dwe8922

I've been planning to go to an enclosed trailer for some time now, and a good friend just bought my old open trailer, so now I need to get one. I would really like to get a nice Featherlite 24', but don't want to spend $15k. So, I am looking at getting a similar weighted 20' steel for now, and then maybe upgrade sometime down the road. I'd like to find something used in the $5k range, and am also looking at just getting a basic Pace Rallye 20', as they run about $6k new. I want to use it 12 weekends a year, and plan to do a tire rack on Etrack over the hood, and get the pitpal fold down 6' ramps. Any suggestions on similar brands like haulmark, and whether this base model would be good enough for that amount of use? Any used trailer buying advice? From what I've seen on ebay, for the condition, price, and amount of travel to get it, one can get something like the rallye for not much more.

Also, what do you think of side doors? A friend of mine says he'd never get a trailer without one, as climbing out the window with 10" of space is hard to do. I also met a guy once though that had a side door option that wasn't in the right place, so he couldn't use it anyway. The Pace side door is a $350 option.

Thanks!
David

ltc

My 20" Cargopro enclosed has the driver's side escape door. Can't imagine owning a trailer without it.

Bull

Absolutely get an escape door on the driver's side! Order the trailer with it in the spot that you want it.

dwe8922

The Pace option is 54", and I assume they put it in a pre set location. For yours, do you adjust the axle location and equipment placement to get a weight distribution to where you can use the door?

Bull

Most problems with escape doors are related to the vertical location of the door. Many are too high at the lowest point for lowered cars to open the door.

An alternative is a winch with a remote control to load and unload the car.

Tom W

I can't imagine bothering with crawling out the window and needing a door. Get a winch and you can stand outside and steer it in as needed, no contortions or door required.

A 20' trailer leaves minimal room for spare wheels and work space. I friend with a 20 regrets the lack of space in it. My 24' seems quite spacious once loaded. The drawback is it's tougher to manuver and needs a bigger storage space.

Kurt R

I agree with the last two:
Get a 24' trailer.
Get a winch instead of a side door.

dwe8922

what kind of winch should I look at, and will it run off the battery for the brakes? I really wanted to get the 24, but a 24 steel weighs about 500lbs over the 20 (~4000lb), and my tow vehicle is a 01 suburban a/ the 5.3l.

Mikelly

Yup, what they said. I have a 24ft. haulmark and if I had an escape door (about the cost of a winch) it still woudn't matter because my doors still hit the edge of the wheelwell for the trailer. Get a winch and be done with it.

Also, get 5000# axles. You'll be shocked at how quickly your trailer will gain weight. Don't even think about 3500# axles... The weight of the trailer will be about the weight of ONE of the axles capacities, leaving you 3500# for the car, tires, tools, jacks, airtanks, stands, gas, and the other "crap" that ends up being "needed" for the track!

Mike

Rick

I would definitely recommend a winch AND an escape door. I do in my ATC and am very glad that I made those choices.

Bill L Seifert

I would do the winch thing. One of my most frightening moments was in my 22' Pace. I set the parking brake, and proceded to climb out of the car. The brake wasn't really set, and when I was sitting on the window with my feet in the seat, car started to roll back. Right behind me was a beautiful 930 crossways about 20 feet behing my trailer. I put fingernail marks in the paneling on the side of the trailer, and when it became obvious I couldn't stop, I slid back inside, and jammed the car into first. and stopped about 3 feet behind the ramp. From then on, I put the car in first gear until the car was tied down, and then I put the car in neutral. With a cage a parking brake doesn't work well. A winch would be obviously safer.

Bill Seifert

1987 944S Race Car

Crazy Canuck

Get the winch.

If not at least order the trailer with a winch plate welded to the floor. You can always install a winch later.

As for the door, with Pace you tell them where you want the door. THere is no set location. Biggest problem, as others have mentioned, is door clearance above the fenders.

When looking at the Rallye also consider the Pursuit. It has a bunch of features that the Rallye doesn't have and many, including me, think the Pursuit looks better.

I've been a Pace dealer for 15 years so if you have any questions PM me.

Tom W

Rather than worry about 3500 or 5000 lb axles, I opted for 3x3500 lb axles. It tows smoother but is a bit more trouble to back up and turn. You are victim to the problem for this sport with the tow vehicle. The nicer trailer means a bigger truck to haul it. I went out and got a 2500 HD Silverado and can haul the 8000 lbs over the Sierras with no problem at all.

smlporsche

Another vote to make sure the escape door would actually work for your car. Mine is about 2 inches too high...
I also suggest getting a 24' trailer (w/ the 5200# axles) as you will inevitebly be storing more junk than you can think of. Also try to get one with a VEE nose as this makes towing a little easier not to mention a little more space inside.
When I was looking I thought the Pace Daytona had about everything I wanted then I found Millenium Trailers (www.milltrailers.com) and found one at the end of the season (now) that the factory had and bought it for a good deal. Very happy with the purchase. I just put a heat pump in it and I have lots of friends in both the early spring (heat) and in August at VIR (A/C)

Professor Helmüt Tester

Check the inner fender-wells of the trailer. Normally, your door swing will be someplace where those fender-wells are, and as it's a zoomy lowered hypertattooed race car, the doors will be too low to swing over those wells, so you're gonna crawl out the window regardless of whether you have a left-side door or not. Remember, too, that any 'holes' in the strutural frame of the trailer weaken the 'box'. How much are you going to swiss-cheese that box ?

Order of priority for trailer options:
workbench/storage
winch
diet (so you can squeeze your azz out the window)
yoga (improves flexibility for the wriggle out the window)
helipad
hot tub
chrome pole
bocce court
nautilus machine
left side door

But that's just my opinion.