Car Hauler Trailer / Towing Thread (1 Viewer)

[Elbert]

Well ...I thought lessons learned and knowledge gained might be shared here on this thread. Towing related ...

Well as part of my self-assigned work projects that I want to accomplish while I"m off from work. (change the trailer ball coupler on my trailer). I have an approx 20ft metal deck car hauler trailer with an adjustable mount for the ball coupler which allows you to adjust the height at the tailer ball (which you might do depending on your vehicle's bumper height), as my trailer is a bumper pull.

I changed the coupler mainly because the old one was nearly impossible to verify that the ball coupler had locked down on the trailer ball and I got tired of that. The old coupler looks like this but I don't see any brand marking on the one I have. I'll keep it for a spare. http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Coupler/Pro-Series/PSA256S0303.html

So...I swap out the 14K ball coupler for a new one from bulldog thats rated at 15K. This is a new model from bulldog as their previous models were about 10K rated as I recall. The adjustable trailer hitch uses a combination of two "C Channels" one made into the trailer (you can see these on places like etrailer.com), and the other half made into the ball coupler. Both have a series of holes pre-drilled into the side of the c channel and that's how you adjust your height. The critical point is that the ball coupler mates with the trailer with only two 5/8th size bolts, roughly 4.75 to 5 inches long depending on what fastener and washer combination you use.

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Coupler/Bulldog/BD028657.html

http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Bulldog/BDAC3000300.html


The new and old ball coupler had grade 5 hardware which I don't care for and so I replaced with grade 8. Did a little research (some may know this already), but you have a choice of lock washers, nylon lock nut, stover lock nut. Obviously you don't want either of these bolts to come loose, since you only have two. The grade c stover nut is the preferred fastener to use from what I read and from a few people I talked with. Normally I don't cocern myself a great deal with hardware other than I generally use grade 8 all the time regardless. Stover nuts are not suppose to come loose...so just sharing that.

The other thing I found out today is that my unloaded trailer weighs 3K. I previously assumed something around 2.5...scales said 3k.

I also found out previously that the lift jack on the trailer would actually auto rotate down from the wind as I drove down the highway and I had to rig up a little safety chain to just hold a pin in the shaft of the foot which keeps if from free-wheeling downward. I would have never thought this could happen, but the foot on my trailer jack free-wheeled to almost touching the ground on more than one occasion and I double checked the trailer both time to exclude the dumb (a$$) factor. The wind force would move the trailer jack handle around enough to cycle it over and over and the jack foot freewheeled downward. Had to experience it to believe it.

I also found out that my nice 20 ton bottle jack (brand new) did not work when I had a flat on the trailer a few months ago coming home from windrock...boy I was mad when that happened.. Got a new jack...but I'm going to get one of these too...its called a trailer aid and is invaluable on a light loaded dual axle trailer...light = less than 15K

http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Tande...61&sr=8-1&keywords=trailer+aid#productDetails

I've seen similar items made out of 4*4 or I saw one on amazon made out of metal too.

I've used a home made one out of 4*4 to change tires on a army 2.5 ton truck so they do work and save you a lot of time. If you have two flats on the same side of the trailer though..this tool does not help you...hopefully you will only have one at the time.

My little experience with the non-working jack cost me about 5 hours of down time and very aggravating. As I related in a another post...a guy stopped to help me who best could be described as "challenged"... he had a small toyota late 80's era pickup and had the old factory bottle jack and tool in the bed. He let me borrow that and would not let me give him any money. I did all the work and he watched...in the end the old toyota bottle jack lifted my loaded trailer enough to get the bad tire off and the spare on, but I thought surely the jack was going to break more than once...I kept clear in case it would have. There for the last 2 inches of height it was all I could do to get one or two cycles of the jack and then I would have stop for a few min.

Please post up towing related stuff so it might help others.

 

[Elbert]

Well ...If I said it somewhere else I'll say it again here to try and stay somewhat organized. I had a tire blow-out on the trailer as I noted above and it got me to thinking about these (in my view) crappy ST trailer tires. I don't recall right now but the present trailer tires are something like 225-75-15 in d load range ST.

After many questions and contemplation on my part...I'm about to jump out of the ST trailer tire business. I will shortly acquire something along the lines of 16 inch trailer wheels, and then get some 225 or 235/75/16 E rated tires in LT. I'll probably go with an all season type tire in said size.

It looks like I should not have an issue with swapping the tires as the new tires are just a minor difference in size. The good part is the new tires will be "E" rated and hopefully I should have no further issues with blow-outs for no apparent reason. I realize the tires used on a trailer generally wear about based on time rather that tread (used like I do) and I should be able to buy an "E" rated truck tire about anywhere...even though I realize the 225 or 235 is pretty slim.

I know a couple of guys in the club recommended the same path... I was wanting to get some more utility out of what I have now...but the aggravation of having to deal with flat tires on a loaded trailer, such that it could be mitigated to some degree is worth my time and $$.

 

[Bodean]

Firestone destination HT's (10 ply) are the ticket. We towed Jrobs 40' gooseneck with a slide in camper, my 40 and his 40 to CA and back without one tire issue. As a matter of fact he hasn't had any tire issues since he installed them. Those tires have to have 10,000 miles on them! Moab, GSMTR, Clayton, Katemcy several times, hot springs twice a year at least. Awesome tire!

 

[Clutchee]

10 ply tires I second....

Chinese trailer tires are crap, after a nascar pit crew going to moan- bodean & I invested in 4 and they are still going strong!

 

[Elbert]

yeah I'm on it.. E-Rated tire = 10 ply. My trailer is south, down at a friends...when I get it back..I'll be on the hunt for some LT E-rated tires like I mentioned... gotta round up some 16inch wheels too. I had some spare tire mounts rigged up too...so I'll be getting 6 tires...gotta Save UP!

Yes the Chinese stuff in ST is crappage

 

[Elbert]

Firestone destination HT's (10 ply) are the ticket. We towed Jrobs 40' gooseneck with a slide in camper, my 40 and his 40 to CA and back without one tire issue. As a matter of fact he hasn't had any tire issues since he installed them. Those tires have to have 10,000 miles on them! Moab, GSMTR, Clayton, Katemcy several times, hot springs twice a year at least. Awesome tire!

Could that be Transforce ht tires? in Firestone Brand...

I don't see destination HT listed anywhere

 

[Elbert]

well I'm gonna "pimp" the etrailer.com site again and say I found some nice 16 inch trailer wheels there and I'll swap those out on my car trailer soon as I get some 225-75R-16E tires to go with them. The 15inch ST trailer tires & wheels are history.

 

[jynx]

Ok, since this is the trailer thread here goes. E and I have recently bought some property and I am going to be picking up a trailer for hauling the rigs out to the place and for transporting materials that are too big for the mini (read lots of lumber for building stuff). Most of my towing will be with the 80 until I can snag a full-size pickup or other dedicated towing rig.

So here is what I have in mind and welcome feedback. I am looking at a 18' hauler style trailer (16'+2' dovetail), wood deck. I am thinking a pair of 3500# axles with brakes. Whatcha think? I could look at bumping it up to 5200# axles so I could carry a small tractor or other implement if I get something healthier to pull it.

I know the 7k rating can be had for in the $1500-$1700 range new, not sure what the heavier axles will cost me. Also, what should I be looking for as far as hitches and towing accessories.

Thanks

 

[Elbert]

I like the bull dog coupler on the trailer, I don't think there is big difference in cost associated between the two axles you suggested and its always better to have the HD ones. I like brakes on both axles... I would think you would want 5200lb axles to start with....(its what I have)... you have to factor in what you are hauling plus the trailer weight too.

you want some lights on each trailer fender so you can see where the trailer is at night, look at the ramps to make sure they work and are easy to use. Make sure it has reasonable tie downs front and back, and maybe even stake pockets around the body to give you more options on tie downs, I like LED lights too. What about spare tire storage or mount, along with maybe the ability to mount a small tool box on the front of the trailer for your misc tools you might want to keep with the trailer along with tie downs.

 

[Bodean]

Yeah I meant the Firestone Trans Force HT. Sorry about that Elbert. Great tire!

 

[FJCRAWLER]

Go with 5200# axles for sure . You definitely have to consider the weight of the trailer plus the load on the trailer . If you are planning on hauling the 80 on it you might want to step up to 7k axles . Reason I say that is all of us load our junk in the rig and then put it on the trailer . So that's my two cents worth . You can try mine out if you like .

 

[Elbert]

I don't know what range you'll have on axles...some of the places I looked at when I bought mine...would only go to 5200 lb axle on the normal car hauler trailer...if you wanted more than that...you had to step up to the next level which some places call and equipment trailer and that usually means larger frame size....be careful... you may option the trailer out to where its fairly heavy itself. My trialer is a 10.4 K trailer (2 * 5200lb axles)... but it weighs 3K itself. I pull it with a 2500 truck.

I think you will find that while the normal car hauler trailer is not that expensive you need to make sure you do some basic math on what you tow + trailer weight/capacity to see how much you can actually put on the trailer "legally".

I really like my trailer but I've had a number of mods made to it (my friend has helped me out on that)...the greatest part is I just load it up and go...no concerns with the brakes or weaving or vibrations etc. I'm not worried about the trailer at all...it tracks very smooth without issue. Which makes the whole event a lot less stressful. In the past I've used other trailer that were a nightmare.

 

[Elbert]

Yeah I meant the Firestone Trans Force HT. Sorry about that Elbert. Great tire!

Ok... yeah I see that tire on tire rack.

To be honest I'm probably going to buy something I can get from SAMS or Costco... right now that looks like a bridgestone durvis R500 HD in 225/75R/16.

link with pics....Costco shows the tire to be $150 or so...
web link is to tirerack http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...R6R500HD&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

I just ordered some 16inch trailer wheels (old ones were 15inch), so I should be rolling on 16inchs soon. Thanks for the input...

 

[jynx]

Currently it would be carrying a samurai to the trail, weighing probably <2,000 lbs so if the trailer was in the 2k-3k range then that would keep me under the 5k rating of both the 80 and the 4runner. Aside from the sami I will also need to haul lumber, rock, dirt, etc.

What "upgrades" have you made to make life better on the other end of the hitch?

And the 80 stickers in at right around 6k and I believe it. My massey weighs about the same, so I think 5200s will be a go. If I need to bump up higher I will need a tow rig for sure, so probably will hold there for now. Bigger and I will probably be in gooseneck territory.

 

[Elbert]

what do you mean on other end of the hitch?

Improvements we made to my trailer.. Installed the HD bulldog coupler, installed LED lights all the way around, installed some nice spare tire mounts, installed some different ramps and made storage slides for them, installed a small job site type tool box on the trailer tonge area for straps and misc tools to keep with the trailer. Future improvements to trailer..friend is making some stake holder type d-ring hold down loops (something like you see on the PJ trailer web site). Basically its a d ring that mounts in the stake holder pocket and I can tie down to that if I need to...in alternate positions. I was going to move to some large straps that capture the tires like they use on wheel-lifts (wrecker) but the fenders on the trailer and where I have to position the truck will not work for that. The idea was to go to some way to tie down secure without having to crawl around on the trailer (especially on securing the rear of my 60 on the trailer). Check out the pj trailer web site, they make some nice stuff...I'm not above coping good ideas. I picked up the spare tire mount idea from Roger and some stuff I saw on line, my friend did a good job of making those heavy duty... I may have to figure out a way to secure them to keep them from getting stolen...which I can do but so far I guess I'm been luck and only have a tie down strap stolen from the bed of my truck when I left them there to dry out one weekend when I had to unload in the rain and did not want to put the straps in the tool box wet all weekend.

My trailer came with some very heavy duty ramps that were permanent to the rear of the trailer and pretty heavy to just move around and made a hell of a racket. We took all that off and redesigned the ramps and went with similar type like you see on a lot of the car hauler trailers and made a different pivot point at the rear of the trailer which was a better design than what it came with.

I bought something and changed it along the way as I had not owned a trailer before and learned along the way what I liked and did not like and what I thought were some good features and what I thought was crap.

 

[Elbert]

Currently it would be carrying a samurai to the trail, weighing probably <2,000 lbs so if the trailer was in the 2k-3k range then that would keep me under the 5k rating of both the 80 and the 4runner. Aside from the sami I will also need to haul lumber, rock, dirt, etc.

What "upgrades" have you made to make life better on the other end of the hitch?

And the 80 stickers in at right around 6k and I believe it. My massey weighs about the same, so I think 5200s will be a go. If I need to bump up higher I will need a tow rig for sure, so probably will hold there for now. Bigger and I will probably be in gooseneck territory.

If you plan to tow the 80...that's 6K, plus north of 2K for most trailers I suspect with 5200lb axles... I think you are in 2500 truck territory for towing?

 

[jynx]

what do you mean on other end of the hitch

That was mostly directed at what you had done to make it pull so well? It sounds like you have done a lot to your trailer. the ones I have been looking at come with removable ramps instead of hard mounted ones.

Also I agree if I get to a point of towing the 80 I will definitely need a beefy tow rig.

 

[Elbert]

Yeah I bought a trailer for a good price...only to learn later that the good price configuration did not really serve me well or was really not what I wanted. To be honest I really only knew I wanted a metal deck car hauler trailer with a certain capacity and some misc other details. It was a learning curve experience based kind of thing. Yeah, most of my mods are things that I think are just value added or something I personally wanted, the trailer would perform well even without those things.

The trailer has towed well from day one, it tracks straight and does not weave or sway, I can drive as fast as I'm dumb enough to go without any issues in regard to the trailer. I think that speaks to the design and quality of the basic trailer. Of course sometimes when you are loaded you have to do your best to plan in regard to stopping...dual brakes are part of that and using your brain.

The best advice I can give is to go heavy duty as your budget allows, and if buying new make sure to understand the best you can if the mfg has a good reputation. I'm not a welder or fabricator but there are some things that strike me as just wrong or a poor design.

Oh yeah it would be good to have heavy duty fenders on the trailer too...because you will have a tire blowout or run flat here and there and it would be nice if the tire did not take out the fender.

The things I like the most that Ive changed (added tool box, added hid-a-way ramps, added good spare tire mounts, lights on fenders). And I changed the heavy duty coupler I had to a bull dog heavy duty coupler, bulldog recently came out with a heavy duty version that covers the weight range my trailer fall into...previously they did not offer a version in that same weight / load range.

 

[jynx]

Where did you get your trailer? Also, any pointers when looking/ talking to dealers?

 

[Elbert]

I bought my trailer here http://www.lawrimoretrailers.com/
There web site is not that great...but at least you can see some samples. Lawrimore is located near Falkville, AL which is right off I65 between Decatur, AL and Cullman (to give you some references. They have a lot there where they have stuff for sale and at a nearby location they have their mfg facility. I believe you can order from them and they have several dealers.

I don't have have any real pointers about dealing with the sale end part of it. I spent a lot of time looking at PJ trailers web site and looking around on lots to see what was out there and various web sites to get an idea of price. Google car hauler trailer or similar words. IF you look around you can get a feel for the advertised prices, and what they will get you. Ask around where other guys bought their stuff, you might check out whatever shows up to the 4wd rides...tow rigs to see what guys are running.

I think the PJ trailer place is one of the upper end dealers, and their prices are pretty steep...but they have a good web site and good pics where you can get some ideas of what you want. I think my trailer is 20ft long which is about max for a single car trailer...its a little longer than it needs to be for me..but that's just the way it came. I think somewhere between 18ft to 20 is good depending on the trailer configuration. I think its also good to have a reasonably long tongue on the trailer...mine could be longer but it works...I guess there are trade-offs on everything.