Just a few quick enclosed trailer questions... I need to get a 16 to 20 foot enclosed trailer (Kinda leaning towards splitting the difference at 18) to help move the family and later haul a car. My cars are drivin so this will only be for projects and cargo... My truck says it can tow up to 8k. So, is there any reason to upgrade to 10k axles? Also, I don't really plan on hauling any big cars so it 7' wide enough? Or should I go to 8' or 8.5'? What do you guys think about V front trailers etc? Any other options I should consider? I know this may sound kinda weak to the "Hard Core" but if you talk ****, I won't offer to come haul that 'barn fresh' pile-o-**** out of the farmers yard for you. You can just carry it out piece by piece like Johny Cash!
If you plan on haulng cars anything under 8.5' will be a problem. Dove tail is critical also for low cars.
18 ft enclosed will make it hard to put a full sized car inside. You have to have it 102 inches wide. I would avoid Race trailers unless your cars are really low, because the tongue is very low on them, and you may have the hitch dragging on driveways if they are even a little steep. 10K axles on what? Trailer axles are underrated (according to the manufacturer) by 30%, so you can use 3500lb trailer axles with most loads. I would upgrade the tires to 225 instead of the 205 that comes with the trailer (that's what I did, and blowouts disappeared), which will require new wheels (unless you get the 225 setup from the dealer) V fronts lose a lot of room - I would rather have a airfoil on the truck to break the wind. I made one out of 20ga for my Dakota for about $40. Make sure you use a weight distributing hitch, an anti-sway bar, and I would recommend a power tongue jack. Carry two spare tires. Mutt
You can always use more length, 20 ft is real std length. Stronger axles also means bigger bearings and brakes, that is good. I would get the 96 inch wide, that way you can mount stuff on the sides if you want. V-front gives a bit more room, and maybe a little better wind flow that could help towing mileage? Get the side doors on both sides if that is an option. You need some lights, and an awning is real nice if you want o sit in the sahde at the track, or shelter from the rain. Look around for a used one and you might save some considerable money.
Gotta agree, if you're going buy one get an 8.5 wide and as long as you can afford. Like the garage it's always too small later. Recently read somewhere to measure the car you'd haul and add 2' front and rear for the length. Personally I wouldn't go under 22'. You never know what you might want too haul in the future
Thanks a lot guys... I don't know if I can afford anything over 18' but you guys make some good points. I really can't see myself hauling anything bigger than a 34 ford but who knows... The point about having enough room to adjust the load makes sense to me. The thing is I can't find **** for sale used... Will keep looking though. Anybody else got any pearls of wisdom?
I would avoid 3500lbs axles at all costs. It is not because of axle failure, but tire blowout. The problem is in the small 5lug(3500lbs) pattern you will only be able to get 15"wheels, and the tire choices will be limited to light duty tires. The enclosed trailer will be in the 3k+ range, so you are not left with much weight to load it with. It is not as much of a problem with 16-18foot trailers, but it ****s with the 20-24foot trailers. You will never wish you had a smaller trailer, or less space, and big trailers make a great place to store cars that you do not have room for in the shop. You can try looking on some of the race forums for used trailers. I always have friends upgrading/getting out of racing that are selling trailers, and not everyone wants to make a killing on a used trailer. It is the right time of the year to find good deals on used trailers. You should be able to find a good deal. I have a friend that has a 2005 24ft pace with all the options that 5k would buy, on the right day. Deals are out there.
A 34 Ford is a little longer than my Deuce......and MY 22 footer is almost too short. The Deuce needs to be within 1 inch of it's sweet spot either way to pull good. Mine is a Pace Shadow. I bought it new for my FIREWORKS business. It is 102 inches wide. It has the low car option ......It Has 3500 lbs Dexter axles and I have never had a problem with it ( bought new in 1995 ) As good as trailers hold their value.......just buy new. At 10 years, mine is at $650 a year I could NOT find a decent used one back then either.......
DR, I can't believe anyone would pay all that hard-earned $$ for a car they couldn't even drive home. Some people's kids?!?! JH
Any kind of trailer is at a premium due to Katrina and other storm clean up. If it has wheels someone will buy it. The dealer that sold me my 20' enclosed 5 years ago just bought it back from me and gave me every penny I paid for it, inc. taxes. He had a broker that hauled it to Louisiana. I wouldn't go smaller than a 20. Get an airfoil, it was a big help to me.
This got me thinking... Who makes the best trailer anyway? Pace, Haulmark, Interstate, etc? Or all they all pretty much the same for similar prices?
Wow, this is right up my alley. Next Spring we're moving our entire household for So Cal to North East Tennessee... we figure we're going to tow our roadster in a 24' enclosed trailer because when we stop at night, we don't want to be worried about leaving it exposed... also, we'll be sleeping in the rig, 'cause we just don't wanna take any chances. So, for last few months, I've been watching/looking for deals on trailers. I've become obsessed, just ask my hubby (2002P51) I've taught myself a lot about trailers. Ebay has a section for trailers, and you can search for "enclosed" - or just look under "car trailers". Lots to choose from, obviously the variety and inventory changes regularly, so watch regularly. It seems that there are brand new Haulmark trailers, 24' x 96" available (if you can get them from one of their distribution facilities) for approx. $5,300. Recently, there was one in Laguna Niguel, and the sale didn't complete for some reason. It might come back on, but it was in the $3k range. Keep watching and you'll find something.
My 20' Haulmark with 7000# gross capacity worked fine to haul my roadsters, a friends roadster, daughter's car with all her apartment stuff to AZ from CA. One at a time. The trailer is 20'4" inside and is the 102" wide model. I highly recommend you get a load equalizing hitch and a sway bar setup. A regular hitch doesn't cut it. Pay attention to the equalizing hitch as well. Most of the trailer dealers sell a Chinese made eq. hitch and I don't trust the metallurgy. If you buy a spare tire for it, it may be best to get one as an option straight from the factory. I bought a new wheel at the same place I bought the trailer and they ***ured me it was the same wheel even though it was powdered white and the trailer wheels were powdered gray. I should have checked the wheel for backspacing. It works, but it sticks out a little further than the original wheels. Regardless, the spare saved our ****s when we hit some metal in a pull out spot and blew the tire. You may want to give some thought to building a potty room in the left front corner. Not much room is sacrificed and you could build it so the walls plug into sockets and are easily removed. The potty was nice for the girls and was much appreciated. Not so important for the guys, we can always check the hitch or the back door, but you know how it is with the ladies.... Note the boat trailer manual winch on a 1" x 2" x .120 wall rectangular stand that bolts to the floor's steel bracing. It helps a lot in pulling the dead runners in as well as letting them out under control. Less than $45. invested including winch and steel. You can see where the roadster sits and how little space was given over to the potty. About 3' x 4' if I remember right. I added four of the HD car tie down rings as well as a bunch of lighter duty rings to tie down other stuff. You can bolt stuff right to the floor as well. I had my 12" x 36" lathe lagged to the floor.
Here's an interior pic of the potty room. I know most of you can build one on your own, but the key thing about this one was trying to build it lightweight and sturdy. It's constructed from 2" x 2" pine, with 1/4" mahagony ply which is pretty reasonable cost-wise. $10. per sheet and I used two. Fairly lightweight. I tried to find 1/8" door veneer, but all things considered, the 1/4" stuff was probably best. The right side wall is screwed to the floor with #10 sheet metal screws. Upper part of the wall has 1/8" angle aluminum braces cut to fit, screwed to the upper 2" x 2" with sheet metal screws (wood screws have no reason to exist in my book) and the upper part of the angle brackets are sheet metal screwed to the 1" square metal tubes that brace the trailer roof. Door hinge is a 48" piano hinge cuz it was easy. Door flange or whatever you want to call it is a piece of 1 1/2" aluminum angle. A couple of barrel bolts, one inside, one outside takes care of keeping the door shut. Door handles inside and out are found at Home Depot. You'll note the 2" x 2" framing is tied together with angle brackets and sheet metal screws. A flourescent light and my old Optima battery which is still going strong. The rest is pretty self-explanatory although you'll need a better paper towel holder than what I have. Darned thing unwound all the towels from a brand new roll while we were traveling....
In my book........Featherlite.....hands down no question about it. BUT THEY ARE expensive..... I believe that Pace, Hallmark and Wells Cargo are all fairly equal.......if you compare apples to apples. All make a few different levels of trailers for econo box to medium to real nice. Mine is a Pace Shadow...the Middle of the line. Not the bottom but not the top. I have owned it 10 years and pulled it everywhere. I have two spare tires....when 1 goes..I still have a spare..... and I have never had tire or axle problems other than a nail or cut tire... Having the 32 secure is a BIG plus.......when you are on the road 2000 miles from home. I pulled my roadster to the HAMB drags...... ( and I was not the ONLY one...) 1250 miles 1 way. It was HOT, wet and I am old and grumpy. The wife likes riding in the A/C...with the CD player on....in the Silverado. Been to Los Angeles, Canada, Ohio, Florida, INDY and lots of other places. The trailer makes taking all the stuff you need a lot easier...for a 2 week trip. 32 Fords do not have much trunk room....and mine is a rumble seat car so it is even less....I have driven my 32 to all of the above places except LA and Canada ......50,000 miles on the odometer...but the trailer makes it easier....and nicer.
Deuce Roadster has an excellent point about spare tires. I only have one, but when the tire blew we were 20 miles out of Barstow and when we hit town we bought a new tire. With 200 miles to go from Barstow to Kingmanand traveling the Dez in 100+ degree temps, running without a spare is a touch scary. Since we'd run these desert highways so much last summer, we'd seen and taken note of all the broken down trailers. Flats/blowouts for the most part and the second problem was burned out bearings. One of the biggest tire/bearing offenders . . . if that's the right word were the trailers with 12"- 13" wheels. Easy to see most times that they were way overloaded. Surprising how many probs can be avoided by correctly inflated tires and fresh grease in the bearings. Not to mention staying withing the gross weight limits.... As mentioned above, when the trailer is parked, it makes for a good storage place. And just for the helluva it, an overhead view of the trailer winch. It's an 1800# version. I had a 1600# version on my old tandem axle flatbed trailer and it worked just as well . . . including dragging a 3200# dead runner up the steep ramps . . . the roadsters weigh 2200# (31) and 2400# (32).
Interstate 40 outside of Barstow HUH.....?? I think the locals MUST go out there and put down nails......I had one go bad there also...... June 1996....on the way to LA Roadsters.... Had trouble in Barstow finding a Goodyear dealer with trailer tires. Goodyear makes a special tire for trailers..........and I believe in using them.....spent the night and got one the next morning. Like Willie Nelson sings...... " On the road again " .......
It was in a moment of weakness..... And I did not really pay him........the wife did ......with my money
Thanks for all the great info. From C9's pic, the 20' looks big enough for me and the trailer shops I talked to said bigger might be a problem with the Suburban. Right now, I'm looking at a couple Haulmarks and Interstates... I should have something by Monday. I'll keep you updated. -Phil
We were running Hwy 58 between Mojave and Barstow about 20 miles short of Barstow when I took the rig off Hwy 58 onto the wide graveled area where trucks park when the tire blew. (Granddaughter and I made a night run during extreme temperatures prior to that trip. We were traveling Hwy 58 to Hwy 15 into Las Vegas where we were staging roadsters and shop stuff at daughters house. 95 degrees at Baker Grade at 0400. We must have seen 2000+ trucks parked with the drivers sleepin in their sleeper cabs. Once it rolled past midnight trucks pretty much quit traveling the highway.) I use official trailer tires as well, but I simply matched what came with the trailers. Hitting Barstow from the west we stopped at the first tire shop we hit. It was also a tow truck outfit. They treated us well, charged the same price the trailer store did - which was fair - and got us out of there in about a half hour. Trouble with blowing a tire and installing the spare is, your Ace in the Hole is gone. You may be right about nails. Almost all the trailers and cars with flat tires we saw were 20-40 miles east of Barstow on Hwy 40.
Whatever trailer you have is always a compromise that involves wind resistance, weight, and cost, as well as interior room versus the amount of space it takes to park it and store it. The trailers that are built by the Aluminum Trailer Company are a**** the nicest I've seen. There are links to their site and dozens more race car trailer manufacturers on this page: http://www.roadsters.com/trailers/ Dave http://www.roadsters.com/
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