OT- car hauler trailers

GregSY · Feb 20, 2019

My trusty 18' trailer is too high to easily load a car so I'm considering buying a new trailer. I've looked at aluminum trailers but they are expensive (starting around $6500). So I'll probably buy a steel trailer with a wood floor (I don't like the slipperyness of steel floors).

1) Are tilt bed trailers worth it? Do they really let me load a low ground clearance car without scraping?

2) I notice most trailers sold have electric brakes on one axle only - is it worth paying more for brakes on both?

The photo is a typical example of a tilt bed trailer. If I don't go this way, I would look for a drop axle, low deck height trailer.

kustomizingkid · Feb 20, 2019

Trailers are like machine tools, no one trailer is good for everything. What exactly do you plan on using it for?

TGTool · Feb 20, 2019

No particular advice on the trailer, but perhaps a side note. A friend of mine did a lot of hauling and developed a hitch system that eliminates trailer sway. It's essentially a four bar link that means the apparent center of the hitch ball is at the rear axle rather than the bumper, eliminating the possibility of developing oscillation between the towing vehicle and the trailer. One of his patents is here US4949987A - Asymmetrical four-bar trailer hitch
- Google Patents.

He did car hauling at any speed he could get away with and if I were getting a large trailer I'd seriously think about using it. He passed away a few years ago, never having made any money selling the patent and I can't imagine the heirs having an serious interest in it. I guess that's a way of saying that you won't hurt his feelings if you were to use his ideas.

john.k · Feb 20, 2019

Trailers have only one axle braked,cause that is the requirement,and cheapness rules in trailer sales.....I would say,buy a trailer consistent with your usage and needs........a very light trailer is good for ocassional use,but wont hold up in everyday use.......but weight climbs quickly if you go to heavy duty components.If you only need it for cars,consider an expanded mesh floor,with a heavier mesh along the wheel tracks.

GregSY · Feb 20, 2019

I use it for whatever I need to haul, but in most cases that means a car. Sometimes the tractor, sometimes 20' lengths of steel from the steel supplier, sometimes a new machine tool. But the low clearance cars are the most demanding load, and why I would look at a car hauler as opposed to a regular trailer.

My existing trailer is awesome. It has big axles, big wheels, a heavy frame, a Bulldog coupler, and a good jack. It just sits too high. Getting a car loaded is a 'process' and I need it to become a 'breeze'.

DualValve · Feb 20, 2019

Make yourself some better, longer ramps. and keep the good trailer you have.
Unless you are loading a low clearance car every day or week, work on making your 'process' less of a job.
A light weigh trailer is not wise. An off center load, and they twist, tow poorly, and wear out spring shackles, bearings and a low dollar trailer will have too much space between floor stringers and cheap plywood, or cheap wood flooring.

The roll-back bed or tip-deck trailers I've used were 'interesting'. With a long wheelbase car, the weight of the car went past the fulcrum point before the rear axle got onto the bed.. Can you say 'High-Centered' ? Same as your concerns with your current trailer.

I'd work on making your 'process' more streamlined, and easier to work.

DV

DDoug · Feb 21, 2019

Your in Texas....Buy a "Texas rollback"....

Simple, no hydraulics, very lite:
Aluminum Rollback Car Hauler Trailers for Sale in Texas | Kwik Load Trailers

Seriously, they squat right down, and are low when "up",
as they are "between the fenders" style.
Tilt Trailer Vs Texas Roll Back – Tilt Trailers

FWIW my state rules on brakes are, every axle has to have them.

I find wood floor to be slippery when wet, diamond plate not as much.

gustafson · Feb 21, 2019

consider building longer ramps

I had a car so low it would not get on with the 6 foot ramps we had.

Built slide in extensions with a support so that they would not bend under load

GregSY · Feb 21, 2019

I've considered longer ramps (and still am) but they'd need to be 'wicked long' to make a real difference. Then, I'd have long ramps to store and handle. When they exceed 6.5 feet, they protrude from the bed of my truck which means I can't lock them up under the cover. And, by my calculation, a long ramp will pretty quickly get 50lbs+ which becomes a back-tweaking opportunity. So that's not so great.

Another thought that seems to have merit is to use a longer ramp but also to actually add height to the trailer bed only where the car tires will run - that effectively increases the clearance between the deck and the running gear of the car. Haven't fully looked into that yet.

The part about a tilt bed not handling long WB cars is interesting...

kustomizingkid · Feb 21, 2019

I currently have a 14k 22' tilt deck with torsion axles... favorite trailer I have ever used. I loaded an S2000 and an E36 BMW on it recently to give you an idea of clearance. I have also put skids, tractors and a forklift on it. The only thing it lacks is a winching system.

Fish On · Feb 21, 2019

GregSY said:
.

The part about a tilt bed not handling long WB cars is interesting...

That is only true of the tilt beds with no hydraulic lift cylinder - the style that had the weight biased slightly aft of the hinge point. When you unpin them, they naturally tilt down, then as soon as you drive far enough forward, the weight of the car rather dramatically slams the front of the deck down. I didn't think people still used today style on anything bigger than a snowmobile trailer.

Get a tilt bed with a lift cylinder, and it doesn't matter. Winch a car all the way up, then hit a button to tilt back level.

JCByrd24 · Feb 21, 2019

I have a 16' light duty car hauler with only a 6000lb GVWR and curb weight of 1500lb, great for my half ton and now Toyota Sequoia, and even it has brakes on both axles. I've also towed a 5000lb 19' camper with brakes on both. I agree with the opinion that brakes on 1 axle is a short cut and it is illegal in many states. Get brakes on both axles.

CatMan · Feb 21, 2019

GregSY said:
I've considered longer ramps (and still am) but they'd need to be 'wicked long' to make a real difference. Then, I'd have long ramps to store and handle. When they exceed 6.5 feet, they protrude from the bed of my truck which means I can't lock them up under the cover. And, by my calculation, a long ramp will pretty quickly get 50lbs+ which becomes a back-tweaking opportunity. So that's not so great.

Another thought that seems to have merit is to use a longer ramp but also to actually add height to the trailer bed only where the car tires will run - that effectively increases the clearance between the deck and the running gear of the car. Haven't fully looked into that yet.

The part about a tilt bed not handling long WB cars is interesting...

Have you considered building additional ramps with a stand to support the middle of the ramps? If you look, you'll see a lot of step deck semi trailers have four ramps underneath with two stands to support the middle of the ramps. I'm guessing your current ramps are about 5' long. Build two more 5' long and two stands to support the middle. Now you've got 10' long ramps that will still fit in your truck with the tailgate shut.

While you're at it, build something on the trailer to hold the ramps when you're not using them.

cg285 · Feb 21, 2019

the tilt trailer will haul your forklift and scissor lift

markz528 · Feb 21, 2019

My buddy has a 18 foot tilt trailer and he loves it.

I bought a new 18 foot car hauler about 5 years ago as my old 16 footer was too low in the back for my new driveway.

I shopped around quite a bit and found that quality varied a lot! Ended up with a 18 foot steel deck with a dovetail - has rectangular tubing frame. Tubed trailers are usually substantially better quality than angle iron trailers. My old trailer had 4 rails this one only has 2. The wood decks have an advantage when hauling equipment like a bobcat, but the wooden decks do rot out so be prepared to change it every so often.

Don't skimp with brakes just on one axle.............

gbent · Feb 21, 2019

There are both deck over and fender trailer tilt beds. I have a deck over tilt bed. it works great for hauling pallets, machines, and my skid steer. The load angle is steep enough that some cars want to hit the front bumper before the front tires reach the ramp. Your Barracuda would probably be in this category.

Look at PJ Trailers.

SteveF · Feb 21, 2019

TGTool said:
A friend of mine did a lot of hauling and developed a hitch system that eliminates trailer sway. ......................

If you correctly load the trailer so the center of gravity of the load is over the front axle, it won't sway either.

Greg - Just chain the ramps to the trailer if you don't like the two 5' ramp design. Or go down to a trailer dealer, get a look at some aluminum 8' ramps, take some measurements and build a pair.

Steve

rustyironism · Feb 21, 2019

I finally bought a tilt trailer a few years ago.

Very happily load machines, trucks, tractors, cars, etc.

I like the 4 foot front stationary deck, with 16 ft actually tilting.

A manual hydraulic cylinder keeps the load from crashing down with gravity, and also gives control when unloading a machine on wheels.

I put an eye bolt in the edge of the tilt deck to use a come along.

It's a PJ, but, I will certainly look closer before I buy when I need to replace it.

The paint didn't last 2 years, but the worst is the fenders.

Piss poor cheap design there.

They are held on by carriage bolts, through slots.
One in front , one in back.
The width of the slots are nearly the same as the heads of the bolts, so pull right through.

I fixed that by making plates on top, but, beware of the tabs that the fenders slide in to.

One tab is directly next to the front tire and barely bumping into it, by shifting the load of lumber I was making room for, bent the tab right against the sidewall!

I found out ten miles down the road...….1200 miles from home.

markz528 · Feb 21, 2019

My Mopar on my new trailer.......

GregSY · Feb 21, 2019

If I do buy a new trailer, I'll transfer my winch over. It's a Ramsey worm gear 12,000lbs unit....and the best thing is I got it free from a relative. Though....now that I think about it, a winch won't work with a tilt bed, will it?

OT- car hauler trailers

Diamond

Titanium

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Hot Rolled

Aluminum

Hot Rolled

Stainless

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Titanium

Cast Iron

Hot Rolled

Diamond

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