Z06-Nomad

Got a wild hair to go to the Silver State Classic rally in NV. My car is a
2002 Z06. Don't know SQUAT about car trailering. I live in SC. I have a lot of preparations to do in a short time...

These are the "knowns":
Have a Chevy 1500 Silverado 5.3 V8 3.42 rear, auto trans.
Used to have a 25 foot travel trailer about 7000 lbs. that it pulled Ok in the flats/ so so in the mountains.
Do know how to use and own a heavy duty hitch from the travel trailer days.
Do want an enclosed trailer only.
I'm too old to contort out the window etc.

Don't knows:
What size do I need?
How do you get the car on there? (drive? winch?)
How do I get ME out?
How do you tie it down? Lots on details on this please I am familiar with ratchet tie downs, but I can't think how to get under the front of the car to tighten them once the car is on the enclosed trailer...
Any recommendations on a dealer?

Thanks, and I'm sure I'll be adding questions to this...

MD

mgarfias

BEst advice I think I've seen about tie downs was Gary Hoffman's idea to build cables of the appropriate length with T hooks on one end. Cross them under the car, and snap into the trailers tie down things. Then use the ratchet straps at the back to tighten the car against the cables.

Z11409

We use the two front oval frame holes,attach strap to frame before car is driven into the trailer,lay straps on hood/windshield. Drive in,hook ends of straps to rachet. Rear straps are easy,just wrap around bottom or rear A-arms. Either climb out of drivers window or crawl over seats and out the hatch.

Do you have someone to drive tow vehical from LV(tech) to Start of Race?

Short-Throw

I'd highly recommend a winch for not only ease of loading/unloading but also if for some reason your car becomes disabled and can't be driven up specifically in an enclosed trailer.

PM sent.

Mike

MJM

First thing you need are GM "t" or "j" hooks. These are the metal things that you stick into the slots in your frame rails and then hook the ratchet straps to. You will need 4 hooks and 4 ratchet straps.

If you want an enclosed trailer you will either have to crawl out of the car after you drive it on, or winch it on. Either way you are going to crawl alongside to hook up the straps.

The important thing about the size of the trailer is really the weight and your tow vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating. Your car weighs roughly 3100 lbs. Add the empty trailer weight to this and see if your tow vehicle can handle it. You always take more gear than you plan for, so I tell people to get the 5,000 lb axles giving your trailer a 10,000 lb capacity. Can your truck tow that? E rated trailer tires should be a requirement.

Matt

AU N EGL

a 1500 is not going to tow a 7,000 lb trailer, with car and junk in side. that will be well over 10,000. a 1500 is not going to do that

7,000 is about max for a 1500.

so towing 10,000 across county with a 1500 pick up, is very very risky


I have a 3500lb twin axle 24' enclosed. tow with a 1500 HD. which I do not drive more then 60 mph if that. have heavy duty anti sway bars too.

Fold mirrors in, drive in, crawl out drivers window,

lay on trailer floor to toss ratch straps under car to each side
Reach down each side and under to get strap with t-hook, put in hole in frame, cant see so work by feel

johninar

I pull a 24' Pace with my F150 without issue. Pulling in AR/TX/OK/KS/MO is fairly flat. It has 3.73/towing package/integrated brake controller, Reese WD with dual sway controls. That said, if I lived where I had to pull in the mountains it would not be enough truck.

racerbob4

We have been towing for years and dont don't the crossover trick. We have the typical "D" rings in the floor and use wheel straps and ratchet straps. Its faster and you have shorter straps to deal with. Currently we are using a 28' enclosed with way more stuff in it that most people carry including a golf cart. Your tow vehicle sounds light its too light weight, expecially when you get to the moutains. 5 years ago we bought a Ford 250 crew cab with a 6' bed and with a diesel and its a huge difference over the big block suburban we used for years. We have a vertically adjustable hitch, load levelors, and anti-sway and this setup is just about perfect for our needs.

davidfarmer

You need more truck..... Or an open trailer

c4cruiser

As mentioned, your 1/2 ton is not going to be up to the job of trailering an enclosed trailer especially over the distance you will travel. You might be able to get away with a 20' trailer but you still have to deal with the total gross weight. Even with an open trailer, a pickup like yours is going to be really taxed for a long trip.

It's not just the car and trailer but everything that goes into the trailer and the truck. You, your buddies, the wife and/or gf, the dog, tools, tires, luggage and anything else all have to be included in the total gross weight.

You didn't say what year pickup but HP/torque figures differ depending on the year, and even the body style and 4WD or not will change the towing capacity. If the truck has P-metric tires, they will flat out not be a safe deal for this type of towing; get LT-rated tires in at least a Load Range C (E is even better). In any event, the 3.42 gears are going to make for a rough tow over the Rockies. You should go I-40 where the Rockies aren't as high as the 11,200 foot summit you will see on I-70. Although I-40 is still at over 7000 feet on I-40.

Is this a one-time trip? An enclosed trailer will be pricey to buy and outfit. Buy one used and you still may need to replace the tires and brakes and possibly the bearings. In any event, have two spare tires/wheels!

For tie-downs, the easiest are D-rings in the floor of the trailer and the mentioned T-hooks and ratchet straps. An easier method may be E-track in the trailer floor and front wheel straps and then D-rings in the rear.

There are enclosed trailers that have side doors for easy egress. But the car door has to clear the inside trailer wheelwell for the doors to work. It's a pricey option but solves the NASCAR body twisting.

If this is a one time deal, then look into renting a small box truck and trailer from U-Haul, Penske or similar companies. You can get a C5 up on a U-Haul car trailer with some extra ramps and they come with tie-downs.

mgarfias

You can do it on the penske trailer as well. The caveat is that you need to pull the airdam (or whole nose) OR put some 2x10s down under the front wheels to get the nose up a bit.

Of course, penske will tell you it won't work, but it does (did it when we moved).

0JonnyL

Our Trailer Ramps are designed to reduce the approach angle of existing ramps, or drop down trailer doors, so that you can get the car on the trailer without the nose/airdam scraping the ramp.

http://www.raceramps.com/trailerramps.html

JimbeauZ06

For your truck I would highly suggest an open trailer and if this is a one time thing the U-Haul Car Hauler is a great relatively inexpensive way to do it. Plus if the trailer gets a flat or something else happens they fix it. I rented these for two seasons before taking the plunge and buying a 24ft Haulmark.

If you decide to go enclosed with the 1500 you'll definitely need an aluminum trailer but even then it won't be ideal. My Excursion (V10)struggles to pull my trailer up any type of hill and if I loose momentum I'm doomed to 45 mph for the duration of the grade.

20ft would probably be minimum and you'll want the "escape door" on the left side over the wheel well so you can open the door and climb out of the car versus the "contortion" method. T-hook (10 or 12k lb?)straps from Auto-hauler Supply to strap it down. I have no problems tossing the T-hooks under the car toward the outside then reaching down and securing them in the tranport slots in the frame and I'm not young or skinny. Once you get her cinched down make sure to put the tranny in neutral and set the e-brake. You'll also want a load distributing hitch to balance the load and keep the trailer sway to a minimum. This is a must have for an enclosed trailer in my book.

If you buy a used trailer seriously consider putting new tires all around and definitley have a spare or two. (one of my buddies replaced 3 of 4 tires towing from Jax, FL to VIR last year). Not fun!

I made the mistake of assuming that my tow vehicle with 10k lb rating would have no problems towing my trailer. I get by, but it's not optimal. Should have held out for the diesel!

Good luck!

jaa1992

Open trailer, brake controller and trans cooler, keep it in a lower gear climbing.
I'd even think about an equalizing hitch.

Enclosed needs at least a 2500 diesel.

Z06-Nomad

A big Thank You to everyone that responded ! I read every response carefully, and will consider all your advice.

MD