Car trailer... single or dual axle???

[faverymi]

Morning Gentleman.

That's my question. Im pulling with a Ford econoline V8. We all know gas is not getting cheaper so I want a light set up. I will only be transporting 911 and Boxster.

I can store all the extras in the van, so the trailer just needs to carry a car. And no garage queens here so open trailer.

What do you think about?

1 Safety (I will carry a spare)
2 Driveability
3 Fuel consumption

Let me know your thoughts, Thank you. F.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by faverymi

Morning Gentleman.

That's my question. Im pulling with a Ford econoline V8. We all know gas is not getting cheaper so I want a light set up. I will only be transporting 911 and Boxster.

I can store all the extras in the van, so the trailer just needs to carry a car. And no garage queens here so open trailer.

What do you think about?

1 Safety (I will carry a spare)
2 Driveability
3 Fuel consumption

Let me know your thoughts, Thank you. F.

You can't beat a Trailex 7541, dual axle 12'9" bed, 11' ramps, empty wt ~800#(more w/ tool box and tire rack). You can even move it around by hand.

Be sure to get one w/ the axles set up for 911(works w/ Cayman that way too)

[diverdan]

Good suggestion:

I've got the heavy duty stuff but the diesel fuel is killing my wallet. I wouldn't tow anything over 1500 lbs on a single axel trailer. Most tires would be severely over loaded. Two axel trailers are also more stable. I'm considering going back to flat towing just to make it simple. However, reversing can be a hassle and braking can be an issue which I usally overcome by lots of following distance. Also, check flat towing regulations in your state. Once towed a 3000 lb. Alfa GTV 6 over 2000 miles behind a 928 and never new she was there.

Diverdan

[wildcat077]

I've got a Trailex 8045 and they weigh in just under 900 lbs which makes it very easy to move around when empty.
My tow vehicle is a F150 and after you factor the weight of the EZ Up for the team,the BBQ,all the tools for the weekend,extra wheels for a friend who needs somebody with a tire rack to bring them up it all adds up pretty fast ... lol

Bottom line is ,dual axles are a must and stay away from 3000lb steel trailers which sell for a cheap price but are worth just that unless you have a diesel dually or a Hummer !

A Sherline tongue weight scale is good to have as you can reposition your wheel stoppers/chocks on your trailer accordingly depending on how much total weight you've got on it therefore always allowing for perfect weight distribution ...

Cheers !
Phil

[URY914]

I have an aluminum twin-axle. Not a TrailerX, it is a custom trailer built by a boat trailer manufacturer. It is bolted together with stainless hardware. Light enough I can pull/push it around by hand when not loaded. If you have an aluminum supplier near you, you could build one pretty easily.

I have more folks ask about my trailer at the races than my race car.

[NY65912]

Love the Trailex 8045. You need a pinky to push it around. Dual axles are a must.

[bkreigsr]

Plenty of medium weight (1,200-1,600) steel trailers (that your Ford V8 will handle) out there too, if you don't want to break the bank on an aluminum rig.
Check out Bri-Mar and Premier open-bed, twin-axle.
Lots of 2-3 yr old steelies FS at racing junk . com, for less than $2,000.
Bill K

[IROC]

I have a really nice 18' aluminum trailer, dual axles, etc., made by ATC (Motiv). It weighs 1050 lbs. I'm considering selling it due to lack of use if anyone is interested. Just throwin' that out there...

[wildcat077]

I looked at a few steel trailers locally and the lightest ones i found were 1800 + lbs, bare without tire rack,toolbox and spare ..
If you add all the options plus the weight of the car,you're over 5000 lbs ...

Bill is spot on for the price though, as they were all around $2000.00 dollars

Cheers !
Phil

[bkreigsr]

My 2009 17' Premier open-bed comes in at 1,350 lbs - bare bones - no extras.
I've added a weld-on spare tire carrier so add another 40 lbs. Car is around 2,600, so I'm still below 4,000 gross.
Bill K

[KTL]

Aluminum trailers are nice for sure if you can get one. Substantially lighter than steel sleds. Only the biggest single axles are going to be capable of handling your load. There are heavy duty single axles out there, but they're rare. Dual axles are better.

If you can find a trailer with them, get the torflex axles instead of the old school leaf spring axles. Torflex are quieter and have better ground clearance. Believe me, quiet is a nice thing especially when you've got a full deck open trailer with ramps hung underneath it. I know my steel trailer is one noisy SOB.

Also look at the ramp height of your trailer. My steel trailer has a "beavertail" where the tail of it is angled downward. The deck with the beavertail is only 18 in. above ground level and it has 5 ft. ladder ramps that get the car up on the trailer. Even with that rather low deck height, my racecar still needs helper boards/ramps to get it up the ramps w/out the front valance scraping the ramps. So I said screw the helper boards (got sick of dragging them around) and made the fiberglass front bumper a quick release installation.

Also, tow vehicle is as much a consideration as trailer itself. I know you said Econoline V8 but is it 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton? Makes a big difference in terms of ease of towing. My 1500 Suburban (1/2 ton) is quite capable of towing my Anderson 16' steel trailer (dual 3500 axles) but it does have to work a bit to get 'er done. It has the basic 5.3L V8 (285 hp, 325 tq) and thankfully has a 4.11 rear axle ratio to make pulling/acceleration a bit better. But the flipside is that the gas mileage suffers a bit with the 4.11 at highway speeds.

Always make sure you have a brake controller installed on the tow vehicle. People who think their tow vehicle is stout enough to tow w/out using the trailer brakes are being stupider than stupid. Try making a hard/panic stop in your tow vehicle while an additional 4000 lbs is continuing to push you un-brake assisted and then tell me your truck can handle it........

One of your negotiation points should be tires. If the tires are junk, the trailer price should be discounted accordlingly. Trailer tires are unfortunately something that many people ignore or neglect, thinking that they're fine until they're bald because what the hey, they just roll along. Not so. Trailer tires see a lot of abuse and they should be in good condition. Not to mention having a trailer tire fail is a real PITA. Also check the lug studs for overtorquing or evidence of previous problems like a wheel coming loose. You'd be surprised how often trailers lose a wheel.

[175K911]

I had an 16' full deck aluminum R&R trailer that weighed just 920 lbs. With the Trailex aluminum tire rack the weight was just over 1,000. Pulled my 911 on it with my BMW X5 just fine, and lent it to a friend who towed it with his Acura MDX and he said it was easy to tow.

Must have 2 axles. Even with the lightest trailer, when you put the Boxster on the trailer you'll be minimum 4,000 lbs. Axles for open trailer are typically 3500 per axle, so no possible way to build a single axle trailer for your purposes. Leave the single axle trailers to the snowmobile and motorcycle people. And best to have brakes on both axles, when building a trailer it's usually one a couple hundred $$ more anyway. Legally in most states any trailer with a GVW of more than 2,000 lbs requires brakes on at least one axle.

As Kevin said, get a good brake controller for the Econoline- Prodigy is the controller of choice for a lot of seasoned towers these days. And if the van is not equipped with a factory tow package you'll need a name brand Class III receiver not a cheap bumper hitch, and best to add a transmission cooler so you don't cook the trans in the New England mountains.

First tow vehicle I had back in the early 80's was a Chevrolet Caprice station wagon since that was about the only V8 one could get without buying a new pickup and I didn't want to give up my Saab Turbo to get a new truck. Then in I think '87 when Jeep came out with the 4.0L engine for the Cherokee I got one of those, only marginally better. I think back to hauling the 911 to Lime Rock or the Glen with that station wagon and it's a wonder I didnt wreck the thing considering how poor a tow vehicle it was. But I did learn that to tow more than a small utility trailer requires a properly set up tow vehicle.

[KTL]

Originally Posted by 175K911

First tow vehicle I had back in the early 80's was a Chevrolet Caprice station wagon since that was about the only V8 one could get without buying a new pickup *snip*........................ I think back to hauling the 911 to Lime Rock or the Glen with that station wagon and it's a wonder I didnt wreck the thing considering how poor a tow vehicle it was. But I did learn that to tow more than a small utility trailer requires a properly set up tow vehicle.

My dad hauled us around in those wagons every weekend. Occasionally we'd tow the '68 16' Mark Twain runabout/ski boat and later on a '75 19' Century. both heavy fiberglass boats on steel trailers. Only modification dad did was air shocks on the Impala. Dunno how that '77 Impala wagon with the smog-choked 305 V8 managed to haul wife & two kids and all our crap to the marina. Oh yeah, the trailers had those wonderful inertia brakes on them.........

[175K911]

At least mine had the 350 4bbl. And I'd forgotten about the air shocks. The upper mounts broke off the frame after one year of towing because of the stress of all the tongue weight. After one trip from my upstate NY home to LimeRock one weekend I couldn't figure out why the front of my 911 had oil all over the front of it. Well it was ATF, I'd overheated the trans so badly that it was spewing out the vent in the top of the trans and coated the underside of the car and the front of the 911. Good thing those TH350 auto transmissions were so plentiful in junkyards.

[Deadeye]

I would not put my car on a single axle trailer unless only going across town. If you blow a trailer tire on the highway I see a large claim on your TPS insurance. I lost a new tire on the MA pike in the pouring rain and did not notice it until I stopped for fuel. Not worth it IMO.

[daleflesburg]

My 2c worth. I have had a steel flat bed two axle trailer since 1988 and use it to haul a car to and from track events primarily, some of those trips 1000 miles one way, and have moved cars with it. I bought it used.

I got it for about $1200. Unless you have to have new things, I would shop for a used one. They depreciate about 50% within 10 minutes, and then do not drop in value until they fall apart. I bet I could get $1200 for mine in a week or two.

My advice is: get a two axle trailer for stability and safety (I had a spindle break and a wheel come off on my trailer at about +10 over the posted limit on I-70, and only was aware of the problem because of the smoke and with one axle I know I would have had the whole rig in the ditch). I chain my cars down. (in a wind storm in N. Iowa about 15 years ago, a semi truck blew me off of I-80, I jackknifed and went into the ditch. The car stayed on the trailer, and we escaped with a few dents in my truck). You do not want the car coming loose, because it is an unguided missile which may come and get you. You also want one with electric brakes on both axles, and a good controller in your truck. A 3000 pound car on a 1000 pound trailer will put a huge load on your truck brakes. I have rented UHauls with surge brakes, and you do not want that, because they jerk you around too much.

My tow vehicle is a 1500 series suburban with a 350 gas engine, and I use my radar detector all the time on interstates, because to tows so easy. I cannot measure the difference in fuel mileage with a 2000 pound car vs a 3000 pound car. The truck is in D not in OD, and the higher rpm is probably what is sucking up the extra gas. I get about 17 with the truck only and about 12 when towing.

[Daves911L]

I bought one of these (R&R 716CHA) two years ago and like it very much. Heavier than the trailex I think, but very solidly built. I've had several vehicles on it that were MUCH heavier than my Porsches with no concerns. Price was quite reasonable. I really like the front mounted ramps too.

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[175K911]

Originally Posted by Daves911L

I bought one of these (R&R 716CHA) two years ago and like it very much. Heavier than the trailex I think, but very solidly built. I've had several vehicles on it that were MUCH heavier than my Porsches with no concerns. Price was quite reasonable. I really like the front mounted ramps too.

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Exactly what I had. Original owner bought it new in 2004 for $3800. I bought it used from him (he had R&R build him a new enclosed trailer) in 2009 for $3500. Sold it in 2011 for $3500. That person just resold it for $3500.

I think the R&R is a better built trailer than the Trailex, for less $$

[Walt Fricke]

I second the motion for two axles for safety reasons. You can get 6,000 pound axles (my 42' enclosed trailer has three of them) or higher. But broken spindles, locked bearings, or blowouts are going to be a really really bad deal when you now have absolutely nothing (short perhaps of a steel rim) holding up one side.

This stuff happens if you trailer long enough. You can, in a pinch, trailer for a while at reduced speed with one out of action to get to a better spot to make repairs.

On the subject of tires, at least with a big rig you can't count on more than five or 6 years from a tire no matter the mileage. Big shock to me to find that tires which had great tread were coming apart, either by shedding their tread, or just going flat because of a crack somewhere. Had five out of six do that in about a two month period. Realized I needed to replace the 6th despite its seeming to hold up well. Six years later, when one of that crop blew, we replaced all six. Tire shop guys all snapped them up for their own use, but they were welcome to them. Nothing like changing out a trailer tire on the side of a busy Interstate.

I don't know if this tire life measured in years rather than miles or wear holds for light weight open trailers.

[faverymi]

Thank you for all the replies.

Going with two axles.

Trying to save for an aluminum one.

The puller is solid. Class IV hitch, electric brake controller. E250 with reinforced suspension. I just put a bigger tranny cooler. 30 gallon tank.

Im sure a lot people are benefiting from reading this.

Thanks again. F.