Howdy, Looking for member suggestions. What are the dos and dont when buying an enclosed trailer? I want to buy at least a 24 trailer to haul one of my 65s around. Ill probably also to throw a golf kart in the back for the shows. I'd like to keep the cost as low as possible but still order the right combination of options for quality, safety and the eventual resell someday. - Floor beams 12 on center the way to go or is 16 ok? - V- Nose? - Wall material? - Axles, what size / weight? - Wheels, what size? - LED taillights? - Ramp options, what are the must haves? - Side doors, how many and what size? Any other things I may have missed? ou: Thanks, Chris
Go for a 26' if you want room inside for a cart. I bought a Haulmark 26' with three doors ( both sides and rear) and it is nice , not top of the line ,but nice.
Budget? I'd like to stay under $7500 and still buy new. I priced one locally the other day that came in a little under 7k with tax. Here are the specs, 24' x 8.5' Cargo Express 16" on center floor beams 36" Side door Stone Guard Plywood upgrade (good enough to seal and paint) Ramp rear door Int. lights 10,000 GWW Axles (5k each side) Stock Red color V- Nose http://www.cargoexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=36 They have one on the lot ready to go for $5,700 that is white, Standard 3k per side axles (6,000 GWW) Standard nose Int. lights Ramp rear door 24' x 8.5' Cargo Express 16" on center floor beams 36" Side door Stone Guard Plywood upgrade (good enough to seal and paint) Thanks Chris
get a dome top for certain. the flat tops are prone to leaks. not fun. mine is a flat top but the price was right. i spent a lot of time and butyl rubber fixing that. also depends on what your pulling with. my TV is a 1500 suburban and it is maxed to pull it. I am limited to local stuff. I am currently in the process of purchasing a duramax 3/4 or 1 ton depending on what i find. I could see any 3/4 handling a 24' pretty readily. What are you putting in it? a GS? Most come with 2, 3500 lb axles you can put a gs in them but you are maxed at that point assuming the trailer weighs at least 3k by it's self and the gs is close to 4k. Mine was 5200 lb axles that give it a gross of 10,400. minus the 3300lb of trailer, that gives my 7100lbs hauling capacity. the 3500 lb axles have 5 lugs and the 5200 lb axles have 6. for weight distribution you'd be better off with the galf cart in front. your d rings will locate your car to the rear any ways. mine was purchased for 3500 with leaks, taxes, load levelers, anti sway, and a small craftsman tool box, included. it is a mid nineties pace
consider your tow vehicle I know very little about trailers but my advice is to be sure to consider the total weight of the trailer. We have a 24' Hallmark, it has been a great trailer, no complaints with it but with a big fat Buick in it, it's about all our wimpy gas powered truck can handle. The solution is make sure you have a truck with a diesel that has some goodie from Mr Haas.
Enclosed Trailer Advice.. Thanks for all of the advice I've got so far. :beer My tow vehicle (don't laugh) will be my 2006 Lincoln Mark LT (can tow up to 8900 lbs.) I'll be towing one of my two 65 GS's in it (convt. and HT) I see that there is a dealer up north of me that is selling what appears to be a pretty nice looking 28' trailer on Ebay for a Buy it now price of $5895. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007...tegoryZ80769QQihZ007QQitemZ170044646772QQrdZ1 Looks like a lot of options. I imagine adding a V Nose and making it Red wouldn't add any more than $500 - $600 to the price if ordered through them. I'll wait for your advice and learn how little I know about trailers.. :Smarty: Thanks again, Chris www.GranSports.com
First, hate to tell you, but your Lincoln won't quite make it. You need a minimum of a 3/4 ton vehicle to tow an enclosed trailer. A diesel is all the better. A 1/2 ton vehicle towing that much weight is asking for trouble, the kind you don't want. Make sure you get the 10,000 GVW model, not the 7,000 GVW model. Much better axles, tires, springs, brakes, etc. You'll have to have at least a 26' trailer to put a golf car inside. I have a side ramp door to load the golf car sideways in the trailer without having to move the car around. You do NOT want to put the golf car at the rear of the trailer. Minimum 42" wide ramp door installed in the front side of the trailer (mine is road side). You want your car near the axle centerline so you can balance your load by moving the car forward or back to get your tounge weight correct. LED's all around...goes without saying. Curb side door - whatever size you feel is best, but at least 36". Excape door on road side so you can open the car door and get out. Also, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SPECIFY THE FLOOR HEIGHT FROM THE FLOOR OF THE TRAILER TO THE BOTTOM OPENING OF YOUR ESCAPE DOOR!!. Measure from the ground to the bottom of your drivers door of your car and SUBTRACT 1"-2". Example: From the ground to the bottom of your car's drivers door is 15", you want to tell the trailer manufacture they MUST set the escape door NO HIGHER THAN 13" from the floor of the trailer. If you don't specify this, they will set the escape door too high and you'll never be able to utilize it's function. I don't personally like a V-Nose...they act wierd behind my vehicle (I tow with a 2003 Excursion Eddie Bauer with the 6.0 Turbo Diesel) If you do decide to try to tow with your current vehicle, please do a couple of things. Install outside mirrors so you can see what's around you. Please post your trip plans so we can stay out of your way. The trailer you're talking about weighs at least 4200 lbs empty and putting a GS and golf car inside will be pushing your tow vehicle to the limit if not exceeding the trailer rating. You really should consider a 3/4 ton truck of some type for your tow vehicle. You'll be much happier in the long run.
I have been completely happy with mine. I have an H&H 24' V-nose. I do not have a golf cart. I do not have an escape door, but is wide enough internially that I can open the door over the top of the inner fender and exit as a normal person. If you have a post car, it adds problems. Mine has a 48" curbside door that has a camper latch on it. You can open, close, and lock the door from the inside as well as outside. Go 5200# axles for certain. Watch you tire pressure and make certain to replace with the correct rating on the tires. And get a spare! 16" centers will be more than enough. Mine has 3/4" CCA treated plywood. Be careful with coatings/ vinyl on the floor. Some guys have had their car move while in transit because of a slick floor. Also consider e-track for flexability in mounting points. Mine has a nice hardwood sidewalls, but the top has not been finished. I can finish it, insulate the trailer, wire for A/C, etc. But it works great currently in its unfinished state. Rear ramp door is a must. I know some guys that have older trailers and the barn doors with additional ramps are scarry. Additional things that I love about my trailer: Line-x on all exterior frame and metal (tounge, fender boxes, rear bulkhead), LED lighting standard with the top center acting as a high brake light/ turnsignal, 7000# drop leg jack, 2 interior lights, 2' of diamond plate on the nose of the trailer, rivetless, bonded .040" sidewalls and roof. Also, don't skimp on the hitch! Get a quality, weight distribution hitch. I have a Draw-tite setup on mine with the Dual Cam sway control working with the trunion bars. The only time I even know that the trailer is back there is when a semi comes and takes air off the back of the trailer. H&H trailers
Trailer I agree with Brad 100% on all his comments. I've been towing for many years and went thru the progression of open, to bigger open, to 24' enclosed and to my current 28'. DON'T EVER under estimate the importance of having a large enough tow vehicle!!! I know people that consistantly tow with a vehicle that's too small, but if they continue to do so, their (bad) day will come. Please, if you're dead serious about an enclosed trailer, do it right the first time and you'll not regret it! PS Don't always believe everything that your trailer sales person tells you. Bottom line is that he wants to sell you a trailer. Just my .02
Small trailer big truck I've only got a 20' enclosed trailer with either a 84 or 85 Regal inside plus scooter, generator, and tool box inside and started pulling it with a 1/2 ton chevy pickup truck. I then up-graded to a 3/4 ton chevy pickup truck. The problem I found with both these trucks was that if I got into any kind of moisture on the road and had to make a quick stop (not panic) even with trailer brakes (of course) the trailer tended to jack knive the truck or at best push the truck further forward more than I wanted. After a few near misses I upgraded to a 1 ton dually and the problem went away. To try and pull an enclosed trailer with a lesser vehicle in my opinion is asking for trouble. What ever you decide for a tow vehicle make sure you have a brake control box installed in your tow vehicle at the minimum. :Smarty:
A decision has been made. Thanks to everyone who posted a response to my thread. One thing is for certain, "I'll need a larger truck". :TU: Only problem is that the boss may not be down with this quite yet so it looks like a new truck and trailer combo might be a couple more years down the road (no one ever said that this was an inexpensive hobby). :grin: Looks like Bowling Green will be on a open trailer for the next couple of years anyway. :bglasses: Thanks again, Chris www.GranSports.com
Not a bad idea. You won't have trouble with it especially with load levelers and anti sway. I have pulled on an open for quite a while with my short bed. it does great. So you won't have problem either. I bought my enclosed with anticipation of getting the new Tow Vehicle. This which will be coming soon.
