02impactblue

I need to buy an open trailer for my track car. Besides the Trailex ct8045, are there any other aluminum trailers with longer ramps/low load height to allow a c5z06 to load without the use of alternative wood or race ramps. I found a great deal ($5k new)on a Featherlite 3110 (17'6" x 8'6") but it only has 6' ramps and i'm not sure if the z06 will go on without some sort of modification to the ramps. Any suggestions? I love the trailex but they are some serious coin and I don't know if I can justify it after dropping $36k for a new truck that I didn't need. The wife has been understanding up to now but I'm pushing her limit.

Also, anyone with a Featherlite 3110 that added a winch or tire rack?

Pylons

buy the featherlite and the longest set of race ramps:
http://www.raceramps.com/trailerramps.html

or buy an ATC like mine and the longest set of race ramps...I've had one of these for several years and been very happy with it
http://www.aluminumtrailer.com/open%20car%20haulers

edit: sorry, didn't notice your desire to avoid race ramps...I'd consider them...not that expensive in the grand scheme and easy/effective to use

l98tpi

My $.02. I have a 20' open trailer for my C4 and it is plenty trailer, but think I would like a 22' better. Point is, I would not get a 18' trailer if it were me. Also, why buy an aluminum open trailer when you can purchase a steel trailer for 1/2 the price and still get close to what you paid for it in a year or so when you realize you want an enclosed?

beerkat

I have that same trailer and a C5Z. I have been using a short ramp to load with, it is one I made for jacking my car from the front. I have just raise my front end and have not tried loading it since raising the front some. My ramp is 17" long with 3" total lift.

3110 is a very good trailer.

My truck will not handle that tongue weight with a tire rack but I do have a small winch I am going to put on.

mousecatcher

Featherlite has an 8' ramp option, the ramps store alongside the deck, like side rails, instead of underneath. 8' however still isn't long enough, at least not for my vette (c6z06 lowered).

What's the objection to race ramps? I have the shortest set of trailer ramps. They fit sideways in the truck bed and in conjunction with the 6' alum ramps they work great. I wanted the race ramps to fit sideways so that they don't compromise the width of the truck bed. This lets my tires and what not fit better.

The other thing you can do in a pinch is have short ramps you back the truck up onto to increase the load angle. (In my experience, simply jacking up the tongue to the maximum height still isn't enough.) Of course you still have to carry extra ramps, and it's a pain to load/unload. But depending on your tow vehicle maybe this is better for you.

I'm sure it's quite common. I added a winch to mine, and use the truck's battery to power it. Superwinch makes a battery extension kit for this. Note that on the featherlite, the deck isn't structural so you have to weld a backup plate underneath where you mount the winch.

My winch is mounted in the center but if I were to do it again I'd mount it off to the side, so that the car can scooch forward that extra couple of inches.

mousecatcher

same here, and to the OP: watch the tongue weight.

Bill Dearborn

Tongue weight should be about 10% of the trailer weight. I have a 16ft steel trailer with a wood bed, tire rack and 10 ft ramps that are sectioned into 6 ft and 4 ft sections. Total weight with the car and tires in the rack is 5500 lbs. I have a 500 lb tongue weight.

Featherlite is a great brand and you might be able to get the retailer to make you a tire rack, ramp extensions and mounts on the trailer for the extensions like I did or to make 10 ft ramps and a place to mount them.

Make sure you have an equalizing hitch for the trailer. Not only does it distribute the tongue weight from the rear wheels to the front but it also acts like a sway control to some extent.

Bill

MungoZ06

I've got an 18' steel open center bri-mar - has a good beavertail angle, but I still made ramp extensions out of wood.
Some day I'll have pics of the ramp extensions

mousecatcher

meh. i've found this isn't so important for an open trailer.

Wayne O

I'm very happy with my Jim-Glo auto tilt-bed trailer (made in Willcox, Arizona). I sometimes put a couple 2 x 10's under the end 'ramps' for good measure but they're not essential (at least for me). They're not inexpensive trailers but they're lightweight, well made, functional and they pull well.

http://www.jimglo.com/products.php

Last C5

I have the Featherlite 3110 17" and my lowered 02Z track car goes on and off without a problem with the stock 6' ramps. Best car trailer I've ever owned.

c4cruiser

Tongue weight is supposed to be 10 to 15% of the loaded trailer weight. As long as the hitch is capable of that figure, most open trailers can be towed with a Class III or Class IV hitch. Going with a load equalizer hitch and a Class V hitch raises the towed weight and tongue weight substantially.

Zenak

tilt trailers solve the problem of ramps if you are buying new. Open is fine, but closed allow you to store all your sh-t in the trailer which makes it easy to pack and unpack events. Racer ramps can be ordered in any custom size you need and widths too for trailer ramps. Did you check craigslist? In the bad economy there are a crap load of used trailers out there. IN most cases the worst you need to do on a used trailer is a reinspection, brakes and tires. If you get an open trailer, make sure you can take off the wheel covers or you cant open the door of the vette!

beerkat

The trailer weighs in at 1400 pounds plus my car at 3150 puts me at 4550. By the time I add the other stuff that I take to the track I am pretty well max out. That is the biggest draw back of towing with my Honda Ridgeline. My Total Combined Gross Weight is 10,100 pounds. I do have a WDH but I did not want to cut holes through the front deck of the trailer to install it. I hate driving at night with my headlight pointing at the stars.

talon95

No door clearance problem with the tires? I looked at the specs for the ATC and it shows 8.5" from the deck to the top of the tire.

Dave G.

Pylons

Nope. My car is lowered all the way in the rear and is about 1/4" from all the way in the front...doesn't clear the tires by a lot, but it clears.

Bill Dearborn

A lot of people think it isn't but it is very important. With a 500 pound tongue load on the rear of the tow vehicle the front wheels tend to lose steering. The equalizer transfers some of that weight to the front and allows more precise steering input to prevent wandering, wind instability and better braking. I can tell the difference with my Tahoe if I leave the equalizer off the hitch. Plus it makes the Tahoe ride level so it isn't aiming the headlights at the trees overhead instead of at the road.

Bill

Han Solo

I have an 18' Anderson steel trailer and I loaded my stock height Z06 on it with the 5' equipment type ramps that came with it NP. I have 2x12s on it to get the door to open over the fender and the Vette door opens with about the same clearance as my Mustang does.

A lot of things enter into the equation I guess, like hitch height, dovetail angle, and factors like that.

I bought this trailer brand new from a local dealer for $1899. By the time I added spare tire, brake controller, straps, and ball mount it was somewhere between 22-24. I'd have to look at the receipt to be sure but I remember the trailer price before tax and accessories.

It only weighs 1200 lbs. unloaded.

waddisme

I got this from local builder for $2175. 18', removeable fender, brakes on both axles, 7' extended ramps, full steel deck, builder dropped tail an extra 4" so I can get on w/o ramps.

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From what I found in the used trlr marker, it will probably be worth that 3 years from now. Good luck