What to look for in a Car trailer

[steve-cook]

I like to drive my car but sometimes a trailer would allow me longer distance trips.

I am considering purchasing a auto trailer price is a factor so I am wondering what advice or things to look for or things that I should not live without prior to starting my search

Steve

[Pat/Ohio]

Steve, Not only is an enclosed trailer nice for hauling longer distances...it is great for storing a vehicle also. I have a Haulmark Elite 20 ft. Have had it for 11 years...no problems. I would make certain that your trailer has 16" OC floor joists. Some have 24". Also, mine has a one-piece flat roof. Helps to eliminate leaks (water & dust). Pat

[FatFndr]

Tires for one. If you're buying a used trailer, some have car tires. While they work, you'll have more trouble than if they are regulation trailer tires. I would look for an aluminum trailer as they are easier to pull and overall you'll get better milage as they are lighter - in my opinion.

[37ford4dr]

well i just bought one.....it was such a good deal i couldnt pass it up....$500 from a guy at work who was "gifted" an enclosed trailer and this one was going to became more of an albatross then anything else. 16' long, 7000gvw, 880#, dual 3500 lb axles one with brakes, new top decking. it has newer ST tires and one fender needs some work. so good deals are out there if you wait and watch

[John Kennedy]

So many contractors going out of business, should be easy to get a good trailer deal out there, enclosed or open.

As said before - TIRES. Stay away from off-shore stuff, and use trailer-rated ones.
Lights - Just step up now and get LEDs. So much nicer than old corroded bulbs.
Landing gear - I like having the wheel on mine, not just the foot. Easier to push around.

[Krylon32]

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When purchasing an enclosed trailer on something in the 20/24 ft length I always get 5000 lb 6 bolt axles, also a one piece roof is nice. Ramp door with extension and on my trailers I put 2 rows of E track front to rear on the floor and E track from the wheel wells back on the sides. Gives you more options when hauling strange stuff to get it tied down. A couple of interior lights are good. I also get the aluminum front plate 4 foot high which helps with the road rash. My first 24 ft trailer had 3500 lb axles and I couldn't keep tires on it as they bent right after I bought the trailer.

[G.M.]

I have pulled trailers all over the country to shows for years. I have 3 closed trailers and 1 open. I stopped useing the closed trailers years ago and use them for storage. I have a custom made open trailer made by a teacher in center of N.Y. right near the canadian border. He made 2 or 3 trailers a year in the summer to suppliment his income. I saw one a man had at a show in N.J. about 28 years ago and contacted Mac (have to look up his name) and ordered one. This trailer tilts to load. It is like a see/saw. It pivots at a balance point near the center and needs no ramps. There are several locks that secure the tilt at the front, when released empty you can lift the front by hand and the rear tips down to the ground. You slowly drive up the ramped rear end of the trailer and as you go up the trailer starts to see/saw forward and as you go over center the front end drops down, stays put and you lock the pins and safety devices to lock it in place. It's a little scary the first couple of times, if you go a little to fast it slams down a little hard. After geting used to it you can tetter at the balance point and come to a soft landing. It's fairly light and I always use torsion bars and every once in a while I have to look and make sure it's there as it pulls and rides so good I forget it's there sometimes. It has the 5,000 lb two axle rubber torsion suspention. I always use heavy load rated tires which are cheap in the long run. Tires on motor homes and trailers start to blow at around 4 years and when they start they all go. On one trip in on my GMC motor home I had 3 or 4 blow in 2,200 miles on the best tires available. I called the tire manufactures and one engineer told me the tire they made where you see the 4 or 5 segments on the side wall were the best compaired to the smooth sided ones. I don't care how good the tread is I change them in 4 years. G.M.

[DavidG]

Absolutely go for the heavy axles and trailer radial-ply tires rated for your total loaded weight and then some. Interior lighting, mounted both at floor and ceiling levels, is also a wothwhile option. If you end up having one built to your specifications and may be hauling cars of different wheelbase lengths, consider having additional cross sills installed to correspond with where the wheels will rest on the trailer floor with the car tied down (in addition to the 16" on-center spacing recommended above). My 20' sloped-front Haulmark has given more than 20 years of trouble-free service. Unfortunately, I understand that they no longer offer the sloped-front option, which is shame as it does wonders for the trailer's aerodynamic profile (better fuel economy and virtual elimination of the unsettling wind impact of passing big truck rigs). I've had trailers with both ramp doors and those with separate ramps and the ramp doors are the better choice, in my opinion.

A high quality custom-built trailer is not cheap, but it is one of things where you get what you pay for and compared to the value of what you will be hauling, a wise investment.

[blucar]

A lot of good advise in the preceding comments to this thread. Here's a few of my observations from past experience..
Trailers have a habit of generally exceeding the purchasers expectation's. The trailer you buy to transport your antique car, etc., evolves into a utility trailer for all your family members and friends to barrow... Resist the temptation to be the good guy and loan your trailer out... You will end up with junk.. been there done that.
Don't let low price govern your thinking. You will get just what you pay for.
To me a trailer with a GVW of 8,000 lbs, flat or enclosed is the staring point. The tires should be radial trailers tires with at least a 6 ply rating (D range)..
Avoid home made trailers... they are nothing but trouble as a rule. Stay away from a trailer that has hydraulic surge brakes, electric are the best, preferable on both axles, however, if the brakes are only on one axle, it should be the rear axle.
In the long run an enclosed trailer is the best for transporting an antique vehicle.. Far to many of my friends have ruined the paint, glass and chrome on their car because they got caught in a bad storm or encountered roads that were under construction.
After all is said and done, the tow vehicle is the most important part of the deal... Most modern cars are not up to the task of hauling a trailer loaded down with another car. The average SUV and/or 1/2 ton pickup is also not up to the task, unless it was ordered with heavy duty towing options.
Towing a trailer behind the average SUV/pickup will destroy the rear end and trans within 20/30,k miles.. I use nothing but HD rated 3/4-1 ton pickups or my diesel motor home to tow my trailers.
I am leaving Monday for Montana, a distance of 1,500 miles one way, towing my flat 8,000# GVW trailer, I have to pick up a '41 Dodge pickup that I have found for a customer.. I am not taking my enclosed trailer because the Dodge is in need of total restoration and I don't want to haul an empty trailer 1,500 miles..

[B-O-B]

I have a home built open flatbed that has hauled my I H tractor with a bucket & scraper blade. I have made numerous trips over mtn grades hauling my cars from one home to the other. I have a semi truck wind screen on the front & tiedown loops that are sunk in the floor. The trailer was built by a fellow that had worked for a trailer mfg & has never been a problem. A few suggestions on hauling a finished vehicle on an open trailer. I never cover them in transit as the cover with do a number on your paint. Most reliable/honest/knowledgeable tire stores will not sell you a car tire for trailer as they are not rated for a trailer. That's what they tell me anyway. When I store my trailer outside for extended periods I remove the wheels this serves twofold. Theft deterent & keeps the tires out of the sun which will ruin the tire in a few years. Lube your wheel bearings & pay attention to not over tighten the retaining nut.NEVER EVER LOAN IT OUT not even to your best friend. It will be returned with with the wiring screwed up /taillight lens broke or cracked & bumps & bruises that will strain a friendship. I wouldn't want surge brakes or those bearing buddy caps. A removeable fender on the driver side is nice as sometimes a low vehicle door will not open wide enough to exit the car as the door will hit the fender. My trailer is steel & weighs right at 2,000 lbs an aluminum one would be a lot lighter.

[Planojc]

Make sure you get one with the dove tail , slant on the rear of the trailer. Also trailer brakes.

[Pete Fl/Wi]

Some states require brakes on both axles. Trailer sales guy told me 31 states now require brakes on both axles.

[Highboy34]

I agree with all ov the above. I had Easy Trac tie down rails installed about 10" off the floor and another row a couple of feet higher. Very handy for tying things down, building a shelf inside, etc. Get a good winch installed too.

[Bob G/Spanaway]

By all means get a tilt bed.
Once you have one you'll never go back to screwing around with ramps.

[Karl Wolf]

I have loaned my trailer out to three different people, it's been wrecked twice and stolen once... How I got it back is quite a story- that I'll spare you...
I do believe that I've learned...
Karl

[buyitsmart]

Do closed trailers come with tilt?? I love the idea of the tilt trailer, but I don't like the idea of my antique car being subject to the hazards of the open road...decisions, decisions, :-)

[Tinker]

I had a 2 axle trailer and traded it. It was a great flatbed that I picked up for about 1g. Nice to have one, but room is a premium (due to cars :]) for a few times a year usage.

So last time I needed one I rented a uhaul car hauler and was really happy with it. Aluminum open trailer. Pretty slick, low and simple.

If you need inclosed trailer that you will keep forever. Get an aluminum one. Look for a used race or hobbie trailer at your local dealers. That's what I would do.

[Cecil/WV]

This is what works for me. It's light, pulls easy and the air dam protects the car from flying stones, etc. It's a Featherlite and a bit pricey and I keep it in the garage to try to keep the aluminum from oxidizing. During the winter months, I put blocks under it and store a vehicle on it.

[John Kennedy]

Oh yeah, make sure VIN and title match, and are clear. Even when new.

[trulyvintage]

Personally ....

I probably would buy a new trailer

Here is a good company I found


@ http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/8-5-f...item4cfa5e6bdc



Jim