What's the advantage of a dove tail trailer?

[Pat Baysinger]

I'm looking around for a 20' trailer for my long '63 Electra. I'm a little concerned that my car will drag when loading and unloading. Anyone have experience trailering one of these long cars using a standard trailer, and a dovetail trailer? Thanks

[Pete Phillips]

I don't have any experience with a long Electra on a dovetail trailer, but I have used one of those trailers (belongs to a friend) a few times. Because of the low dovetail, you will be quite limited in where you can pull the trailer. It just will not make it up a steep driveway or anywhere else there is a moderately steep grade, say at a motel for the night, or some other parking lot.

I have an 18' trailer with ramps (not a full dovetail), and I think whether or not the car drags its bottom is a function of how long your ramps are. My trailer actually has a slight dovetail rear, but it also has ramps, so the dovetail is high enough not to cause a clearance problem on steep grades. The longer the ramps, the less chance that your car will drag when loading or unloading. So, look for some 7' to 10' ramps. They will be heavy to move, but they will be much more useful than a short, steep, 4' ramp.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

McPherson, KS.

pphillips922@earthlink.net

Pete Phillips

[Highway_101]

Pat,

I have a standard (not a dovetail) trailer with a 20 foot deck. I have hauled lots of long cars including my old 1964 Electra (the one you bought the bumper jack out of). I find that this length of trailer is very handy for the size of cars that I haul. My ramps are probably about 4 feet long, and I sometimes have a problem with cars bottoming out. Even just 5 or 6 foot ramps would probably make a big difference. Sometimes I have to jack up my tongue while still attached to tow rig to keep the car I am loading from bottoming out. Hope this helps some.

[Guest my3buicks]

Have hauled extensively all over the country(66 Bonni Conv) with an enclosed dove tail trailer with ramp door and find it the only way to go. Prior to this one we used the same trailer without the dove tail and find the dovetail trailer to be much easier to get the big ones into. With a ramp door you are limited to the length of ramp so when you pull in the front end seems like it's going to the moon and if low in the back the tailpipes drag, with the dovetail this is greatly reduced. We have had no mentionable problems getting in or out of anywhere. I can't think of an instance where we took the other trailer that we didn;t take this one. If rear clearance is a problem they make roller piggyback wheels for under the back.

[brad54]

I have an open trailer with a dove tail, and though it isn't perfect, it makes it easier to roll the car up with the short ramps I've got because the car has a more gradual angle of attack getting onto the trailer.

That being said, my driveway is very steep going down to the shop, and I can't make the last couple feet because the trailer drags. My fix for this will be a couple of huge rubber roller like those found on a large boat trailer, welded to the underside of trailer tail like casters. This seems to be an acceptable solution for long trailers and I've even seen it on motorhomes.

I've hauled a '54 Special, '56 Chevy and '57 Wagon with it, and have always been happy.

I think without the dove tail, the back of the car would drag going up onto the trailer.

Good idea on the longer ramps that I read about here--that would certainly help.

-Brad

[Ron Green]

A 20' trailer for this long car seems to short. If it is enclosed you won't have any room up front to hook or unhook the tie downs.

[old-tank]

I had a dove tail trailer custom made with the wheels further to the back which gives the loading advantage of the dove tail and eliminates the trailer clearance problems. But you will need to use a load equalizing hitch since the tongue weight is increased.

Willie