AzMotorhead

Looking to upgrade from my Open car hauler to a fully enclosed.
Wondering what some of you have experienced good or bad about enclosed trailers.
Looking at at least a 20' so I can haul my vette to occasional track days.
Also use the trailer to haul project cars & parts around. Some of the things I would like is a V nose for aero advantage, beaver tail for low ramp height,8'+ width so I can get in and out of car inside trailer.
I can add stuff like a winch,storage,and lighting myself later.
What do you guys say?

c4cruiser

What tow vehicle? That can make a difference in the size/weight capacity of a trailer.

I have a CargoMate 20' trailer that works well for my '87. It has a internal beavertail and still allows the car to be spotted on the flat part of the floor. I can keep a set of tires up front along with a stacked tool chest, a shelf for supplies, and a helmet rack.

I didn't go with a V-nose becasue the ones I looked at seemed to take away front storage area. Makes it hard to install cabinets or shelving. But I don't tow long distances (<100 miles one way) so gas mileage isn't a big deal. My tow rig is an '08 Silverado 4x4 with the 6.0L motor and the trailer package. My loaded trailer weighs about 6700 and the truck does a good job of hauling it. Mileage is around 10-11 but there is plenty of power on tap for hills.

Enclosed car haulers are typically 8' wide inside; most states don't allow trailers wider than 8-1/2' wide on the outside. Some trailers can have an "escape door" on the left side above the axles so you can get in and out of the car without doing the NASCAR wiggle in/out. I can open the door of my '87 just enough to get my feet out and stand up then just work my way out. It's more of a deal where the car is sitting, I try to keep my car just to the right of center and that provides some extra space. Most all trailers will have tiedowns at the front and rear so all you need are some good ratchet straps.

I can put my lowered C5 in my trailer, but the nose scrapes on the rear ramp and I have to add some 2x12s on the deck to allow the door to open over the trailer wheelwell. I'll probably buy some Race Ramps extensions that will solve that.

Definitely get brakes on both axles (again some states require that if you are over a certain weight. A weight distribution hitch is a good idea even if the hitch on your tow vehicle is a Class V. My trailer has an extended tongue (5") and that has been a big help for backing around corners!! Trailer tires should be ST-rated radials and a Load Range D or better. Have at least one spare in the trailer (two is better!)

For a tow vehicle, if you are going with a 24' trailer, you will need a 3/4 ton and either a big gas motor or a diesel. And extended cab or crew cab will be a plus too. If the truck doesn't have a trailer brake controller, get a Tekonsha Prodigy. Best controller around

Gordy M

For aero get a sloped nosed trailer as it give a little extra downforce for the front without the problems of side drafts from trucks on the interstate. The 24 ft. gives you plenty of room for tires/tools/cabinets/ etc. The escape door makes for ease of entry and exit without climbing out of the car or chipping the door on the wall. Also, look for someone who has a tongue weight scales to properly place your load. Since I added extra tires/ fluids/jacks/ etc. mine has moved back about 3 inches from the first weigh in.

c4cruiser

Tongue weight is very important for proper loading and trailering. I had done a search on "determining tongue weight" and found a site that described using a 4' long 4x4, a small piece if 1 pipe and a set of bathroom scales.' See Figure B in the link.

Tongue weight should be 10-15% of the gross trailer weight and that tongue weight has to be included with the gross loaded weight of the towing vehicle.

Properly setting up the WD hitch is also very important. With my loaded trailer hooked up to my truck, the WD hitch dropped the rear of the truck about 1/2" and the front dropped about 3/4".

AzMotorhead

Tow vehicle is a 2014 4x4 3500HD DRW. I'm accustomed to towing and setting up WD Hitches.
I haul a 47' 5th wheel toy hauler to the dunes. Current Vette hauler is a 26' open trailer with a 4' storage box at the nose.

Good call on the escape door. Does anyone have trouble with the interior fender wells?

Charley Hoyt

My usage is a little different, but, I purchased a basic 20' trailer, a winch, and some long ramps and everything works great. I used garage floor paint to seal the floors which makes a nice anti slip finish. Since my car has no doors I didn't need the escape door in the trailer....but for a Vette it would be nice.

StreetSpeed

Those ramps worked out for you Charley? No scraping and no need for lumber or anything like that?

555ss

I have a 36' PACE shadow GT goose neck that I haul my drag car in and the 4 wheeler to ride around the pits in I would never go back, I have hauled 32 foot tag and there is no comparison, ride and handling. My tow vehicle for that is a '98 chevy 3500 dually 454 gas job that still has just 50k on it. I have towed a vette with it and I either winch it in or go out the window. There is no issue with fenders with 102 wide trailer
We needed a bigger truck when she stated road racing so I bought a old Nascar trailer and a 96 Kenworth 900l now that is fun to drive.....

0Fred@ReverseLogic

Here's a drawing of the ramps that Charley is using. It includes inch-by-inch height measurements. The model number is RLL-TR-114-2. The initial incline of the ramps is 2.6˚ and then the slope sweeps up to 7˚ at the top of the ramp. I stock the ramps with a 2" deep step, but, the step depth can be special ordered.

http://www.reverselogic.us/shop.html...00&id=27139977

Here's a link with drawings that compare several of the Race Ramps trailer ramps as well as the custom ramps available through Reverse Logic.

http://www.reverselogic.us/trailer-h...--loading.html

Charley Hoyt

Fred they work great! I do need to used a 1.5' long 1 x 6 under each front wheel to allow the splitter to get up onto the ramp and there is some very minor scraping of the splitter when the car is about 2/3 of the way up the Race Ramp.... But, these are very minor compared to what most people have to do to get a Radical (with only 2" of ground clearance) into a trailer. Most people have to jack up the front of the trailer and bring a lumber yard along with them to get the car loaded. The Race Ramps are an Excellent solution. If they ramps were a couple of feet longer and had a slightly lower step to get on, they would be absolutly perfecet. But I have no complaints...they are by far the best option for getting very low cars into trailers.

If you want to try an even lower version I would be happy to test them for you

Charley

0Fred@ReverseLogic

If you are winching your car into the trailer, you may want to try removing the 18" long helper boards after the front tires are completely on the Race Ramps. That may keep the nose up just high enough to avoid scraping at the 2/3 mark.

The longest ramp I have sold to date was 168" long. It was for a race car with less than 2" of ground clearance. Even with a 2-piece design it had to ship as LTL freight. The cost of the ramp + shipping was quite high.

Business has been quite brisk with sales are up 50% over 2013. But when I get a breather I will look into making a 3-piece ramp that is 132" long. I may have to come up with a different interlock design between the first two sections where the ramp will still be relatively thin.

Charley Hoyt

Yes, I remove the board before the rear wheels get to them. I then use the boards to cover the gap between my trailer ramp and trailer, so they are useful for two things.

I am not surprised that business has improved so much...this is a fantastic product. I can't imagine trying to load my car any other way.