What do you think about Car Hauler (Trailer)?

[MemByTheMile]

Originally Posted by 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.

I am one of those using a trailer and will readily admit that it is more work than a 4 down toad. Also admit that I like it because we love our SUV which is not able to be a 4 down toad.

I don’t need to be in the majority of those who do the 4 down toad, very happy with the trailer. Also reserve the right to change my opinion at any time and decide to get a toad in the future.

Been an interesting discussion to see why people choose what they use. Hopefully this has been a help not only to the OP but also others.

[AndyinLex]

I'm considering whether to continue towing 4-down or get a trailer. I got a quote for an enclosed aluminum trailer, 24' V-nose, (2) 6K axles, and a 60" tongue. The added space in the trailer will be for grill, spare tires for trailer, tools, other toys (canoe, accessories, etc.). We rarely stay at campgrounds so I'm not expecting any real space issues where we go. Quote was right around $18K with a few options like LED lighting and the extended tongue. Seem fair?

[picker]

If you have ever had to unhook and rehook because you COULDN'T BACK UP to get out of a tight spot.......the choice will be simple.


A lockable tool/storage box on the front of the trailer is a big plus.


Broadens your choices of toad into those that REFUSE to make an auto tranny towable.


Less wear on toad.


Lessened theft risk (if it's enclosed)



FREE utility trailer.

[phil8656]

Backing up a trailer is tricky. But backing a car dolly is impossible.

[George Weiss]

Towed Honda CR-V for 10 years 4 down. Upgraded to Lexus RX450h hybrid; wonderful luxury ride but can’t tow any hybrid. Bought Aluma aluminum tilt bed trailer and have used it for 10 years (100,000 miles) No sweat. Load and unload as quick and easy as a tow bar. If need to park trailer away from coach never a big deal. Have hitch on Lexus if needed for maneuvering but never use it for towing any real distance. Trailer is very light weight. Has nose cone to keep car clean and lock box at front for tools and tie downs. In 10 years with Honda/tow bar got stuck maybe 5 times when I had to disconnect to get unstuck. Can always back up with trailer.
I will second TPMS for trailer tires. I really like the Aluma trailer, dealers all across US. Bottom Line. If I found a beautiful Toad that could work 4 down I would use tow bar BUT trailer is OK too so I have a great car as I travel.

[mce99]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Hey guys, So what about it... What about a Car Hauler? We’re here at an RV park and have been surprised at how many I’ve seen. I get the convenance part of maybe having to move it at the park. But there’s something to be said about getting the car completely off the road.

The only experience I’ve had is years ago when I rented a diesel U-haul and pulled our SUV on a hauler. Didn’t have a single problem. Although that’s not RVing.

So what say you?

I’ve done all but I found the easiest was a dual axle trailer. Weight is distributed, car is high enough road grunge not thrown up on it and most campgrounds with pull through large enough to not have to disconnect, Back off trailer and never unhook, use it as a parking space if not enough room to sneak on side of it. Also have advantage of bringing any type of car. Between axle straps and tie downs there is no limit. Don’t have to modify your vehicle. Downside is you need a place to store it.

[Bob and Lisa]

Do you have any pictures of your trailer - been thinking of doing the same, but have not seen any others...
Thanks,
Bob

[DDTQuilts]

We have towed 4 down with a Honda Odyssey (because there are 6 of us). That was in 2013, but we sold the MH.

Last year we purchased a 40' HR Endeavor and instead of having to purchase another vehicle for the toad we opted for a car-hauler trailer so we could just use our minivan, which is an All-Wheel-Drive Toyota Sienna - which can't be towed 4 down or on a dolly. It has worked very well, and as others mentioned, it is nice to be able to back up and maneuver, which cannot be done with a 4-down toad. Also, if I need to move the trailer I had a hitch installed on the Toyota van so I could simply unload the van, unhook the trailer, and then hook to the trailer with the Toyota and easily park the trailer wherever it might need to go if it would not fit in the camping spot, etc.

[Larrycp]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

I’ve been surprised how difficult it is to get prices. I’ve looked at the websites for
Econ Trailer
Load Trailer
Max XD trailers
And none of them give prices. Can you think of any reason that price is a closely guarded secret?

Do you know a good dealer who carry these brands where prices would be shown?

Check out Kaufman trailers in Lexington NC. They are factory direct and you pick up at factory. They will display their price plus you can have custom options. I’ve had a lot of car hauler trailers and none have been equal in quality for the money. They are professional from purchase to delivery at factory. Very impressive. I had an open steel decked 18’ weighing 2575 lbs.

[Mimas]

We used a 14’ trailer to haul our 2020 Ford Explorer. Disadvantage we found is if it’s raining the 100# Ramps were slick pulling it up. We decided that a Trailer was not ideal for us due to our backs so we are looking into purchasing a car we can tow on a dolly or 4 wheels down.
Good luck.

[WyoFree]

I think I’ve decided what I want. I want the smallest trailer I can get thats aluminum with a drop down deck. Seems to me to be an unbeatable combination. Lightweight, strong, no ramps to mess with and easy to move with motorhome, car or by hand.

The car I plan to use is the new TrailBlazer is 174” long 71.2” wide and 3000 Lbs.

I like a trailer the size of the U-Haul car hauler. It has a maximum load of 5,290 lbs. and deck dimensions of 148” x 79.25” x 19” (LWH).

I may not be able to get the aluminum trailer in that size but maybe close. Who ever thought all those aluminum cans wouldn’t come in handy?

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

I think I’ve decided what I want. I want the smallest trailer I can get thats aluminum with a drop down deck. Seems to me to be an unbeatable combination. Lightweight, strong, no ramps to mess with and easy to move with motorhome, car or by hand.

The car I plan to use is the new TrailBlazer is 174” long 71.2” wide and 3000 Lbs.

I like a trailer the size of the U-Haul car hauler. It has a maximum load of 5,290 lbs. and deck dimensions of 148” x 79.25” x 19” (LWH).

I may not be able to get the aluminum trailer in that size but maybe close. Who ever thought all those aluminum cans wouldn’t come in handy?

One thing to keep in mind--those u-haul trailers are designed to be able to have quite a bit of the vehicle hanging off the front and the back of the trailer. But 30" longer vehicle than the trailer seems a bit extreme. You really don't want one exactly like a u-haul trailer because you lose the ability to adjust your tongue weight. Motorhomes don't like a ton of tongue weight--they can't handle it all that well, since the hitch is so far behind the rear axle. So, even if you are able to beef the rv frame up to handle the stresses, RV handling will suffer.

The cure to this is the ability to adjust your tongue weight. You simply do this by loading the vehicle at different spots and seeing what weights you get on the ball, or checking to see how the whole combo handles. If you have a trailer that forces you to load the trailblazer all the way to the front like a u-haul, you lose that flexibility.

My former warnings about tongue length stand. If your trailblazer is going to hang over the front of the trailer, that needs to be considered as far as how tight you can turn before you make an expensive contact.

I don't have any experience with tilt trailers. But before I pulled the trigger on one, I'd do a demo fit with the Trailblazer to make sure everything would clear fine.

[WyoFree]

Hi DirtRide and thanks for that. In your opinion what would be the desired trailer length to haul the TrailBlazer or other mid sized SUV’s? I agree with what you said about the U-Haul, never thought about the hang over aspect. Maybe that’s because I don’t drink?

[zproud]

Happen to have 2 all aluminum trailers, both 9900 gvw axels, wide body 24 open and a 20 foot with a 4ft v nose enclosed.

The open is easy to load .. if I did it over I would of went with an 20 stacker or a 24 for the enclosed trailer.