Enclosed car trailers (again)

[torredcuda]

OK, I`ve decide to upgrade from my open to an enclosed trailer and looking for input. I am  looking at 20' trailers due to only having a `17 1500 tow vehicle and trying to keep weight down. What brands are good/bad, what options etc.? I`ll definetly have a winch and will need more holddown points as I might be carrying things like dirt bikes, utvs in it as well as cars and I think a v-nose will give me some needed extra room. Anything else?

[JH27N0B]

I've been wanting to get an enclosed trailer too, but don't have a place at home to store, and no truck.
I'm getting motivated now and have been looking into trucks, and a 3/4 ton is the only way to go for me.
From what I've learned about trailers so far, 20' is probably too short.  Most people recommend a minimum of 24'. 
You want a curved roof not flat so snow and rain slide off if the trailer is stored outside.
Our cars are fat, so keep that in mind as getting in and out of your car when in the trailer is not fun unless you are skinny and very flexible!  You'll want a side access door on the left side to help provide wiggle room.  And one in front to get at the car to tie it down and untie.  I've seen trailers where a big section of the left side opens and pivots up, that would make life much easier and would make a nice awning/patio for evening gatherings at a show or strip, but those trailers are expensive.
When I traveled to Moparty last month with friends trailering cars, they both had devices on their hitches that helped distribute weight from the rear of the truck to front, and said those are must haves, maybe someone else can say what they are called as I don't remember now.
And I'd get some foam covers or tubes to put on the ramp cables when loading and unloading just in case the car gets too close, to help prevent scraping the paint.

[R/T's 4 R/P]

Are you interested in steel or aluminum, or either?
A friend has an ATC and loves it. Well made, but not cheap.
I recently had someone expound the benefits of Rance, stating they make what Featherlite used to make before Featherlite got cheap.

If you are specifying your trailer, are you asking about best add-ons?
Axle weight rating and tire size are important.
How nice do you want the interior?
Side doors?

[torredcuda]

Are you interested in steel or aluminum, or either?
A friend has an ATC and loves it. Well made, but not chea
I recently had someone expound the benefits of Rance, stating they make what Featherlite used to make before Featherlite got cheap.

If you are specifying your trailer, are you asking about best add-ons?
Axle weight rating and tire size are important.
How nice do you want the interior?
Side doors?

Yes, mainly asking about add ons. Place in town only had two 24' both were aluminum, $10k+ and $14k+ which is too much so I`m looking at steel frame. Don`t care about nice interior, 5000 lb axles I think would be a must and at least one side door.

[GrandpaKevin]

I currently have a 22 foot enclosed and there is not much room left with a Challenger inside.

I plan to get a longer one soon, minimum of 24. 

One of the best features is the drivers side escape door to help us old fat guys get in and out of the car, I will definitely get this feature again.

I tow mine with a diesel 3/4 ton Ram and weight distributing hitch which works great, a 1500 might be pushing it, better make sure it has a tow package with steeper gear ratio if you plan on taking long trips.

[torredcuda]

I've been wanting to get an enclosed trailer too, but don't have a place at home to store, and no truck.
I'm getting motivated now and have been looking into trucks, and a 3/4 ton is the only way to go for me.
From what I've learned about trailers so far, 20' is probably too short.  Most people recommend a minimum of 24'. 
You want a curved roof not flat so snow and rain slide off if the trailer is stored outside.
Our cars are fat, so keep that in mind as getting in and out of your car when in the trailer is not fun unless you are skinny and very flexible!  You'll want a side access door on the left side to help provide wiggle room.  And one in front to get at the car to tie it down and untie.  I've seen trailers where a big section of the left side opens and pivots up, that would make life much easier and would make a nice awning/patio for evening gatherings at a show or strip, but those trailers are expensive.
When I traveled to Moparty last month with friends trailering cars, they both had devices on their hitches that helped distribute weight from the rear of the truck to front, and said those are must haves, maybe someone else can say what they are called as I don't remember now.
And I'd get some foam covers or tubes to put on the ramp cables when loading and unloading just in case the car gets too close, to help prevent scraping the paint.

I already have a weight distribution/anti sway set up so I`m good there.

[JH27N0B]

Keep in mind you can save a bunch of money if you travel to the trailer manufacturer to pick it up in person.  My friend got a beautiful 28' a couple years ago for $9500, but drove to GA from IL to pick it up.
I've been told you can get good deals on used ones on the Racing Junk website.

[torredcuda]

I`ve been looking for a used one but very few to be found on marketplace, maybe I`ll expand my search to racing junk and some other sites

[torredcuda]

Not much on racing junk

[7E-Bodies]

I'm considering one also. Had thought of a 24'. My Ram is a 2012 that I bought new. It's a 1500 quad 5.7L with a tow package that jerked a 20' loaded down camper through the Rockies in Montana and Wyoming in hot weather and did fine back and forth to home in Illinois. It also pulled a GROSSLY OVERLOADED (borrowed) 24' car trailer on a 1000 mile round trip from Illinois to Cleveland in 100 degree weather to get my current 70 Challenger and a huge cache of parts. I have the weight distribution hitch as well. I get it that the 3/4 ton is heavier duty, but would think we're dealing with the same drive train if so equipped. Am I missing something?

[torredcuda]

I had an `04 2500 that towed my cuda to Carlisle and my `17 has the Hemi and 8 spd with 50 more HP, more torque and probably comparable towing capacity to the 04 2500. I don`t do a lot of towing and even less of any distance so I think I`ll be just fine. I also have a 27` camper which towed no problem this past summer.

[RUNCHARGER]

Your 1500 will handle a 24 just fine. Half ton brakes are lighter than 3/4 ton and the coil springs are useless for much load but you can add air bags, the trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer too not the truck brakes. Equalizer hitch is a big bonus and you could buy a bigger truck later if desired. I wouldn't buy a 20, you'll always wish you had bought a 24.

[captcolour]

Not to be the weight police here, but it is all about the yellow sticker inside the door of the truck and payload capacity.  Those numbers are just the truck off the assembly line with no additional weight including no fuel.  A bumper pull trailer adds 10 - 15% of the total weight of the trailer to the truck.  So a 3,000 lb trailer with a 3,000 lb car inside adds 600 lbs minimum to the truck.  Plus the weight of all people inside, plus fuel, plus any other necessities packed.  All the towing numbers in truck brochures are all about how much the drive train can pull and not about how much weight the truck can safely and legally pull.

I have a F350 dually and pull a 40' 5th wheel that weights 14,000 lbs.  5th wheels put 25% of their weight onto the truck.  A gooseneck car hauler would also put that much weight too.

[Racer57]

Doors on these cars are longer than most.  Chalk off the clearances you need on a driveway according to how its parked in trailer. Then measure where the side door will need to be placed in order to open your cars door. I had a buddy buy one and the opening wasn't where it needed to be.

[70 Challenger Lover]

I too would advise on a 24 footer. Although most people don't pay much attention to this, it is super important to get the appropriate amount of weight up front. Not too much and not too little. Having a longer trailer gives you a bit of room to move the car forward or backward for optimum weight distribution. A weight distribution hitch is highly recommended but it cannot completely make up for an improperly loaded trailer.

I just made a cross country trip with a 24 enclosed rental trailer and one thing I liked about the rental was it had heavy duty suspension, axles, wheels and tires. Towed great at 70 mph with zero problems. Tires and hubs never got hot.