Mopar Steve
Enthusiast
I am looking for an enclosed trailer can any of you tell me what to look for? Size? Features? Tow vehicle is a '99 durrango. Thanks, Steve.
What should I look for in an enclosed trailer?
- Thread starter Mopar Steve
- Start date
Probably 24-28 ft long, and BE SURE YOUR RT/10 fits in ...side pipes are widest point. Also NICE to have a left sided trailer door that allows you to get out of the car by opening driver's door...car door MUST clear wheel wells of trailer...many that I have seen FAIL above tests. Nice to have enough room in front for electric winch, generator, air comp. , tire and tool storage with PLENTY of tie down spots for all the stuff. Need electric brakes and tamdom axles as well. Nice to have long ramp for clearance of front fascia...especially if wil ever want to haul a GTS(a couple of 2 x 10's will help if necessary). Expect to pay $4000.00 used, $7-8000.00 new...can go up to $28000.00 if you feel the need...REGARDLESS, PAY NOTHING until you see that YOU can get YOUR Viper in and out comfortably. Will need to watch weight with Durango, depending on your package. There is an interesting, lighter, shorter trailer made in ILL. that one of the ILL.VCA members uses for an RT/10...COOL trailer, lighter as well. I'm sure others that have MORE experience will jump in here, so Good Luck.
Steve
Steve
Matt M PA
Enthusiast
I have used a enclosed trailer for years so I have a bit of experience with this. I have a 22' Haulmark 102" wide. A RT/10 with sidepipes does fit. My trailer was built to haul the Superbird I had at the time. A few things to consider. Your truck will probably only pull a 22-24 foot trailer with a car in it. I don't know how DC rates your truck for towing, but please remember that good crosswinds will tend to pull your truck/trailer around as will passing trucks and buses. The longer the trailer, and shorter/lighter the tow vehicle the more trouble can happen. A 22' leaves lots of room with a Viper in it. You could buy a new Haulmark with a "escape" door for probably around $5000. Make sure the trailer is measured correctly for YOUR CAR so that the escape door is in the right place. This ensures proper balance. Also, you will want to use a weight distributing hitch and sway control. If you need more help...e-mail me directly.
Tom Shapiro
Enthusiast
Rick Sampognaro has a 24' black Cargo Express trailer for sale. It's currently at Roanoke Motors(Ill). I don't have all the details , but if your interested, give him a call. 708-798-0806
Janni
Enthusiast
Having just gone through this and ending up buying a trailer larger than some people live in... here's what we can tell you.
Rule Number 1 - the trailer and everything in it will weigh far more than you expect. OVERESTIMATE. Traditional wood and steel trailers are HEAVY and may end up weighing too much for your Durango. Check out Featherlite - more money - but they do hold their value and weigh far less.
Rule number 2 - goes with rule number one... You can never have too much tow vehicle. You do not want to struggle going up hills or pulling away from a stoplight. You also want to make sure you can STOP the darn thing.
A couple other things to consider... the side door is nice, but most trailers do not have low enough wheel wells to make this work. Ramp overs solve that, but then raise the weight in the trailer making it less stable. Get the widest trailer possible. It is possible to climb in and out the window. We have a winch and don't use it yet.
Aluminum treadplate floor is NICE. Helps the car grip, easy to clean, non -slippery when wet. Checkerboard looks nice in the beginning - that's it.
Ramps - most will not allow you to drive into the trailer without modification. Our featherlight has a fold down door *** 6 foot ramps. Car drives right on without having to use 2X10s or some other hodge podge of stuff.
Get the weight distributing hitch.
Get the tie downs form Snappin Turtle with the proper frame hooks so you will not damage your frame. 1 800 TIE DOWN. BEWARE - the nose of your car is VERY LOW and most traditional tie down rings will not work. We use 6 d-rings per car and use one set to run the tie down THROUGH - that pulls the car down and the tie does not touch the fascia.
OK, this is getting too long. Email me or Henry for more details.
Rule Number 1 - the trailer and everything in it will weigh far more than you expect. OVERESTIMATE. Traditional wood and steel trailers are HEAVY and may end up weighing too much for your Durango. Check out Featherlite - more money - but they do hold their value and weigh far less.
Rule number 2 - goes with rule number one... You can never have too much tow vehicle. You do not want to struggle going up hills or pulling away from a stoplight. You also want to make sure you can STOP the darn thing.
A couple other things to consider... the side door is nice, but most trailers do not have low enough wheel wells to make this work. Ramp overs solve that, but then raise the weight in the trailer making it less stable. Get the widest trailer possible. It is possible to climb in and out the window. We have a winch and don't use it yet.
Aluminum treadplate floor is NICE. Helps the car grip, easy to clean, non -slippery when wet. Checkerboard looks nice in the beginning - that's it.
Ramps - most will not allow you to drive into the trailer without modification. Our featherlight has a fold down door *** 6 foot ramps. Car drives right on without having to use 2X10s or some other hodge podge of stuff.
Get the weight distributing hitch.
Get the tie downs form Snappin Turtle with the proper frame hooks so you will not damage your frame. 1 800 TIE DOWN. BEWARE - the nose of your car is VERY LOW and most traditional tie down rings will not work. We use 6 d-rings per car and use one set to run the tie down THROUGH - that pulls the car down and the tie does not touch the fascia.
OK, this is getting too long. Email me or Henry for more details.
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