Car trailers
- Thread starter jeremyandthemonte
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I would go at least a 18' with 5200 lb axles. I had on but I sold it as I needed the money and my truck barely fit on it. My next one will be a 22' probably so my truck will fit better if need be.
When I shop trailers I go overkill! Mine is a custom built 7ton from Steven Green in Howell NJ he manufacturers trailers for other companies that put their names on his work anything from Little bike trailers on up to Big 3 car goosenecks. He built my 7-ton in 07 for 5100 out the door and I love it I haul whatever I need to. However you have to have a real truck to tow a trailer like that so it's very important what you're towing it with I've even had small track loaders on my trailer. Several times I've hauled my John Deere 750 and a Ford 340 skid steer at the same time it's a 20-foot deck with fixed ramps
one of the beautiful things about his trailers is he uses one piece frame construction that's one piece of c channel front to back for each rail bent in a jig to become trailer frame rails
No welds no breakpoints
So far it's called everything I've thrown at it
No welds no breakpoints
So far it's called everything I've thrown at it
I bought a shiny new 16' PJ 7k car hauler back in 2013. I chose this trailer specifically with the goal of hauling my Jeep, so a 16' seemed quite sufficient.
All loaded up, ready to leave Moab at the end of Easter Jeep Safari:
As happens with this sort of thing, I have since used it to haul dozens and dozens of other vehicles. Knowing what I know now, if I were to go back in time and do it over again I would choose an 18' (or maybe even 20') trailer instead. Still, I have been very happy with my purchase.
Here it is back in August 2015 when I bought my Grand Prix:
When I bought my tow vehicle (the month before I bought my trailer), I went overboard. I skipped half ton chassis vehicles entirely, and instead bought a 2001 Suburban 2500 with the Vortec 8100 V8 engine--that's 496 cubic inches, baby. Chevy rated my Burb to tow 12,000 pounds, and it does so beautifully. I would recommend a heavy duty tow rig to everyone. The entire vehicle is upgraded over a half ton equivalent; you get stronger axles, a stronger engine, a stronger transmission, better cooling systems, better brakes, beefier suspension, and more. My '98 Jeep Wrangler actually weighs more than my big block GP, but even it fully loaded + the trailer only comes out to 6000 pounds total.
Remember: towing is about much more than just getting a load moving. Safe towing means controlling your load at all times--on curvy mountain roads, when stopping, etc. Having extra capacity can come in handy all over the place, so choose your hardware wisely.
All loaded up, ready to leave Moab at the end of Easter Jeep Safari:
As happens with this sort of thing, I have since used it to haul dozens and dozens of other vehicles. Knowing what I know now, if I were to go back in time and do it over again I would choose an 18' (or maybe even 20') trailer instead. Still, I have been very happy with my purchase.
Here it is back in August 2015 when I bought my Grand Prix:
When I bought my tow vehicle (the month before I bought my trailer), I went overboard. I skipped half ton chassis vehicles entirely, and instead bought a 2001 Suburban 2500 with the Vortec 8100 V8 engine--that's 496 cubic inches, baby. Chevy rated my Burb to tow 12,000 pounds, and it does so beautifully. I would recommend a heavy duty tow rig to everyone. The entire vehicle is upgraded over a half ton equivalent; you get stronger axles, a stronger engine, a stronger transmission, better cooling systems, better brakes, beefier suspension, and more. My '98 Jeep Wrangler actually weighs more than my big block GP, but even it fully loaded + the trailer only comes out to 6000 pounds total.
Remember: towing is about much more than just getting a load moving. Safe towing means controlling your load at all times--on curvy mountain roads, when stopping, etc. Having extra capacity can come in handy all over the place, so choose your hardware wisely.
Thats the reason I sold my trailer. When I bought it I had an 03 1500HD with the 6.0 and 3:73s. It struggled up inclines. Sold the 03 and bought an 05 2500HD with the 6.0 and 4:10s. Towed that trailer all over the place with no issues at all. Then in 2011 I got rid of the 2500 and bought a 1500 crewcab with the 5.3 and 3:42s. I towed a friends fox body and it felt like I was towing a house. The last thing I tried to tow was my wagon. It wasnt good. The back of the truck dropped so low the safety chains were dragging. I even backed it on to see if it would make a difference. I put the trailer up for sale a month later.
16 feet is the minimum deck for car hauling. Definitely brakes on both axles. Tie-downs and a bumper bar. Consider pivoting jacks on the beaver tail to prevent rollaways. Been there done that on the last two. My neighbor did the first one with my trailer. Still working on putting a new tongue on it. He was lucky he split the difference between two retaining walls or I'd have no trailer now.
Here's an old snap from after I upgraded the axles but before I redecked the middle. It was originally two ramps, and I used 14 ga in the center, which got bent by junk dragged on it. I pulled them off and had a heavy equipment place cut and fold the non-bent areas, then notched and welded them into fenders. With 7K axles and 5.2K springs, this thing hauls crew cabs without the tires rubbing the fenders.
Here's an old snap from after I upgraded the axles but before I redecked the middle. It was originally two ramps, and I used 14 ga in the center, which got bent by junk dragged on it. I pulled them off and had a heavy equipment place cut and fold the non-bent areas, then notched and welded them into fenders. With 7K axles and 5.2K springs, this thing hauls crew cabs without the tires rubbing the fenders.
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