Enclosed Trailer Advice

[Tim S.]

In the near future, I am planning to purchase a new enclosed trailer for my cars. I know certain options I want in the trailer. What advice or experience my you folks be willing to offer regarding...

1. Brands
2. Aluminum vs. Steel
3. Height
4. Nose configuartion
5. Conventional mounting vs. 5th wheel
I am towing this with a Dodge 2500 Cummins TD. I appreciate your time and input on the matter.

Thanks,
Tim

[Patrick H.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

"If" I was going to buy one (I borrow them - it's cheaper), I'd think

aluminum
heavy duty axle
large driver's side door
pointed nose (or at least a "bump out" on top for wind)
only as tall as my truck with its cap on.
floor high enough or side door low enough that I can fully open the door of my Corvette
a bit of room in front to haul a spare set of rims + tires if needed.

Trailers are like huge parachutes behind your vehicle. If you can do anything to improve its flow through the wind and decrease its frontal area, do it.
I'd want the inside to be tall enough for my Corvettes or my wife's Cutlass convertible (which I never trailer anyway, but just in case). That's it - otherwise the height is just costing you $ in gas money.

The Trailex is a nice unit, but there are others too. I wish the Trailex was a bit longer, though I think they'd make one that way.

Patrick

[Joe R.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

I have a tag BUT the 5th wheel is the way to go! Every owner or vendor with a 5th wheel says it's great.

JR

[Ray G.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

Hello Tim;
Your welcome to tow mine for comparison, weather permitting (no road salt).
20' x 102" wide x 76" inside head room Featherlite V nose, beavertail, ramp door. 2760 #s with spare tire.
I believe it is the lightest commercial available enclosed trailer, that can be used for other pursuits, when necessary.

Have seen a low profile trailer at some NCRS meets. Decided it was limited to hauling classic cars not requiring much head room.

Hope this helps.
Regards.
Ray

[Mike M.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

5th wheel aluminum featherlite with side door. mike

[Jim L.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

4. Nose configuartion
5. Conventional mounting vs. 5th wheel
I am towing this with a Dodge 2500 Cummins TD. I appreciate your time and input on the matter.

Like you, I tow with a Dodge 2500 with the Cummins. Before I broke down and bought an enclosed trailer, I borrowed several, as short as 18' and as long as 24', all tag and all flat nose. I ended up buying a V-nose 24' Haulmark, thinking I'd get better fuel economy because of the V-nose. Here, then, are my observations:

1. 18' is too short for my Corvette, even though it's only 14.5' long. There just isn't enough comfortable maneuvering room in front to work the tie downs.

2. Fuel economy that I'm seeing is independent of nose configuration, much to my disappointment. Between my home in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and Laguna Seca, near Monterey, I get 13 MPG going and 11 MPG coming home. Every time. No matter which trailer I've pulled, the fuel economy never varies.

3. That Cummins is a monster. Coming home, climbing the Sierra Nevada with 7000 lbs in tow, I can go the speed limit with the 6 speed manual trans in 6th. Passing slower traffic going up grade is only one downshift away.

4. If you get a winch, get a more capable one than you think you need. My trailer has a 3000 lb winch which sounds like it's working really hard to reel in my 2400 lb vintage racer. Bigger really is better.

Good luck with your decision and purchase.

Jim

[Patrick H.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

Like you, I tow with a Dodge 2500 with the Cummins. Before I broke down and bought an enclosed trailer, I borrowed several, as short as 18' and as long as 24', all tag and all flat nose. I ended up buying a V-nose 24' Haulmark, thinking I'd get better fuel economy because of the V-nose. Here, then, are my observations:

1. 18' is too short for my Corvette, even though it's only 14.5' long. There just isn't enough comfortable maneuvering room in front to work the tie downs.

2. Fuel economy that I'm seeing is independent of nose configuration, much to my disappointment. Between my home in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and Laguna Seca, near Monterey, I get 13 MPG going and 11 MPG coming home. Every time. No matter which trailer I've pulled, the fuel economy never varies.

3. That Cummins is a monster. Coming home, climbing the Sierra Nevada with 7000 lbs in tow, I can go the speed limit with the 6 speed manual trans in 6th. Passing slower traffic going up grade is only one downshift away.

4. If you get a winch, get a more capable one than you think you need. My trailer has a 3000 lb winch which sounds like it's working really hard to reel in my 2400 lb vintage racer. Bigger really is better.

Good luck with your decision and purchase.

Jim

Jim,

As an FYI, I borrowed two different but very similar enclosed trailers in 2007 to haul my Corvettes. The only difference was the length (2' difference) and the fact that one had a "bump" on the top 1/2 of the front for wind deflection.

From here in MI I got 11.5 mpg towing to Boston using the trailer with the bump. Going down to Bowling Green and back I got 10mpg on the trailer without the bumpout. Just my observations on a truck with a cap.

Only got 13.5mpg towing a 5x8 trailer out to Montana when I was on an elk hunting trip 3 weeks before my Bowling Green trip last year, and without trailer I can get 18+ mpg. No bumpout on the small trailer. I just think trailers are parachutes, and I'd go for shorter height given the option.

Patrick

[Art A.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

• 1 or 2 roof vents.
• Electric brakes.
• Locks that are keyed alike, Side door, rear door (2), and the ball lock.

[William L.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

5th wheel aluminum featherlite with side door. mike

Mike said it all. I agree.

[Joe R.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

Patrick,

Next time you borrow a trailer, borrow a Dodge 3500 with a Cummins. And make sure it's a 5th wheeler.

JR

[Kevin G.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

I love my Thule!
All aluminim, 20' V nose, electric hitch jack, cabinets in V, Pergo hardwood floor(built up for side door height), bonded panels, I believe it's 7100 lbs. total with cargo, lighting, roof vent, +++. One thing that does worry me at times is the rear locking hardware, it's all aluminum and very easy to cut and open the rear door?

Tow vehicle 2007 F 250 V10 average 8.8mpg (7mpg coming home from St. Louis).

Kevin

[Gary C.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

Tim, here's a thread link about enclosed trailers from earlier this year. There's lots of good advice in this thread about trailer axle rating, sway bar and length of tongue if bumper hitch. Gary....
https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...ation&uid=4146

[Patrick H.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

Patrick,

Next time you borrow a trailer, borrow a Dodge 3500 with a Cummins. And make sure it's a 5th wheeler.

JR

JR,

Kinda hard to make a 5th wheel work when my truck has a cap on it.
Even harder to get someone to let me borrow their whole rig for free!

Patrick

PS. If GM had ever made a 1500 series with a diesel, I'd be all over it.

[John D.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

One of the biggest mistake I see the trailer dealers make when they are buying trailers for inventory is no side door to get out of the thing.
I rented a new trailer to haul my 63 to Seven Springs this year and it towed like it wasn't even there. I didn't have the stabilize bars (I typically do) or a side door but my GMC 2500 Yukon pulled it with ease.
I've pulled trailers all over the interstates for 40 years basically with Suburbans-Yukons and therefore no 5th wheel. With the stabilizer bars I never had any problems. Only problem was having a tow vehicle with guts that could run with the trucks. MY GMC 6.0 2500 with a 4:10 blows right by the big rigs. But a 5th wheel is the way to go if you have an option and want to hear all that noise from a diesel and pay megga buks for fuel. Remember this. How many days a year do you pull a trailer? So you have to suffer a tad pulling the hills of WV and VA,etc. So what.
Of course if you are loaded and can afford to park one of those beasts go for it. JD

[Harmon C.]

Re: Enclosed Trailer Advice

I tow with a Dodge 3500 Cummins diesel with dual rear wheels and a 28' fifth wheel. I towed a tag along for years but the rig I have now is very easy to drive and you can run with the big dogs.