Buying an enclosed trailer

[Groo]

I'm looking to get a 16x7 or larger enclosed trailer to make moving easier. 16x7 should hold my Corvair, and 2 or 3 sleds later on. It looks like a new one is about the same price as a used one, and i can probably finance a new one too. If I find what I want used, I wont turn my nose up at it either.

any pointers for buying?

any "must have" features?

Why does it seam like most of the builders are in GA?

Why do they use dual axles when a stronger single axle would seam to be cheaper and lighter

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'm looking to get a 16x7 or larger enclosed trailer to make moving easier. 16x7 should hold my Corvair, and 2 or 3 sleds later on. It looks like a new one is about the same price as a used one, and i can probably finance a new one too. If I find what I want used, I wont turn my nose up at it either.

any pointers for buying?

any "must have" features?

Why does it seam like most of the builders are in GA?

Why do they use dual axles when a stronger single axle would seam to be cheaper and lighter

Look for the little things on the fit and finish. Especially the wiring. I do not like torsion axles, they do not allow the load to be shared equally like a conventional leaf spring set up with load equalizer.

Make sure the tires are trailer tires and have a load rating equal or more than the trailers max weight. On trailer weights you know a 7,000# trailer will not haul 7,000# don't you? It may haul 4,800# because the trailer empty may weigh 2,200#. Do your research.

As for the builders there are a lot in the Midwest, especially Kentucky and Missouri. PM if you need a good lead on a dealer that sells direct, this will save you $$$$. It would help to know where you are located.

Last but not least, a tandem is simply safer than a single axle. The cost is about the same because lets say you have a 6K axle. It cost twice as much new, parts are 2 times as much and tires to hold the load are 3 times as much so there is no money savings. By the way make sure you order it with a spare tire and mount.


Chris

 

[Groo]

I'm near Detroit. I figure the IN factories should be in range of a reasonable drive.
I also don't trust torsion axles because I figure the rubber will break down over time.
At the size I'm looking at, the tires will be outside of the main body of the trailer (so exact size shouldn't matter) and be 5x4.5. I've got tires from my current rusted beyond use trailer.

I dont understand how multi axles are safer. I've had a blowout on my loaded single axle, and the only reason I even noticed is that the dog I was driving at the time couldn't keep its speed anymore.
I'd also imagine a 7200 axle and tires would outlast a pair of 3500 and have less roling resistance.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I dont understand how multi axles are safer. I've had a blowout on my loaded single axle, and the only reason I even noticed is that the dog I was driving at the time couldn't keep its speed anymore.
I'd also imagine a 7200 axle and tires would outlast a pair of 3500 and have less roling resistance.

Hey, I am just telling you the facts. I deal with trailers every day of the week in my marine business. You never see a 5,000# boat rolling down the road on a single axle trailer. Don't try to re-invent the wheel here. Its a proven combo. Get tandems.

Chris

 

[wushaw]

I can give ya one reason why a tandem is safer than a single axle and one thing a single axle can't do..
1. You can have two more brakes = more braking action, quicker stops.
2. If you have a flat on a tandem and have no spare (or it's flat) you can sling the axle up and keep on going if you are not overloading the one tire on that side.

 

[ampsucker]

i like wushaws logic, but practially speaking, it's very unlikely to work.

unless you are towing an empty trailer, typically a single tire cannot handle supporting one side by itself. it's just too much weight unless you've upgraded the tires significantly from the factory tires that came with it.

you should always carry a spare. and if you have a blow out or flat on a tandem while driving, the usual advice is to replace both tires on that side as the one "good" tire will likely be overloaded and damaged internally if it has to carry a heavy load by itself for any distance. folks don't always do this, but it increases the odds the overloaded tire will fail catastrophically later.

of course, it depends a lot on speeds, weights, road conditions, etc. just thought you should know this when evaluating your options.

amp

 

[wushaw]

Ampsucker, I have seen it twice now, one trailer had cargo (not a lot) and no tire & he didn't even sling it so the axle was maybe a inch off the groung and on the other it was a duall tandem and he had run a hub dry and twisted the spindle off...both tires with hub was the cargo on the trailer and he was cuttin along at 60, it looks funny and in this case your dead in the water with a single axle unless ya get one of these to get ya home. Southwest Wheel Company - E-Axle

 

[RobertN]

I'm looking to get a 16x7 or larger enclosed trailer to make moving easier. 16x7 should hold my Corvair, and 2 or 3 sleds later on.

any pointers for buying?

Figure out the weight you will carry. And the size of the items. Sounds like you know the size(car, sleds) already. get the weights on those, and remember, a 7000lb capacity enclosed trailer weighs 2000lbs+, so you will have a cargo capacity of 5000lbs or less.

any "must have" features?

-Brakes on both axles
-Brake controller on the tow vehicle
-Interior lights
-backup lights are nice
-Lots of tiedowns rated for the weight you'll be tying off. You can NEVER have too many...
-A SPARE tire. I see trailers on the side of the road, with a tire off. I don't want to leave my trailer
-lug wrench, trailer lugs will probably be different than the tow vehicle
-A well matched hitch. I have three drop hitches, one to match the ball height for each of the three trailers I tow.

Why do they use dual axles when a stronger single axle would seam to be cheaper and lighter

A dual axle trailer tows nicer and backs easier. The weight is distributed better on the tires/axles. Two axles have brakes

I specced and bought the trailer for our Buy Scouts. Pace 14x7 enclosed, dual axle. We have a big Troop. We could have fit in a smaller trailer, but our gear, cook boxes, dutch ovens ect pushed the weight past what a single axle would do.

I just towed for a campout this last weekend. That Pace tows really nice, stops nice, and handles great.

 

[ampsucker]

a point about towing vehicle.

a 7k car hauler or flat bed tows differently from a 7k enclosed. this is due to wind resistance of the front of the trailer. other things being equal, the drag dynamics of an enclosed trailer are harder on the tow vehicle and can make the difference in on-ramp acceleration, mpg, highway gearing (in overdrive or high or in a lower gear) and sway in strong cross winds.

amp

 

[CurlyDave]

I bought a new 16' x 8' last year for moving. Interstate brand. Total price, out the door was ~$5400 including load-leveling hitch, ball, anti-sway bar and mirror extensions for my truck. Radial tires and torsion springs. I thought that was a great deal.

There is a dealer in our area who starts discounting trailers after they have sat on his lot for a while, and this one had been there for 12+ months, so he was discounting pretty heavily.

There are two options on enclosed trailers you need to think about. First is that some have RV-style man doors in the front, which open from inside or outside, some have cargo only doors which only open from outside. The RV style door is not much more expensive, and at least opens the possibility of camping inside. Since they are not insulated, and produce a lot of condensation in cold weather, this is only feasible in warm weather, but it is cheap. I figure if I use it once, it will pay for itself.

The second is the rear door, which can either be one piece, opens to a ramp, which you can drive up, or side-by-side cargo doors. If you are ever going to back it into a tight space, the cargo doors are better. You can open them before you back it in, which means you can get it into a much shorter spot. Driving a vehicle in is accomplished with a $50 set of HF ramps, which go right in the trailer next to the vehicle.