Car Trailers

[Nettlesd]

Any recommendations? What are some brands and models that you guys have? Web site links? Dovetail? Tilting?

Top of the line?

Middle line?

Lower line?

[phyxius]

get a custom one made for your needs.i've used many different ones and all ways found something i would like but it didn't have or something i didn't like. so i'm getting one made to what i want and need.as of right now i have a 16'x6'6" lowboy utility trailer that i've made ramps for that dose the trick jsut fine.

[Nettlesd]

And where would I start to get one made that would be custom? Any suggestions?

[David Neibert]

Duane,

A couple things I think you will want.

Dual axles

Electric brakes both axles.

Tie downs front and rear of trailer.

Ramp storage beneath trailer.

Dove tail and longest ramps possible (limited by trailer width).

Shortest fenders possible...makes opening the car doors possible without removing fenders. Unfortunatly this requires a higher deck which makes the ramps steeper.

Lockable tool box near front of trailer is very handy for storing tie down straps.

I would say to get and electric winch, but since your not likely to be racing much that probably isn't needed.

Rock deflector/bulkhead is also nice on an open trailer.

David

[SRT-4]

Duane,

Shortest fenders possible...makes opening the car doors possible without removing fenders. Unfortunatly this requires a higher deck which makes the ramps steeper.

David


That is no lie
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d180/CurtisPaulfrey/SUNP0001.jpg

[Melon]

Duane - I've got an 18' tilt bed trailer from H&H and love it. I had it with me at the KC meet last June. If you've seen ThomasA's trailer - his is the same, just a bit longer. I really like my trailer and recommend them to anyone. Being a tilt bed, the only issue you may have is scraping loading and unloading. Mine doesn't scrape, but I'd be willing to bet a lowered car may.

Mine has shortened fenders so I have no issue opening my door, dual axles with brakes on both, nice light package, and room for a winch up front that I'll be adding later.

In case you don't remember, here is what mine looks like.
http://www.midwestthundercats.com/forums/myspace/members/Melon/F150/Trailer2.JPG

www.hhtrailer.com is their website.

-Melon

[Nettlesd]

Andy,

Which one is it that you have? What model is it?

[Mike8675309]

Tilt bed trailers kick butt. All aluminum trailers are very nice for towing.

Keep your eyes open for used trailers. folks are always trading up, or getting out of the racecar business.

here's one place I got e-mailing me when new used stuff shows up.
http://www.featherlitetrailers.com

[tim]

I found a used 16 ft. trailer I had it at the shootout. To short and the fenders are to high. I would go at least 18 ft. with fenders you can open and close the doors with.:D

[Super XR7]

Featherlite 17.5'

trailer weights 1300 lbs
great resale value
6000 lbs capacity
torsion suspension
4 wheel electric brakes
low deck height
removable fenders
will not rust
four corner tie down rings
you will be a happy camper
Down side: pricey but see note 2


Mike

[Kurt K]

Duane,

I actually looked at a tilt trailer by H&H Trailer a couple of years ago. My lowered car would have scraped without using some boards to drive up on first. Other than that, it was a nice trailer. If you plan on towing with what I think you'll be towing with, I'd definitely consider the Featherlite trailer. I don't know the exact weights, but I bet you'd save 1000 lbs by getting an aluminum trailer.

edit: I noticed H&H Trailers have added an aluminum trailer to their line. If you get a 20' tilt trailer, you would have a better chance not scraping than with an 18' tilt trailer.

[pablon2]

Being a tilt bed, the only issue you may have is scraping loading and unloading. Mine doesn't scrape, but I'd be willing to bet a lowered car may.

-Melon

We brought my car to the UMTC BBQ this summer on Todd's (BirdofPrey97) trailer, just like yours, and it scraped. My car is lowered and has a Xenon front air dam too. To minimize the scraping, Todd used a jack under the front cross member and he rolled with the car as it eased off the trailer. Two guys lifted up on the rear wheel housings to keep the tailpipes from hitting. It was not fun, but it worked. Best way to load/unload a lowered car is to park the truck in a ditch (if available) and drive onto it from the road/driveway. That is how we had loaded it at my place that day.

[pro street rich]

I have been pulling trailers for over 35 years now. If you really want to know P.M. me and I will fill you in.
Some things that you want to get have already been said. You MUST "test fit" your car to the trailer. Some kind of a stone guard is a must, trust me on that one.Brakes on ALL wheels is also a must..Electric are great if you look at them once a year, surge brakes allow you to pull with anything you have. The electric brakes need a controller in the tow unit... Get sway bars from the tow unit to the trailer, these help with controll and the weight that is put on your tow unit.
Now if you want open type trailer, then you must look at the ramp angle. Longer ramps help, as does a tilt or beaver tail design. There are a lot of ways to make it work, BUT it must work for you. Tie downs are very important, you need at least one in every corner. You asked about a winch, this is something that can be added later, but is better if you have one built to have it put in right away.
Design???? well I could go on for a week on that part. There are so many ways to go. You should start to look at every trailer you can and ASK the owner what he would do different if he was to buy another one. Don't ask the guy who is selling his trailer, because he will say it is the best in the world, just to get you to buy it.
No one has even talked about enclosed trailers.... This is the way to go.. Your car is out of sight, and out of the weather. Sure they are a bit more to buy and cost a bit more as well. The nice part is that you can always have your garage with you when you travel.
Where to look for one??? good one to ask. Get your hands on some of the mag's that are for racers. Ther is always someone getting out of racing. National Dragster is a good place to look. So is Circle Track. You might even look in Hemmings for a good one.
I had my last one built in Elkart In. and it is a good one. That is that red one I had at some of the shoot outs... I hope this helps some, if not we can talk on the phone if you want......Rich

[7birdslater]

Dont get one put on the tounge unless its angled and made for it. The one on this trailer is a truck box that doesnt belong and put a nice 500 dollar dent on my truck when I backed down to get my car:eek:


http://johnnaas.com/Gallery/albums/album01/5_August_2005_030.sized.jpg
I couldnt open my doors on this one, so I used a small jack to pick up the side just long enough to get in. Another sweet idea I saw was a trailer with fold down fenders. They hinge down out of the way to get in and out. My next trailer will have those even if I have to build them myself:)
I would also like to have ramps that pull out and are ready to use, not put in storage sideways. This would allow longer ramps too.

[Nettlesd]

Anybody know anything about Tommys Trailers (http://www.tommystrailers.com)?

Kurt,

Yes, it's what you are thinking.

Mike Super XR7,

You don't have any problem with your car, correct? I believe your car is lowered and I think you mentioned at the 06 Shootout that you didn't have any problems getting your car on the trailer.

[Kurt K]

Anybody know anything about Tommys Trailers (http://www.tommystrailers.com)?

Kurt,

Yes, it's what you are thinking.

Mike Super XR7,

You don't have any problem with your car, correct? I believe your car is lowered and I think you mentioned at the 06 Shootout that you didn't have any problems getting your car on the trailer.

One thing to consider about Mike's XR7 (or most XR7's anyway) is that they do not have rear ground effects that hang down as low as SC's and therefore are less prone to scraping the ground when loading on a trailer.

As for Tommys Trailers, I too found them on the web, but don't know anything else. I think I got a link at home for a really nice open trailer, but I couldn't find the site while searching here at work.

[Nettlesd]

So, Kurt, if you were in the market for an open trailer, would you go with a Featherlite or a Tommys trailer? It looks like the Tommys trailer is a little more money but can be had with an enclosed topper. Both trailers come with an air dam that is an option.

[Super XR7]

Anybody know anything about Tommys Trailers (http://www.tommystrailers.com)?

Kurt,

Yes, it's what you are thinking.

Mike Super XR7,

You don't have any problem with your car, correct? I believe your car is lowered and I think you mentioned at the 06 Shootout that you didn't have any problems getting your car on the trailer.

I do not have any problems loading or unloading the car, but I do need to put a 1" board under the left side tires in order to get the door open over the trailer tires. But overall I am very happy with the trailer and would buy it again. Note: my car is lowered 1.5"

Mike

[Melon]

Andy,

Which one is it that you have? What model is it?

2006 H&H 18' Speedloader MX tiltbed. If you want more info, or better pics of it - let me know.

Paul - I'll haveta keep that in mind. Though it sounds like kind of a PITA. I think I'm going to be towing a lowered SC in the next few weeks with the Xenon GFX in the front and I'm afraid it'll catch. I barely scrape my exhaust tips when loading my 'Bird, and when I loaded my dad's stock 94 SC and my 96 LX, I didnt' scrape at all. I'm fairly certain my friends Talon didn't scrape either? But it's been a while since I towed it.. that was a fun night :rolleyes:

-Melon

[tim]

Wow thats a lot of money. I paid $800 for my trailer. It has a nose cone with windows. I put some time and about $150 in paint on it. I found a guy that can extend the trailer bed 3 ft. for a few hundred in labor. I saw a lot of nice enclosed race car trailers for $5000 and less look around. I hook my trailer up and then put a jack under the front of the trailer to raise it a tad.my car sets up pretty high. When I have the extenion done I am going to have it dove tailed down a tad.

[Kurt K]

So, Kurt, if you were in the market for an open trailer, would you go with a Featherlite or a Tommys trailer? It looks like the Tommys trailer is a little more money but can be had with an enclosed topper. Both trailers come with an air dam that is an option.
Not sure which I'd get. I'd seriously look at enclosed trailers before I purchased an open trailer. Anyway, I do like the enclosed topper that Tommys offers, but I'd have to see one in person before I could decide.

I still couldn't find the trailer type I was looking for on the net, but I did find another type that I had thought about getting in the past. http://www.texasrollback.net/ I'll keep looking for the other link I was thinking about.

[Kurt K]

I do not have any problems loading or unloading the car, but I do need to put a 1" board under the left side tires in order to get the door open over the trailer tires. But overall I am very happy with the trailer and would buy it again. Note: my car is lowered 1.5"

Mike

Mike,

Do you think that if your car had SC ground effects your car would still easily load / unload on the trailer?

[Kevin Leitem]

I have the same trailer as mike, i think it is by far the best open trailer you can get. I have the A&A ground effects which are lower than factory and i just place a 1X10 under the tires on the driver side and i can open the door fully. i would definately recommend the featherlite

[Smutty]

Here are a few key items that were shown here.

1. Ramps
2. Fenders

Look at a flat bed tow truck. see how the whole bed is a ramp and that there are no fenders. You want as close as possible with a trailer.

Anyway you can get the fenders out of the way so you can open the door is key. with a dead battery the windows don't go down. If you pick up junk cars to fix up or beak down alot this is key.

Ramps, You need nice wide ramps that won't slide out from underneth your car. also the lip at the end of trailer needs to be smooth, if you have a wood deck you have that angle iron holding the ends of the wood on. This gets ripped off when you have a lowered supercoupe and the bar that goes between the rear floor pans catch that angle iron. It sucks.

[Mike8675309]

There is a clip of Mike unloading his car from the trailer that'll be on the shootout dvd. That featherlight aluminum trailer has a fairly low loading floor so the ramps can have a nice angle on it. It's design seems to allow the floor to be lower than you see on some all steel units.

I'm shopping for a enclosed trailer just due to the benefit of having some place to hide in bad weather while waiting at the track or if you need to do some work. i've got to drive far enough to get to a track that I'm going to be camping quite often if I don't want to have 6 hours of driving round trip every time I go to the track. Closest track is 2 hours away from me and that's an 1/8th mile.

[Ballman]

well im selling my gooseneck trailer enclosed , 28ft , Hallmark trailer . Your top grade trailer people , featherlite are great , but really big bucks . I ordered my trailer and sold the car now that I use to show , has full carpet inside , ramp door , top vent , 2 side doors , paid 9 grand for it . Will sell for the first 5 grand . Cant beat this deal , used only a few times , longest I went was a 500 mile trip . Trailer is Black . Im at Ballman32@aol.com for more info .

[Nettlesd]

Wow, that does sound like a killer deal. That will even be cheaper than what I'll end up paying for the featherlite, unfortunately, I don't believe I have the truck to pull it with. All I have is a 1995 SVT Lightning and I think your trailer will be way too much for it, hence, why I'm going to be sticking with a light featherlite to pull with.

My other problem would be where to keep the trailer. My sub-division does not allow you to keep any boat, RV or any other type of trailer in your driveway or parked outside on the street. I’m not even sure if I could park the trailer in my Dad’s sub-division.

[Ballman]

Also have a F350 , 2wheel drive , Black to match the trailer , if someone wants a whole pulling outfit . 7.3 non turbo with automatic , 85K miles on her . Sell the whole set on one heck of a deal . 8 grand takes both , thats a steal . Truck and trailer . I just dont use them , their just setting . Im sure someone out there could use this set up . For sure the price is right .
DW
Im at Ballman32@aol.com for more info or photos

[Kurt K]

Right trailer, just the wrong time for me. And unlike Duane, I definitely have enough truck for that trailer. Just curious, what's the outside height of that trailer?

[Ballman]

Will have to measure it tomorrow , sorry dont know right off hand . DW