which car hauler to buy?

[cfries]

I'm starting to go to DE events and was wondering what brand trailer is the best? Should it be aluminum or steel? what options should it have. Uhaul works ok but its getting old picking up and returning. Sorry if this is the wrong forum but it is for my Carrera. I use my F150 to tow. Thanks for any advise in advance.

[ErVikingo]

Carlos,

It depends on many variables including your budget and your towing capacity. If you are only using for DE's you perhaps should go with an open trailer. If it were me, I'd get a Trailex since they are really ligth and don't put added stress on your trucks drivetrain. Also, no rust...

I personally have an aluminum enclosed 22 feet trailer but that's because I must haul more stuff since I race plus, my race car has no windows. It comes real handy when you overnight at a track and also works as a good camp. Downside is the cost, size and the fact that I must have it in a storage place due to homeowners association rules.

Some considerations:

What is the towing rating of your truck? How many times a year you plan to use the trailer? How far will you be driving? Whats your budget? ...

[cfries]

Thank Juan, nice to hear from a local. I was considering a Trailex, but they are much more pricey, but may be worth it. I just started out in DE so I figure for now, about 4 times a year. Homestead and Moroso are nearby but what if something breaks, then a trailer would be great. I was definately going open trailer, but may go used to get the price down. Would like to get into racing someday. Is alter Ego Racing just you or a team?

[Bill Verburg]

an aluminum open is easiest and cheapest to tow but a little more expensive to buy

same can be said of the enclosed versions

the closed have secure storage at the track and off, open is secure at no time.

look at what your tow vehicle is rated for, then decide.

optimum is an al. enclosed ~24' but you would want a fairly stout truck to tow it any distance. Towing over flatland is a lot easier than towing in hilly or mountainous areas.

I know people that use VW Rabbit diesels to tow just in a lot but a truck for long hauls.

[cfries]

I have a 2000 F-150, it does a nice job with a Uhaul and that is heavy!

[ted]

Originally posted by cfries
I have a 2000 F-150, it does a nice job with a Uhaul and that is heavy!

Borrow an enclosed trailer and you'll find the F 150 marginal.
A less expensive steel tandem axle flatbed, 16 to 18 feet (with brakes) is just enough and you won't have to do 35mph up hills with the heater blasting in the summertime.
Imho I like to have a little reserve power/control, towing a 20 foot Carson racer trailer with a F250 Power stroke seems adequate.

[Bill Verburg]

I agree w/ Ted, even though Fla is pretty flat bigger is beter when towing. a 3/4 ton Diesel p/u is a great tow vehicle.

[Randy Blaylock]

www.racingjunk.com click on "towing"

If you're going to tow, don't waste your time with an open trailer.

[Grady Clay]

Guys,

Send me your e-mail addresses and I’ll send you the draft specs I did for Pelican rs911t a few year ago. It’s too big (238K) of a .doc file to go through Pelican. Since I originally wrote it, it has additionally grown into “How to go to events.” All I ask is you give me some feedback.

Best,
Grady
gradyclay@hotmail.com

[ErVikingo]

Hey Carlos,

We must try to get together one day. Alter Ego has varied and is currently just my car. For some races I have a co-driver.

I must agree onthe towing issue, I have an Avalanche which is rated at 7700 lbs for towing and my trailer with the car weighs in at no more than 5000 and it struggles sometimes in Florida.

If I go out of state, I'll rent a diesel.

I have Grady's document which is really good and really takes over the complete process of selecting and using (safely) a trailer. THANKS GRADY !

[Eagledriver]

Just find a local steel trailer maker and get one custom made for your car. These guys are a dime a dozen there in the south. You see the trailers on makeshift lots on the side of the highway. I got a custom made flatbed with electric brakes for 1100 dollars. It gets used about 6 weekends per year and is only slightly rusty after 8 years. I got it made with the amount of dovetailing I needed and extra long ramps. They also moved the jack so I could open and close my hatch on my minivan and mounted a hand winch. Spend the extra 100 bucks to get new tires (the place I bought from was using old tires).

-Andy

-Andy

[aigel]

Why not buy a roof rack for $100 and take your track tires? Nothing more satisfying than driving your car home after a weekend on the track. Gas mileage towing is horrid too. I can fit all my weekend gear, including spares and tools. I will quit going to the track the day I think I have to buy a trailer.

George

[ted]

Originally posted by aigel
Why not buy a roof rack for $100 and take your track tires? Nothing more satisfying than driving your car home after a weekend on the track. Gas mileage towing is horrid too. I can fit all my weekend gear, including spares and tools. I will quit going to the track the day I think I have to buy a trailer.

George

It’s kinda funny how some racers that tow are looked at with contempt.
We all have our limits regarding comfort and accountability.
The truck has more creature comforts than a track 911.
If the 911 were to break down I can get it home single-handedly.

So if you break down what do you do?
Do you have a 400 mile AAA flatbed towing coverage?
Or do you look onto the sea of trailers in the pit area as a possible resource?

Imho you do get the Iron butt award for driving to and from the track and racing it.
It is an award that brings with it wide-ranging perspectives.

[aigel]

>>> We all have our limits regarding comfort and accountability.

We all are more or less of a wuss, is what you mean!

>>> The truck has more creature comforts than a track 911.

Sure! And it will take two times as much gas. If you travel 400 or more miles round trip, that is some serious cash. I sit most the time at work, so I don't need a cozy outlet on the weekend! If you work construction and need the rest, I respect that!

>>> So if you break down what do you do?
Do you have a 400 mile AAA flatbed towing coverage?

A hundred miles and then just pay for the rest out of pocket. I have not brokend down to date, after a couple or three years of track events.

>>> Imho you do get the Iron butt award for driving to and from the track and racing it.

Well, other folks that may be more respected than my iron a$$ do it too. I.e. Jack Olsen?

To each his own. My post was just an attempt to keep cfries off the slippery slope! It helps to set the stop at some point. For me it's the trailer / towing. It automatically also will keep you from going full out on the car, since you still want fillings in your upper teeth when you arrive. It makes the car useful as a second car around town ...



George

[MotoSook]

Nothing wrong with an open trailer. Nothing wrong with having a trailer if you can afford it. I have an aluminum trailer (third hand), and I even trailer to the track that's 1.5 hrs away. I like to have my tools and spares. I tow with my Jeep Cherokee. Even the Jeep gets packed with stuff. Food, drinks, tools, spare parts, rain tires, fire wood, etc,...take room up run easily.

I like the warm fuzzy of knowing that if I break, I don't have to stress about getting the car home. And if my buddies break...they have a spot on the trailer and they can drive my car home.

In the yard I tow with this

[Grady Clay]

There isn’t any “correct” way for everyone.

Much of this I address in my paper. Let’s summarize the pros and cons. I’ll compare the trailer in my paper (22-26’ pull-along) to driving to events in the 911. I have done much of both and even more at the extremes.

Driving to events is basically easy with a streetable 911. Pack it up to the hilt and go. Depending on your class there are some things you must have – tires come to the fore. Many solve the problem with a roof rack or tiny trailer.

The advantages are:
You get to drive the 911. There is no substitute.
You don’t need to store a large trailer.
Minimal fuel cost (unless you need race fuel).

The disadvantages are:
When you stop (particularly overnight) how is your security?
You are putting miles on your 911.
What if you have a simple malfunction (either way)?
How are you situated for weather (heat, cold, rain, wind, etc.) at the event?


I don’t advocate everyone having a trailer. On the other hand there are some serious advantages, costs and limitations. As a 911 gets farther from street-only and toward well prepared, the differences become more significant.

First, a trailer is expensive compared to nothing. It has to be purchased, licensed, maintained, housed and towed with a substantial tow truck. Towing costs can be significant; fuel, depreciation on a big tow truck, maintenance, licensing and insurance. Additionally the trailer must be stored between events. If you live in SF, Manhattan and other places, that can be a big issue. Even some suburban houses have covenants against outside storage of trailers.

On the other hand there are some real benefits. The most obvious are: You get your 911 to and from the track without exposure to the elements. When you stop on the road no one can see or molest your 911. At the track you can retreat to the trailer to get out of the weather and have secure overnight storage. If you have a malfunction, you can trailer home. When you get home late Sunday evening after long track days in the sun, you can take the coolers and driver’s suit in the house, lock the trailer and walk away happy.

My paper tries to address all these issues and is a good indication of the detail necessary for both success and enjoyment. Although the paper doesn’t address anything to do with the car, the philosophy does carry over. As you can see, it is much more than trailer specs.

Feel free to e-mail me for a draft copy (230K Word.doc) as it is too large for the Pelican system.

Best,
Grady
gradyclay@hotmail.com

[mmastro]

Get & read Grady's paper....It's literally full of very useful information regarding towing, racing, preparedness and all around interesting stuff. Several times while reading it, I'd think to myself "I would've never thought to do this or that".....

I drove my 930 to events (w/ the tires on the roof) until one recent time my muffler bolts loosened up and my turbo torched my RSR rear bumper.......Now I have a Ford F250 7.3L Power Stroke (10-12,000 Lbs pulling capability) and an open trailer I share w/ a buddy of mine. If I get serious (driving farther away for track events) I'll look into getting an enclosed trailer, but lack of storage space for a unit like that is always a consideration.

Cheers,

[Nader]

A new, steel, dual axle open trailer (bare minimum is 14') costs about $1800, and coincidentally weighs 1800 lbs. The cheapest comparable aluminum trailers I could find were at least $5000, and about 700 lbs lighter. A trailer is one of those things that you don't know how you got along without, and opens a big can of worms with regards to all the wonderful junk out there that you can now drag home.

FWIW, I tow a 2200 lb racecar on an 1800 lb trailer with a 185 hp V6 4Runner. A V8 pickup truck would be just fine in your case.

[fastbacker]

I have a Carson 18', open, steel, dual axle trailer with electic brakes. I extended the deck at the front and added drive off snowmobile ramps which probably added five hundred pounds ringing it in at around 2300-2400 pounds.

So far, the heaviest thing I've thing I've towed is my 2700 pound rock crawler (dedicated 4X4 off road tube buggy). The reason I tell you all this is because I tow it with a 2000 3/4 ton Suburban and feels real heavy in the hills.

If I were to do it again, I spend the extra bucks and buy a used aluminum one. They're also alot easier moving by hand when empty.


Craig Backer

[Bill Verburg]

When I was seriously racing keel boats we used lwb 1/2 ton vans to tow a5000# package including a crew of 4-5 large guys and gear We averaged 10k mi a year. The van has lots of advantages over a pickup truck such as secure storage and a place to sleep in an emergency.

When we switched to a 4 runner, which also worked ok, there was no lonnger room for all of the crew, another car was needed, and speeds were lowered considerably through the mountains and in trafffic, Toronto and Annapolis switched from 1 day drives to 2 day drives.

For really serious towing we used a 3/4 ton Dodge /Cummins. We built a fulllsize replica of the Santa Maria(~80 tons) in Albany, sectioned it and towed the sections to Columbus Ohio for reassembly in 10 trips