trailer type , enclosed???? what is a good one

[buelldude]

Hey,
I'm looking for a new enclosed trailer and would like some info on what everyone else has. I need a 7x14 with a ramp door in the rear and that is it. If you have any dealers you might add for a place to buy(I'm in VA Beach)please do so. If you have one you want to get ride of let me know. I'm towing 2 big bikes plus all my gear. I have had pace before and it worked out great. thanks

[BobNelson]

I purchased an Interstate.. Couldn't afford the Wells Cargo...

There are a bunch of mfg's out there, some with really cheep units. Be carefull.

Make sure you look at interior, overall strength, and options available. Very few are wired for extra lights inside, and a single dome light just doesn't cut it. Tap on the fenders.... hard... some are very thin... Quality of side door.

I put a fantastic roof vent on and a small access cover just behind the fender... Lets the unit vent real well, especially after a fuel spill.

Dealer? Lots in Oregon, just a short hope down the Freeway... Have fun... :D

[Paintdude]

I went with a Haulmark 12 by 7 Lowhauler..Tandem axles, Dexter Axles, electric brakes,already setup to haul 2 MC`s..

I bought it in Indiana from Detro Sales on RT 36 for 3950.00..

A great trailer for a real truck like the Duramax..My 2000 Z71 never liked puling it..nor, did my 98 Z71..

[ThePend]

Just purchased a US Cargo 6x14 tandem axle trailer. Has electric brakes on all corners. Got it with a side door, rear barn doors, roof vent, 2 dome lights and the rock shield on the lower front. Even had it assembled to closely match the color of my truck. GW of the trailer 7000#. Rained last night and no leaks (wish I could say that about my retrax cover on the truck).

Anyway, Im happy with it.

[gardnerteam]

Over the past 25 years I've owned several enclosed trailers, both pull type and 43' gooseneck. Now have a 24' Pace triple axle which has all the goodies including aluminum floor, integrated tie downs, insulated, etc. It has about 30K miles on it and has held up far better than any of the other brands I have had. Looks like new, no broken welds or popped rivets, and it has had some severe use over rough roads, including gravel roads. The last time I bought I visited two factories (both near Hurricane Utah) so I could see how well they were manufactured. Pace looked the best and it has been a great unit. It is not the cheapest. As to how to buy, call the trailer manufacturer and find out who their largest dealer is with 500 miles, but not in your area. Call the dealer, and tell him you want to buy a trailer, are not in his marketing area, and bargain for a great buy. I saved $3,500 by buying mine from a dealer 1,000 miles away, and arranging to pick it up at the factory. I made a nice trip out of it, and it cost me about $400 to make the trip. I called two dealers and worked one against the other. All they did was place the order, handle the paperwork, and collect my money. Dealer said he made about $100, but I'm sure he did a little better than that. Pace, Wells Cargo, Interstate and most other big manufacturers have several facilities around the country.

[Professor]

BuellDude,


I have a Continental Cargo 7 x 12 tandem with a V-nose. I looked at quite a few and it was much better built than the Wells and Pace versions. I have it set up with 3 Pingel mounts with 5 sets of mounting hardware. I can tow 1, 2, or 3 big-twins and keep the weight distributed by moving the pingles to the correct position. I have loaded 3 Dressers in it, 2 Kings and an Ultra. It is extremely tight with 3 but possible, 2 bikes are a bit more comfortable. They also build a 14 and 16

[Jelisfc]

I have an Interstate two place enclosed sled trailer V nose, 17' long. I looked at them all and their construction was equal to the others but I also got a good deal. If you plan on putting on a lot of miles and have the money get an aluminum frame. I went with steel because of cost savings and lower miles per year. I love the 101" wide width of mine. Tons of room to haul stuff in the off season but at 8.5' wide and 8.5' tall I push a lot of wind.

[turbolag]

Featherlite is the only way to go...

[Kennedy]

I prefer the fiberglass body of the We-Haul. This trailer generally wears the Cargo Mate or Continental Cargo name badge. The ultimate would be to add an aluminum frame.

Sorry guys, but on my list of what NOT to buy is Interstate, and Timberwolf. Timberwolf has improved greatly, but Interstate is just plain cheap.

Centers/sheet metal: Most are 16" centers on wall, 24" floor/ceiling, anything 24" wall (Interstate has some models like this as does Haulmark and others) stay away. Also, anyone still using .024" sheeting is "cheating" out a few $$$.

Undercoating: Undercoating the chassis just tends to trap the scale and impurities leading to larger rust problems later. If it is coated, I prefer to use drain oil or similar soft, healing product. The steel used in these things coes in pre formed, and if it is raining, it gets wet. The units get transferred to the paint shop and can get wet as well. Once this stuff is started, unless you deprive it of oxygen, it will grow.

Lights: Sealed beam lights are an excellent idea as are LED tail lights. If you can get the tail lights in the trailer frame vs the door, that is also a plus.

Radius corners: This is where the wall rolls over to the roof down the length of the trailer on "round top" cargo trailers. A good one will be BARE aluminum. This is .080" extruded aluminum, and is one piece. VERY tough. If it is colored, it is the same thin .030 sidewall sheeting and will also be seamed.

Roof: one piece aluminum is the preferred one (more $$) BUT I still like the galvanized roof as it is tougher! The knock on galvanized is that it is seamed, but in reality the seams do not leak as they are lock formed with a butyl caulk inside. Where the roofs do leak is around the edges, and this seam exists regardless of mat'l used. Climb a ladder and look, there is often enough "goop" up there to equal several tubes full!

Wall liner: 3/8" ply is the good stuff. 1/4" luan (looks like paneling backing) is the cheap stuff.

Floor: From a distance, green treat sounds great, but if you plan to cover it with vinyl, it will not work. Keep this in mind as you will need a luan sub-floor over the top.

V-nose: IMHO, this serves two purposes. To allow front unloading/access, or for that little extra cargo space. I find it otherwise to be insignificant for towing unless you have a teeny low profile car to pull it with.

My current demo is a DCT 7x14 with a vee nose that we picked up on the way back from MT so we could run to the Tomahawk Fall Ride. I put in a pair of Bike Pro wheel chocks which allow me to ride in, get off and tie down by myself if necessary!

[ 09-23-2002: Message edited by: kennedy ]</p>

[Jelisfc]

Kennedy, FYI my Interstate was built last November. All 16" centers and .030" skins. I have the front ramp on the left and a 32" door on the right side of the vee. Best thing I ever did for all around access.

[MadDuraMax]

Ok, I'll jump in on this one. I like the fiberglass reinforced side walls (FRP)they're easier to repair etc.

Sidewall strength is the combination of 1) Panel thickness, 2) Post center distance and 3) upper and lower rail construction.

Watch out for "cheaters" who use lower quality "pop" type rivets that the centers can be driven out of (leaks). If used these should be retained center rivets (Huck etc.)that will not vibrate free.

All steel to aluminum connections should have a layer of dielectric tape or equal between the materials to prevent corrosion.


Arrrgh :eek: ... 10 years of building OTR trailers and I still remember that stuff (Former life! smile.gif )

Mark

[Kennedy]

I should clarify:

Haulmark Thrifty = 24" centers, but most will only do the 24" thing on smaller single axles, although some will sneak it in there on other models.

The fiberglass ones that I like are FRF (fiberglass reinforced foam) which is a commercial duty material. These trailers stand WITHOUT wall posts altogether! The floors are brought in to 16" centers, and a heavy perimiter "Z" plate is used at the ends of the crossmembers for increased rigidity. The wall panels are then set onto the Z plate and bolted through. The rear "hoop" is still steel, and the perimiter as well as the front vertical corners are .110" extruded aluminum.

If you watch, you'll see U-Haul is using this type of construction.

[MadDuraMax]

Just got to love this trailer construction thing.

JK, the 3/4" FRP sidewalls are a post free construction upto a 53' 102" wide! Foam panels are nice, but caution any one that intends to weld in or near the trailer. Pa guys chime in if this sounds familiar, but my former employer in Pa., burned their plant down that was insulated with this foam...very flammable (Hint to former life stop #2. smile.gif )

Extra sidewall posts are mainly needed in the areas above where axle attachments are made and where provisions for tow bar/hitch/king pin are. (Note "commercial" standard is .052 panel/24" on center posts).

As for floors, the laminated hardwood floors are tough to beat, but heavy. Avoid aluminum if 1) your going to get it wet (ATV's, hunting etc. very slippery) or 2)If you're going to load where the floor will take an impact loading.

Look for roofs supported with cambered roof bows, big++

Mark

[Paintdude]

the Haulmark lowhauler is a designed Motorcycle trailer. The rear of the trailer behind the axles is dovetailed to aid in keeping the overall height to a minumum..they come in 14 ft and 8ft wide also..This trailer is Haulmarks NO:1 seller to date...The lower height makes it possable to fit trailer into a garage in areas where they do not alow trailer in your driveway (subdivisions,etc).

Steel frame,bowed roof,stailess lower sheeting,radiused corners,alum fenders,32 inch side door,rear jacks so you can load and unload objects when not hooked to truck,lights,etc..

This was the best trailer I could find for the money..My father in law has one(he uses iteveryday)and the only complaint I had with Haulmark was they never balance the tires on trailers..This was confirmed when I talked to a field rep at the US nationals last month..

Mine is over 3 yrs old,been to daytona bike week 3 times,Mid ohio 3 times,Elkart lake 2 times,deal Gap once and a few other places and has worked without any problems..

Just get the tires balanced, whatever trailer you purchase..

Forgive my miss spelling but editing the spelling just deletes the letters,,whats up with that? :confused:

[mdadgar]

I shopped around extensively for a race trailer and ended up buying a 22' V-nose from Santek Trailers in Los Angeles, CA. I was blown away at the craftsmanship they employ. Really, really impressive. You should see how the D-rings are connected to the frame (I could roll the trailer and the car would hang from the ceiling).

Plus, ALL their trailers are ground-up custom built, so you can specify exactly what you want and they'll build it. Most of their trailers are vacation trailers, but they build everything from race trailers to promotional trailers for radio stations (think of 20' records on wheels, etc).

They were priced comparably to the Haulmark trailers I looked at and cheaper than TPD or Featherlite.

www.santektrailers.com

Highly recommended.

- Mark
'02 Sierra 2500HD 4x4 CC SWB D/A

[Kennedy]

Strange Engine hit on a point that I did not make. If you want TRUE craftsmanship, NONE of the large trailer mfrs mentioned fit the bill. There is a scattering of small companies that DO, but the trick is to find them. Jensen Trailers in Humboldt IA is about the best I have seen.

When looking at the "Elkhart Bunch" you are basically looking at the best of the "brand X" units...

[carnutsx2]

Ok this is my $.10 I have a 6'X12'Haulmark job trailer that seems to work that I paid $1700 for and a 27'Interstate West All Sport V-nose car/sled trailer with light 2 man doors and d-rings that I paid just over $6000 for. My plan is to not have a ton of $$$ in them when the get old and scratched they go down the road. I looked around and none of the local dealers would deal so I used the internet and found a dealer that would make me a deal and pick it up at the factory( that saved $1.50/mile) he makes some cash for an easy deal and I get a trailer for a good price. For some reason the local dealer couldnt figure out that I was serious.

[buelldude]

Well it looks like a PACE or a HAULMARK 7x14. The haulmark comes standard with brakes on all four wheels, pace didn't??? I don't know if having brakes on all 4 would do me anymore than just the front. The loads I would have on(in the trailer)would never go above 2K, but this is also the only trailer that I have used for work. Who has the pros and cons on brakes. :rolleyes:

[FirstDiesel]

I have a 32' Haulmark and it is triple axle. It has brakes on all 3 axles. I love it. I'm able to use less brake setting on the controller and still stop the trailer. Very easy braking but yet the rig still stops. BTW, the Hualmark is a good value. Not the best unit out there but it was over 1k cheaper than the Pace equivilant.

[Paintdude]

the dexter axles and brakes on all 4 wheels is what I have on my Haulmark..Trust me you may need them only once, but that once can save your butt in traffic..JMHO..

[Jelisfc]

A comment on brakes.

My dad lives in Wisconsin and bought an open car hauler with brakes on only one axle. The state the trailer was built in didn't require full brakes, (I'm don't remember the state). If that same trailer had been built in WI it would have had to have full brakes. Now his is an open trailer not enclosed and I know of only one mfg who doesn't put brakes on their enclosed trailers and they make low headroom sled trailers.

John, Since you're a WI trailer dealer set me straight if I'm wrong.

[Kennedy]

My take on the DOT and state/Fed regs:

"If you ask two State Patrol officers the same question, on the same day, and get the same answer, you are doing a hell of a lot better than I am!"

Suffice to say, there are tandems (open) built with single axle, or even with NO brakes (usually Sikeston MO, OK,TX ) every day. I'm not sure, but I DOUBT the local mfr uses all wheel brakes.

Long and short of it: all wheel brakes on EVERY multi-axle unit on my lot...

[Professor]

"If you ask two State Patrol officers the same question, on the same day, and get the same answer, you are doing a hell of a lot better than I am!"

For more fun, ask the two officers while they are together. This will start a great argument between them!

[SoCalDMAX]

Just stand back, in case they start shooting... ;)

Steve