Need Trailer Purchase Advice

[SmokinViperGTS]

OK, so I'm about to pull the trigger on a trailer purchase to carry my beast from venue to venue. I've narrowed it down to two over-priced options that are local, while I'm green with envy over the trailer options and pricing available on the East coast and deep South that can't seem to make it here without a $1/mile delivery charge.

I've switched my thinking from open to closed for various reasons, and I'm looking at 8.5' x 24' (a very popular size). In my local market, I can get either of the two options below, and I'm looking for experience and/or opinion that might be helpful making the choice.

A. Interstate Cargo Pro-Series Car Carrier, $7300. Torsion axles; LED lights all-around; 24" diamond plate rock guard in front, and 8" all-around; chrome wheels and caps; white lined ceiling; 36" RV door; 48" driver's side door; 4 dome lights; 4 D-rings; internal ******-tail; 3/4" ply floor; 3/8" ply walls; 12" ramp door extension.

B. Cargo Mate Blazer, $6900. Leaf springs; no LED lights; 24" diamond plate rock guard in front only; ugly gray wheels; white vinyl lined ceiling and walls over 3/8" ply; marble-pattern vinyl floor over 3/8" hard-board over 3/4" ply; internal ******-tail; 110V wiring kit (internal and external outlets, 2 switched double florescent lights, etc); 2 DC lights; 12" ramp door extension.

So, the key questions seem to be:

• Are torsion axles really better than leaf springs?
• Are LED lights really better than standard bulbs?
• Is the 110V kit worth having?
• Is there any real advantage to having the vinyl lining on the walls and floor, other than looks?
• Is there any clear advantage to either of these brands/models over the other (e.g. frame, engineering, service/support, etc)?

I'll take in all advice and suggestions.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[past ohio]

Vinyl flooring can be slippery especially if wet and/or you put tire gloss on the wheels and falls on the vinyl floor, BUT the vinyl looks good...also the tires can move on the vinyl floor unless the car is strapped down correctly...good luck, a 20' works for almost all sport cars, and easier and shorter to pull, remember weight is not always your friend...brakes all around a must !! there are some all aluminum type on the market = less weight to pull !!

 

[fastmd]

The torsion axles are much better..

 

[Viperless]

Look for 5200# axles. Always better to have more load capacity than you need. 3500# axles are borderline.

Look for 4" drop axles. Makes loading and unloading much easier.

I have an enclosed 20' x 8.5' with a ~2' v-nose with the above options. There's plenty of room inside for the car, spare set of wheels/tires, and tools. It's an economy trailer. Paid $4600 and picked it up this past Feb. in Virginia. Have over 6000 miles on it already.

 

[Green Viper]

Hi Steve -

Here is what I learned when I went through this a couple of months back.
1) Interstate had a 3 year warranty on the roof, the CargoMate was lifetime.
2) Torsion axles dropped made the whole trailer lower and thus easier to load a Viper.
3) Olympia has two Trailer places that advertise on Craigslist, towards the end of the month they are about $400 lower than any other time with the ad. I bought mine there.
4) I agree with the comment about vinyl, we saw that at the race track a few weeks back with other trailers, it gets slick when you walk in from the rain.
5) I added 28" to the 12" ramp extension and learned it too needs support... lots of lessons learned around that part if you decide to do this call me first.
6) Additional D-rings are cheap, McLendons has 6000# units for about $12 ea.
7) The 120V lighting is great if you are going to be at a place with electricity (and bring an extension cord...DUH) and it may be your only option if it is not connected to your truck.
8) LED lights last longer and (may) draw less power depending on the quantity and type.
9) The jack on the trailer tongue is important, get one that can handle the trailer with car loaded.
10) ******-tail is a nice option as it makes it easier to load lowered vehicles.
11) It is pretty easy to paint the plywood if you want to make it white, I just did this to mine.
12) Have you considered a winch? I added one from harbor freight to make loading the Viper easy from outside the car which saves climbing through the window.

 

[C-Note]

Bud bought an Interstate, it did not track straight. Not sure where he landed with that but I know it was a headache.

Try to keep your trailer as light as you can, the lighter you are the faster you can go! Just like a race car

Make sure to get brakes on both axles, some of the cheaper ones try and only put it on one axle.

One more thing, having owned and towed many trailers, torsion axles are a must!

 

[Viperless]

Make sure to get brakes on both axles, some of the cheaper ones try and only put it on one axle.

Excellent point!

Also try and negotiate some extras. Spare tire, brake controller, hitch, tie downs, etc.

 

[RTTTTed]

I bought a used 24' enclosed slopeniosed Haulmark trailer. It has dual toolboxes bolted to the floor at the front with room for tires in front of that. A large trailer with only a 7,000# rating. Because it cuts my 18mpg mileage to 9 or 10 I certainky wouldn't recommend any larger or heavier. Joe C. trailer and truck got 7mpg going to Detroit. Think the biggest difference was the slopenose on my trailer. It does tow nicely though. Mabye Joe can get you a deal as his trailer was custom made?

Ted

 

[SmokinViperGTS]

Thanks everyone! These comments are just great! Exactly what I was hoping for.

I'm getting a little smarter on this whole trailer thing, and the smarter I'm getting, the farther I'm pushing it out.

When I bought my Viper ('99 purchased in '01), I spent 2 years looking for an all-black car with the Connolly leather interior. I knew it was rare - found it, bought it, been happy ever since.

When I bought my truck, I spent 6 months walking dealer lots before I realized what I wanted was "rare", and ended up ordering it because there was 0 inventory west of the Mississippi with the two options I wanted: quad-cab long bed, and 3.73 axle with Cummins diesel.

I'm quickly finding myself in the same position with the trailer.

Some of the things suggested here are givens: in Washington, brakes are required by law on all wheels for trailers with a gross weight rating over 3000 lbs. So is the break-away braking system. And I've already installed a Prodigy digital controller. So far, so good.

I'm not too worried about the towing speed or mileage, because of my experience towing to Las Vegas last year. I had a towed weight of 6500 lbs, and ran on cruise control at 80 mph for hours at a time, averaging 13+ mpg. This truck could probably pull the USS Nimitz at 13 mpg, with AC and radio blaring.

So, that gets me to the trailer part. I've discovered that most trailer dealers in these parts are not doing themselves or their manufacturers any favors (nevermind their customers!). They come off like ****** used-car dealers, trying to sell you what they have in inventory (or coming in, ....soon), rather than listening to what you really want, and helping you get it. And you're waist deep in FUD about their competitors, almost all of which turns out to be wrong. The manufacturers provide long lists of options (which is good, because if you want anything not on the list, forget it!), but the dealers can't begin to tell you what these options cost! There doesn't seem to be anything like the check-box menus that are so common today in the auto industry. Want a blue-tooth interface? $125. Want a diesel engine? $5500. Nothing like that! And it's complicated - even the warranties differ across models in the same line. Can you imagine if an RT/10 had a different warranty than a GTS?

You should have seen the look on one dealer's face when he accused me of being a stupid noobie (true), and then I told him I was getting feedback from the Viper forum from a whole bunch of veteran trailer owners! Priceless!

So, thanks to your input!

I'm focusing on the following for now:

• Torsion axles - 5200 or 6000 lbs (10k or 12k)
• LED lighting all around
• 110V system built-in
• No vinyl on floor or walls (slippery on floor, wasted $ on walls)
• Stabilizer jacks for loading/unloading without a tow vehicle attached
• One-piece seamless roof (.080) with corner wraps OK, and lifetime warranty

Of course, there are lots of other little things, like 16" OC supports in walls, floor, ceiling, etc. But everyone offers this, if you ask.

And there are things that I've determined are just smarter to do yourself - like a wall-mount tire rack, tool and equipment boxes, floor finish, winch, etc.

My biggest disappointment so far, besides the dealers themselves, is in the difficulty of getting a tongue box for a small generator. Only Pace offers it, and they can't pass the roof requirements.

I'll post again, once I'm a bit smarter, or have a purchase on the way. Please keep posting feedback and ideas, because I'm pretty sure I don't know it all yet!

THANKS!

Steve

 

[supersnake]

You definatley need torsion axles, Also on your lighting, There are a # of manufacturers out there when they wire a trailer, they love to use butt connectors and scotch lock connectors. Oh they are fine for maybe the first year of ownership, then you are on your way somewhere and all of a sudden no brake lights or maybe one taillight. I own a Wells Cargo trailer and I searched a long time as to find a manufacturer that soldered and shrink tube there wiring. I bought my trailer in 1997 and haven't had one issue with wiring and have pulled it for 80000 miles. One thing you also want to get is a bubble on the front to cut the air or a V nose. Trouble with the V nose is there are no provisions for a sway bar hitch on a lot of models. Vinyl floors are nice to look at but not that practical as from comments above. The vinyl on the sides brightens up the trailer inside and also make sure you have good interior lights.

 

[PacificSEASnake]

Looking at a bandaid open trailer for myself, but if I could live vicariously(on a budjet) through you:

I would want no wall covering at all. Install the 110 exactly the way you want it (outlets @16" o.c. if you want) and easier to install the bracing/brackets for cabinetry etc. then add insulation & your choice of wall covering for a bit less than $200/hr. I swear the installers think they're journeyman diesel mechanics. Weld up your own diamond plate generator box with extra storage above it. definitely get the additional door ramp. If you haven't already, go check out Joe's trailer. It's almost perfect.

 

[Viperless]

There are a # of manufacturers out there when they wire a trailer, they love to use butt connectors and scotch lock connectors. Oh they are fine for maybe the first year of ownership, then you are on your way somewhere and all of a sudden no brake lights or maybe one taillight.

Or no brakes! First thing I did when I got my trailer was take all those scotch locks off and soldered everything.