Hot Rods Preferred sized trailer for 1932 Roadster

You will be amazed at how many friends a trailer will bring you.

 

I also wouldn't get a flat top trailer for storage. They don't shed water very well. Going down the road in the rain not an issue. Constantly sitting it will become a problem.

 

#3...........Those that steal them

 

Yeah, there is always that type lurking.

 

Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw many years ago.............
"Yes, this is my pickup and no, I won't help you move".

 

I moved a pool table for a buddy in mine. It was snowing and 6 of us were able to carry it up the ramps. Beats taking one apart.

 

May I suggest that you look at the information in this link? And while you're at it, think about having a side door as well. I'm not involved in this manufacturer or endorsing them. @Bill's Auto Works and @trulyvintage have hundreds of thousands of miles transporting cars, so I would definitely pay attention to their advice.
https://legendmfginc.com/

 

A friend had a Featherlite that had a 4-foot-wide door that was located so that when his car was in the trailer, he could open the side door, open the car door, get in and drive out. It was a nice feature.

 

I borrowed a few trailers before I realized I had to have an escape door. It makes loading and unloading so easy.

 

Have you considered a storage facility? When you factor the cost over the course of 5 years, as you mentioned, a typical 20-24' enclosed trailer is between $8-15k new, and a typical 10x20 storage unit would be around $200/mo or $12k over 5 years. Factor in the cost of trailer maintenance, tires, lights, bearings, etc. not to mention registrations and inspections, and insurance, and then the depreciation on top. The storage facility seems to be a more solid investment than a seldom used trailer.

 

Double that estimate and that was in 2020, add another 5-10k today. Storage would be a ton cheaper but not as handy.

My wheel boxes come off. That truck is wicked low but clears the tires with ease.

 

Maybe out west, but here in Texas a basic enclosed ramp door 20' trailer is $6k, a nicer 20' is $8-10k, and a nice loaded race car 20' trailer is $12-15k. Add $2-4k for a 24' across the board. Of course they can get much more expensive than that, but the OP didn't mention anything about living quarters or AC or tool storage. I've been watching prices on enclosed trailers every month for the last 3 years, waiting for the prices to go back to pre-pandemonium prices, but I'm not seeing any trends that show that will happen and personally, I may have to opt for a used 16-20'.

 

My $ .02, I ordered an 8-1/2' x 16' enclosed trailer with a 6' interior height, 8 weeks to manufacture. This is my second 16' trailer and both worked well for fendered and or non-fendered T's, A's and '32's-'34's hot rods. The lowered ceiling allows me to park in the garage during winter months. The trailer has a V-nose allowing storage for tools, small floor jack and a spare tire. The V'ed nose, shorter overall length and lower height improves the wind resistance. Just returned from G.G.'s Loveland, CO 1,800 miles no problem!

 

A big sign on the side might deter thief's

 

That is fine Mark for cars that can be winched.

I transport a lot of cars that have to be driven in I.E Newer Corvettes & dozens of high dollar exotics that have no way to hook a winch cable to. Obviously I cannot post pictures of those cars or you will delete them! LOL

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Around here a 8.5 x 16 is still $20K.

8.5 x 20 is $23.5K.

 

Doesn't all that newer stuff have to have a tow hook spot?

Either way, if I was making a living doing it I'd have a nice ATC.

 

NO, they do not all have a tow hook spot, again I can't post pictures or Mark will delete them. A few of the exotics I have transported over the years do have a tow hook, but if I was afraid to drive a customers car or not know how to drive them.....I would be one of those "sub-par" transporters.

I looked at the ATC trailers & even had a good customer who worked at an ATC dealership in Wisconsin. There are different levels of quality produced by ATC & their lower level selection is not on par with what I am currently using. My next one will be 26 foot & of course all aluminum. It will either be the better version of the ATC or it will be an Intec. Like I said in my earlier post, I am seeing prices at about a thousand dollars a foot & that is NOT with cabinets, air conditioning or other fancy stuff.

Just because a trailer has an aluminum frame does not mean it is a quality trailer. I have seen examples of aluminum trailers that literally fell apart within a few months of purchase, yet they were called "custom built" LMAO My current trailer is an 24ft Aluma-Lite, it has 1.5 million miles on it I take it coast to coast constantly.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Nearly every trailer manufacturer is structured that way now, with various levels of trailer build. The ATC's I've seen have been nicely built but I don't think they're the lowest model. Royal Cargo has nice stuff and economy stuff.

I've had to look at new trailers for work with every weld defect imaginable, whether they were aluminum or steel. A lot of RV's and enclosed trailers have poor design as well. A lack of regulation and skilled labour is to blame.

You say Alumi-lite, which doesn't come up in a google search. Ameri Lite, listed in your thread comes up as Ameralite when googled. So I can only assume that's the one you mean. In any case, they don't sell them up here so I've never seen one.

 

Try a car with those automatic park brake and a dual clutch flappy paddle trans

With careful design you can build a steel trailer that is stronger ,more durable, and lighter weight than aluminium.
All trailers have certain components that are a fixed weight [axles, couplers, suspension, tyres etc] which only leaves the frame as the only area for weight improvements.

Shape is more important than size, Here is a trailer I built with pressed .080" sheet steel as the main frame.
The folded frame runners were the actual frame with 3"x 2" x .080" tube crossmembers
It weighed only 480kg [1056 lbs] on a certified weigh bridge
I could've gotten it even lighter by using Alloy wheels but I was the nationwide importer of those "chrome modulars" on the trailer



But it was an exercise in futility [for marketing] because everybody wanted it for 1/2 price [ it would've been difficult to get an Aluminium 15' car hauler down to 1056 lbs]

I also built a very lightweight enclosed trailer which was monocoque design . It weighed just over 1000 kg [2200 lbs] so legally I could load my Corvette race car in it 1170 kg [2574 lbs] and tow it behind an Aussie SW with a tow rating of 2300kg
But it was absolutely dangerous when empty especially in cross winds.
So I added a shitload of weight to it ,then sold it. [this was a classic example of being "too smart for my own good"]

 

You haven't mentioned the specs on your tow vehicle. I retired from the service department of a large powersports dealership. They sold a lot of enclosed trailers built by a local manufacturer. All aluminum construction so they were light. We had a number of customers with new half ton pickups that realized they bought too much trailer for the truck they had. The usual complaint wasn't lack of power, it was poor handling, even with a properly installed and adjusted hitch system. Windy conditions made it worse. Some of these guys would be hauling 4 to 6 snowmobiles north to the Michigan UP in the winter. Ever hear about the Yugo that blew off the Mackinaw bridge?
You may want to ask the dealer for a test drive using your vehicle with the car in the trailer to see how it acts if it's set up to tow already. If not, that is another expense to factor in.
The dealership had an F350 diesel dually. It was the high-end Platinum model with all the toys. That was a treat to tow with. It would pull a 26 footer packed full of side-by-sides effortlessly, in Cadillac-like comfort, but the sticker price on it made Cadillacs look cheap!

 

Those ones are not gear heads. They are shit heads...........

 

I’m curious, how much do 6 snowmobiles weigh?

I only ask because my horse trailer is an all steel ‘71 Miley. 15.5 foot deck. Another 3 feet or so for the nose. I’d guess 4k-5k lbs? Maybe with two in it, my half ton handled fine for me, but I wasn’t ever in a hurry to get there or get back.

I wonder if some folks don’t like/understand towing?

 

You say Alumi-lite, which doesn't come up in a google search. Ameri Lite, listed in your thread comes up as Ameralite when googled. So I can only assume that's the one you mean. In any case, they don't sell them up here so I've never seen one.[/QUOTE]

My apologies @05snopro440 ,

Yes mine is an Amera-lite, they were built by Forrest River, but were discontinued years ago. High quality trailer for its time. I take very good care of my trucks & trailers, so they last a very long time, but after well over 1 million miles...this one is showing some age. Still debating about what to do about retirement with the Wife's cancer diagnoses & what I want for an enclosed trailer going forward. We do want a medium-sized motor home eventually & will pull an enclosed trailer to national events with one of my cars in it, then sight see that area after the show as the Wife has not traveled much inside our great country.

@Kerrynzl ,

Very cool you built your own trailers! For comparison sake....my Featherlite Open trailer is 17 FT long & weighs 1475 LBS empty. Add another 150LBS for winch, air dam & power leg It also has well over 1 million miles+ on it & the only cracks I have on the trailer itself are back where the ramp doors are which doesn't affect the strength of the trailer.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

15 years ago I bought an 18' box trailer that was an insurance total. Jacknifed and crinkled the diamond plate gravel shield on the front. It had been used by a gutter installer, and is wired inside for 110V. I think I paid $1,800 for it. I fixed the front end, jacked out a couple of bent steel "studs" behind the inner plywood, and have found it to be about the handiest thing I've ever bought. I've put 2 sets of tires on it, all 4 brakes and modern LED lights last fall before we hauled the roadster to Florida. I've used it to store cars in over the winter here in Michigan several times, so it's a portable garage as well as transport. It'd be nice if it had a ramp door instead of the steel ramps, but hey, it works and it was cheap. I've also got an aluminum open trailer I bought as a kind of retirement present, it's not nearly as useful as I thought it'd be, mostly because I don't want to haul my roadster on an open trailer. Have fun shopping, look for a used one, they're out there.

 

Check LOOK Trailers, the Vision model. You may find a better deal!

 

My 5x8 and 6x10 enclosed both have the vin painted on the roof. The 24ft enclosed has the vin on the roof and a Lojack GPS tracker hidden on it. Thieves rarely look on the top of trailers and if they are using drones or Google Earth to search for trailers it may be a deterrent

 

Just FYI, Hagerty insures car trailers. They won’t fix them if wrecked though, they just cut you a check. Mine is insured for the entire purchase price if wrecked or stolen. I don’t worry about it.