Thinking of an open trailer - NCRS Discussion Boards

Thinking of an open trailer

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  • Mike G.
    Expired
    • July 31, 2002
    • 709

    #31
    Re: Thinking of an open trailer

    i bought a basic pace 20' about 4k if i recall correctly.
    Attached Files

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    • Peter G.
      Very Frequent User
      • December 1, 1980
      • 406

      #32
      Re: Thinking of an open trailer

      Good comments..I think it's just what you want and want to do.

      I have had both open and enclosed trailers. Both worked fine, but the enclosed is the ultimate and the way to go. Protection from from just about everything. Weather and vandalism. A enclosed entry level 20' trailer is not that much money. After all I would consider the cost of what you are carrying.

      When I was looking for trailers I was told that if you have the paint job on the car that is all done or expensive and don't want to paint it again then a enclosed trailer is the only way to go.

      Some other thoughts for you...after having the trailer for two years I found that having a tow vehicle that get 12 mpg and paying $700 a year for outside storage on the trailer..just wasn't good money sense. I was using the trailer after the initial purchase just twice a year. I wasn't enjoying driving my Corvette like I felt it was intended to be driven. So I sold them both! Also with my age it was getting more difficult on my own strapping down, positioning the car in the trailer and changing blow out trailer tires on the side of the Intersate in the rain.

      I miss the trailer some, but the truck I miss the most.

      Things change.
      Attached Files
      Peter Gregory # 4157

      National Corvette Restorers Society Since 1980

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      • Jack P.
        Expired
        • March 19, 2009
        • 1135

        #33
        Re: Thinking of an open trailer

        Originally posted by Terry Deusterman (11486)
        Agree with Brian "What's a trailer"? Just don't see the attraction of driving the car on and off the trailer. Kind of like having a big yacht in the desert. But just my old opinion
        Terry
        I agree with Gene and others, Guys, stop with the paint, unless you bought the car as a trophy, to be dropped off at a show and picked up,

        Drive the dam car, it is only a car. Get your trophy , be happy , and drive the car.

        However, having said that, ( I drove 30,000 miles last year) there is a place in the corvette world for everyone,

        but just stop with the paint...........

        Jack

        Comment

        • Richard E.
          Very Frequent User
          • April 30, 1992
          • 190

          #34
          Re: Thinking of an open trailer

          For the price of my Featherlite 3110 open with air dam i could have bought a good enclosed 22' but towing an enclosed is another matter.I have a 24'Pace American(for storage) and it is alot different towing.The wind is a factor and always wondering if the car is loose is another.There are inside cameras now for this reason also i had a dually to tow it so it wouldn't wander back and forth.My open Featherlite is towed with a 2011 Tundra 5.9 with tow package and it's not bad.It's probably just as easy to drive the vette to the show as my new Tundra has no chips with 7k on it...

          Comment

          • Clark K.
            Expired
            • January 12, 2009
            • 536

            #35
            Re: Thinking of an open trailer

            The last time I checked on buying a new Trailex Sports Car Trailer, they cost about $17,000. The photo shows a 2005 model that I bought used about a year ago. I love it, but be prepared to spend big bucks for one, even if used.

            Note that you use the supplied aluminum ramps (stored underneath trailer) while most enclosed trailers have a "ramp door" that pulls down from the top (with hinges at bottom).

            I pull this trailer with my '05 GMC Sierra pickup with the 5.3 liter V8 engine. This combo gets 12-14 mpg on the highway.
            -Clark
            Attached Files

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            • Mark C.
              Expired
              • May 5, 2009
              • 87

              #36
              Re: Thinking of an open trailer

              Clark,
              Great looking trailer! (and car) What do you use for tie downs? If you don't mind how much was it used?
              Mark

              Comment

              • Norris W.
                Very Frequent User
                • December 1, 1982
                • 683

                #37
                Re: Thinking of an open trailer

                Mark, I've got 3 trailers of my own and custody of a friend's 42' Champion goose, which stays in my yard and never gets used. Of the stuff I actually use, there's a 28' Exuss (they were the company that the founders of Featherlite started after they sold the Featherlight and their non compete expired, then closed when they re-bought Featherlight). In the 80's when I had more energy than brains I scratch built a copy of a Champion open trailer which I still have, but almost never use now. Earlier in the year I bought an Aluma craft after seeing it at a show. It is absolutely positively the finest, easiest to use trailer I have ever seen and it is wonderful to pull. The way the thing works, when empty, you unlatch with ONE handle at the front and it tilts automatically. It's slightly weight biased to the rear of the pivot point when empty. All it takes is about 50 or 75 pounds to close it, so walking back up it closes it easily after a car is removed. When loading, driving slowly up it closes it also because of the weight of the car. It has hydraulics, but all the do is dampen the open/close to keep it from slamming in either direction. I looked at the Featherlite, but hated fooling with ramps. That was the main reason I quit using the open one I built. I also hate using the enclosed trailer because it's such a hassle to wallow around on the floor tying the car down, and with the new tilt I can reach it from the ground with one knee down. If you ever used one of these you'd pay the extra money (I paid about $6K but have heard there's a dealer south of Atlanta that's almost a grand cheaper). If you look on the manufacturer's website there's a video somewhere of them loading/unloading an old Chevy on one of their trailers.



                Incidentally, at a car show 2 weeks ago there was a guy there that had one of those unlock the axle assembly and pull the chassis of the trailer foward and it tilts parked right beside a guy that had one of those electro/hydraulic things that basically works about the same. The guy with the unlock and drag was screwing with wheel chocks and pins and yelling at his wife to back up as he was getting the car on, while we pulled in the lot, drove straight on the trailer, it untilted automatically, and we hit the latch, tied it down and were ready to ride in about 5 minutes. The guy with the drag and tilt was sick. He said he'd just paid almost 5K for it, and it was heavy, and he said more trouble than his former ramp out the back trailer.

                I guess I'm an advocate, but honestly this thing is the slickest I've ever seen and just takes all the work out. I don't have a stone guard on mine yet because the dealer didn't stock it, but I have one on order and it's a bolt on.

                If you click on this link, and then hit the TILT BED VIDEO box on the top line it'll play the demo:
                http://www.alumaklm.com/photo-gallery.html I don't know why they have the fender off the trailer. Most of my stuff will clear the fender when opening the door. '69 Corvette requires fender removal or squeezing out, haven't tried mid year yet. '60 cleared it fine.

                Comment

                • Clark K.
                  Expired
                  • January 12, 2009
                  • 536

                  #38
                  Re: Thinking of an open trailer

                  Originally posted by Mark Ceres (50397)
                  Clark, Great looking trailer! (and car) What do you use for tie downs? If you don't mind how much was it used? Mark
                  I first used crossed nylon straps front and rear. You may be able to see the yellow straps lying in the rear inside corners of the trailer in the first photo. I had trouble keeping suspension components from cutting the straps. And, I got tired of getting dirty crawling under the car to install and remove the straps.

                  Last spring I had a trailer shop install "E" track on the floor. I now use wheel/tire straps. Last June, I towed the car shown in the photo, all the way to Carlisle, PA and back to Texas. I have not yet trailered my '65 Sting Ray with the tire straps.

                  Note that with the side door, you can drive the car into the trailer and be able to open the car door and get out. No winch is needed.

                  OK, since you asked: my '05 Trailex trailer was bought from a fellow NCRS member in East Texas for $9,500. It was one of only two for sale last fall when I was looking for one.
                  -Clark
                  Attached Files
                  Last edited by Clark K.; October 19, 2011, 11:04 PM. Reason: clarification

                  Comment

                  • David P.
                    Frequent User
                    • February 1, 2011
                    • 69

                    #39
                    Re: Thinking of an open trailer

                    One other issue to consider with an open trailer (besides rain and rocks) is theft and vandalism if you need to park for the night, for example.

                    Comment

                    • Dick W.
                      Former NCRS Director Region IV
                      • June 30, 1985
                      • 10483

                      #40
                      Re: Thinking of an open trailer

                      I still use straps with the T hook on the end. As I start up the ramp, I will either get out of the car or have someone else, hook the T in the frame reinforcement just behind the drivers seat (same place as they were tied down when they were delivered to the dealer new). Throw the straps under the car and then drive in the trailer. The straps will be trailing behind the car and all you have to do is attach them to the tie downs and tighten. I use the factory slots in the front also. I cross the front and rear straps to keep the car from moving side to side. I do the final tightening from the rear as it is a lot easier than the front.

                      Never chaffed or cut a strap doing it this way.
                      Dick Whittington

                      Comment

                      • Mike G.
                        Expired
                        • July 31, 2002
                        • 709

                        #41
                        Re: Thinking of an open trailer

                        Originally posted by Clark Kirby (49862)
                        I first used crossed nylon straps front and rear. You may be able to see the yellow straps lying in the rear inside corners of the trailer in the first photo. I had trouble keeping suspension components from cutting the straps. And, I got tired of getting dirty crawling under the car to install and remove the straps.

                        Last spring I had a trailer shop install "E" track on the floor. I now use wheel/tire straps. Last June, I towed the car shown in the photo, all the way to Carlisle, PA and back to Texas. I have not yet trailered my '65 Sting Ray with the tire straps.

                        Note that with the side door, you can drive the car into the trailer and be able to open the car door and get out. No winch is needed.

                        OK, since you asked: my '05 Trailex trailer was bought from a fellow NCRS member in East Texas for $9,500. It was one of only two for sale last fall when I was looking for one.
                        -Clark
                        thats a nice trailer!

                        Comment

                        • John F.
                          Extremely Frequent Poster
                          • March 23, 2008
                          • 2408

                          #42
                          Re: Thinking of an open trailer

                          Mark, So simple w/Mac's tie-downs. Better pictures of my trailer.
                          Attached Files

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