s4for5

New 911 Targa and 993 Owner here.
Do I need a "Tilt" or "Beaver Tail" trailer to safely load these cars?
Thanks in advance

theiceman

Welcome to rennlist .. I wouldn't know the answer to your question .. I have never broken down and had to trailer it anywhere


I am sure there are some track guys here who could answer your question

bob b

No, with long enough ramps you could drive it into a dump truck! Rob

83944

Welcome also...

I occasionally trailer my SC and S2 to distant track days using a hired tandem car trailer. I find it a pain in the butt but sometimes necessary. I often consider buying a custom-made trailer. Given that it will sit idle for 360 days of the year that decision is easy.

This is my experience, look for a trailer that gives you max ground clearance under your P. car when loading - a tilt trailer is designed to do this but this does not mean that a well-designed "beaver-tail" trailer will do any lesser of a job.

The other essential element is positioning your P. car over the trailer axles so that the car-trailer unit is well balanced. Also handy to have good tie-down points so ya baby does not move around.

Here in OZ the hire trailers tend to be very heavy to withstand abuse from hirers. Check that the tyres are in good condition and the trailer wheel nuts are tight (bad experience here when a wheel fell off the trailer at highway speed - luckily no damage - just scared the living BJ outta me and the driver following me).

Cheers from down here.

Bill Verburg

I'd recommend an aluminum trailer. enclosed is best but also very expensive, open works fine for most of us.

loading and tying down gets to be more of an issue the lower the car and the more aggressive the front spoiler is.

w/ my 911 the car while low is not much of an issue because the spoiler doesn't project way forward like the 993 does.

the 993 is extremely low w/ RS front spoilers and I need to use 3-4' extensions w/ ~3" rise

tilt trailers also work but are steel and you need a bigger truck to haul them around, an open aluminum can be horsed around by hand in a flat parking lot, not so much w/ steel.

beaver tails can have the same issue as ramps requiring extensions, it all depends on the individual car and trailer involved.

then the next issue is tying the car down, I can use wheel tie downs on the 911 and rear of the 993 but the front end of the 993 obstructs such an arrangement. Having an open trailer allows me to tie down to the factory chassis hard points.

MUSSBERGER

Need a bit more info on what the goal is. Open steel trailer is 2400. Nice aluminum open is 5500.

Don't look at a tilt.

Ed Hughes

I've no issue with my open aluminum trailer. I agree with Bill, aluminum is best. I did it to keep my tow weight under 4000lbs.

I do rest the ramps on 2 X 8's to kick them up a bit more toward horizontal. My car is pretty low with a front spoiler. There are plenty of trailer ramp accessories that can adapt virtually any low car to probably any trailer.

f4 plt

Trailex Alum trailers come standard with 11 foot ramps. I can take my '83 Sc with RS style deep front sp;oiler up the ramps with no issue top the spoiler. As said before the alum trailers are much lighter. I towed my SC on its Trailex open trailer to Parade behind the Cayenne no issue even climbing mountains. Trailer empty but with front guard and tire rack (including four wheels and tires) plus tool box and spare for the trailer is aprox 1200 lbs. Many other great things about Trailex. I looked long and hard before I decided.

s4for5

Thanks for the replies.
Why should I stay away from tilt style?
I thought that would be the best all around solution.
My goal is to be able to move my unregistered cars around safely.
No long distance trips planned.
Tow vehicle is a V8 powered Ford Explorer currently.

Bill Verburg

What is the tow rating for the truck?

I have friends w/ tilts, they work fine but are heavy, you will want a big pickup to tow w/ one

rusnak

I have no good insight to offer on racing trailers, but I have towed a lot of family vehicles with my dad's tandem axle trailer. Everything from farm tractors, to my sister's Nisan. I have towed the Suburban, a pickup, my own stuff, firewood, loads of concrete blocks, I mean you name it.

I have a hard time even thinking of an aluminum trailer, let alone think I'd want to buy one. I guess I'm coming from a utilitarian point of view. I usually tow it with a half ton Chevy Blazer or my Ford F-150 pickup. Why would you not want to buy a real trailer, and tow the race car with that.....as un-cool as it may look, you'll get a lot more use out of a real trailer with emergency brakes and all. Plus you have re-sale potential if you don't like it.

sl951

I have an open PJ drove-tail with extended ramps. A couple of other things to consider:

- For 911's, I load the car backward to have slightly more weight over the tongue - This reduces/eliminates 'trailer sway'
- Through wheel straps are nice, but only ratchet the straps tight enough to keep the car in place. Over tightning may change wheel alignments.
- Get a good trailer brake system, those electronic ones are nice and allows you to backup without interference.

s4for5

This should do the trick, light and strong.
They also seem to really hold their value.

http://trailex.com/CT-8045.cfm

MUSSBERGER

Well played. I wish I had bought one.

Roc Doc

How about a nice enclosed trailer from BRE?