penguinking

looking for trailers for my go kart operation. thinking something like a 12ft, maybe 16ft, but nothing that can't be towed by a 4runner or similar SUV. must be enclosed with ramp. know any shops? shops in georgia?

how big must a trailer be to fit a car? if i junk the karting operation in favor of specmiata next year i'd like to use the same trailer. hopefully still under the 5000lb MAX towing capacity...

thoughts?

Darren

12 ft won't be long enough for a car. The Miata is 13' long according to what I saw on the web. So get a 14' car trailer. The steel trailer will be ok for a Miata (figure 1350 lb trailer weight, 2300lb car weight, 3650 lbs total) (http://www.econotrailer.com/about.html).

Also, trailers hold their value suprisingly well, so if you aren't sure you are getting a spec Miata, just try to get a good deal on a used trailer for the carts, then sell it if your needs change later.

Keep in mind that a car trailer will be dual axle and for the carts you only need a single axle. Why does that matter? If I tow my dual axle from Philly to NYC and back, I pay about $100 in tolls, since they charge by the axle!

penguinking

thanks for the advice!

one thing though, i need an enclosed trailer.

ltc

I would go with a 16' enclosed aluminum, just so you have room to walk around the car (and not crawl over your car and everything else).
I had a similar problem (my son drives karts), and ended up with a 20' aluminum enclosed Cargopro:
http://www.cargoprotrailers.com/car_haulers.asp
2500# with a fully finished interior/walls/diamondplate floor. The 16' is 2000#, so you would have 3000# for a car.
All aluminum definitely has higher resale value than a steel trailer.
Another thing to consider is that a car hauler will be wider than a std enclosed cargo trailer, so tow mirrors/extentions are recommended.
A V nose will definitely help with reducing drag, especially with a smaller tow vehicle.
Another nice to have is an escape door on the driver side of the trailer; makes exiting the car much easier.
Good luck.

penguinking

i couldn't find any info on pricing on the website. ballpark what does a trailer like that run? do you think its better to buy a used one or is it not worth it?

ltc

About $8600 (just called my local trailer company where I bought mine), with wood floor/ramp and wood walls.
From there, add your options (diamondplate floor/ramp, cabinets, lights, walls, escape door, etc).

Here are a couple of pics of mine:
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=18142
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=18140

Darren

At that price, I'd seriously consider getting 2 trailers. You could get a new small enclosed for $4k or so for karting, then later buy a open steel trailer for $1200 for the car.

You can't have too many trailers.

ltc

If you do consider a small enclosed karting trailer, I believe you have to get a 10' before you can stand up inside (76" or so); the smaller ones are too low for you to stand up in.
http://www.cargoprotrailers.com/moto...p?ProductID=73
You can also decide between 6.5' wide and 8.5' wide.

All depends on if you use it strictly for transport or if you work on your kart inside or having a place to go when it rains.

IIRC, the price is pretty much proportional to the length, so a 10' would be 10/16 * 8500, so around ~$5K or so?

As far as having too many trailers, if you have the room, why not?