Enclosed Trailer

[burntnova]

Ok, I have decided to buy an enclosed trailer for my car. I do have a question for you all. Does having a V-nose trailer make it easier for the truck to tow or does it effect the gas mileage drastically?

[NOT A TA]

Depends a bit on what the tow vehicle is and how tall the trailer is because the trailer is "drafting" the tow vehicle.

[burntnova]

Well I have a chevy 2500. I'm not really sure how tall the trailer is. Is there allot of different hieghts or aren't the normal enclosed trailer basically the same hieght?

[GregWeld]

Burnt --

I don't think there is a "normal" for trailers... every one I see is different...

Okay -- I have a Wells Cargo Motor Trac 4000 -- 24' -- tandem axle... and I'm hauling a 4000# Nomad. I carry a generator - a compressor - floor jack (aluminum race jack) and a full tool box - I have a Ford F350 Crew Cab (4 doors) Dually long bed with a 6.0 Diesel... 4:10 gears...

I just hauled from Seattle to Coos Bay, Oregon and back -- doing 70ish most of the time. 11.6 MPG....

So here's my next big statement.... I'm retired, and young (yeah right but I'm only 56!) -- and do lots of trailering/shows... much more than "most" --- and fuel milage and towing - just don't go together. Get the trailer you like -- and that fits what you're going to use it for... and forget the fuel bill. How many miles are you going to tow per year... 2 or 3 thousand? 10 thousand? When you do the math -- if you go from 11.6 MPG to 12.5 MPG --- it won't be much money. If you're a PRO and hauling to a race every week -- or long hauling constantly -- then it might be important.

Tell you a couple of things I WOULDN'T waste my money on again - ever! Fancy interiors... mine has all the shizzel (isn't that what the kids say?)... diamond aluminum flooring -- white fancy sheetmetal walls... fancy cabinets... And it's all a waste... the floor is SLICK if there's anything on it - including just a slightly wet shoe... AND I just put the cars in there - close the doors - haul it - and get the car out... it's not a hang out... nobody but me see's it... and most of the time it's closed up and empty.

That's just my .02 worth... but in my opinion - I wasted my money. Other than that -- I like the trailer and it pulls like it's not even there. But I have a big truck too... and it makes a difference.

My buddy has a Ford - same motor - F250 single wheel 4X4 -- a smaller trailer - 20 footer - that is also lower by at least a foot.... and a small 32 Ford roadster... he was on this same trip... he got 12.3 MPG

[burntnova]

You do make a great point. i am just buying the trailer to store my car for a few years while I'm in Germany. So I'll be making one trip from FL-NY and then back to FL when I finish my tour in Germany. I have no plans on getting anything fancy on the trailer I buy. The only thing I'm going to upgrade is to a heavier axle. Since I am storingmy hole garage in the trailer.

[NOT A TA]

I buy no frills 24' trailers. Fully loaded I get 12.6 with a F-350 7.3 TD dually with Auto. The stick Fords get about 1 MPG better. Thats was going up and down I 95 FL to CT moving all my cars and stuff to FL. I'm going to sell one of my trailers in about a month so I can switch to a fifth wheel style if you're interested in a used one. The crew cab long bed F-350 has such a wide turning radius it's a pain sometimes at tracks backing into a pit area or turning around and my trucks already set up for a gooseneck.

Depending on how much heavy stuff you have to move you might want to put some stuff in the pickup bed to keep the weight out of the trailer. When I was moving I put rears, trannys, engine blocks, heads, etc in the pickup bed and put the lighter stuff in the trailer with one of the cars. That way I kept from needing to buy the heavier duty suspension. An inexpensive 24' is usually 7000 GVW with the trailer itself weighing about 3000 so you have 4000 payload. Of the 3 different brands I've had I like the torsion suspension better than the buggy springs.

[burntnova]

Honestly, I was looking at 24' trailers. I really only have my car, air compressor, welder, tool box and a couple work benches. So the weight should be that bad.

[krptonite]

A V nose would help break thru the wind a little better than a flat nose but the truck is doing most of that anyway, it gives a bit more space inside for lighter stuff, have you looked on racing-junk.com? they have great deals on new and used trailers and for what you are doing a used one would be fine and save a few bucks,

[David Pozzi]

My 22' all-Aluminum Featherlight trailer with a 3500 lb Camaro, pretty good set of tools and tool box, small generator, winch, portable awning, and some assorted pit equipment weighs 8500 lbs.

My wifes 28' steel Haulmark with tools, 2nd gen Camaro, gen, & pit equipment, & spare set of tires, weighs 10,500 lbs!

It's very easy to overload a 7000 lb trailer. Next step is a 9500 lb rating which allows you to tow without a special license.

I think a 22' box is minimum if you have a tool box or cabinets up front, a 24' is ideal, a 26' to 28' is lavish. For car-only, a 20' box works, but it depends on what kind of car you are hauling. You need just under 16' for a Camaro and then a couple of extra feet per end to have enough room for the tie down straps. A larger car needs more room. We hauled a Nextel Cup car in Mary's trailer that took a lot more room.

At 70 with Cummins Diesel, we get 12.6mpg, at 60mph, we get 14.5mpg, so slow down and save on fuel! In California, the speed limit for towing or trucks is 55. I've pulled V nose horse trailers with a pickup and really noticed the lower drag approaching stop signs, I had to hit the brakes hard to get slowed down! Normal trailers were like pulling a parachute, I'd just lift off the throttle to slow down. If you want to go 70 a lot, then look at the V nose trailers, the slower you go, the less benefit to the V nose.
David

[burntnova]

A V nose would help break thru the wind a little better than a flat nose but the truck is doing most of that anyway, it gives a bit more space inside for lighter stuff, have you looked on racing-junk.com? they have great deals on new and used trailers and for what you are doing a used one would be fine and save a few bucks,

I have looked on racingjunk.com, that's where I have found some of the cheaper trailer I am looking at, and like I said I am buying this trailer to make a trip up to NY and park it for three years to store my nova in and some misc garage equipment. I am looking at a 24' just so I have extra room in front of the car for the garage stuff.

I don't plan on doing over 70 MPH's either. Since the trip from FL-Upstate NY is allot of hills. It might be better if I didn't go with a V-nose b/c the box trailer would help me slow down on the down hill slopes.

[ProdigyCustoms]

A Vee nose does help, especially if your under trucked like a 1500 at its limit. Your fine with a 32500, pull a 2 car trailer with a 2500. The Vee does cut through the wind and also help stabalize the trailer. Just trying holding sheet of plywood infront of your body and run into the wind! Simple math there.

You do loose a lot of room up front though.

If this would have been last week i had a smokin deal on a 24' Halmark, 2008 model for $4000. Look around, there are some deals.

[Vegas69]

Damn....you could've just pulled both cars to Barrett and I'd have bought it!

[burntnova]

How much more room do you get in a V-nose.

[wedged]

I had a trailer that was a 24' with a slight V. It measured about 25 1/2' in the center, inside the trailer. Be SURE to get a trailer with the 10,000 lb GVW- it will have 5,000 lb axles. The 7,000 GVW trailers will be marginal with anything more than just a car. I agree that 24' is the ideal size. If you're buying used, make sure to check the frame and especially the tires. A weight distributing hitch makes for nicer towing too.