Two parts to this post: Part One: I'm going to be stepping up and getting an enclosed hauler for the GTS. What is a brand to AVOID??? What brand is recommended??? I notice a lot of "Dominator" trailers at the PS and FAST events. Is that a brand?? Or a model name??? Also, how much more length is considered "comfortable" over the length of the car I.E. for hauling tools, pit bikes, canopies, chairs, coolers....etc.??? This is brings me to PART TWO of this post: Anybody looking for a NICE open hauler??? US Cargo 18' full wooden deck. Steel beaver tail with slide out ramps. Enclosed wiring harness. Powder coated frame, redwood stained deck. Spare tire with mount. Weatherproof, locking tool box. D rings. Electric brakes on one axle, and a "break-away" box. Running side lights. This trailer is only two racing season's old, and has about 800 miles on it. It is stored under a cover during the winter. Black frame with new white rims and radial tires. $1600 Thanks! :Comp:
Frank, My Pace American trailer itself is ok, but I am disappointed in how they put the axles on the frame so as to ballance the load. If I load a car nose in, it puts way to much weight on the front axle, so I now BACK the car in and have no problems with it now. The first year I went thru 8 Goodyear Load D tires because of that and also Goodyear had a recall on those tires. Mine is 24ft and I have cabinets up front but with a B body and Cabinets you cant fit a 4 wheeler in it only a cycle. mine has a 3ft side service door, get a 4ft door and you can fit your toys in easier. Thanks Jim
The *Dominator* series that you see is a version of a Classic brand trailer. http://www.classicmfg.com/ I can't help you with what to stay away from, as I've only ever owned a Classic enclosed. I have my opinions on what "looks" like a crappy trailer, but it is merely based off of looks. Mine is a 1997 model year 28'-er Classic. It is holding up VERY well. There was a lot of research done on enclosed trailers by myself and a friend of mine at the time when him and his son were both buying trailers. Classic was hands-down the best bang-for-the-buck at the time. I see a lot of other nice trailers out there now though, so I bet the competition is pretty stiff these days. THOUGHTS: -> Pick a neutral color (white) that will go with ANY color tow vehicle, and will make for easy resale if/when the time comes. -> Get AT LEAST a 24'-er, again for resale. 26' and 28' is nice if you want to have additional floor for either a longer car, should you need it, or to haul all the rest of your junk (pit bike, cabinets, tools, coolers, dead bodies, etc.) -> Make SURE to get a road-side door. Resale again, as well as being able to get out of the vehicle. -> Carefully review the options (if buying new) and make sure that you get everything that you *think* you may ever need (even if you don't need it currently). IE - Roof bracing for A/C, 110V outlets, generator door, winch plate, finished walls/interior, .040" sides, etc. Most of the above come as part of a "package" with the trailer, so it should be pretty cost-friendly to do it up front. -> And FINALLY .... PLEASE don't tow a 24'+ enclosed trailer with a Dakota, Durango, Escort, Topaz, etc. Make sure that you've got a TRUCK that is properly rated to tow something like that. An enclosed in the wind .... and an enclosed coming to a panic stop, are MUCHO different that an 1800# open trailer.... believe me. :Smarty:
....oh yea ..... And DON'T listen to Mike. Whatever brand he is picking is sure *popular* with the less-desirables out there........ p
well, I've only had a trailer for almost two years, but here is my experience. First, I've towed with an open trailer before and figured thats where I would start when I would look to buy a trailer. Then eventually upgrade to an enclosed when the time and most importantly money warranted. Well, a friend of mine had a work associate who was looking at selling his trailer and upgrading to a new one. He only listed it for sale internally at Eli Lilly (the Clinton, IN plant for those of you scoring at home) so the public didn't really know about it. It's a '93 Haulmark 24' enclosed. red in color, 8' wide, beaver tail, 4 tie downs, torsen axles, brakes on all 4 wheels, door on passenger side (don't recall the size), the previous owner wired the inside with lights and outlets. The price I paid for this bad boy, better sit down for this, $2700!!!! :jd: I searched on the web and other places and for similar enclosed trailers I couldn't find anything cheaper than $3900. Needless to say, I had to buy it, even though I was unemployed at the time. For the first year it was trouble free, except for shreading a tire coming back from the Mondello meet. This past year I've had to do brakes on one of the axles. Other than that, no complaints, although it probably needs the tongue jack replaced. I would have preferred an 8.5' wide, but for what I paid, I can't complain. The only issue I have is I really don't have the appropriate tow vehicle. Since I was never really looking to start off with an enclosed trailer, I'm going to have to continue to tow with my 99 Sierra x-cab Z-71. I've bought a weight distributing hitch setup, but with the trailer loaded with a car and parts, it's still quite a load for the 5.3L. I'm very tempted to get the truck I really want to tow safely, but don't have the money. Maybe after the first of the year I'll get more serious. The truck I'm looking at is an '00-'05 GMC (or Chevy) 2500HD club cab with Duramax and Allison trans. The scary thing is, the parent company of the one I work for is a GM Supplier, so I get a discount on new or leased vehicles. So it's just a matter of whether I want to put myself into debt again (or is that still).
I will be selling my RED 98 26 foot Dominator tag trailor this spring as I am going to get a 2 car 48 footer. If you would be interested send me an email I will send you some pictures of it. It has a dove tail, show car floor , street side door (so you can drive in and open the door), Brand new tires this year, spare tire under floor, winch, sterio, roof vents ,lights on ceiling,and on the lower sides for tieing down, cabinets, and checker board vinal flooring.
Here goes.... Most steel frame trailers are CRAP! It seems like every company has jumped on the band wagon(band trailer?) and is making CHEAP P.O.S trailers. 1. 3500lbs axles ARE NOT ENOUGH! 2. min. of 5200lb 6 lug axles is a must 3. 15" trailer tires are CRAP!!! 4. If at all possible go with REAL 16" trailer tires on 6 or 8 lug rims 5. ONLY BUY WHITE TRAILERS... Can't hardly give away a colored trailer and the cheap paint will oxidize quickly 6. Insist on ICC "truck lights" brand lights. or LED's The cheapo POS lights most trailers use will short out and rarely work. 7. 24" on center floor joists IS NOT ENOUGH!! You'll see the plywood sag when pulling your car in. 8. 24' trailers have the best resale, But a 22' will work fine for your Dart and Hon-Duh if ya found a good deal. 9. Escape doors over the fenders are usually useless cuz your car door will hit the fender inside the trailer. 10. 102" wide is very nice if you plan on driving your car in and being able to get out. 11. Winches are a sweet option and worth the money.(1500 quality winch will easily pull in a car) stay away from "Made in China" winches...CRAP! 12. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCE should you EVER!!! EVER!!! EVER!!! buy ANY trailer made by VINTAGE. They are crooks and their staff of builders are second rate HACKS! Be sure to find out WHO REALLY makes the trailer. Many brands are sold under other names...If it's VINTAGE...RUN DON"T WALK AWAY! 13. After owning a Featherlite and can tell you they ARE WORTH the money! Build quality is incredible! Same goes for Exiss trailers.
OK. Thanks for the responses, and please them coming. We can all learn from something like this. So far I have learned......... CLASSIC trailer=GOOD! :TU: VINTAGE trailer=BAD! :af: By the way.......what does one of these things approx. weigh??? I'll probably get a 24 footer. I'm heading out to check on some this afternoon to see what is "out there" in terms of options and standard features. I don't think I can talk Karen into on of those 48' "stackers" pulled by a Freightliner at this stage. As you guys know, she would want something to set a full blown kitchen in to handle the lunch crowds at the races!!! It's amazing I don't weigh 350lbs As for a tow vehicle, right now I have my extended cab 1500 Ram with the 360. That'll have to do for now. No diesel duallies in the budget at the moment!
Three truck's later....same trailer. The opinion I would like to add is: Buy heavier duty and larger than you need today. Unless your current car is all you will ever haul.....for ever without change. Example: Bought a 26' Classic Dominator 11,000 GVW "Why would you buy such a big trailer"......many, I mean many people asked. "Your Corvette is small....and your Willy's too." Well....now we all know just how svelt my current car is.....don't we. :laugh:
My trailer is close to 4,000lbs empty but I have front cabinets ,a winch with battery, It is insulated and totally finished off. Do not get the 7000gvw trailer with the lite duty 3500lb axles because you will be overweight when you put just your dart in it. get the 8 1/2 ft wide trailers, that way you wont have to do the Dukes of Hazard escape out of the window!! If you get the 15in wheels, you will most likely be able to get the drivers door open enough to get out of the door, but if you get the 16in wheels, the inner fender in the trailer will be to high to get the door open. But the 16 in tires are much suppior to the 15inchers. Also the Goodyear Marithon Radials in 15in load range D are junk. They have had a recall on them and they were supposed to mail me a rebait check to me to help on all the problems I had with their tires, but almost a year later, No check!! When I reaserched trailer size the 24 fts are the most popular, not only for cars but for other professions that need a enclosed trailer like house siders, roofers, carpenters, etc. The black trailers look great when clean but it is hard to keep them that way. also it is like walking into a oven in the summer when it is black. even a white trailer can use some insulation in the roof to keep thing cooler. also if you can order a trailer with 6000lbs axles, Dexter has the wheel bearings in a oil bath lube setup just like the semis have on there hubs, That is if you put alot of miles on it. years ago, I bought a Timbeerwolf trailer that had floor joists on 24in centers and the plywood would buckle and be rippled without a car in it on a cold winter day. I have asked alot of the trailer manufacturers why they dont use green treated plywood on the floors because the plain plywood can rot out with the salt and slop that it constantly sprayed up underneath and they said the cost and alot of people dont use them in the winter with the salt. also get a lourvered side generator door if you will think of ever having a generator. Later Jim
..just looking...... Went to the trailer store. They have Haulmarks. They have another brand that has aluminum frame rails with the "V" nose ( for the life of me I can't remember the whole name....."Racesomething or other". They're about $3000 more than the same size Haulmark and the "V" nose cuts down on the work/storage area in the nose. You're right Jim about the 7000 GVW being too lightweight even with just my porky GTS between the fenders. The 10000GVW have the 16" on center crossmembers in all three areas:floor, ceiling, and walls. They do have the 6 lug wheels, but rolling on 15" tires. They had a REALLY nice 28' Haulmark complete with diamond plate everywhere-inside and out, full upper and lower cabinets, finished walls and ceiling, flourescent lights along with 4 regular light fixtures, 3 roof vents, and generator hook-up with separate circuit breaker box. They want to "move it" before the snow flies. $10,500 !!! Too high for this poor boy! Will keep looking and taking notes. I have until next race season to pick one out, plus, like I said, I have to sell my open hauler first. Lots of choices, and options to think over.
Not that I am an experienced trailer man, but you guys need to check out H&H Trailers. It looks like these guys have a high quality trailer and they do not cut corners. I was also looking at their open trailers and Speedloader line. As far as sights to look for other trailer bargains, check out Free Trailer Ads.com and Racing Junk.com. A person can spend too much time looking.
I have had a 22 Pace , 24 Pace, and now a 28 Pace BigFoot. I had a 28 Classic Dominator from 1995-2002. I put over 105,000 miles on the Classic in 7 years and loved it. DAMN GOOD TRAILER. Couldn't kill it. In 1997, I raced 47 weekends out of 52... in state, cross country 3 times, you name it... Sold it to a turbo Buick bro who still pulls the hell out of it. Towed like a dream , and I have been 108 mph towing that one. Actually towed at 90mph++ for hours on end. I sold it for 75% of what I paid new 7 years down the line, and had 3 buyers waiting in line. Now have a 2002 28' Pace BigFoot super loaded, extra height, extra frame, extra weight, custom cabinets, yada,yada... would luv to have my Classic back. What torment I put that Classic through, it was a crime... incredible. I slept right through hurricane Opal in it in a truck stop in Alabama, yes, SLEPT. Looked extremely good when I sold it to Keith Egan, not one single flex area, wound, crack, wrinkle, or seperation...nothing, nada, not even one loose rivet or screw. A 24' Classic Dominator would last you your lifetime Frank. Get .040 panels in and out, white, 16" centers, 6" beams, 48" side door, 102" box, 9" height inside fenders-81" between fenders, 50 amp service, 225-75x16E tires, 5,200# Dexter torsion axles, curbside awning, treadplate rear door, quad 12v/110v lighting, insulated walls, winch, electric tongue jack, gen door. I know race trailers inside and out. JH
Trailers... I own a 2000 Haulmark Edge 24 ft trailer. I love it! Its fully finished on the inside and has 5200lb axles.I would buy at least a 28ft next time,due to the amount of crap i tend to bring to the track. The big side entry door is a must, I would also say a door on the other side would make getting in and out of my car much easier. A spot for the generator is nice also! Its the only enclosed trailer I've owned,so I cant comment on the others,but Tom Cannon just bought a new Dominator and it really looked nice! He said he really liked it!
My 24' 99 Classic weighed in at just a hair over 4000 lbs,thats with some chepe cabinets in the nose,an engine lift/crane in it. It has 16" on center beams under it,6 lug axles. For what I paid for it,I couldnt have passed on it,plus it has been 90-100 mph in GA . Make sure that you have enough tow vehicle to tow an enclosed. A 1/2 ton pick-up aint gonna do it....safely :rant: . Get a 3/4 ton at the least
