JMortensen Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 With the impending move I'll need to trailer my car to the new house. I'll also need to trailer it to all future autoxes and track days, etc. I need advice on car trailers. I have a GMC 1500 for a tow vehicle, so I'm thinking that probably rules out enclosed trailers, but not sure. The car is going to be LOW and the airdam will be very close to the ground, so I either need to have a quick release airdam or a very long set of ramps, or maybe a dovetail trailer??? Not really sure. All I really know other than that is that I want dual axles, electric brakes, and I've seen pictures of guys laying under trailers pulling transmissions on an open trailer that had two "runners" instead of a flat wood deck. I've heard good things about elastomer suspension systems. Any other hints appreciated re: tool boxes, tire racks, aluminum vs steel, wiring dos and donts, electronic brake controllers, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roostmonkey Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Check your local trailer companies, they all sell tandom axle, dove tailed, elect brake, open center car carriers. You should be able to get what you want for just under 2k. I built my own and got just what I wanted but for the money, your better off buying a commercialy made unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 the local nascar hobby guys use very light low trailers with no springs-they tie the car down with harnesses around the wheels and the car suspension soaks up the bumps.these are built to fit just that 1 car.there is a tire rack over the car hood.but not good for other gp type uses.flat deck style 16' car trailer(the ready made kind at trailer sales places)is good if you want it for other uses -like hauling rented tractors & stuff.problem is you will probably need longer ramps built.i have seen a few 16' flat deck trailers used around here for around $800.there are specialized aluminum trailers built for hauling collector cars with low deck =bucks.mine is built from old 1 axle boat trailer-not user friendly but not used much so it doesnt matter.a thought-build trailer with air bag springs and dropped axles-if the trailer deck was low enough you wouldnt need ramps.some trailers put a lot of feedback into the truck from bumps-this gets annoying on long trips.it just depends on if you want a dedicated trailer for the z or something for other uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 Interesting idea about the air bags randy... Anyone else have anything to say? How about hooking to the chassis vs tying down the wheels? All the trailers my friends have tie the wheels down. Any particular benefit one way or the other? My car won't have an ebrake, so I'm thinking a winch might be necessary for loading. Thoughts on that? This will be a dedicated Z trailer BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 http://www.kwikload.com/ I have never seen one in action but it looks fun to load. One argument in favor of tying down the car vs. the wheels is do you want your expensive shocks working for the whole tow to and from events? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 IMHO... 1. Buy the newest trailer you can afford. Most steel open wheel trailers are good for 10 years and then they are junk. 2. Torsion axles are nice riding, maintenance free, and let the trailer ride lower then a leaf spring setup. 3. Buy as long a trailer (18 ft. deck the best) as you can. It leaves room from tool boxes, a tire rack, and room for good, straight pulls with the tie downs. 4. Removable fenders are nice and make it much easier getting in and out of the car. 5. Check the wiring and see if its run inside tubing or just left hanging under the trailer. Protected wiring lasts far longer then bare wires. 6. Dovetails help with loading but the breakover can cause its own problems. 7. An open center on the trailer helps with undercar maintenance and tie down but its a leg breaker and sometimes makes the trailer heavier, depending on the construction. Its also a good place for things to fall which makes crawling under the trailer a more frequent occurrance. 8. Look for nice ramp stowage and get 8' foot ramps if possible. The lighter the better. 9. Look for some protection around the lights. 10. Inspect the brakes and wheels bearings before buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Regarding tie down: I do not tie a car down by just the wheels. Letting the sprung weight move aorund freely can result in sympathetic bouncing on a rough road and severly damage the suspension on the trailered car. I was following an ITS E36 BMW to Pahrump heading north from Baker. There's a series of bumps/whoops along that road and that BMW bounced and crashed hard on its bump stops. When we got to the track its two rear shocks were blown and there was shock fluid everywhere under the car and on the trailer. One shock had busted through its top mount into the car's interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 Thanks John, that's the kind of info I was looking for. I'm going to buy a new one, so I don't think wheel bearings and such will be an issue. Thinking about what you said on the deck, might go for a full deck as well. Steel or wood deck? What do you guys think? Wood is lighter, probably less slippery, but rots... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoeightythreez Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Winches certainly help (but mostly with heavy american iron) A Z car you could probably just use a heavy duty come-a-long. That and some straps to the frame and some wheel chocks should doya fine. The wheel tiedowns have another issue...it's harder see a problem when on a bumpy road since the car's already jumping around so much. (you won't know they loosened till the car starts jumping off the trailer!) At least if a strap to the frame parts you will know something is wrong instantly when the car starts pogo-sticking. (though the wheel tie downs are certainly a good secondary securing device) At least...that's my guess...I don't own a car trailer but helped on occasion with people who did have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Put a winch on it. It is a hole lot easier to winch a broken car on the trailer than have several guys push it up. I speak from experiences, several of them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFryer Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I like my wood deck, not as long lasting as steel but very easy to replace. As for full deck or runners, I just have to remove 2 bolts and I can then remove my center boards to give myself some room to work if I have to. Note: my trailer is used to haul everything from furniture to yard equipment to manure, If all the trailer hauled were my car I would spend the money for a nice aluminium one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayolives Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I had a Featherlite 3115 open trailer that met many of John Coffee's recommendations. If I remember corectly, it weighed in around 1100 lbs and was extremely well made. I don't think you will find a better made open trailer on this planet. http://www.fthr.com/trailerimages/3111/3111-curbside.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30TRBO Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Interesting idea about the air bags randy... Anyone else have anything to say? How about hooking to the chassis vs tying down the wheels? All the trailers my friends have tie the wheels down. Any particular benefit one way or the other? My car won't have an ebrake, so I'm thinking a winch might be necessary for loading. Thoughts on that? This will be a dedicated Z trailer BTW. Jon, If you have the room I would go with a 4 point tie town system. Back when I use to run rollback part time when I was in the military this is what I used: The pros with this system is that you are strapping the wheel to the car hauler. The suspension is the only thing that will move around. This eliminates using a strap through a wheel or hooking chains/J-hook up to a suspension piece/body and potentially causing damage. The tires are strong and sturdy and won't give. The cross brace going across the front of the wheel is soft and the D rings that it slides through allows you to offset the D ring so you won't scratch the wheel. Plus they are 5000lb rated each! I prefer this style over the rest. One continous strap per each wheel: Here is another one: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 See that looks pretty good to me with the wheel straps. That's what I'm familiar with, although the straps I've seen weren't quite as fancy. As to Steve's earlier comment about the struts working all the way to the track, if the trailer itself is suspended, that should take a lot of the load off of the car's suspension, and even so, it shouldn't do anything so extreme on the trailer that it would hurt the car. I can't imagine what happened to the BMW that John referenced earlier. I'm having visions of a non-suspended trailer 2' in the air or something... knocking the strut through the body is some crazy damage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roostmonkey Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Ive used both ,open center and full deck trailer.I most certainly prefer the open design. My car is pretty low so access to my tie-down points is minimal.Having that center access is great, for many reasons.Keep an eye on the weight of everything you look at, I haul with a 1500 too and the flatbed, wood decked trailers can be pretty heavy.The first year I went to ZDAYZ, I used that type of trailer and once I got into the mountains, the old 1500 was working its arse off just to keep up with traffic.Thats when I decided to build a lightweight easy to use Z hauler.Heres what I came up with and the commercial manufacturers have similar ones available.You prolly wont find a single axle but you didnt want that anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roostmonkey Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 The bimmers are prone to fatigue at the top of the rear towers and if there not taken care of, they will break and the shock will push thru. Ive welded aftermarket plates on to beef it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I spent the money back in 1999 and bought a Featherlite open trailer and it's been the best motorsports related puchase I made. I added a big tool box and a tire rack, all out of aluminum. I've neve rbeen happier and the trailer pulls like a dream. I made the mistake of letting friends borrow it and in three cases (twice with one person) the trailer came back damaged. Think twice about loaning your trailer out. Also, for a winch, I mounted a car battery in the tool box and I use a cheap Northern Tool 2,000 lb winch that clips to a chain I string between the front two tie downs. Just clip the power leads on the winch to the battery and I can pull up a Z very easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 What did that set you back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 $4,800 including a spare tire back in 1999. A couple things to keep in mind, Featherlite trailer really hold their value. Last weekend at Cal Speedway I had someone, right out of the blue, offer me $3,500 for the trailer. They are also pretty big theft targets - aluminum scrap is around $1.50 a pound right now. Twice I've had someone try and steal the trailer and both times the 3/8" hardened steel chain I wrap through the wheels on both sides stopped them. The trailer tongue locks didn't slow them down at all but they obviously got tired of dragging the trailer with four wheels skidding across the pavement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I made the mistake of letting friends borrow it and in three cases (twice with one person) the trailer came back damaged. Think twice about loaning your trailer out. I've lent mine out probably 6 times and it has come back damaged twice. Fender tweeked once and one of my ramps bent once. I'm with John, think twice about loaning it out. I've got an 18' dove tail with a closed steel deck and it weighs in at a hefty 2,000 lbs. I was of the mind set that a closed deck would be better but if I had to do it again I would go open to save the weight and be able to work on the car. I'm not sure that you need an 18' trailer for a Z car. I mainly use mine to haul my hefty 94 Trans Am to track events and there is still enough room in front of my car to strap down my street wheels & tires. I've only had the Datsun on it once and oddly enough it was because I was moving. It was just a rolling body shell but it looked tiny on that trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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