Your experience/recommendation on which trailer to purchase

[brum1]

Considering several long distance tows a year. What are the pros & cons of the various trailer types; steel, aluminum, wood deck, 2 wheel, 4 wheel,.... As usual always looking for the most value for the $$,

Your feedback is appreciated,

[Tom Wesenberg]

Don't even consider a 2 wheel trailer for car hauling.

Buy an aluminum enclosed if you can afford it. It will not only haul your car, but can be used as a garage while not hauling. I would buy a 16 foot, but most people seem to like them even longer.

[Fred K-OR]

I purchased a 4 wheel flatbed last summer. It has two loading ramps with lights, brakes, etc.. I paid about $1800 for it and had to pay another 100 or so for a spare tire and mount. I got an open flatbed because I will only be doing somwhat short halls (maybe 100 miles) and plan to do them in the summer time. My car is not a show car, just a driver. Hope this gives you some idea.

[Model T Monte]

Brum, If an open trailor you mite want to consider mud flaps for your tow vehichle or a rock shield on the front of your new trailor. My trailor is open with no protection,I loose a little paint sometimes.

[kenparker]

Considering the weight of a Model A - 2200 to 2900 - depending on your body style anything short of a 4 wheel (two axel) is trouble waiting to happen. Steel deck, aluminum deck or wood deck is determined by the depth of your pocket book. The aluminum deck is probgably the lightest weight trailer and easier on the tow vehicle.
A trailer designed to haul cars (car hauler) vs a farm type loboy is a definite advantage. Carhaulers are usually 6' 8'' or 6' 10" wide compared to the 6' or 6' 2" width of the loboy. That few inches makes it a lot easier to load and unload.

I have had and used a wood deck carhauler for 13 years and would not trade it for anything. Carried 'le coupe, 28 pickup and the speedster all over Texas and points east. The only problem was series of flats with no jack. Now whos fault is that. Ken

[Fred K-OR]

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Originally Posted by Model T Monte

Brum, If an open trailor you mite want to consider mud flaps for your tow vehichle or a rock shield on the front of your new trailor. My trailor is open with no protection,I loose a little paint sometimes.

Good point, think I need to look into something for protection.

[Stretch Cab]

Years ago my brother, a friend and I were towing a 30 tudor on a tandom axel trailer at highway speed going north on the Florida turnpike when the hitch on the truck broke. The chains failed, our tow vehicle did a complete 360 coming out of the spin in our lane. The trailer passed us as we spun and continued north bound until crossing the medium and south bound lane continuing to travel north for about a half mile slowing down after crossing a ditch coming to rest along a fence. Only damage to A was a scratch on the bumper clamp. A balanced 2 axel trailer with break-away brake is the only way to go!!!!!!!

[Keith True]

Everybody has their own ideas of what they want or need.I have built a few trailers,there were things people wanted that worked out well,and some things I refused to do for them.An enclosed trailer is the best way to go.Costs money though.I like an 18 foot deck.Also 102 wide.Tandem axle,with brakes,most states require brakes over 3000 pounds GVW.Any A will put your GVW over that.There is a chart somewhere that gives the requirements for the different states.I like a wood deck,open center.Closed center is nice for other uses though.Single axle trailers are good for lawnmowers and taking trash to the dump.I have no use for aluminum trailers,but that is because of where I live.The roads are rough,and when empty they self destruct,faster in the cold weather.The new trailer tires are pretty poor quality.Mileage on them means nothing,age will get to them before they wear out.Park it on wood,that helps.and if you park it on the grass it will rust pretty quick.Nobody puts a good paint job on them.It just costs too much.I blast them,to get the new mill scale off,epoxy primer,then whatever flavor urethane paint I happen to be using at the time.If the picture shows up this is one I built for myself.It made a trip from N.H. to N.Y.today and hauled a luxury BMW back.The two old car dealer that borrowed it towed it with a new F150,and kept forgetting it was behind them.

[MCHinson]

Here is a discussion that I think covers a lot of good information on this subject. You may enjoy reading it.

http://forums.aaca.org/f196/trailer-...ch-272997.html

[glenn in camino]

I've had my trailer for 10 years. It is enclosed and 30 feet long inside, (2 Model As). I bought it when I was still working and could afford it. The company that built it is no longer in business. I pull it with a 1 ton Ford van with a V10 engine. Mileage is 8MPG but my cars are safe and they arrive exactly like they left my garage. I never worry about them when I stop for the night. A winch is a good accessory in case you need to trailer a car that's not running.

[brum1]

Great feedback from everyone!! - Extremely valuable & good to hear of your experiences,

[Big D]

Noone talked about it but if you are pulling it with a truck on "long hauls" that often I would go with a goose neck or 5th wheel. On larger trailers the towing is MUCH better. A open car trailer would run about $1800 here and the 30' enclosed over 6K-- quite a range where ever you are.
I agree with two requirements --- dual axles and BRAKES. One other upgrade that is cheaper.... LED lights, if enclosed also add high level brake lights.

Just my two cents on it.

[Keith True]

I see one thing in the AACA forum thread that I don't agree with.That advise is to go with the heavier axles.If they are not needed,they are not a good idea.Your GVW needs to be close to what the rating is,I think one of the suspension reps at a seminar told me 75% of the rating is where you need to be.Too heavy of an axle and spring setup will beat the load,trailer,tow vehicle,and driver for no reason.I have towed A's on a 12000 GVW trailer,I was always seeing light under the tires.It was off the ground half the time.When it comes back down to land it yanks and pushes on the tow truck.I borrowed a friends trailer to haul my A back once after I lost a timing gear.When I got home the mirror glass was on the floor,the popout had turned itself on,the oil cap was missing,the coil had worked its way downward in its clamp,all because the truck had been slammed down a few hundred times riding on what was a dead axle trailer.It really wasn't dead axle,but there was not enough weight to bring those four 3000 pound springs into play.I like to overbuild,but sometimes overkill means breaking things that could have been avoided.

[therupperts]

I like my new Featherlite 14' open car hauler. Dual axle, independent suspension, 8yr warranty. Lightweight. Haven't used it for long trips as most of my hauls will be short runs where it would take to much time to get there and back in the A.

[therupperts]

You can also buy the optional front shield.

[Dave in MN]

Originally Posted by therupperts

I like my new Featherlite 14' open car hauler. Dual axle, independent suspension, 8yr warranty. Lightweight. Haven't used it for long trips as most of my hauls will be short runs where it would take to much time to get there and back in the A.

I have a 17' Featherlite open hauler and also an enclosed cargo hauler. I greatly prefer the open Featherlite. Pulls much easier and is less obstructive to the rear view.
Look through the want ads and Craigs list for a Featherlite to save some money. You can often find some good bargins.
If a Featherlite is used you only need to look at its overall condition to know if it has been abused. Used is no problem...but abused, I'd stay away from any make trailer.
Good Day!
Dave in MN

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Value for your $$ is an interesting thought because I feel it is a lot about what resources you have and how much sweat equity you are willing to give to a project. Just to add more 'fodder to the trough', here is a couple of my haulers;

1st, is my "U-HAULer" that we converted with living qtrs up front and 17' of car hauling space in the rear. It will run 90mph all day long if I want to however when it comes to fuel, it will melt your credit card at those speeds. Driving a respectible 70mph gets about what Glenn's van does, and with plenty of diesel power and the safety of big truck brakes & durability. The real benefits for me is its versatility. I can haul from one to three cars depending on trailer options, and in sans-trailer mode I can easily park in crowded motel or mall parking lots, ...and 5 people can comfortably sit or walk around up front while traveling. Like someone mentioned above, it doubles as an extra garage stall, and is used in many civic & church mission oriented tasks. An 8,000 lb winch pulls the car in really quickly as I can be entirely loaded and tied down in way less than 10 minutes. It has an air-ride suspension and with the pressure set at 35psi, it rides as nicely as a Cadillac. And (unlike driving a truck/trailer) my wife enjoys driving this rig.








In two-car mode:


One car inside and two on the trailer while cruising at the posted 75mph speed limit(!!) on our way to South Dakota last summer with my family of 4 along with one of their friends (total of 5) and everyones riding/sleeping either on the couch, bed, or reclined. The 120v power invertor lets them watch TV or surf the 'net to make the time go faster.


2nd) is a two-car trailer that we built to be narrow (to easily traverse through construction zones & congested traffic situations) and with a spread-axle design for stability. While you need to be careful making sharp turns to avoid scrubbing off tire rubber unnecessarily, the axle spread helps balance the load and it eliminates all of the wind buffering that happens when a tractor trailer passes you.







Big D, I agree with you about a 30' trailer being over $6k. In the next week or so, I am about to order a new 30 foot enclosed 2011 United Super Hauler tag trailer, ...and reasonably equipped is more than double your quoted $$ figure! Brum et al, I showed you all of this to explain that it does not take a "thick wallet" to own a safe tow rig but it does take some resourcing and ingenuity. Someone willing to put some sweat equity into building their own hauler like the one above can do so for less than the price of a used ½-ton work truck. It is licensed as an RV so tags & insurance are cheap, and the ability to make it meet all your needs is worth the effort, and makes it even a stronger value for you.

,

[brum1]

Brent,

Thanks for sharing the photos, always good to see how different folks enjoy the hobby

[Keith True]

The black trailer in my picture cost me about $1700.to build.That was with new axles,suspension,wheels and tires,winch,jack,coupling,wiring,hardware etc.The steel I bought used or salvage.I hear of car trailers for $1800.new,they are out there,and they have their place,but apples for apples this trailer would be double that.With trailers everything is a trade off,depending on what you want to do.As Brent shows with his spread axle trailer,you have to be careful of how you turn it to keep the tires on the rear axle.But it performs nice in the situation he built it for.On mine I wanted low,so I sacrificed off road ability to get what I wanted.I have to stay on flat ground.I reasoned that where I pulled it with a 4X4 truck I could always pull the car out into a flat area and load it there.That is just what I have done a few times.I pull with a one ton truck so I like a little more tongue weight.If somebody pulls it with a little truck like an F150 they have to leave the car back a little more on the trailer.Not a big deal with the 18 foot deck.

[Great Lakes Greg]

I purchased a 16' enclosed trailer and it affords plenty of room for an "A". I opted for 8' wide to avoid squeeeeezing through the car door. I went enclosed because of the bug factor. I towed open trailer one night and picked up every bug in Michigan. The windshield looked like brown carpet.