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Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: Rolly (IP Logged)
Date: August 12, 2003 12:23PM
<HTML>Any one want to expand on their experience and what’s best to look for in a box trailer. I’m looking.
Rolly</HTML>
Rolly</HTML>
Re: Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: SSsssteamer (IP Logged)
Date: August 15, 2003 02:21PM
<HTML>In selecting a car hauling trailer, your needs have to assessed first. How heavy is the towed vehicle? What is the towing capacity of your towing vehicle? The combined weight of the trailer plus the vehicle weight equals the maximum trailer weight.
The Chevy Tahoe tow package is rated at a 7K pounds towing capacity. Towing a 5K pound vehicle plus the trailer’s weight borders on maximum trailer weight overload for the Tahoe. For this reason, for our Tahoe, we bought the lightest trailer that we could get. We would have liked to have bought the heavy duty axles for our trailer but we were afraid of any additional weight.
For a better towing vehicle, the Suburban with its big engine and 4.10 axle ratio can tow 10K pounds maximum trailer weight. How tall and how long is the towed vehicle? The 8’ wide trailer box usually works well with most cars. If you are towing a much narrower car, i.e. Locomobile steamer, then the wide box would be unnecessary.
With the beaver tail (dropped bed at rear) of the modern trailers, it gives the roll up door the needed additional clearance for the height of your vehicle. It is this rear door height that determines your load heigth. For the length of the vehicle, the 18 foot long trailer has filled our needs. However, the 20 foot trailer will give you a little more walk around room and would weight only a little more.
Electric brakes are adjustable on the fly and require less maintenance than surge brakes. EZ Lift Load levelers will help greatly in transferring some of your tongue weight onto the front wheels of the towing vehicle. In towing a Stanley steamer, we bought vinyl floors and a roof vent to handle its environmental needs. For tie downs, E track installed in the floors by the factory is the best way to tie down your vehicle. Web bras tie down each wheel to the E track for a secure load.
If your towing vehicle is a tall motor home, then the trailer should also be square at the front matching up the roof lines for less air resistance. However if your tow rig is a shorter vehicle like a SUV or a pick up, then a trailer with a sloped roof in front should be purchased to aid in less wind resistance. A rock guard on the front of the trailer is appreciated for flying debris.
If you decide on a side walk in door, an additional inside step is handy for your access. Also the step is handy to hold chalk blocks and other often used road side tools. Inside trailer lighting is appreciated and is best if done when the trailer is being built. Inside wall and ceiling lining is necessary to keep from denting from the inside to the out. For fire wagons like the Stanley, I would be hesitant about lining the ceiling as it could become fuel for a fire.
A spare tire well installed in the floor makes good use of wasted space. For price, buying directly from the manufacturer will get you the trailer for about half price. We bought our trailer from Trailer World Inc. and only had to pay a small sales commission, and we picked it right at the manufacturer in Gary, Indiana. Using a search tool, we bought our trailer off the internet, where many trailer manufacturers can be found. Happy shopping!</HTML>
The Chevy Tahoe tow package is rated at a 7K pounds towing capacity. Towing a 5K pound vehicle plus the trailer’s weight borders on maximum trailer weight overload for the Tahoe. For this reason, for our Tahoe, we bought the lightest trailer that we could get. We would have liked to have bought the heavy duty axles for our trailer but we were afraid of any additional weight.
For a better towing vehicle, the Suburban with its big engine and 4.10 axle ratio can tow 10K pounds maximum trailer weight. How tall and how long is the towed vehicle? The 8’ wide trailer box usually works well with most cars. If you are towing a much narrower car, i.e. Locomobile steamer, then the wide box would be unnecessary.
With the beaver tail (dropped bed at rear) of the modern trailers, it gives the roll up door the needed additional clearance for the height of your vehicle. It is this rear door height that determines your load heigth. For the length of the vehicle, the 18 foot long trailer has filled our needs. However, the 20 foot trailer will give you a little more walk around room and would weight only a little more.
Electric brakes are adjustable on the fly and require less maintenance than surge brakes. EZ Lift Load levelers will help greatly in transferring some of your tongue weight onto the front wheels of the towing vehicle. In towing a Stanley steamer, we bought vinyl floors and a roof vent to handle its environmental needs. For tie downs, E track installed in the floors by the factory is the best way to tie down your vehicle. Web bras tie down each wheel to the E track for a secure load.
If your towing vehicle is a tall motor home, then the trailer should also be square at the front matching up the roof lines for less air resistance. However if your tow rig is a shorter vehicle like a SUV or a pick up, then a trailer with a sloped roof in front should be purchased to aid in less wind resistance. A rock guard on the front of the trailer is appreciated for flying debris.
If you decide on a side walk in door, an additional inside step is handy for your access. Also the step is handy to hold chalk blocks and other often used road side tools. Inside trailer lighting is appreciated and is best if done when the trailer is being built. Inside wall and ceiling lining is necessary to keep from denting from the inside to the out. For fire wagons like the Stanley, I would be hesitant about lining the ceiling as it could become fuel for a fire.
A spare tire well installed in the floor makes good use of wasted space. For price, buying directly from the manufacturer will get you the trailer for about half price. We bought our trailer from Trailer World Inc. and only had to pay a small sales commission, and we picked it right at the manufacturer in Gary, Indiana. Using a search tool, we bought our trailer off the internet, where many trailer manufacturers can be found. Happy shopping!</HTML>
Re: Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: Howard Randall (IP Logged)
Date: August 16, 2003 12:45PM
<HTML>Pat, this is all great advice. Knowing that Rolly has (today) a condensing car and a pickup, there is a trade-off on trailer height and potentialy, length.
If you are willing to lower the top and perhaps the windshield, the trailer height (wind resistance) can be lowered. Depending on car model, the overall length, with top down, can be longer and needs to be planned for. The drawback - when you'r in the parking lot and it is raining like hell and you want to put the car away, it is a pain in the butt to have to lower the top! If you decide on a "top up" trailer, be sure to closely check door height / entry angle.
On long tours, having extra storage space (outside of the tow vehical) is welcome and provides better access for repairs, out of the rain.
The hold-down rails and bras are a must. Talking to two people who have flipped their Stanley and trailer with these in place, these devices left them with something to restore!</HTML>
If you are willing to lower the top and perhaps the windshield, the trailer height (wind resistance) can be lowered. Depending on car model, the overall length, with top down, can be longer and needs to be planned for. The drawback - when you'r in the parking lot and it is raining like hell and you want to put the car away, it is a pain in the butt to have to lower the top! If you decide on a "top up" trailer, be sure to closely check door height / entry angle.
On long tours, having extra storage space (outside of the tow vehical) is welcome and provides better access for repairs, out of the rain.
The hold-down rails and bras are a must. Talking to two people who have flipped their Stanley and trailer with these in place, these devices left them with something to restore!</HTML>
<b>Re: Car hauler trailers.</b>
Posted by: JW (IP Logged)
Date: August 18, 2003 03:03AM
<HTML>Ouch!!!
JW</HTML>
JW</HTML>
Re: Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: Rolly (IP Logged)
Date: August 18, 2003 03:06PM
<HTML>Looks like my F-250 is only rated for a tow weight of 7200 LB.
Has any one ever put smaller wheels on just to tow? At 4.10 it’s up to 9600 Lb.
Most of the trailers I’ve seen do not have high enough door height.
72” will be OK if I keep the top down but that’s not good for the top. When I need the garage space it would be nice to keep the car in the trailer. I’ll need a taller door / trailer.
Haulmark 8.5 X 20 has a curb weight of 3325 with steel frame and a GVW of 7000 that only leaves 3675 for the car.
They also offer aluminum frame trailer. $$$ Don’t know what the weight figures are.
I need to weigh my car first.
Thanks Pat for getting me off in the right direction.
Rolly</HTML>
Has any one ever put smaller wheels on just to tow? At 4.10 it’s up to 9600 Lb.
Most of the trailers I’ve seen do not have high enough door height.
72” will be OK if I keep the top down but that’s not good for the top. When I need the garage space it would be nice to keep the car in the trailer. I’ll need a taller door / trailer.
Haulmark 8.5 X 20 has a curb weight of 3325 with steel frame and a GVW of 7000 that only leaves 3675 for the car.
They also offer aluminum frame trailer. $$$ Don’t know what the weight figures are.
I need to weigh my car first.
Thanks Pat for getting me off in the right direction.
Rolly</HTML>
Re: Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: SSsssteamer (IP Logged)
Date: August 19, 2003 03:06AM
<HTML>Dear Rolly, I am glad to help. That is what this web site is for. Unfortunately, smaller tires usually give you a smaller load carrying capacity. Check out the tire load specifications before you go changing to a smaller tire diameter. A smaller tire diameter can noticeably change your gear ratio. Personally, I would prefer to buy a tow rig that was already set up with the proper tow package for your needs. A tow package has: a granny rear gear ratio (i.e. 4.11), heavier suspension springs, a bigger engine, a higher class of trailer hitch, and a transmission cooler. You can make all the changes to your F-250 if you have the time and resources to do so. If your towed maximum trailer weight is only slightly over weight (500#), you shouldn't be too concerned, unless you are climbing steep hills. I would be more concerned with having tires that were with in their proper use specifications. It is no fun having a tire failure on a remote road at night. I had a truck that I had over loaded and when one of the right rear duel tires blew out from the over load, the second right rear duel blew immediately afterwards. Things quickly got dangerous and expensive. Always use the correct sized tires, in good condition, and properly inflated for your load.</HTML>
Re: Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: Rolly (IP Logged)
Date: August 21, 2003 01:05PM
<HTML>Pat
My ford F-250 is a SuperCab Pickup with the 5.4L engine and 3.73 ratio rear end. It is rated at 13500 GCWR and Maximum trailer weight of 7500 Lbs
5.4L is rated at 350 ft lb torque at 2500 RPM
If I had the 4.10 rear axle ratio it would be rated at 15000 GCWR and have a 9000
Maximum trailer weight.
My tires are 235/85 R-16 31.5”OD load range E at 3042/80 Lbs
I can go to a 245/75 R-16 30.7 OD load range E at 3042/80 Lbs
Or 225/75 R-16 29.5 OD load range D at 2335/65
This will change my ratio and engine RPM & tow capacity. How much is the question?
I still need to weight the Stanley before I look for a trailer.
For the two or three times a year I would tow the trailer.
I do not know why I need a heavy load range tires just for towing, as the tong weight would not be the same as a fully loaded truck. The towing capacity is based on the total truck trailed weight and the gear ratio/engine RPM. The people at the Dealers just don’t have all the answers.
[www.quiknet.com]
[www.quiknet.com];
My ford F-250 is a SuperCab Pickup with the 5.4L engine and 3.73 ratio rear end. It is rated at 13500 GCWR and Maximum trailer weight of 7500 Lbs
5.4L is rated at 350 ft lb torque at 2500 RPM
If I had the 4.10 rear axle ratio it would be rated at 15000 GCWR and have a 9000
Maximum trailer weight.
My tires are 235/85 R-16 31.5”OD load range E at 3042/80 Lbs
I can go to a 245/75 R-16 30.7 OD load range E at 3042/80 Lbs
Or 225/75 R-16 29.5 OD load range D at 2335/65
This will change my ratio and engine RPM & tow capacity. How much is the question?
I still need to weight the Stanley before I look for a trailer.
For the two or three times a year I would tow the trailer.
I do not know why I need a heavy load range tires just for towing, as the tong weight would not be the same as a fully loaded truck. The towing capacity is based on the total truck trailed weight and the gear ratio/engine RPM. The people at the Dealers just don’t have all the answers.
[www.quiknet.com]
[www.quiknet.com];
Re: Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: SSsssteamer (IP Logged)
Date: August 22, 2003 01:53AM
<HTML>Dear Rolly, Weigh your Stanley with an empty water tank and go from there. Our '99 Tahoe is rated to tow 7K pounds and it pulls our 1922 Stanley 735B easily. The '22 also has a California non folding top with beveled glass windows. It weighs between 4K and 5K pounds. You may have enough power to tow your Stanley already. Our trailer is 7 feet tall inside (overheight). That gives us more wind resistance being taller. We did add a little more weight to the trailer and that was in the walls. The studs are spaced closer together than the usual trailer spacing. I wanted the rigidity to the walls that the other trailer didn't have.</HTML>
Re: Car hauler /TIRES
Posted by: C Benson (IP Logged)
Date: August 22, 2003 11:57AM
<HTML>Hi Rolly,,,My experience is that tires fail if they run hot for whatever reason,,,,get in the habbit of feeling the tires when you stop,,,higher pressure will help up to a point,, I wouldnt worry on the gearing,,,thats what the tranny is for,,,would look at the tranny cooler etc,,,,ask someone[tranny shop]if yours is a good model,,or a not so robust one,,,Frankly i like std/ [gears],,,every automatic has cost me mMMMoney,,,,If youve got a std,,the thing to watch for is a lo enough 1st gear to get started on a hill,,,Frasers f150 is about,,,well,just past the limit of what ya can get started w / tall gearing ,,,NO granney gear on his 5 speed,,,,really,,,,,ok-ok its a Chev,,i cant recall the model,,,,But I cant immagine a f250 having trouble,,,, On real LLLONG steep hills ,,,slow down to where the engine can pull the load and not be pedal to the metal for LONG extended periods,,,Pat,,Please ..,, A few comments here on the rockies,,,,I climed through Rabbits Ears pass in 1963 w/ a 1ton chev /235 cid ..6cyl,,,,4 speed,,, 2nd gear for 20 miles I think,,,AND a whole tank of gas in that 20 miles Truck wt #9600 / [emty 4200] 700x17 tires at 75-80#,,,And tighten/check the lug bolts EVERY stop,,,XXXXX Tires will heat more on the interstate than on smaller roads,,,The tires on the SUNNY side will runa bit hotter too!!! Snow tred w/ thicker rubber in compresson on the hot tar will run hotter too,,,If you need to talk tires,,,See personaly Steve Sanborn at Sanborn Tire in Haverhill Ma,,,He is about 50 now and runs what was his dads tire shop,,,,He never had another job,,,grew up in the shop when his dad went blind,,an'Steve was still in school,,,,Steve knows tires,and,I still buy my tires there tho its 2hrs from here,,,Usually hes got 6 men on the floor,,its busy,,and Steve will still change a tire by hand himself if the going gets heavy,,,,Tell him I sent you,,,,yes he also deals w Coker,,Lester,,,etc,,,In 1967 i spent a morning on the phone looking for price on truck tires ,,75mi radius,,,Steve was best price,Really good tire,,Not el/cheepo ,,at that time my shop was only 12 telephone pols distant,,,,,,Ive rambled too long,,hope this is of value,,,Cheers Ben</HTML>
Re: Car hauler /TIRES
Posted by: Bruce Waterworth (IP Logged)
Date: August 24, 2003 09:30AM
<HTML> Rolly, my 740, full of fuel and water with 5gall extra, tools etc but no passengers, weighed 4300lbs [theres a scale 1/4 mile from my house]
Bruce.</HTML>
Bruce.</HTML>
Re: Car hauler trailers.
Posted by: bill barksdale (IP Logged)
Date: October 10, 2003 11:24PM
<HTML>DO YOU MAKE A 2 OR 3 CAR HAULER OPEN WITH A BUMPER HITCH STYLE?PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU WOULD,803-513-4344,THANK YOU.</HTML>
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