mooty

i did search, but most were talking about tow car or enclosed trailers.

i understand the compromises of open trailers vs enclosed, but i will be towing with Q7, toureg or pepper s (i know, compromise again) but i cannot change that. so with that in mind, i am now considering open trailers.

any opinion b/n trailex vs featherlight.
bolted or welded?

TIA

Tom W

Lighter is nicer but not a big deal.
Aluminum does not rust and looks nicer.
Make sure you can add the tire rack that you'll need/want.
Get heavy duty axles if there is an option (less likely to bend if you hit a curb).
Get a load distributing hitch.
Get extra long ramps so the slope is less and a lowered car can be added with less effort.
Adding wheel stops helps make loading easier and more certain that you have it positioned correctly.

I think my open was a Texas Bragg from George at Action Trailer Sales (he's a PCA guy)

LiveNupe

Mooty,
If you decide to go with an open trailer, which I believe most people would recommend with a Tourag/Pepper/Q7, I'm selling my Carson trailer. It's not aluminum (it's steel) and weighs just under a ton. It can carry 4 wheels, has a dove tail, and a rock guard on the front end. If you're interested, PM me and I'll give you the details. If you choose to buy it, I'll even deliver to you in the bay area.

Chris M.

This is the only advantage of an open aluminum trailer. They cost 5X as much as steel and you won't get any better gas mileage. If your tow vehicle is that marginal then maybe you need to have the lightest trailer possible but I've seen plenty of people towing enclosed trailers with Cayennes (not that it's the best setup).

Bull

Another advantage of the lightest aluminum trailers (bolt together Trailex) is the ease with which you can move them around by hand. That can be important if you store the trailer in a location where it is difficult to place with the tow vehicle, or you need to move the trailer when the tow vehicle isn't available.

Additionally, with a Trailex, you can locate the axles in different positions fro rear engined cars vs. front engine cars. Trailex will do this for you when you tell them about the car you will be transporting. This allows you to get the trailer properly balanced without needing to back the car onto the trailer or drive with the trailer not balanced.

I used my Trailex for 6 seasons (12+ events/season, 30 - 35 days), towing as far as 8 - 9 hours for some events. I then sold it to another R-Lister for over 80% of the original cost. Total maintenance cost was one set of tires.

ltc

AFAIK, if the vehicle is equipped with active rear (air) suspension, a load distributing hitch is not recommended?

LiveNupe

As a thinly vailed sales pitch for my Carson trailer:

1) I believe the two axles are each rated at 3500 lbs (I need to verify this). If you have a 3,000 lb car on the 2,000 lb trialer, the 7000 lb axle rating provides a nice cushion over the 5000 lb load.

2) Although the axle positions aren't adjustable, the trailer is long enough to allow plenty of fore and aft positioning of the car for proper trailer weight distribution for a front engine or rear engine car. Rear engine car..... load it closer to the front. Mid/front engine car..... load closer to the rear of the trailer. I have a trailer tongue weight guage (included with the sale of the trailer) that will allow verification of the trailer tongue weight.

3) Although it is true that steel rusts, it hasn't been much of an issue here in dry, arid, SoCal where we don't get much rain. (Ever hear the sont "It Never Rains in Southern California"?) Therefore, my trailer is in pretty good shape. They get a bit more rain in NorCal, where Mooty is located, than we get in SoCal, but I don't believe they see nearly as much rain as most other parts of the country. (admittedly, a speculative statement on my part that's not supported by data)

Anyway, I'm off to the track!!!

Tom W

John (mooty) has finally started racing and is learning that a trailer is a good thing to have (the hard way). He has a Boxster so the weight distribution isn't as big a deal as it is for a 911.

Lewis: That would be something to check. I was thinking in terms of sway control too. When I added a load-distributing hitch for my open trailer and ML430, it was a big improvement. While less of a need with my 3/4 ton, the integrated distribution/sway I have on the current 24' enclosed makes for a really smooth tow. As a person who had lots of 'fun' using a Cayenne to pull a trailer in the past, do you think they have finally fixed the issues to make it a reasonable tow vehicle?

F350Lawman

AFAIK, if the vehicle is equipped with active rear (air) suspension, a load distributing hitch is not recommended?

Not true,the air bags only lift the rear, while a WD hitch transfers SOME weight to the front. You do need to make some adjustments the first time you setup. When you first setup your WD hitch, do it with the air suspension off(keep car shut off for my vehicle). You want to get the vehicle to squat both the front and rear as close to the same amount while maintaining a level trailer. Keeping the air bags off allows you to do this accurately the first time.

Other than that it's the same as for a traditional suspension. Air bags are nice, but they don't help with a trailer like a good WD/Sway Control system does. They're best suited for heavy cargo IN the vehicle IMHO.

KOAN

I recommend a Trailex. You could even pull an enclosed Trailex with a smaller tow vehicle. The enclosed Trailex weighs about 1800-2000 lbs, and an open between 800-1000lbs depending on tirerack, tool kit, fuel, etc. You cannot use a weight distributing hitch with a Trailex because of the shape of the tongue, and because they recommend against it. However, I've had open and colsed Trailex trailers for about 10 years, and have pulled with an Explorer, F150 and a Tundra, and have never felt a need for one. They are very expensive to buy, but sell quickly with great residual value.

earlyapex

I only had one problem with Trailex when I was trying to decide on which trailer to purchase a couple of years ago. I couldn't find any in northern CA. The cost to ship one from their factory was prohibitive.

mooty

cost is not an issue.
the issue are the tow car MUST be a cayenne, Q7 or toureg.
and i like to be safe while towing.

it appears that open trailer is the way to go?

mooty

we now have trailex dealer in san luis obispo, smith volve. the owner is a prosche nut too.

Ron Cohn

I just bought a Trailer World aluminum trailer. It is set up with the axle farther back (although I currently haul a 944S2), 7-foot ramps and a load distribution hitch.

My tow vehicle, an Acadia, is only rated to haul 4500#, so aluminum was a must. I just did my first round-trip to the Glen, and everything performed well, hills and all.

Chris M.

Yes. Do those vehicles have transmission coolers?

RL user Dan in Florida tows a 911 on a open trailer with a Q7 so he can give you some insight on its performance.