12 ft Refrigerated Trailer
Starting from $1,895 / month
The smallest trailer in the lineup. It fits tight lots and loading areas when a small walk-in cooler or freezer goes down.
Hilo, Hawaii Refrigeration Trailer Rentals
Hilo is a city in Hawaii County, and HHrefrigeration serves it with refrigeration trailer rentals, mobile kitchen rentals, and dishwashing trailers. Service is nationwide, which means Hilo is covered from your first call.
Hilo is a city in Hawaii County with about 44,186 residents (2023 Census Bureau estimate), and it is the county seat. Customers who rent in a place like this include hospitals and care facilities, school districts, hotels, restaurants, grocers, food distributors, and event venues. Rent for a few days to cover a repair, or lease for months through a renovation, a harvest, a construction project, or a seasonal peak.
Our phone line, (888) 385-5513, answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If the need is planned, use the quote form below and tell us where in Hilo the unit will sit.
Hilo, HI at a glance
Numbers for Hilo that matter when planning a rental: how big it is, how spread out it is, and how far the next larger place sits.
Severe weather in Hawaii can change road conditions quickly, so confirm your site access the day before delivery and keep our number handy.
- Place: city in Hawaii County, Hawaii.
- Population: 44,186 (2023 Census Bureau estimate), number 4 of 20 Hawaii places on our list.
- Land area: 54 square miles, about 824 people per square mile.
- Elevation: about 20 feet.
- Hilo is the county seat of Hawaii County.
- Nearest larger place we list: East Honolulu, 203 miles northwest.
- Other places we list within 50 miles: 2.
How we plan getting a trailer to Hilo
Every rental in Hilo starts with the address, not a warehouse. Here is how a request for Hilo, HI moves from call to cold storage:
- Call or send the form. Tell us the street address in Hilo, what failed or what you are planning, and the temperature you need. Emergencies go to (888) 385-5513.
- We match the unit. A 12 ft refrigerated trailer suits tight lots and small kitchens, a 20 ft trailer holds more, and a refrigerated container is for bulk storage over longer jobs.
- Roads that serve Hilo include Routes 11, 19, 200 and 2000. We confirm which approach suits a trailer, how the truck turns onto your site, and whether anything on the last few blocks is posted or restricted.
- Hilo is roughly 212 straight-line miles southeast of Honolulu, Hawaii's largest city on our list. A longer trip means we plan routes, weather, and delivery timing with more care, and we confirm both in your quote.
- We confirm power and placement. The 20 ft trailers list 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps with a NEMA plug, so have an electrician confirm your service. Pick a firm, level spot with room for the door to open and for the truck to reach it.
- Delivery and setup. On site, setup takes about 1 hour for a refrigeration unit, plus 4 to 6 hours if a ramp is needed or 5 to 15 minutes for stairs. Delivery timing, servicing, and minimum terms are written into your quote, and an inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Emergency refrigeration support in Hilo
Emergency support for Hilo runs through one number, (888) 385-5513, answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Have these details ready:
In Hawaii, calls like this often follow hurricane and wildfire. When an outage runs long, a 20 ft refrigerated trailer rental gives a kitchen, grocer, or care facility cold space to move product into while the building recovers.
For official emergency information in Hawaii, see Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. We are not an emergency agency; for danger to life, call 911.
- The address in Hilo (and the Hawaii County location if it is outside town limits).
- What failed: a walk-in cooler, a freezer, a compressor, or the power itself.
- How much product is at risk, and whether it must stay at 32°F (cooler) or near -5°F (freezer).
- The power available at the site and whether a truck can reach the spot.
- Keep doors closed until the unit arrives so the product holds its temperature as long as possible.
What drives cold-storage demand around Hilo
Hawaii is warm all year, with sea-level highs of roughly 84 to 88 F in summer and 79 to 83 F in winter, and temperatures rarely above 90 F or below 60 F at low elevations. Humidity is fairly high year-round, about 68 percent annually in Honolulu and 79 percent in Hilo. The wetter season runs from October to April, with the heaviest rain on windward coasts. The hottest stretch runs may to October, and the coldest december to March. Both extremes put stress on commercial refrigeration in Hilo.
Hilo is the county seat of Hawaii County and the largest settlement on Hawaii Island, with Hilo Harbor the island's largest harbor and the University of Hawaii at Hilo located here. A port, a university and county government drive recurring cold storage and catering demand.
The Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long hula competition, is held every year after Easter. Festival week brings large crowds and temporary food-service needs.
Hilo is the fourth-wettest U.S. city at about 127 inches of rain a year, and the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis killed 96 and 61 people. Flood and tsunami exposure can disrupt waterfront businesses and create emergency storage needs.
Hurricane Lane in August 2018 brought Hilo 31.85 inches of rain in three days, with river overflow and about 100 rescues from one subdivision. Storm flooding can interrupt power and food operations.
Hurricane risk in Hawaii (June to November): Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai on September 11, 1992, destroying 1,421 houses and leaving the whole island without power for an extended period. True hurricanes are rare, but tropical storms are more frequent. Hurricane damage and long power outages can create a need for emergency cold storage and temporary kitchens on islands where resupply is slow.
Wildfire risk in Hawaii (Mainly the dry season, May to September): Wind-driven fires on August 8, 2023 destroyed more than 2,200 structures on Maui and killed at least 102 people in Lahaina. Fires also burned in Kula and Kihei, and unsafe water alerts were issued for Lahaina and Upper Kula. Wildfire can displace residents and shut down businesses and water, which can create a need for temporary kitchens, relief feeding and warewashing.
During the August 2023 windstorm, about 30 utility poles fell on Maui, causing at least 15 outages that affected over 12,400 customers. Wind-driven outages can strike with little warning and affect cold storage.
Food service and business in Hilo
The kinds of operations that rent refrigeration in a city like Hilo are hospitals and care facilities, school districts, hotels, restaurants, grocers, food distributors, and event venues.
USDA reported over 7,300 Hawaii farm operations on about 1.1 million acres in 2022, with coffee the second-largest crop at $102.9 million in the 2019-2020 harvest. Harvest-season produce and specialty crops can require temporary cold storage.
Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, the world's largest macadamia processor, is headquartered near Hilo. Food processing and shipping of agricultural products depend on temperature-controlled handling.
Hilo customers use refrigeration trailers in three common ways: as emergency cover for a failed walk-in, as extra capacity during a peak (a harvest, a festival, a holiday week), and as temporary cold storage during a renovation. See rental prices for what each unit costs, or how to plan your site before delivery.
Demand also rises around events in Hawaii: Merrie Monarch Festival (March or April, the week after Easter); Honolulu Marathon (December). A major festival week can raise demand for food service and cold storage in Hilo.
Equipment you can rent in Hilo
Refrigeration is our focus, and Hilo customers rent the same four units as the rest of Hawaii:
Many Hilo requests pair cold storage with a mobile kitchen rental or a dishwashing trailer rental, so a facility can cook, serve, and clean up during a repair or renovation.
20 ft Refrigerated Trailer
Starting from $1,895 / month
The workhorse. A 20 ft trailer comes as a 32°F cooler or as a low-temperature freezer configuration, so you can match what failed.
20 ft Refrigerated Container
Starting from $2,995 / month
A stationary cold storage box for bulk product, built for longer projects, seasonal peaks, and renovations.
40 ft Refrigerated Container
Starting from $3,995 / month
The largest cold storage option. It takes pallets and bulk product for food distribution, disaster response, and large facilities.
Requirements for renting a refrigerated trailer in Hilo
Renting a refrigerated trailer in Hilo is simple, but a few items decide whether it runs smoothly on the first day.
DOH's March 2026 flood guidance says refrigerated food is safe for less than four hours without power, frozen food lasts up to 24 hours in a half-full freezer or 48 hours in a full one, and food touched by floodwater should be discarded. These limits show why quickly restoring cold storage after an outage matters.
The Department of Health Food Safety Branch handles food establishment permits and special event food establishment permits. Anyone operating a temporary or mobile kitchen should contact the Food Safety Branch about permits.
- Customer type: commercial or industrial only (restaurants, grocers, healthcare, schools, hospitality, distributors, government). We do not rent to residential customers.
- Power: 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps for the 20 ft trailers, with a NEMA plug. Ask your electrician to confirm the circuit at your Hilo site before delivery.
- Placement: a firm, level surface with room for the trailer, its door swing, and the delivery truck. Soft ground, steep slopes, and overhead lines are the usual problems.
- Access: send the gate or door width, any low clearances, and the best approach into the property.
- Permission: if you rent the property, get the owner or manager's approval to place a trailer. For food-safety questions, contact Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch.
- Paperwork: your quote lists the unit, the rental length, delivery, setup, servicing, and minimum terms. An inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Roads, routes, and access around Hilo
Highways and routes tied to Hilo:
Hilo sits at about 20 feet above sea level, near sea level, where coastal flooding and storm surge are part of planning.
Nearby places we also serve: Nanawale Estates (17 miles southeast), Waimea (42 miles northwest), Kahaluu-Keauhou (57 miles west), Hawaiian Ocean View (61 miles southwest), Hawi (62 miles northwest).
- Routes 11, 19, 200 and 2000: The Hawaii Belt Road runs north of Hilo.
Rental prices for Hilo at a glance
Rates are the same nationwide. Rentals start from $1,895 / month for a 12 ft trailer, and the price sheet prints a separate rate for 1-6 days, 8-14 days, 15 days to 1 month, and more than 3 months. See every rate. Delivery to Hilo, setup, servicing, and minimum terms are confirmed in your quote.
More of Hawaii and the Non-contiguous
Hilo is one of the places we list in Hawaii, and Hawaii is part of our Non-contiguous service area. Browse the Hawaii service area for every city page in the state, or the full service-area map.
Rental terms at a glance
Rentals run by the week or by the month, with short-term and long-term options, and we answer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Setup on site takes about 1 hour for a refrigeration unit and about 5 hours for a kitchen or dishwashing trailer; a ramp adds 4 to 6 hours and stairs add 5 to 15 minutes. GPS tracking is possible on request. Delivery, setup, servicing, and minimum terms are confirmed in your quote, and an inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Cold storage down? Call now.
Emergency refrigeration rentals in Hilo, HI.
If a walk-in cooler or freezer has stopped holding temperature, call now. Tell us your city and state, what failed, how much product is at risk, and what power is on site. Keep doors closed to hold the cold while we work out the right trailer or container for you.
Hilo rental questions
Do you rent refrigerated trailers in Hilo, Hawaii?
Yes. HHrefrigeration rents refrigerated trailers, refrigerated containers, mobile kitchens, and dishwashing trailers to commercial and industrial customers in Hilo and Hawaii County. Call (888) 385-5513 or send the quote form with your address. An inquiry does not reserve equipment; availability, delivery, and terms are confirmed in your quote.
How do I get a trailer if Hilo is far from a major city?
We plan the delivery from your street address, not from a fixed point on the map. Hilo is about 212 miles southeast of Honolulu, so we confirm the route, the final approach, and the timing with you in the quote.
What power does a refrigerated trailer need in Hilo?
The 20 ft refrigerated trailers list 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps, with a NEMA plug. Have a licensed electrician confirm your service at the Hilo site before delivery, and send the voltage, phase, and amps with your request.
Who do I contact about food safety rules in Hawaii County?
Start with Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch (https://health.hawaii.gov/san/). Rules vary by jurisdiction, so check with them before you place temporary refrigeration or a temporary kitchen.
Can I rent a mobile kitchen or dishwashing trailer in Hilo too?
Yes. When a kitchen is down, we rent mobile kitchens from 24 ft to 40 ft and dishwashing trailers from 22 ft to 38 ft. Many Hilo customers pair them with a refrigerated trailer so they can cook, serve, and clean up while permanent equipment is repaired.
What should I do before hurricane season in Hawaii?
Know your site's power and placement details, keep our number ((888) 385-5513) handy, and call early if a forecast puts your walk-in at risk. Hurricane risk in Hawaii is highest June to November.
Sources for local facts
Sources
Local facts on this page come from public sources. Population is the Census Bureau's 2023 estimate.
What to send for a fast quote
- The city and state where the unit will sit
- What failed and how much product is at risk
- Cooler (32°F) or freezer temperature needed
- Power available at the site: voltage, phase, and amps
- Access: gate or door width, surface, and where the unit will be placed
- How long you expect to need it
Prefer to talk? Call (888) 385-5513 any time.