car trailer questions

Some Questions You Need To Know The Answers Too:
Does your F-150:
- - already have a factory trailer towing package with Reese Hitch in place? If not that will be an added expense.
- - Do you know what your trailer hitch is rated to pull?
- - Do you know what your truck is rated to carry or tow? {Read Your Owners Manual Carefully and Follow the Factory Recommendations}.
- - Do you know if your F-150 has a transmission temp. gauge or can it display that information somewhere on the dash?

So some recommendations:
a) I agree - if you can afford it - get an aluminum trailer. Around here they start at $6,500.00 for a brand name 18'. If you can find a really good used one - go for that. The trailer weights less, so you can haul more on it.

b) a built in DoveTail is good for car hauling, Lowers the load angle.. 16' plus 2' dove tail=18' trailer

c) Long and Wide Loading Ramps - - -Look closely at how the loading ramps are made, how wide they are, how they store in the trailer. If you are going to be driving a car up on them - - get a trailer with the widest and longest one's you can find. Makes the load angle lower and so you can see over the nose of the car while loading. {one reason I went to a 20' enclosed was the full width pull down loading ramp - much easier to load a car}.

c) Tie Downs - most open trailers have at least 4 "O-Ring" tie downs in the deck - better to pay a little more and also have stake pockets welded to the sides and front.

e) In most States you will have to have a license plate - make sure you have a place to mount it and a registration light there..


Keep in mind:
1. A trailer rated at 7000 lbs - usually has to axles rated at 3500 lbs each - so that 7000 lbs rating includes the weight of the trailer. A steel trailer with wood deck - can weight 2300 lbs so that means the car you carry can't weight more than 4700 lbs.

2. You will need a "Trailer Brake Controller" added to your truck ... to operate the electric brakes. So if you don't have one - plan on buying one. I'd go right to one of the better one's. I'd highly recommend doing business with etrailer.com The Tekonsha P-3 Proportional is really good.. at $139.95
http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Brake_Controller.aspx?gclid=CNuvzcmLlKsCFZAs7AodNxT_kw

3. If you don't have one - you'll need a trailer hitch with ball sized to match the trailer.

4. Really good idea to have a Tongue Lock - to prevent or at least delay thieves.


good luck,
Carl B.

I had an 18' open trailer with dovetail - rated at 7000 lbs. Then switched to a 20' enclosed trailer. Pulled them both with a 1/2 ton Yukon XL and/or Chevy 1500. No problem at all. I'm using a Chevy 2500HD Crew Cab now - much easier to control at highway speeds, better truck brakes, but not really necessary for shorter trips.Some Questions You Need To Know The Answers Too:Does your F-150:- - already have a factory trailer towing package with Reese Hitch in place? If not that will be an added expense.- - Do you know what your trailer hitch is rated to pull?- - Do you know what your truck is rated to carry or tow? {Read Your Owners Manual Carefully and Follow the Factory Recommendations}.- - Do you know if your F-150 has a transmission temp. gauge or can it display that information somewhere on the dash?So some recommendations:a) I agree - if you can afford it - get an aluminum trailer. Around here they start at $6,500.00 for a brand name 18'. If you can find a really good used one - go for that. The trailer weights less, so you can haul more on it.b) a built in DoveTail is good for car hauling, Lowers the load angle.. 16' plus 2' dove tail=18' trailerc) Long and Wide Loading Ramps - - -Look closely at how the loading ramps are made, how wide they are, how they store in the trailer. If you are going to be driving a car up on them - - get a trailer with the widest and longest one's you can find. Makes the load angle lower and so you can see over the nose of the car while loading. {one reason I went to a 20' enclosed was the full width pull down loading ramp - much easier to load a car}.c) Tie Downs - most open trailers have at least 4 "O-Ring" tie downs in the deck - better to pay a little more and also have stake pockets welded to the sides and front.e) In most States you will have to have a license plate - make sure you have a place to mount it and a registration light there..Keep in mind:1. A trailer rated at 7000 lbs - usually has to axles rated at 3500 lbs each - so that 7000 lbs rating includes the weight of the trailer. A steel trailer with wood deck - can weight 2300 lbs so that means the car you carry can't weight more than 4700 lbs.2. You will need a "Trailer Brake Controller" added to your truck ... to operate the electric brakes. So if you don't have one - plan on buying one. I'd go right to one of the better one's. I'd highly recommend doing business with etrailer.com The Tekonsha P-3 Proportional is really good.. at $139.953. If you don't have one - you'll need a trailer hitch with ball sized to match the trailer.4. Really good idea to have a Tongue Lock - to prevent or at least delay thieves.good luck,Carl B.

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resurfacing the thread with updated input

Quote:

SandyI

Originally Posted by

Embrace the Suburban idea. Or something bigger. That's why the race tow vehicles I see at Willow Springs are all 250 (Ford, Chevy, Dodge, whatever) based trucks or bigger. Heck. I tow 5000 lbs behind my Diesel F250. Can't even feel it.

As for "research" -- Rent a Uhaul car trailer, load your car, and test your MDX's true towing capacity. I think you'll be unhappily surprised. On a long downhill section of freeway, the weight of that trailer will push that MDX anywhere it wants. Add a slight cross-breeze to that and you've got a real recipe for disaster.

I knew I needed to rethink what I was doing and traded it in for a 1yr used (12K miles) Harley Davidson F250 6.0L diesel SuperDuty.

The phrase "right tool for the job" applies to more than Craftsman socket sets. Having the heavy arse truck (it is a crew cab long bed) with the diesel is a freakin' DREAM. The extendable mirrors.. a DREAM! It has a really nice built-in brake controller (so my year old Prodigy will be for sale), I can see what I am doing, I rolled 80 MPH thru the mountains back and forth to the track which would have killed the tranny on the F150, etc etc.

A couple monster benefits to having a vehicle that weighs about as much as what you are hauling:

1. I would go around a semi with the little truck and as I passed, right at the front the air dynamics change and the "separation" from the semi would damn near suck me into its lane. I would get trailer sway if winds were moderate and it was white-knuckle a couple times and I would typically have to slow way down and almost stop passing.

Winds were horrible Sunday and the new truck whizzed right by and only once I felt a little tug of separation in a very high-wind area. WAY SAFER EVEN AT 80 MPH! I cannot stress enough how much less stress I felt driving this setup.

2. Going down slopes, if the "train" gets to picking up up speed, I would have to feather the trailer brakes (which don't always pull evenly causing scary swaying again) cuz if I just let off the gas the truck would sway as well. The new truck, just left off the gas and it's all good.

3. Towing at whatever speed I felt like without worrying about the trans burning up, or beating up the engine too much on hills. The 650 ft-lbs and big tranny make those mute.

Now I know there are sway controls and load distributing hitches that help with all of that. But, really, the big truck is the way to go and just a part of the racing addiction IMO. Sucks this obsession costs so much freakin' money, but I suspect it is better than heroin in the long run I know it is hard to afford this stuff as I am not wealthy, but might be the best money I have spent yet on the hobby. Don't laugh too hard at the spelling on the car... everyone mispronounces the name anyway

The truck and 20ft enclosed trailer in the pits Sunday


The truck - I bought it 1yr used (some Rocky player owned it and traded it in right before the WS - shoulda waited for the outcome hahaha) for a little less than a new diesel with less options. Used diesels with under 50K miles are supposedly barely broken in BTW... so I thought it was the best way to get the most options for the least money I got pretty lucky to find a Harley loaded truck with only 12K miles I admit...

Just wanted to come back to this as I traded in my Ford Lightning (F150 shortbed single cab truck) that I was "attempting" to tow my enclosed trailer with. I use quotes on attempting because I was in fact towing with it and used it to move my racecar and tools from CA to CO last January.I knew I needed to rethink what I was doing and traded it in for a 1yr used (12K miles) Harley Davidson F250 6.0L diesel SuperDuty.The phrase "right tool for the job" applies to more than Craftsman socket sets. Having the heavy arse truck (it is a crew cab long bed) with the diesel is a freakin' DREAM. The extendable mirrors.. a DREAM! It has a really nice built-in brake controller (so my year old Prodigy will be for sale), I can see what I am doing, I rolled 80 MPH thru the mountains back and forth to the track which would have killed the tranny on the F150, etc etc.A couple monster benefits to having a vehicle that weighs about as much as what you are hauling:1. I would go around a semi with the little truck and as I passed, right at the front the air dynamics change and the "separation" from the semi would damn near suck me into its lane. I would get trailer sway if winds were moderate and it was white-knuckle a couple times and I would typically have to slow way down and almost stop passing.Winds were horrible Sunday and the new truck whizzed right by and only once I felt a little tug of separation in a very high-wind area. WAY SAFER EVEN AT 80 MPH! I cannot stress enough how much less stress I felt driving this setup.2. Going down slopes, if the "train" gets to picking up up speed, I would have to feather the trailer brakes (which don't always pull evenly causing scary swaying again) cuz if I just let off the gas the truck would sway as well. The new truck, just left off the gas and it's all good.3. Towing at whatever speed I felt like without worrying about the trans burning up, or beating up the engine too much on hills. The 650 ft-lbs and big tranny make those mute.Now I know there are sway controls and load distributing hitches that help with all of that. But, really, the big truck is the way to go and just a part of the racing addiction IMO. Sucks this obsession costs so much freakin' money, but I suspect it is better than heroin in the long runI know it is hard to afford this stuff as I am not wealthy, but might be the best money I have spent yet on the hobby. Don't laugh too hard at the spelling on the car... everyone mispronounces the name anywayThe truck and 20ft enclosed trailer in the pits SundayThe truck - I bought it 1yr used (some Rocky player owned it and traded it in right before the WS - shoulda waited for the outcome hahaha) for a little less than a new diesel with less options. Used diesels with under 50K miles are supposedly barely broken in BTW... so I thought it was the best way to get the most options for the least moneyI got pretty lucky to find a Harley loaded truck with only 12K miles I admit...

Tim
www.negativereinforcementracing.com
1972 914 1.7L turned FW190-V8
353cube 525HP SBC with Mendeola S4 transaxle

__________________Tim1972 914 1.7L turned FW190-V8353cube 525HP SBC with Mendeola S4 transaxle

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