U-Haul 2004 Annual Report Download - page 8

belongings. Our Gentle Ride Suspension
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helps our customers safely move their most delicate and prized
possessions. Also, the engineers at the U-Haul Technical Center determined the softest ride in our trucks was
at the front of the van box. Consequently, they designed the part of the van box that hangs over the front cab
of the truck to be the location for our customers to place their most fragile items during their move. We call
this area ""Mom's Attic.''
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Our distinctive orange and white trailers are also manufactured at these same U-Haul operated
manufacturing and assembly facilities. These trailers are well suited to the low proÑle of many of today's newly
manufactured automobiles. Our engineering staÅ is committed to making our trailers easy to tow, aerody-
namic and fuel eÇcient.
To provide our self-move customers with added value, our rental trucks and trailers are designed for fuel
eÇciency. Also, to help make our rental equipment more trouble free, we perform extensive preventive
maintenance and repairs. As an added beneÑt, we also oÅer emergency road service at no additional charge.
U-Haul also provides customers the equipment to transport their auto. We provide three towing options,
including; auto transport, in which all four wheels are oÅ the ground, tow dolly, in which the front wheels of
the towed vehicle are oÅ the ground, and tow bar, where all four wheels are on the ground.
To help our customers load their boxes and larger household appliances and furniture, U-Haul provides
several accessory rental items. Our utility dolly has a lightweight design and is easy to maneuver. Another
rental accessory is our four wheel dolly, which provides a large, Öat surface for moving dressers, wall units,
pianos and other large household items. U-Haul appliance dollies provide the leverage needed to move
refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers easily and safely. These utility, furniture and appliance dollies, along
with the low decks and the loading ramps on all U-Haul trucks and trailers, are designed for easy loading and
unloading of our customers' belongings.
The total package U-Haul oÅers the ""do-it-yourself'' household mover doesn't end with trucks and
trailers. Our moving supplies include a wide array of aÅordably priced U-Haul brand boxes, tape and packing
materials. We also provide specialty boxes for dishes, computers and sensitive electronic equipment, carton
sealing tape, security locks, and packing supplies, like wrapping paper and cushioning foam. U-Haul brand
boxes are speciÑcally sized to make stacking and tiering easier.
U-Haul is also North America's largest seller and installer of hitches and towing systems. These hitching
and towing systems can tow jet skis, motorcycles, boats, campers and horse trailers. Our hitches, ball mounts,
and balls undergo stringent testing requirements.
To enable the transport of items on the roof of a car or SUV, U-Haul oÅers a special Roof Pouch» that
easily attaches to the roof rack of a vehicle. The Roof Pouch» is made from tough vinyl coated material, is
weather-proof, and will not scratch the Ñnish of a vehicle. The Roof Pouch»can double the cargo space of a
typical SUV.
U-Haul is also North America's largest retail propane distributor, with more than 800 retail centers
oÅering propane. We employ trained, certiÑed personnel to reÑll all propane cylinders, and our network of
propane dispensing locations is the largest automobile alternative refueling network in North America.
Self-storage was a natural outgrowth of the self-moving industry. Conveniently located U-Haul self-
storage rental facilities provide clean, dry and secure space for storage of household and commercial goods,
with storage units ranging in size from 15 square feet to over 400 square feet. We operate nearly 1,000 self-
storage locations in North America, with more than 340,000 rentable rooms comprising approximately
29 million square feet of rentable storage space. Our self-storage centers feature a wide array of security
measures, ranging from electronic property access control gates to individually alarmed storage units. At many
centers, we oÅer climate controlled storage rooms to protect temperature sensitive goods such as video tapes,
albums, photographs and precious wood furniture.
Our eMove web site, emove.com, is the largest network of customers and businesses in the self-moving
and self-storage industry. The eMove network consists of channels where customers, businesses and service
providers transact business. The eMove Moving Help marketplace connects ""do-it-yourself'' movers with
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