This compares trailer rental in the Fond du Lac area: the open and enclosed trailers you tow behind your own truck or SUV. It is not about moving trucks that you drive. If you need a vehicle to drive rather than tow, a chain is your option and we will say so below.
With that out of the way: there are situations where U-Haul and Home Depot make sense for a trailer, and we will tell you exactly when. For most trailer rentals around Fond du Lac, local wins, and the reasons go well beyond price.
The trailer for this job: Enclosed Trailer — 6' x 12' · dry and lockable. Text Nick at (920) 381-9770 to check a date.
Mileage Limits: The Biggest Real Cost Difference
| U-Haul | Home Depot | Fondy Trailer Rentals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mileage | Allowance of about 50 to 100 miles, then roughly $0.79 to $1.09 per mile | Daily or hourly rate plus mileage charges | None, ever. You pay for the time only |
| Trailers offered | 5x8 and 6x12 cargo, 4x7 and 5x8 utility, a tow dolly | One small open utility trailer | 6x12 and 7.5x16 enclosed, 8.5x24 enclosed car hauler, 20ft car hauler, dump, tilt deckover, gooseneck, Air Tow |
| Dump trailer | No | No | Yes, hydraulic 10K |
| Car hauler | Tow dolly only, not a true car hauler | No | 20ft open with electric winch, plus the enclosed car hauler |
| Booking | Online reservation, licence scan, inspection walkthrough, often 15 to 25 minutes at the counter | At the store | Text Nick, confirm, 10 to 15 minute hookup at pickup |
| One-way | Available, at higher base rates | No | No, every trailer returns to Fond du Lac |
This is where the chains get you, and it's the single most important cost comparison for most renters.
U-Haul Trailer Pricing
U-Haul's base trailer rates start low — sometimes as little as $14.95 for a cargo trailer. The problem is what comes after that:
- U-Haul in-town trailer rates include a set mileage allowance, typically 50-100 miles
- Per-mile charges beyond the allowance run approximately $0.79-$1.09 per mile depending on trailer type and reservation type
- A local move that involves two trips 15 miles apart (60 miles total) can push well past the allotted mileage if you're not careful
- One-way rentals include more mileage but have much higher base rates
The advertised price and the final bill are often very different numbers. Mileage charges are the mechanism.
Home Depot Trailer Pricing
Home Depot's trailer rentals (utility trailers available at many locations) are similarly structured with daily or hourly rates plus mileage charges. Home Depot's trailer selection is limited — typically just a single utility trailer type. No enclosed options, no dump trailer, no car hauler.
Fondy Trailer Rentals Pricing
Zero mileage charges. Ever. You pay the rental rate for the time period. Drive 10 miles or drive 300 miles — the rate doesn't change. For a move from Fond du Lac to Milwaukee (65 miles each way), the math is dramatic. With U-Haul at $0.89/mile and a 50-mile allowance, the return trip alone adds $71 in mileage charges to whatever you paid for the day. Our trailer has no return-trip mileage penalty.
Real example: FDL to Milwaukee round trip. U-Haul 5x8 cargo trailer: base rate ~$40-50 + 80 miles of mileage charges ($71+) + tax = $120-130. Fondy enclosed trailer: flat day rate, no mileage, no surprise at checkout.
Fleet Comparison: What's Available
What U-Haul Offers in the Fond du Lac Area
- 5x8 cargo trailer (enclosed, small)
- 6x12 cargo trailer (enclosed, medium)
- 4x7 utility trailer (open deck, small)
- 5x8 utility trailer (open deck, medium)
- Auto transport trailer (tow dolly — front-wheel lift, rear wheels on ground; NOT a proper car hauler)
U-Haul does not offer: dump trailers, car haulers with electric winch, gooseneck trailers, or enclosed trailers over 6x12.
What Home Depot Offers
- One utility trailer type (small open-deck flatbed)
Home Depot's trailer selection is minimal. It's useful for hauling lumber and plywood from the store. For anything more involved, it's the wrong tool.
What Fondy Trailer Rentals Offers
- 6'×12' enclosed cargo trailer — Fully enclosed with E-track rails and rear ramp door for weather-protected hauling
- 7.5'×16' enclosed cargo trailer — Fondy's biggest enclosed. 120 sq ft with 6'6" interior height, electric brakes, and 20 E-track tie-downs; the U-Haul 6x12 stops at 384 cu ft
- 20ft car hauler with electric winch — For running and non-running vehicles; U-Haul's tow dolly is not a real car hauler
- 8.5'×24' enclosed car hauler with electric winch — Weather-protected vehicle transport with 20 E-track tie-downs, straps, blankets, and a hand truck; no chain in Wisconsin rents enclosed haulers this equipped
- Hydraulic dump trailer (10K) — Not available at any chain
- 8.5'×24' tilt deckover with winch (14K GVWR) — Not available at any chain; hydraulic tilt + winch handles anything that won't load under its own power
- Gooseneck deckover (15,900 lb GVWR) — Not available at any chain; for the heaviest equipment hauls
- 18ft utility/landscape trailer — Open deck for equipment, ATVs, brush, and landscaping loads
- 6'×12' open utility trailer — Compact option for smaller jobs; easier to tow than the larger trailers
- 6'×12' Air Tow ground-load trailer — Deck lowers flat to the ground for safes, tool chests, scissor lifts, forklifts, vending machines, and heavy furniture; not available at any chain
If your job requires a dump trailer, car hauler with winch, or gooseneck, Fondy Trailer Rentals is your only local option. The chains don't carry this equipment.
Equipment Condition and Inspection
Chain trailers see hundreds of renters with minimal downtime between uses. Maintenance happens on a schedule rather than per-rental. This creates variability — the specific trailer you get may have worn tires, a sticky coupler latch, intermittent lights, or a bent ramp from a previous renter's rough use.
Nick inspects every trailer in the Fondy Trailer Rentals fleet personally before and after each rental. A nine-trailer fleet gets a level of individual attention that a national chain with thousands of trailers simply cannot provide. You're not rolling the dice on which specific unit you get.
Customer Service: Nick vs. A Call Center
When you book with U-Haul, you're interacting with a national system. Your reservation might be at a specific location, but that location may be a franchise, a gas station, a storage unit facility, or a parking lot with no on-site staff. When you have a question, you call the national number.
When you book with Fondy Trailer Rentals, you text Nick. That's the whole system. He answers, he confirms, he walks you through hookup, and his number is on your phone when you're on Highway 41 and something doesn't feel right. That's a fundamentally different experience — particularly for first-time tower who might have questions at the moment they need answers.
Booking Process: App vs. Text
U-Haul's booking system involves:
- Online reservation with credit card
- Driver's license scan at pickup
- Vehicle inspection walkthrough documentation
- Damage waiver decision
- Often 15-25 minutes at the counter
Fondy Trailer Rentals booking:
- Text Nick with what you need and when
- He confirms availability and rate
- Show up at pickup time
- Walk-through and hookup (10-15 minutes)
- Done
When the Chains Actually Win
To be honest: U-Haul and Home Depot have advantages in specific scenarios.
- Very short, local hauling with a Home Depot purchase — If you need to get plywood from the store to your house 3 miles away, the Home Depot utility trailer is free or nearly free and it's right there. Don't drive to us for that.
- One-way long-distance moves — If you're moving from Fond du Lac to Phoenix, U-Haul's one-way truck (not trailer) system is designed for this. Our trailers must be returned to us.
- No tow vehicle — If you don't have a truck or SUV capable of towing, U-Haul's moving trucks (where you drive the truck, not tow it) are your only option. We only rent trailers — you supply the tow vehicle.
The Bottom Line
For the majority of Fond du Lac and Sheboygan County residents doing moves, cleanup projects, equipment hauling, and vehicle transport, Fondy Trailer Rentals is the better choice. Broader fleet, no mileage limits, real person answering when you call, properly maintained equipment, and pricing that beats the chain's all-in total on most jobs.
The only way to know for sure is to check. Text Nick at (920) 381-9770 with your trailer need and dates. He'll give you a rate in minutes and you can compare it to whatever U-Haul or Home Depot quotes you. Do the math and book accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Home Depot rent trailers?
Home Depot rents a small number of trailer types by the hour at participating stores, alongside its truck fleet. The selection is narrow compared with a dedicated trailer fleet, and availability varies by store.
Is U-Haul cheaper than renting locally?
The advertised base rate usually looks cheaper. The comparison that matters is the total once mileage is added, because U-Haul trailer rentals include a set mileage allowance and charge per mile beyond it. We do not charge per mile at all.
Can I rent a trailer one way and drop it somewhere else?
Not from us. Every trailer returns to Fond du Lac. If you genuinely need a one-way move to another state, a national chain is the right answer and we will tell you so.
Do I need my own vehicle to tow?
Yes. We rent trailers only, so you supply the tow vehicle. If you do not have anything capable of towing, a chain's moving truck is your option.