CADbrian

I would appreciate some input from those of the forum with trailering experience. I just recently took delivery of a new Trailex Enclosed Sports Car Trailer (CTE-84180). I have a 2018 Corvette Grand Sport. I have a F250 diesel pickup that pulls the trailer well. I have some of the things I need but what I don't have is the knowledge that I need to do this safely and intelligently.

I've heard of things like "tongue weight," the towing vehicle's maximum payload, where and how people position a vehicle inside a trailer. As many of you experienced haulers know, there are a lot of factors in the equation to effect safe and efficient transfer. Please share your advice with me (and any others who may come after me).

What are all the topics/factors are that need consideration?
Where or how do I figure out about the ideal tongue weight for my truck/trailer combination?
Where or how do I figure out what my vehicle's maximum payload is?
How do I position my car inside the trailer? Toward the front of the trailer? In the middle? Toward the rear?
Do I put my car inside the trailer facing the back of the trailer or do I put the car in the trailer facing toward the front of the trailer?
What tools I may need to always have in the trailer?

There may be even more things that I don't know of.

Dump all your tips, suggestions, and input below, and please don't forget to cover even the basics. Thanks in advance.

eric1855

etrailer.com has a lot of great articles and is a good place to start reading up

tongue weight should, ideally, be 10-15% of the weight of the trailer. Here is the one on tongue weight https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-...ue-weight.aspx

Your vehicles maximum payload should be in the owners manual and/or on the info plaque on the door sill.

speedwaywhite

F-250 will handle it easily.
How long is the trailer? 15 or 16" rubber?
Front end in first. Will you be driving in or winching?
Tongue scales are available on line, they are a handy way to determine where to place the car in the trailer. Make sure your on a level surface.
I use wheel nets for the front tires that attach to E-track in the floor. Then X two straps into D rings for the rear.

Trailer tire air pressure is important, recommended pressures will be shown on tire sidewall.
Most (15") trailer tires are rated for 65 MPH. No experience with 16 inch.
Tire Rack recommends adding an additional 10 PSI to the recommended PSI if you are towing at speeds greater than 65 MPH.

davidfarmer

just go to a truck stop and weigh the axles, then drop the tongue and weigh the entire thing. You get 2 scalings for a single fee, so take both then subtract out the tongue weight.

Every trailer I've had comes with good tongue weight, so as long as the car is centered ahead of the axles you will have a good starting point. If you don't have enough tongue weight, you'll know it as soon as you hit highway speed.

And PLEASE get a load distributing hitch. It will enhance handling, decrease load on your rear truck tires, an acts as a built in sway control even on heavy duty trucks.

CADbrian

David, someone told me (either another Trailex owner or my Trailex dealer) that the use of a load distributing hitch voids the manufacturer's warranty. I'm okay with walking away from a manufacturer's warranty if there is a large enough carrot. I'll ask my dealer to confirm or deny this again and also ask that he tell me why (or why not) I should used one. Thanks. It's topics like these that bring me back to my dealer with questions, and that's how I learn. Thanks.

CADbrian

The trailer bed is 16.3 feet long.

Any vehicle that can enter under its own power will obviously be driven in but I'm also on the hunt for a C2 coupe, which when I find it may or may not be under its own power. I hope that I don't have to install a winch but have that option (the battery came with the trailer and wired for a winch).

I should try to borrow one. Doesn't seem like I'd use one often enough to warrant buying one. But a tongue scale does sound like the best way to determine tongue weight.

Yep, saw that.

My dealer already provided me some good info on the tires and the speeds for use.

Good tip. Thanks.

speedwaywhite

At 16' I don't think you need a tongue weight scale. I just measured my 17 Z at approximately 15 ft.
If you center the GS in the trailer you should be close to right on.
I don't currently have a winch but would like one. It would be nice to be able to load the car if you suffered a mechanical issue or (God forbid) an "on track incident".

My trailer is 24' V-nose, I find the weight distributing hitch enhances handling and safety.
I typically have a GVW of 8K lb with car and track day track day stuff on board.
Your GVW will be significantly less so may negate some of the benefits of a hitch.
I have no clue on why a hitch should effect trailer warranty.

c4cruiser

Using a weight distribution hitch is a good idea. It will help distribute the trailer load to the truck, and will aid in controlling sway. I use a Curt hitch and it's easy to install and hook up when I tow my 20' enclosed trailer. Most of these hitches are steel and somewhat heavy. One thing that I found with a distribution hitch is that they can be set up so that the front end of the truck does not rise once the trailer is loaded and the hitch is attached. If you need to tow at night, the headlights won't point skyward.

For trailer accessories, you can find lots of neat things for the inside at https://pitproducts.com/?gclid=CPTrw...FRRefgodP3AAAA

You will need ratcheting tie-downs for the car. I have used ratchet assemblies from this company: http://www.snappinturtle.com/index.php?p=home Get the straps with a 10K load rating. The "working load limit" is actually 1/3 of the rating so each 10K strap is good for 3300 lbs.

mattastick

Spend the extra money on Mac's Straps. They're expensive, but oh so worth it. We use them for work, and I refuse to use anything else.

Schectermarc

X2 on Mac straps. Had a cheaper brand break and almost lost a car. Spend the bucks and buy once and have the peace of mind

Jfryjfry

speedwaywhite

Macs Straps are the good stuff, I bought wheel nets and straps from them in 2004, have 40K miles hauling Corvettes with them.

seamus2154

https://www.realtruck.com/weigh-safe...BoCgSMQAvD_BwE

Bill Dearborn

I can't believe they would do such a thing. A WD hitch is a safety item and is necessary for some tow vehicles. A simple phone call should answer that question. Either to your dealer or to Trailex.

Your F250 should be able to handle the trailer but you should pay attention to your vehicles Gross Combined Weight Rating (total weight of tow vehicle and trailer together) to be sure. I purchased a trailer tongue weight scale from Amazon or some place. It wasn't all that costly and once I knew my total trailer weight I was able to use the scale on the street in front of my house to get the trailer tongue weight so it fell within the 10 to 15% guidelines and fell within my tow vehicles tongue weight rating. With my tow vehicle I can tow a trailer with a 7400 lb trailer with a tongue weight up to 1000 lbs with a WD hitch. The tow rating is half that if I am using a dead weight hitch. GCWR for my tow vehicle is about 13,000 lbs so with a 5200 lb tow vehicle and a 6600 lb trailer that gives me enough capacity to haul 1200 lbs of people and cargo in the tow vehicle.

Once you have the tongue weight figured out you need to know whether or not you are exceeding the gross weight rating for each of your tow vehicles axles. That is where the WD hitch comes in since it can move weight from rear to front to distribute the load better across the tow vehicle. On top of that you need to consider getting the trailer as level as possible so having a hitch that can be moved vertically to get close to your objective is a necessity if your hitch level and trailer hitch don't line up vertically.

I found this guide online (I think it is for MY 2017 and could be different for other MYs):

As you can see with the F250 the weight carrying hitch and weight distribution hitch limits are the same so you could get by without a WD hitch but it just makes things so much easier when towing.

Bill

CADbrian

Hey Guys, what makes the Mac Straps better than the other brands?

CADbrian

I answered my own question by calling Mac's Tie Down Straps directly. I like the sound of everything I heard. Mac's Tie Down Straps will be the next purchase.

xkilo16x

@speedwaywhite

Is there a particular reason why you go front first? Just curious because I currently back into my trailer.

CADbrian

While I certainly can't answer for speedwaywhite, might it be to get the weight of the motor in front of the trailer axles, thus increasing the tongue weight??? I don't know. Just guessing.

xkilo16x

I have my tires and tools on a shelf rack over the front of the trailer by the tongue so it has that constant weight and then I back up the car so that the motor sits directly over the axles of the trailer. That way the car towards the rear of the trailer balances the tongue weight out. That was my reasoning but I should should probably get the tongue on a scale to actually see where I'm at.

DJFIN

Welcome to "Adventures in Trailering" My advice, get two spare tires. Whenever one tire blows, the other on that side will blow shortly after. Always check and inflate your trailer tires properly before every tow!
Robert