mobonic

Im going to be ordering a open trailer, but i have a few option I'm not sure about:

Im going with a steel trailer.

1. 14' , 16' , or 18' bed ?

2. Open or closed floor (diamond plate)(open saves weight and diamond looks better and easier loading)

3. Dovetail?

4. D rings or stake plates?

It will have electric brakes, fully wired, and break away.

Please help me, as I dont want to have to buy another later on.

P.J.S.

18 foot featherlite open and some race ramps
light, full floor, hide away ramps, aluminum (low to no maintenance - no rust)
costs a bit more but resale is worth the outlay
comes with electric brakes and you can option it or have some custom work done to make it even better...

I bought one last year and it is great

mooty

buy either feather light or trailex, i like trailex
18'
trailex are open floor
featherlight are closed. each has its forte.
d ring

Sweeper

I always wrestle with having a bigger trailer, therefore if I were to buy again, it would be enclosed (for the obvious reasons) and as long as I can get or tow with my current tow rig ( 2500 dodge diesel). I hate open trailers, as I use mine as a garage for the race car. The other reason is that the car is exposed to all of the elements, and prying eyes. I don't even put race graphics on my trailer for this reason, keep em guessing what's inside.
In your case get the 18' dove tail for ease of use and e-track for tie downs, with a super low car, you may need ramps. If you buy an enclosed trailer, make sure you have a side door that you can get into the car without acrobatics.

Good luck

gomez1

i want enclosed but with a 6600# tow capacity on my Audi Q7 diesel it might not work out. Any one else here have any experience with this? I have an 05 997.

James A

I just went through this decision process also. I ended up buying an enclosed trailer as I had three different cars I wanted to pull around; one is a show car so enclosed is a must, one is a Caterham 7 for autocross and I did not want to put the top up (its not much good anyway), and the GT3. I also like the fact that I can close the trailer up and at least discourage thoughts of theft. Certainly an open trailer is easier to work with than an enclosed in terms of loading and unloading the car though. I bought an 18' Haul Mark and added a Versa Trac system from Macs and am very happy with how easy it is to pull in any car, put the wheel nets on snap them into the track and tie the car down. Oh, an 18 foot enclosed trailer is the very minimum that will work. the trailer is 3000 pounds and the heaviest of the three cars is the GT3 so I am pulling 6500 pounds with a set of spare wheels, tools and other miscellaneous stuff.

gomez1

whats the tow capacity of your cayenne? that set up looks perfect

aj986s

I, too, am a Trailex fan, but do recognize the price differential with steel. I know lots of people who are very happy with their steel rigs. Steel requires more maintenance to keep away the rust. Add-ons (tire rack, fuel holders, etc.) may require some thought/engineering/welding to install, but totally doable. That's a feature of the Trailex I like; the entire trailer has channels accomodating their T-bolt system which make it really simpe to add stuff.

As far as your questions:

1. 18'. You'll always appreciate the extra space, especially once you start thinking about supplemental storage box or tire rack or......

2. Personally, I prefer the open deck design. I've use the trailer as an "on-site lift" more than once, to access a repair from underneath. For those occasions where you intend to use the trailer to haul some yard waste to the dump, a piece of plywood can easily be fabricated to fill the gap.

3. Definitely dovetail. Shortens your ramps and facilitates lower cars. 18' length also facilitates the dovetail, too.

4. I like D-rings. (thought I'm not 100% certain what you mean by "stake plate").

mooty

i had a brand new 20" custom tpd (for east coasters, these things are as good and as $ as ATC, Featherlight etc). i towed it with pepper GTS. i can do it, but not perfect. 18' would be fine i think. i did run it with the best Reese wt distribution and cam sway control (porsche advised agasint it due to air suspension) but i felt no ill efffect, just not much pulling power. with GMC 2500 duramax. i tow a 24' now and i can blow buy some ricers ;-) not that i do it heehee.

f4 plt

I would second the vote for trailex. They are lightweight and well balanced. The fully anodized model is all bolt together so it can be adjusted for different cars. You do not have to remove the fenders to open the car doors. I think they are the only manufacturer that includes 11 foot ramps to negate additional equipment to load a car with a low front spoiler. I have towed mine behind the Cayenne up mountains and at highway speed no issues. I have towed it empty with no issues. I have the open model with front shield and tire rack. If I were to replace it I would go with the same or the low boy version of their enclosed trailer. Been to their factory and they are good people. Carl will work with you should you need something special

bob_dallas

That's a cool rig but I think he's pushing the limits towing an enclosed trailer with a Cayenne. If I'm not mistaken the max towing capacity is 7700lbs. It's not just towing capacity but wheelbase and other considerations come into play. You can get a lot of windage with an enclosed trailer. It seems fine when conditions are good but then you have emergency braking, wind, blowouts, and other factors that can be devastating. I have seen trucks and SUVs that were flipped over towing a trailer that was no where near the max weight for the vehicle.

There is no way you should tow an enclosed trailer behind a Q7. Find a good, lightweight aluminum trailer as recommended by others on here.

P.J.S.

just to follow up on my earlier post... here are some pics of my featehrlight open with a custom box and tire rack. I tow with an F150 4x4 swb crew cab and reese dual cam weight dist. hitch. Featherlight comes with ramps that store under the deck and this came with additional race ramps to make the angle splitter friendly... I just shove everything in the box (that is what she said) and go. I bought used and local and in my neck of the woods these are not easy to find used... nor are the trailex models as the closest dealer is CA...

If I am not mistaken -- FL has torsion axles and electric brakes standard
Trailex has leaf springs and surge brakes -- electric brakes optional
either way, many many RL and PCA guys love trailex and I would looked more seriously at them if I did not have to fly to do so...

Another aluminum open trailer option is aluma brand -- I know a couple people with those and they are happy.

my car/trailer


previous owners set up


I did not go into the open vs. closed discussion as the OP specifically asked about open trailers...

However... my two cents... I got the open trailer last year and now cannot imagine tracking without any type of a trailer... the benefits are obvious (hello... huge cooler in the back of the truck )

Open trailers -- I bought with resale in mind as I know I will go enclosed eventually... that being said... aluminum has better resale and bigger brand names re sell faster (featherlite and trailex etc)... My local FL dealer said she would take mine on trade in or consignment and it would likely be sold in a week... the box and tire rack helping things along... I store outdoors in the NW so aluminum was my only option as I am not dealing with rust...

Go on craigslist or racingjunk.com and look at the resale price of steel trailers... just for perspective.

When I go enclosed... I would be at 22 or 24 feet... and I am not pulling that with a gas motor truck... For that matter I would not pull any enclosed with a 1/2 ton or light SUV... I know it is possible... just not my bag...

OP is a big baller... go aluminum

AllanJ

1) 18' - most flexibility
2) I prefer wood deck
3) Yes to a dovetail
4) Stake plates???? I went with D-rings.

I plan on using my trailer for more than my car. Snowmobile, small tractor, moving a hot tub and furniture I build for clients (desks, bars, etc). Wood is easy on gear like snowmobiles and when it comes to moving other crap, I can screw down stops onto the wood deck to stop loads from shifting. 2x6 planks are easy to replace.

Dovetail allows for easier loading of low cars. I went with a 2' dovetail. Silly trailer only came with 5' ramps though so I made 6' extensions.

I had 4 heavy-duty D-rings welded in position. Two at the very front, directly in line with the middle of my front tires. These allow for axle straps to go through the wheels and cinching down directly inline with the wheels.

Two D-rings are welded at the very back corners on the side. This way I don't have to drive over them. I use chassis tie downs at the rear (rennline) and cross the straps.

I prefer steel because I can weld and so I can modify it any way I like. I don't have the gear/skills to weld aluminum. If I could weld aluminum I might have gone for that. After trying to move my trailer myself with a trailer dolly, it's a brute and I really need a beer afterward. 2000lbs compared to 1300lbs for a friend's 18' Aluma or just under 1000lbs for the tiny Trailex many 911 owners have.

Cheers,

malmasri

The second trailer is usually enclosed for most people..so you can go thru the process of learning why enclosed is better...if it is a matter of cost,as is the case usually, you could look at a used one.
The longer the bed..the more versatile, Trailex have actually not raised the price for a while and they are giving freebees with it (last time I checked). Wt for enclosed 2000#. so most SUV's will tow it.

mkozink

I went through that exact process and ended up with my enclosed Trailex. PCA members normally get a $750.00. Call and ask for Carl Carbone. I have an added incentive since they are assembled ~60 miles from where I live in NE Ohio. The trailer is ~1850# empty and ~6200# fully loaded.

I am leaving Saturday for the PBOC Winterfest at Sebring. This is the 9th consecutive year we have attended. The rig tows like a dream but you have to remember no weight distributing hitches allowed on a Trailex aluminum trailer.

I just hope it stops snowing long enough to get me through WV without any problems