, the 5x8 was well suited to the truck and pulled smooth, while the 6x12 was clearly pushing the limits of what the truck can safely tow — especially due to its larger frontal area, added weight and some not-insignificant elevation/windy conditions in the Great Smokey Mountains.

I know there have been various posts of Maverick owners' experiences towing both of these trailers, but what was unique for me was having the opportunity to tow both nearly back-to-back in the same week.

Here are some insights and stats to chew on:

The 4K tow package did its job with both trailers. No sway to speak of even in very windy conditions, and I used Tow/Haul mode for the entire trip, which was essential to helping the truck get up some long pull grades in the mountains. The fuel economy suffered, but mid-to-high teens isn't terrible considering the conditions I was towing in (very windy, mountainess) and the fact I was trying to keep a steady speed of 70 mph throughout most of the trip. Cruise control was activated for probably 75% of the time as well.

The addition of the trailer surge brakes was noticeable on the larger 6x12 trailer and fully welcomed especially in the mountains.

If you're debating between the 5x8 U-Haul Cargo or the larger 6x12, I'd tell you to stick with the 5x8 unless you absolutely need the additional space. You can fit an entire queen bedroom in the 5x8 if you pack smartly and the truck will pull it with no sweat. I pulled the 5x8 from south Florida to Nashville and then on to Memphis and it was a pleasant experience. A few days later I needed to move my son out of his apartment in North Carolina back to Nashville, so we went with the 6x12 for that trip. We needed every inch of space the 6x12 could offer, although due to the items packed inside we weren't maxing out the trailer's weight capacity but definitely on the bubble for the Maverick's 4k tow rating. And that larger trailer frontal area in the 6x12 showed up in the windy conditions where it was obvious the truck was loaded down in the mountains.

Bottom line: the Maverick tows well and will handle either a U-haul 5x8 Cargo or the larger 6x12, as long as you have the 4k Tow package and observe the weight capacities of trailer+cargo.

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[Shakesbear]

Thanks for info!

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

What I picture. When I hear of a vehicle with turbocharged gas engine pulling a heavy trailer under constant load up a mountain grade

Uphill towing a heavy trailer.

I don't believe anybody said, it couldn't be done but at what cost ?

 

[imboden013]

I’m surprised U-haul would rent you the 6x12 to tow behind the Maverick. When I owned my F150 3.5 ecoboost 4x4 they wouldn’t rent me a car hauler I was going to haul a grand caravan about 200 miles

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

The more you slow down, the more you can tow. Wind resistance is more a factor than weight and goes up exponentially with speed.

Practically none at 35 mph.
Barely felt at 45 mph.
Comfortable at 55 mph.
Gets stressful at 65 mph.
About impossible at 75 mph.

I pull an 8x20 with a hybrid @ 60 mph.
Gets 16-18 MPG.

 

[Cherokee]

If I need that much cargo hauled I’ll rent a U-Haul 27’ truck with the loading ramp and stand on the throttle all the way while enjoying the V-10’s power.
I got 12 mpg the last time I did this. And got to cruise with the big trucks safely at 75 mph.

No, I’ll not push my Little mini truck that hard. I like it too much.

In my not so humble opinion the Maverick is too small to safely haul and control the larger trailer in the event of an emergency situation.

I’ll not risk it when I can rent a big ass U-haul,
Load the thing and go.
With a Fully insured U-haul I can break something or crash at no real extra cost to me.

 

[davidpreuter]

The more you slow down, the more you can tow. Wind resistance is more a factor than weight and goes up exponentially with speed.

Practically none at 35 mph.
Barely felt at 45 mph.
Comfortable at 55 mph.
Gets stressful at 65 mph.
About impossible at 75 mph.

I pull an 8x20 with a hybrid @ 60 mph.
Gets 16-18 MPG.

Very true. I would put the 6x12 in the “getting stressful” category at 70 mph based on my fully loaded weight. It was never dangerous as it was perfectly level, was loaded properly including appropriate tongue weight and had no sway. And of course how you drive — leave plenty of distance to stop, stay out of other vehicles’ way and pay attention to what the truck and trailer are communicating to you.

You tow an 8x20 behind a Maverick hybrid? That’s a big girl.

 

[davidpreuter]

I’m surprised U-haul would rent you the 6x12 to tow behind the Maverick. When I owned my F150 3.5 ecoboost 4x4 they wouldn’t rent me a car hauler I was going to haul a grand caravan about 200 miles

In general U-Haul’s rule is that the tow vehicle has to have a curb weight at least as heavy as the unladen trailer. The 6x12 is 1,900 lbs empty, so roughly half the weight of the Maverick.

The trailer as loaded was right on the Maverick’s 4k tow spec, so it handled it fine. But I wouldn’t have wanted to go any higher or bigger. The 6x12 fully loaded is reaching the limits of what the Maverick can and should tow. Which was the point of my post — not unsafe but getting stressful.

 

[Gray Goose]

Good post.
Many people don't think about the geometry/physics of trailers. 1 foot wider and 4 feet longer doubles the size and weight. Sometimes that's the difference between a safe trip and an unfortunate ending.

 

[Dad]

The more you slow down, the more you can tow. Wind resistance is more a factor than weight and goes up exponentially with speed.

Practically none at 35 mph.
Barely felt at 45 mph.
Comfortable at 55 mph.
Gets stressful at 65 mph.
About impossible at 75 mph.

I pull an 8x20 with a hybrid @ 60 mph.
Gets 16-18 MPG.

Mileage suffers immensely once you hit 70mph, not to mention many states have a 55mph limit when towing a trailer.

 

[Mavtremor24]

I’m surprised U-haul would rent you the 6x12 to tow behind the Maverick. When I owned my F150 3.5 ecoboost 4x4 they wouldn’t rent me a car hauler I was going to haul a grand caravan about 200 miles

Believe it or not, u-hall had no issue Renting me this toy hauler about three weeks ago for a thousand mile round trip to wisconsin.
She pulled great doing 70 75 the whole way at 2700rpm and about 17mpg

 

[imboden013]

Believe it or not, u-hall had no issue Renting me this toy hauler about three weeks ago for a thousand mile round trip to wisconsin.
She pulled great doing 70 75 the whole way at 2700rpm and about 17mpg

Our U-Haul wouldn’t rent me a hauler or even a car dolly. Luckily I had a friend that offered to go get it. U-haul did rent me a 4x8 enclosed trailer that I pulled behind my wife’s 24 Maverick hybrid. It did a great job and we got 29mpg from Jonesboro to Hot Springs AR.

 

[Rparry]

Renting from U-Haul ca be a challenge. I tried to rent a car hauler to tow my 80 Mustang rolling chassis; no engine, no tranny with my Titan. The Titan was rated to tow 9800 lbs, but nooooo it was not enough. U-Haul seems to think you need a Kenworth to haul a Smart Car.

Asked friend how he rented from U-Haul; he said he lied!

BP

 

[Mavtremor24]

Renting from U-Haul ca be a challenge. I tried to rent a car hauler to tow my 80 Mustang rolling chassis; no engine, no tranny with my Titan. The Titan was rated to tow 9800 lbs, but nooooo it was not enough. U-Haul seems to think you need a Kenworth to haul a Smart Car.

Asked friend how he rented from U-Haul; he said he lied!

BP

Rent the toy hauler instead of the car trailer..they wouldn't rent me a car trailer but would other

 

[dlhort1955]

I just returned from a 1,700-mile trip towing two different U-Haul trailers behind my 2025 Maverick XLT EcoBoost AWD/FX4/4K Tow. Overall, the truck did great in some challenging mountainous terrain. But what struck me the most was how different the experience was between hauling a U-Haul 5x8 Cargo trailer vs. the larger and heavier 6x12 Cargo trailer. In a nutshell, the 5x8 was well suited to the truck and pulled smooth, while the 6x12 was clearly pushing the limits of what the truck can safely tow — especially due to its larger frontal area, added weight and some not-insignificant elevation/windy conditions in the Great Smokey Mountains.

I know there have been various posts of Maverick owners' experiences towing both of these trailers, but what was unique for me was having the opportunity to tow both nearly back-to-back in the same week.

Here are some insights and stats to chew on:

The 4K tow package did its job with both trailers. No sway to speak of even in very windy conditions, and I used Tow/Haul mode for the entire trip, which was essential to helping the truck get up some long pull grades in the mountains. The fuel economy suffered, but mid-to-high teens isn't terrible considering the conditions I was towing in (very windy, mountainess) and the fact I was trying to keep a steady speed of 70 mph throughout most of the trip. Cruise control was activated for probably 75% of the time as well.

The addition of the trailer surge brakes was noticeable on the larger 6x12 trailer and fully welcomed especially in the mountains.

If you're debating between the 5x8 U-Haul Cargo or the larger 6x12, I'd tell you to stick with the 5x8 unless you absolutely need the additional space. You can fit an entire queen bedroom in the 5x8 if you pack smartly and the truck will pull it with no sweat. I pulled the 5x8 from south Florida to Nashville and then on to Memphis and it was a pleasant experience. A few days later I needed to move my son out of his apartment in North Carolina back to Nashville, so we went with the 6x12 for that trip. We needed every inch of space the 6x12 could offer, although due to the items packed inside we weren't maxing out the trailer's weight capacity but definitely on the bubble for the Maverick's 4k tow rating. And that larger trailer frontal area in the 6x12 showed up in the windy conditions where it was obvious the truck was loaded down in the mountains.

Bottom line: the Maverick tows well and will handle either a U-haul 5x8 Cargo or the larger 6x12, as long as you have the 4k Tow package and observe the weight capacities of trailer+cargo.

I pulled a 6x12 Uhaul from Indy to Boston when my son moved. Same truck you have with FX4 and 4K towing package. I took the southern route thru PA to avoid all the trucks on the flatter NY route. Mileage averaged about 16-18mpg and I had no problems towing. Hardly noticed the trailer was back there unless I was going up a grade. I kept it between 60-65mph because of the drag that I did not feel, but I knew the truck did. No problems and no wear and tear that I could see. It is a great little truck.

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