Technical Trailers - Show & Tell

Here’s my ‘39 pickup, an ever so slightly OT 69 Blazer CST on my old U Name It and the big dog flatbed truck on that same 18’ trailer behind my also ever so slightly OT 68 suburban.


"If it ain't broke - fix it till it is"

 

This one used to work a treat. Careful placement of the load and the axle made it a pleasure to tow at any speed. Only replaced it with an enclosed trailer so we could sleep in it on away race trips.

 

The best is a combo of steel frame and 1/4" Aluminium tread plate.
The extra cost of the Aluminium is offset by the cost of painting steel .

I've built Aluminium deck, Galvanised steel trailers that ended up being slightly cheaper than an all steel trailers once the coatings were factored into the costs
It is wiser to spend your $$$ on materials [a one off cost] than to spend it on coatings [that need to be re-done over time]

If anybody is interested, I did a "start to finish" build thread on the "Garage Journal" [the HAMB's sister site] of a Steel/Alloy Hybrid trailer.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=268273

 

Let me preface this by saying I can't ever fully express how much I detest pulling trailers. Words wouldn't do it justice. That being said, I needed a fully enclosed trailer to drag my Mysterion clone around. I took it on an open rental trailer to a photo shoot a week or 2 after finishing it, was too lazy to put the car cover back on it taking it home and the top blew off! Had to buy another bubble and do some minor body repair. I found this 8'x16' Wells Cargo trailer at an industrial vehicle auction near Bakersfield and after some TLC to fix a few dings, servicing the electric brakes wiring it to my truck, and squirting on a new paint job, it is pretty sweet. I put in a Harbor Freight winch to drag the car in and out.

The trailer is totally painted and lettered as in the picture except for the car decal. I am thinking of having the car decal printed up and sticking it on the trailer too. This isn't for bragging, it is to make the trailer less steal-able. I think a thief would think twice before dragging my trailer around SoCal freeways! Stats are that 1/3 of all trailers are broken into or stolen in the US every year. And if you think you have a hitch lock that will protect it, look up 'defeating trailer locks' on YouTube. Most commercial ones are less than worthless. I built my own custom locks for the doors, tongue, and truck hitch that I think are pretty bullet proof. Each is steel, not the usual pot metal and has a hidden second lock that would take some time to find an defeat. At least they aren't the usual fare you buy on Ebay that thieves know how to defeat in seconds. Oh, and if you get a used trailer, probably need to put new tires all around. Last photo is of the brand new looking spare that came with my used trailer after sitting in the sun for a day. Never been on an axle.

 

93 posts here and not a soul has mentioned a "Texas Roll back" or a" Sloan quick load"Texas Roll back owner passed away so its out now but Sloan is still making his in Sherman,Texas...

 

This may not qualify as a car trailer but I use it to haul microcars. It is an Excalibur Sport Carrier, built in Milwaukee until about 2001. It weighs under 900lbs and tows perfectly.

 

My trailer is a 2010 16' Sure-Trac. Some consider 16' to be too short. But for transporting a small car like my 37 ford, I think it is perfect. But I wouldn't go any shorter.

The trailer is licensed in Illinois to 5000 lbs (at the wheels). At that weight, Illinois requires trailer brakes one axle only. But I added brakes on the second axle anyway, which was a HUGE improvement in stopping performance. I also replaced the tires with trailer-radial tires.

My OT V-6 SUV pulls the trailer with 37 Ford comfortably at 60 MPH. I have never been challenged by police on actual weight vs. legal weight, but I keep the attached photo with my SUV registration to help intercept any question. A very nice local farmer lent his scale to help me with the photo.

 

I dig this old Featherlight. It also makes for a great oven in the Phoenix sun! Haha.

 

I bought a new Trailer last month from Trailers Plus at one hell of a buy... Got it for under $4000 with 20' of length, 8' 4" wide, and rated over 10,000 lbs. Really happy with it so far!

Sent from my XT1585 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

taking my 1938 Plymouth truck to my house in Kansas... Brought it last month.

 

I must add that I finally am glad that I bought my own trailer. Every time I borrowed a trailer, it cost me Tires, rewires, lights, and one tool box. The fact of the matter is, some of us who borrow things, return it in the same condition as first borrowed(if not better). I am thinking that some of my buddies were eager for me to use their trailers, because I would fix them up for them! LOL But it's all water under the bridge now! Yay!

 

Try "Rolling-Back" one on a slushy muddy field to recover a dead car.
On the Youtube demo videos they are always on flat surfaces loading a car with a park-brake.

Unlike all these gimmicks like Air-bag ground loaders etc the conventional trailers will always withstand the test of time .

I can drive a car onto my conventional trailer pictured on post #37 , get out because the doors open over the fenders, and slide the ramps in, In 45 seconds. [winching a dead car takes longer]
Some of these air-bagged trailers take longer than that to pump up.

All trailers should take the same amount of time and care to tie the load down.

Personally I would rather have a good handling trailer over an easy loading trailer. [you spend more time on the road than actually loading]

 

Ignore the pesky '32 in the foreground. This is my single axle trailer I built last winter. Ultra low deck, folding ramp is also a gate or lays flat to haul long stuff. Trailer is angle iron construction with a drop axle and A-Frame tongue. It is flexible as others have mentioned. I built it with hauling the '32 in mind. Has already hauled my dad's '26 Chevy, Mid-year Corvette chassis, piano, patio furniture. You name it. Want friends? Build a trailer.

 

I agree. Tow ability wins over load ability. Too many times I've seen people whinging about how they wish the trailer was easier to load. Longer ramps are all you need (maybe some common sense as well).
A good set of 8ply tyres (tires) is a must.