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I'm in the market for an open trailer to tow my C5 Z06. I'm mostly resigned to getting a light aluminum trailer (such as a Featherlite) since my truck is a V-6 Chevy Colorado with a 5K tow rating. I can make the weight work but need advice on how long and wide a trailer I should get.
Since the C5 'vettes are 15' long and 74" wide, I figure I'll need a trailer that's at least 18' long. Problem is, most of the open trailers I've researched or looked at had a trailer bed width of 77" - 79". Even 79" seems barely enough.
What do you folks recommend?
Last edited by The_Backmarker; 07-08-2018 at 03:16 AM.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22
I have an 18 ft Aluma tilt with removable fenders. My C7 fits nice and with the fenders removed, both doors open so it's easy to get out. The trailer weighs 1500 empty. I too have a Colorado with the 3.6 V6 and it pulls the Vette with ease. I really like the tilt, it is stick. I still use 2x10s laid out on the pavement to get the front end up to get the splitter high enough to clear. I considered a 16 ft trailer but went with an 18 just to have some wiggle room with the ratchet straps.
I have an 18 ft Aluma tilt with removable fenders. My C7 fits nice and with the fenders removed, both doors open so it's easy to get out. The trailer weighs 1500 empty. I too have a Colorado with the 3.6 V6 and it pulls the Vette with ease. I really like the tilt, it is stick. I still use 2x10s laid out on the pavement to get the front end up to get the splitter high enough to clear. I considered a 16 ft trailer but went with an 18 just to have some wiggle room with the ratchet straps.
Nice! How wide is the trailer bed? Do you ever have issues getting too close to the edge?
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22
The width of the trailer between fenders is 81". I prefer a spotter to load, but have done it myself, I just get out several times and look. I pull the front tires onto the trailer, get out and look, then pull ahead several more feet, get out and recheck. If centered I drive on.
I was in a similar position a couple years back when I bought my trailer. I went with a Trailex 8045 model. I was towing with my wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee which had a towing ability of 6100 pounds. The 8045 is the longest open trailer trailex sells, this is important for setting up the trailer for tongue weight and car position. I moved the stops about a foot forward to get the tongue weight to 15%. The trailex is 910 pounds without any accessories. I found I was always being conscious of weight with that setup. Payload is actually the bigger concern than towing capacity. Your tongue weight will end up being half of your available payload. The Jeep had a payload of 1050 pounds. I don't recall the exact tongue weight, but 500 ish pounds I think is what it is. That doesn't leave a lot left for paddock gear, spare tires, tools, clothes and so on.
The C5 fits on it easily, It has really long ramps, but they still need race ramps or wood 2x6's under the ramps to get the car up on it. My car is lower than stock, but not much lower.
Trailex trailers are expensive, I bought mine new because they aren't that much more than used, they hold value really well.
One thing you have to factor in is the total weight the truck will handle. Add up the weight of everything; tools, luggage, tires, driver, all the passengers, the dog, and whatever else. The Owner's Manual will have tables that show the max weight based on body style, bed length, suspension and engine size.
Even with an open aluminum trailer, figure on 4000 to 4500 lbs for the car and trailer. Tongue weight also has to be added in to the total weight. Tongue weight is typically 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight. What class is the hitch? A Class III hitch should work Don't forget installing a good trailer brake controller. I have used Tekonsha controllers and found them to be excellent. I have a P3 right now on my Silverado and I also bought a "plug-and-play" harness for the controller. Took me all of 10 minutes for the install. Assume the truck has a wiring harness for a 7-pin trailer plug?
FWIW I think trailers are rated in the deck length. So my Carson trailer is sold as a steel diamond plate 16ft dovetail. That means the deck is 16ft but overall length something more with the "A" frame part up front where the hitch is. 16ft is plenty. Think about storage too. I bought steel so I could cut the tongue off my trailer and weld on structure to make the tongue removable held on with big bolts. This way I could store the C5 on the trailer in my residential garage by removing the tongue. Steel also makes it easy to weld on tire rack too. Once you start trailering you want extra tires. The C5 by the way gutted is about 3100 lbs no fuel. In heaviest SCCA T2 race trim with full tanks about 3600. My steel carson trailer is 1800. I know that everyone says 10-15% tongue weight. I always go heavier at the tongue. IMO more tongue tows better with less sway and less impact by the wind. Light in the tongue is a sway disaster. A couple of things will help like dual axles and electric trailer brakes and good tenkonsa trail brake control in easy reach for manual moments. Some people buy race ramps to extend the trailer ramps for low cars. I just welded up a ladder ramp and bolted it to the dove tail and unbolt it for loading/unloading the C5. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
You don't necessarily need an 18 ft trailer. A 16 ft trailer will work fine with a C5 and even a C7. If you plan on eventually upgrading to a C7 make sure the trailer is 83 inches wide. Here is what my C5 looked like on a 16ft trailer with a tire rack and debris guard added.
Trailer was a 16 ft long 79 inch wide wood bed utility trailer with a dove tail. Only mods were the tire rack/debris guard and two piece extended trailer ramps that let me have a 10 ft long ramp to easily drive onto the trailer. I had to buy a new one when I got my C7Z because it was too wide for the trailer. The front wheels barely fit between the fenders (like 1/16 clearance on each side) and the rear wheels hung off both sides of the trailer. I used this trailer for 23 years and it carried five different cars, an 86 Vette, a 97, an 03Z, an 08Z and the C7Z although it wasn't quite wide enough for the C7. Total weight as shown with the tires on the trailer was 5500 lbs. I first used a 1991 Olds Bravada with the 4.3 engine to tow it. It worked but the load was a little extreme for that small engine and after 5 years of towing it started using oil.
Tahoe's with 3:73 gears towed it very well.
If you purchase an 18 ft trailer just make sure you don't get slammed with too high of a tongue weight. I purchased an 18ft by 83 inch steel bed Big Tex Trailer and the trailer wheels are mounted from 6 inches to a foot too far toward the rear so tongue weight becomes an issue. I have to place the car with the rear wheels on the dove tail so most of its weight is toward the rear of the trailer. With a tire rack and debris shield and tires in the rack the total weight comes to 6600 lbs and placing the car near the back end of the trailer brings tongue weight in at at 800 lbs. If I placed the car where it should be on the trailer the tongue weight approaches 1200 lbs which is beyond the gross rear axle weight capacity of my Tahoe. The Tahoe's trailer towing capacity is 7400 lbs so the total weight isn't an issue it is just the tongue weight. Towing it without a load or my equalizer installed the tongue weight takes the rear axle over its gross weight rating. The trailer just isn't properly balanced. Now if I had a dually it wouldn't be a problem.
Bill
no problems here, drives right up. They have standard 6' ramps and the optional 7' ramps for an extra $100. Fender to fender is 82" and both are removable. My car is lowered too. The ramps double as a front stone guard which is a nice touch. My complete trailer setup with tire rack ended up being $4850 I think straight from R&R but I'd have to double check the invoice. They are a local Michigan company and you buy direct from them, they can deliver for you also I belive at an extra cost of course.
Not sure why some other aluminum trailers cost so much more but I feel this is a fair price for an 18' foot 1250# trailer. My Envoy Denali has the 5.3L in it and I believe is rated for 6500lbs max towing. Total I'm at 4500lbs or so minus camping gear and tools but it tows like the car and trailer are not even there.
no problems here, drives right up. They have standard 6' ramps and the optional 7' ramps for an extra $100. Fender to fender is 82" and both are removable. My car is lowered too. The ramps double as a front stone guard which is a nice touch. My complete trailer setup with tire rack ended up being $4850 I think straight from R&R but I'd have to double check the invoice. They are a local Michigan company and you buy direct from them, they can deliver for you also I belive at an extra cost of course.
Not sure why some other aluminum trailers cost so much more but I feel this is a fair price for an 18' foot 1250# trailer. My Envoy Denali has the 5.3L in it and I believe is rated for 6500lbs max towing. Total I'm at 4500lbs or so minus camping gear and tools but it tows like the car and trailer are not even there.
Thanks for the info. Do you have the 6' or 7' ramps?
7' but a friend has the same trailer with 6' ramps and loads his 2011 GS just fine with only a 2x4 under each ramp. His is def lower than mine with the lip setup.
Thanks for all the recommendations. Today, I put a deposit on an 18' Featherlite 3182 open aluminum trailer. I looked into buying a trailer from R&R but the best shipping quote (Michigan to California) I got was $2300!
07-08-2018, 03:15 AM
Need Advice on Open Trailer for C5Z
