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Thinking of buying a new enclosed car hauler.

Curti

By Curti
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Curti 25,000+ Points

Curti

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I am looking at various trailers, manufactures and options. One option seldom seen that many manufactures offer is a 6'2" inside height VS 6'8". It occurs to me this would be good for me as the cars I haul (34-36 Auburns) are not that tall nor am I. The wind resistance in the front and suction in the rear would be less and offer better mileage. The possible disadvantage would be the fold down ramp would be shorter and thus a greater angle. Does any have any experience in this area?

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llskis 1,000+ Points

llskis

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Curti: I bought a brand new United Enclosed Trailer in 2000. All I haul are Camaros/Corvettes. I spec. it out for that. Total hight of trailer is 7' and length is

18'. Fold down ramp door is no problem as the car being loaded "pulls" down trailer; so angle is not bad at all. Also trailer was ordered with a "beaver" tail floor.

When I find some pictures I will put them on to show you. Trailer pulls like a dream and have no problems with it.FYI Larry

P.S. Trailer inside hight is around 60"; perfect for Vettes/Camaros. Have had many compliments on my "Specs" at the various meets I have attended.

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Paul Dobbin 25,000+ Points

Paul Dobbin

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Remember that when the ceiling is lower, so is the door opening (The door spring rewind mechanism) Measure the door opening height.

My mid 30's cars are all 5'8" high and when I bought my lift I had to buy a higher lift just to get another car under it. (I'm glad I measured)

Same applies to trailers. The 6'2" ceiling will have about 5'10" of door opening. This is another reason an inside beavertail is a good idea.

Other than a extra storage garage, there is nothing I miss about my enclosed trailer. Our aluminum open trailer tows like nothing is there.

The wind dam effect of an enclosed trailer really adds a lot of work for the towing vehicle, the quick detail when we get where we're going is worth the effort to shed the wind dam.

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llskis 1,000+ Points

llskis

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Remember that when the ceiling is lower, so is the door opening (The door spring rewind mechanism) Measure the door opening height.

Paul: Yes you are correct about the door opening hight; but don't forget when we load the car the back end of it is still on the lower part of the ramp. By the

time the car gets in the middle of the trailer the highest point of the car (At least Vettes/Camaros) is well past that opening. Larry

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Curti 25,000+ Points

Curti

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]271563[/ATTACH]Ok; found some pictures of my trailer. Here is one of them with my Camaro in front of it. You can see how low the height of the trailer is. Larry

Yes, I like that. The tallest car I own is 66" high, so I think it will work. height

I have a C6 it doesn't look like it would make it between the wheel wells.

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llskis 1,000+ Points

llskis

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Yes, I like that. The tallest car I own is 66" high, so I think it will work. height

I have a C6 it doesn't look like it would make it between the wheel wells.

Curti: Not sure what you mean by C6? Corvette Maybe?? If that is what it is then you would not have no problem fitting it into the trailer. BTW; my trailer is maximum legal width (102") wide. Wheel wells are maximum distance

from each other. If you got something that is too wide for this trailer; you will need a open flatbed then. FYI Larry

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JACK M 25,000+ Points

JACK M

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My enclosed trailer is 26 feet long. I like being able to get the car in there and still have some room for other stuff. In fact I can get the race car in there and load up my quad thru the side door. Also the trailer is equipped with a generator and a compressor as well as a cabinet package that gives me a work bench. Very handy.

If you are only getting a trailer for your immediate minimum needs you will be sorry later.

A couple of guys that I race with went even longer and have a small RV type set up in the front.

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Paul Dobbin 25,000+ Points

Paul Dobbin

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Good point about the distance between the wheel wells. Once I carried a 53 Cadillac in my Horton Hauler and had to put 3 2X8s on the floor on each side to get the low Coupe DeVille body in the trailer above the wheel well boxes. Know your demensions.

Edited by Paul Dobbin
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Make sure you get an "escape " door. This is a door located on the drivers side of the trailer approximately over the axles. The wider the better. It makes getting in and out of your car MUCH easier. Usually you can load so that the door of the loaded car will at least partially open out through the escape door opening. I also have a winch and battery/battery charger for the winch as well as electrical outlets in mine. Since my friends and I are old geezers messing with 30's and 40's cars, the winch has saved our bacon several times. I recently bought an old engine, and when I went to pick it up, I was able to pull the complete engine into the trailer using the winch. The engine was sitting on a sheet of plywood, and the plywood and engine slid right up into the trailer with no damage to anything. Do not buy one without the escape door - you will be sorry. I have owned them with and without.

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Robert Street 2,500+ Points

Robert Street

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imagejpeg

The photo shows the importance of a proper placed escape door. The beaver tail design floor and proper placement of the "D" rings is important.

Robert

oops the photos didn't attach! Got to work on that!

http://s116.photobucket.com/user/thelilprofessor/media/IMG_3500.jpg.html?o=5

Edited by Robert Street (see edit history)
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llskis 1,000+ Points

llskis

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Make sure you get an "escape " door. This is a door located on the drivers side of the trailer approximately over the axles. The wider the better. It makes getting in and out of your car MUCH easier. Usually you can load so that the door of the loaded car will at least partially open out through the escape door opening. I also have a winch and battery/battery charger for the winch as well as electrical outlets in mine. Since my friends and I are old geezers messing with 30's and 40's cars, the winch has saved our bacon several times. I recently bought an old engine, and when I went to pick it up, I was able to pull the complete engine into the trailer using the winch. The engine was sitting on a sheet of plywood, and the plywood and engine slid right up into the trailer with no damage to anything. Do not buy one without the escape door - you will be sorry. I have owned them with and without.

31 Caddy: Very good points you make on the "escape" door. It is also a good idea to have two doors (can be small ones) on both sides in the nose of the trailer.

By having them it is a snap to strap the front of the vehicle to the floor. Also when you spec. out a new trailer have the factory install extra "rings" in the floor for

strapping purposes. It's best to get everything done correct when buying. JMHO Larry

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