Renting an Enclosed Trailer to Deliver and Haul Appliances

The store quoted you a delivery fee and a four-hour window, and you've got a hitch and a free afternoon, so you're thinking about bringing the new appliances home yourself. It's a smart move, and an enclosed trailer makes it genuinely easy, as long as you handle a few things right. New appliances are big, heavy, easy to scratch and not cheap to replace, so hauling them home is worth doing with a little care rather than roping a fridge into a pickup bed and hoping. Here's how to rent and load an enclosed trailer for appliances, and the one rule that matters most: getting a refrigerator home without hurting it.

Why enclosed

An enclosed trailer is the right tool for new appliances for the same reasons the store's delivery truck is a box. It keeps rain and road grime off a brand-new finish, it shields the appliances from wind and highway debris and it locks, so you can stop for lunch without watching the trailer the whole time.

It also gives you solid walls to strap against, which is exactly what you want for tall, tippy things like a refrigerator or an upright freezer. An open trailer can work in a pinch with enough wrapping and strapping, but for a load this valuable and this easy to mar, the box earns its cost. And it keeps the manuals, hardware and small parts that ride along from blowing out or getting soaked, which sounds minor until you're missing the dryer's vent kit. Read more about when the extra cost of an enclosed trailer is worth it.

Size it to the load

Measure the appliances and the trailer's door, not just the floor space. A refrigerator is tall, so interior height matters as much as length, and the rear opening has to clear the widest, tallest piece you're bringing.

Add up what you're hauling, since a fridge, a washer, a dryer, a range and a dishwasher take up both space and weight fast, and keep the load within the trailer's payload and your tow rating. A rear ramp makes loading heavy appliances far easier than lifting them to deck height, so look for one. And think about how you'll get the appliances from the trailer into the house, since a fridge that fits the trailer still has to fit your doorways, so measure those while you're at it. Read more about the enclosed trailer size guide.

Prep before you load

A little prep saves trouble on the road. Empty and defrost a refrigerator or freezer well before moving day so it isn't dripping in the trailer, and take out or tape down the loose shelves, bins and racks so they don't rattle around or crack.

On a washer, disconnect and drain the hoses, and reinstall the shipping bolts if you kept them, since they lock the drum for transport so it doesn't bang around. Coil and tape the cords and hoses to each appliance so nothing dangles or catches on the way in and out. Ten minutes of prep is a lot cheaper than a cracked shelf or a soaked trailer floor.

Load them safely

Use an appliance dolly or hand truck and a helper, because appliances are heavy and awkward, and this is exactly how backs get hurt. Roll them up the ramp rather than carrying them, and take your time with a top-heavy load. Never try to catch an appliance that's tipping or get a hand or foot under one on a ramp; let it go and reset, since a scratched fridge is a lot cheaper than a broken foot.

Protect the finish. Wrap the appliances in moving blankets, and never run a strap tight directly across a painted or stainless panel without padding underneath, since the strap itself will mar the finish you're trying to protect. Tape or strap the doors closed so they can't swing open in transit.

Then secure everything so it can't tip or slide. Stand the appliances against the trailer's front or side walls, strap them to the e-track or tie-down points and snug the straps enough to hold without crushing. Load the heaviest pieces low and toward the front for tongue weight, and stand the tall items where a wall braces them on at least one side so they can't rock. A loose refrigerator in a moving trailer is a wrecked refrigerator, and maybe a wrecked trailer wall too. Read more about how to load a trailer so the weight rides where it should.

The refrigerator rule

Refrigerators and freezers get their own rule, and it's the one people wish they'd known. There's oil in the compressor, and how the fridge rides decides what you do when you get home.

Transport a refrigerator upright whenever you can, which an enclosed trailer with the height makes easy. If it rides upright, you can generally set it in place, let it settle briefly and plug it in.

If it absolutely has to travel on its side or back, the oil migrates out of the compressor, so you have to stand it upright and wait before powering it on, at least as long as it was lying down, and many manufacturers say to wait up to 24 hours to be safe. Powering up a fridge too soon after it rode on its side can run the compressor dry and damage it. Some models, like many French-door and built-in units, shouldn't be laid down at all, so check the manual for your fridge before you tip it. When in doubt, keep it upright and you skip the whole question. The same rule applies to a chest or upright freezer, which has the same compressor and the same need to settle before it runs.

Unload and settle in

Unload the same careful way you loaded: dolly down the ramp, blankets still on, a helper steadying the tall pieces, and pull each tie-down only when you're ready to move that item.

Give a refrigerator its upright rest before you plug it in, level the washer and dryer where they'll live, and pull the tape and blankets. You've saved yourself a delivery fee and a scheduling window, and with a little care, there's not a scratch on anything to show for the trip. Break down the packaging, return the trailer swept out and clean, and the whole job comes out cheaper and less stressful than waiting on a delivery window that never quite lands when they say it will.

What about insurance and damage protection?

Before towing a rented trailer, contact your auto insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability and towing-related damage claims.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions, and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

The Short Version

• An enclosed trailer keeps new appliances dry, secure and out of the wind, and gives you walls to strap against
• Measure the appliances and the trailer's door, not just the floor, since a fridge's height and the rear opening matter most, and check your doorways at home too
• Prep first: empty and defrost the fridge, drain the washer hoses and reinstall its shipping bolts, and secure loose shelves and cords
• Use a dolly and a helper, roll up the ramp, wrap everything in blankets, and strap appliances to the walls snug but not crushing
• Transport a refrigerator upright if you can; if it rode on its side, stand it upright and wait before powering it on, up to 24 hours, and check the manual
• Unload as carefully as you loaded, and give the fridge its upright rest before you plug it in

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