I'm in the process of looking at a new bumper pull car trailer for pulling some of my restored vehicles or tractors to and from shows, parades etc. Max payload would be 6500 lbs ish.

I've got lots of heavy duty trailers such as as 35' gooseneck deck over with a beaver tail, but its getting a bit old using such a large trailer for moving items like this tractor.





54 WD45

Or the 54 ih R110 I'm starting work on (non running).

It really stinks having to strong arm winch something up over the deck of the gooseneck deck over we currently have so I'm looking at 18 ft car trailers.

I'm wondering if the trailers that have 3500 lb axels are heavy duty enough or should I steer towards 5k axels. Keep in mind I already have means to move the big stuff.

I'm leaning towards a basic steel trailer with dove tail and ramps that tuck under.

Also if you had to choose a manual tilt trailer (not tilt deck)( the type that has the bottle jack on the tounge) or a standard dove tail with ramps which would you choose?

How do you load on the manual tilt trailer without having to stop vehicle half way and getting out to let the trailer down?

 

I'm not well versed on tilts, so I don't have much to offer there. 3500# axles suck. Way to easy to overload. You've got the big trailer already, I'd go with a 10K car hauler. A 12 or 14k skidsteer trailer would be getting toward overlap, but I wouldn't call a 10k car hauler too much.


Well, if it was me, I'd just use the goose and save the money! Loved my goose, just didn't have a use for it anymore.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the goose but it's pretty impractical for hauling one little ole 4K lb tractor or 50's pickup. Now if I were to take both to a show then the goose fits the bill.

I once borrowed an standard dove tail aluminum car trailer that had 3500 lb axels on it. I used it to haul a 75 high boy home. It sure pulled well but it was maxed out for my comfort. It sure was a lot easier to winch the truck on the trailer by hand being much lower to the ground!

I like the idea of a tilt bed for unloading broke down vehicles just not sure about the loading operation.

 

10k.. Aluminum

also, Look into a electric winch ... a lot less work..
use truck battery.. or add a battery to trailer...

to aid dead vehicle OFF trailer.. back trailer near a tree/post.. tie rope to vehicle and drive trailer away (very slowly)

or add a pulley under rear of trailer and use electric winch to off load.

Best of Luck in your Search.

 

I do do like the idea of a electric winch. Just not sure I see the long term value when i only need it when I pickup my projects for the first time. Otherwise it would never be used and an item to maintain.

New aluminum is a bit out of what I'm willing to spend. If I were to come across a good used one then I'd buy it.

Looks like 10k steel new...just have to decide if I want the trailer to tilt or not.

 

I just talked to a dealer of the tilt bed trailers with the jack up front.

You have to drive up the trailer, get out, and then let the jack down by hand.

I'm gonna pass on that one! I don't want to even try that on a icy trailer deck!

I located a nice tilt deck trailer (the safer kind) that's a year old and about the price of a new standard trailer. Hopefully it's all legit.

 

best of Luck.. I do not know your age..

but as you get older... and you will... the winch is something you can add later... if needed.

I do motorcycles... and I have a ATV winch to pull the dead bikes into the truck bed... and I have a foldable 10 foot aluminum ride-on ramp.

and like you said. only needed with the DEAD units..

 

Hey there neighbor to the south,

Have you also considered an enclosed trailer? For moving show cars during inclement weather? I have a 20ft flatbed, and there are times I'll get "caught" in a rain storm on the way somewhere that will mean extra hours of rewashing the towed vehicle when we get to the destination.

Also, I mostly went full wood flatbed for convenience. You can haul other things than cars on it when you need too. I personally don't like the tilt trailers, just too much hassle really imo. My ramps tuck under the back.





The 3500lb axles have been enough for me, but I've mostly just used it for cars/lumber/etc. Don't know how much some of your tractors get up to in weight, but I've hauled a '63 Lincoln on mine. The biggest hassle with the smaller axles/wheels is dealing with "china bomb" trailer tires. Been wanting to upgrade mine just to get rid of those.

 

I would definitely add a winch. You can pick up a 9000# from harbor freight for around $250-300 and a universal mount for like $50, I even put mine in an aluminum box and everything was out of the weather, added a deep cycle marine battery and had about $600 into everything.

Hauling up a dead vehicle is easy. Mine didn't get used all that much but sure was handy when needed. I will be adding a 12,000# to my gooseneck trailer when I set that all up.

I do use my trailer mostly for running vehicles, but I have been caught broken a time or 2 after playing in the sand and it really makes life easy to load up to bring home for repairs.

 

I've considered them.

As you know it's always a choice of would like, need, and want.

I'd be using it for other things as well. Plywood posts fencing supplies etc.

Because of that I'm leaning towards open trailer.

 

Both can be very handy. I was mostly thinking that since you already had one flat bed trailer (albeit a large one), that maybe an enclosed would add some versatility?

Something like this (24 ft)?

 

I went with a MEB open trailer that looks almost like the one pictured above. It does a nice job except it is a touch high for my car. I lowered my car 3 inches in the front and two in the back, so it sits low. To get it on the trailer i have to jack up the front of the trailer. I like the open trailer because it is easy to hook up and load up the car.
I went with the 3500lbs axles because I knew exactly what I was going to tow. I would rather have my cars riding on a softer sprung trailer.
I carry a ratchet style boat winch to use with my project car. It's rated for 2,000 lbs which seems light however it doesn't have an issue pulling up my 72 Mustang.

 

I found a really nice aluminum DCT trailer that is one year old and has brakes on all axels and led lights. It has 3500 lb axels however.

I've borrowed one that was similar and I really like it. The price is just a bit over a comparable steel trailer.

Going to look at it on sat. The good thing is that it matches my truck already!

 

That sounds cool. The aluminum trailer should be lighter than a steel trailer so you'll gain a little extra capacity. On my trailer I put radial tires & had them balanced. It came from the factory with taskmaster tires. They only lasted 3,000 miles and I couldn't get them balanced. The new radials roll nice.

 

Surprisingly the difference is only about 400 lbs when compared to a similar steel trailer. I was thinking more than that.