What do you think about Car Hauler (Trailer)?

[yeloduster]

If I do a Craigslist search for my local area I get several hits on trailer dealers. Their adds include prices.

Maybe true where you are as well.

[WyoFree]

Hi guys, Ok I’ve found a few manufacturers showing prices so I now have an idea of what I need to spend. Looks like $4 to $6 grand. Looks like there are basically three styles of haulers.
1. Trailer with pull out ramps.
2. Trailer with tilt deck
3. Trailer with wood or steel deck.
Not that there aren’t other choices but that seems like the main ones.

As I decide on those items... What about Car hauler open vs closed center. I looked at U-haul and theirs is open center.

What do you guys think?

I was surprised at the U—Haul car hauler specs.
Dimensions

Deck Width 79.25"
Deck Length 148"
Deck Minimum Width 41"
Fender Height Off of Deck 12"
Between Ramp 44.25"
Outside of Ramp 76.25"
Ramp Length 77.5""
Deck Height 19"

Capacity

Max load: 5,290 lbs.
Gross vehicle weight: 7,500 lbs. max.
Empty weight: 2,210 lbs.

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Hi guys, Ok I’ve found a few manufacturers showing prices so I now have an idea of what I need to spend. Looks like $4 to $6 grand. Looks like there are basically three styles of haulers.
1. Trailer with pull out ramps.
2. Trailer with tilt deck
3. Trailer with wood or steel deck.
Not that there aren’t other choices but that seems like the main ones.

As I decide on those items... What about Car hauler open vs closed center. I looked at U-haul and theirs is open center.

What do you guys think?

I was surprised at the U—Haul car hauler specs.
Dimensions

Deck Width 79.25"
Deck Length 148"
Deck Minimum Width 41"
Fender Height Off of Deck 12"
Between Ramp 44.25"
Outside of Ramp 76.25"
Ramp Length 77.5""
Deck Height 19"

Capacity

Max load: 5,290 lbs.
Gross vehicle weight: 7,500 lbs. max.
Empty weight: 2,210 lbs.

Just my take on this. So, take it with a grain of salt. I'm on my 3rd car hauler type trailer. 2 of those were tandem axle 7k rated trailers. If I were to buy another one today for hauling a car, I'd go ahead and get a 10k rated trailer. The 3500lb axles are pretty spindly, and easily bent. And the bearings are significantly smaller. With the ridiculously potholed roads in OK, I've managed to bend 2 of the 3500lb axles without ever overloading the trailer. The 5k axles (the ones on a 10k trailer) are a lot more substantial, and barely heavier. Plus the tires are much heavier duty.

I personally would NOT want an open-center trailer. I don't think it saves much weight. And I know I'd cuss not being able to freely walk around the thing.

One thing that I've never had but always wanted to try is torsion axles. Supposed to be much much quieter, and make for a better ride.

And one thing that I beg you not to forget--you need a long tongue on a trailer to be pulled by an RV. My big trailer is an 8-1/2' wide deck, which is very unusual in the car hauler world. That's great, right up until you figure out that a wide deck and a wide tow vehicle can manage to collide in a tight turn WHILE MOVING FORWARD. It really never occurred to me that you could possibly jackknife a trailer in Drive, but I got it done. It's less of an issue with a typical 7' wide trailer deck, but the lesson still holds--you really want a 4' tongue if you can get it.

[WyoFree]

Thanks DirtRider, that’s a lot of good information. BTW, what’s are “torsion axles”?

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Thanks DirtRider, that’s a lot of good information. BTW, what’s are “torsion axles”?

Sure thing! Here you go.

https://www.lamartrailers.com/post/s...-torsion-axles

Basically, instead of a spring it's a rubber-isolator type of suspension. And the wheels all function independently. A leaf-spring setup has an equalizer in the middle--the front and rear axles function together. The torsion setup is fully independent suspension. Both have their pros and cons. If I had wrecked a torsion axle like I managed to a sprung axle, I would've been into a more expensive and time-consuming repair.

But torsion axles are much quieter, and should ride smoother in most situations.

[MemByTheMile]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Hi guys, Ok I’ve found a few manufacturers showing prices so I now have an idea of what I need to spend. Looks like $4 to $6 grand. Looks like there are basically three styles of haulers.
1. Trailer with pull out ramps.
2. Trailer with tilt deck
3. Trailer with wood or steel deck.
Not that there aren’t other choices but that seems like the main ones.

As I decide on those items... What about Car hauler open vs closed center. I looked at U-haul and theirs is open center.

What do you guys think?

I was surprised at the U—Haul car hauler specs.
Dimensions

Deck Width 79.25"
Deck Length 148"
Deck Minimum Width 41"
Fender Height Off of Deck 12"
Between Ramp 44.25"
Outside of Ramp 76.25"
Ramp Length 77.5""
Deck Height 19"

Capacity

Max load: 5,290 lbs.
Gross vehicle weight: 7,500 lbs. max.
Empty weight: 2,210 lbs.

A lot depends on your intended use. How much does your SUV weigh that you want to put on the trailer? What are the dimensions of your vehicle? What is the towing capacity of your MH?

We have an ATC trailer with a 7’ wide aluminum deck with pull out ramps. Our SUV weighs right around 6k#. The trailer has twin torsion axles rated for 6K each and total GVWR is 13,300.

Having the extra weight capacity is extremely important for us - hitting a bump in the road will apply much greater force to the axles than the static weight of the towed weight.

[WyoFree]

The vehicle I’m planning to buy is 2021 Chevy Trailblazer. It’s measurements are:

174 Long - 103.9 wheelbase - Width 71.2 - weight 3000 lbs. Toeing capacity of my motorhome is 8000 lbs.

[gmc70]

We have a toad that we can haul 4 down and an aluminum open car hauler that we use 90% of the time going to car shows with one of our street rods. I like pulling the trailer with car on it better. Some will disagree.

[George Schweikle]

Trailer details:

1. Consider an Aluminum trailer. More cost, but you never have to paint it

2. Consider if you can open the door when the vehicle is on the trailer. My Featherlite aluminum trailer has easily removable fenders so it's easy to open the car door after driving onto the trailer.

3. Buy a TPMS for the trailer. Otherwise it's hard to tell if you have a flat tire

4. Have 2 spare tires. If one tire on a double axle trailer fails and you drive for a distance, the other tire on that side may be damaged from carrying the entire load (ask me how I know)

5. For loading a vehicle with low ground clearance, I use the motorhome leveling jacks to raise the rear; lowering the angle of the trailer ramps

Originally Posted by WyoFree

The vehicle I’m planning to buy is 2021 Chevy Trailblazer. It’s measurements are:

174 Long - 103.9 wheelbase - Width 71.2 - weight 3000 lbs. Toeing capacity of my motorhome is 8000 lbs.

[WyoFree]

Good recommendations George, thanks.
And absolutely on the TPMS for all wheels on the road. I never thought of two spare tires? You think that’s necessary if you have the TPMS?

Anybody use the Texas Pride trailer? From a video I just saw they’re a trendsetter in a good way.

[Dutch Star Don]

There is a reason that 90% of the vehicles you see behind motor homes are being towed four down.....it's easier to connect and less hassle at the campground. The next group are people towing with dollies and the last group is the trailer crowd. In the current RV atmosphere of people buying RV's like crazy, campgrounds are getting almost impossible to book. That means that not only booking is tough, but being able to book a pull through type space is even harder. That means finding a place for the trailer.... a real pain!

I'll venture to guess that almost all of the people who are saying they prefer a trailer, is because they're trailering a hot rod, ATV or a vehicle that is not towable. Consequently, they're defending why they use a trailer, versus an honest opinion as to how much more work it is and why it's the LEAST preferred method.. Soooooo....take their liking of using a trailer with a grain of salt.

[petrel]

I'd definitely prefer a trailer, especially an enclosed one or a stacker, for carrying a little extra gear, keeping the toad cleaner, and affording the ability to back up in a pinch. Unfortunately, in the 6 short years we have had a motorhome, I could count on my hands the number of sites I've seen that would accommodate a MH with a trailer, and still have parking at the site for the unloaded vehicle.

We started out hauling the DW's SUV on a 25' utility trailer. We did that for one season before purchasing a vehicle and gear for 4-down towing.

I have no doubt that many folks make a trailer work, but it must pose some logistical problems. It would be ideal to have both a 4-down towable vehicle for exploring, and a stacker for hauling extra toys to known destinations.

[WyoFree]

I’ve asked a quested without specific knowledge myself. I’ve had a coach for three years and never toad anything. Have never had the need to based on where I was going and who I knew there. But now I’ll be going places to the great unknown where my own wheels makes sense.

Four down is what most everyone does so it’s clear it’s also the easiest. We are also quickly running out of new cars to do that!

Tow dolly is in 2nd position and not a bad position offering many options and prices.

Car hauler as stated earlier is in last position.

Currently the park I’m in has 13 coaches 4 down, 1 tow dolly and 3 car hauler. I’m not sure what all that means but those are the numbers.

I get the pluses of this and negatives of that but I’m tending to like the car hauler idea. Not locked in yet but I’m looking that direction. I’m going back to when I used the U-haul for 1800 miles. I didn’t even know it was there and found it very easy to deal with. And no I wasn’t dealing with RV parks, we stayed in hotels. I’ll let you know what I decide but enjoy your comments.

[George Schweikle]

Good question about 2 spare tires. I bought these in 2003, but only bought the TPMS a few years back (Analysis paralysis sometimes makes new purchases take longer). Of course, with 2 spares, I never had a tire problem since I bought them

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Good recommendations George, thanks.
And absolutely on the TPMS for all wheels on the road. I never thought of two spare tires? You think that’s necessary if you have the TPMS?

Anybody use the Texas Pride trailer? From a video I just saw they’re a trendsetter in a good way.