I've had my little 16'10" car trailer for around 14 years now and am ready to get something aluminum and bigger with more capacity.

But just like shopping for a truck there are lots of options and questions.

I like my trailer because of the higher deck (lower fender height) for opening car doors especially on lower cars. Removable fenders are kind of another hassle I kind of don't want to deal with really. Deck overs are interesting but seem so high up in the air especially if a guy has an excavator or tall truck on the trailer. Another thing I am tired of is ramps and would really like a tilt bed or something like it if possible.

With trucks getting heavier every year my 7500# capacity trailer isn't cutting it any more and would also like to step up to something in the 10K range. I would also like it to be aluminum to keep weight down and no rust.

This would be a "lifetime" trailer as in I hope one of the last ones I'll ever need to get. I am a fabricator and will be doing quite a few mods to the trailer to suit my needs and is another reason I would like to get the right one and plan to never get rid of it.

I would like to hear some experience with people and trailers and what you guys like and don't like. What kind of trailers are out there and what unique and cool features they have. How they tow, how user friendly they are, price, capacity, all that stuff. I also am looking for versatile as well since I use my trailer for everything! I haul cars, trucks, mini excavators, tractors, logs, couches, what have you. I'm in no rush for it, may be a year or more before I get a new trailer se we can talk about them for a long while.

Lets have it!

Here is the trailer I have now. It has been great but just outgrown it.

 

Aluminum trailers are expensive.

Using Pro-Line trailers as an example (Not recommending them, just using them as an example)

A steel deck 17 foot trailer is $2700.
A wooden deck 18 foot trailer is $2200.
An aluminum 18 foot trailer is $5500.
An aluminum tilt bed 20 foot trailer is $7000.

I purchased my 28 foot enclosed car hauler in 2007 (a Classic Dominator) from Eldorado Trailer Sales, Eldorado, WI. They were very pleasant to work with, low pressure, no BS.

| Eldorado Trailer Sales

 

Apparently he's pulling it with an 89 Honda Civic. I agree, he needs a light trailer.

 

Yes they are expensive but that is part of the "hope this is the last trailer I will ever buy and need". lol Thanks for the link, I will check it out!



Yeah I need all the help I can get!

 

They're not all bad.

 

Have you considered building your own. Seeing that you are a fabricator it might be more cost effective to build a trailer that would work for you specific needs.

 

Peronally, I would not want an aluminum car or equipment trailer. They are stupid expensive, and unless you really need to cut weight I'd avoid them. Aluminum doesn't flex like steel, it just cracks. I've heard lots of stories on constantly chasing cracks on heavily used aluminum trailers. Not what I'd consider a "lifetime" trailer.

That said, to get an honest 10K capacity you're looking at 14K rated trailers.

Tilts look nice, but I've never used or owned one. Certianly if you go that route go for one that is power up and down. I've had a 7k car trailer, and currently have a 14k deckover gooseneck. The different deck heights both have their advantages and disadvantages.

The deckover with no fenders is great. Easier at the scrapyard without fenders, deck is the full 102", axles are tucked underneath and not the widest part of the trailer making it nicer on narrow roads, more usable space in the same length. The negative is the height, mine is around 30" when level. Some are higher, look for units with steel over the tires rather than wood(This is how mine is). Running the wood deck over the tires easily adds 2 inches in height to the deck. Loading skidsteers is nerve racking, and I damn near slid a mini excavator with muddy rubber tracks right off the ramps. I saved it, but damn it accelerated fast. Anything with low ground clearance will be tough to load on a standard dovetail, but a tilt would help that.

The standard height car trailer was nice in the fact it sat at 17" from the ground. For general use it's easier to load, given the lower deck height. But the fenders can get in the way. They aren't built anywhere near as heavy as the deckovers.

Overall, I prefer the deckover. I forgot to add that it makes a great workbench out in the driveway too...........

 

I have many times and added it all up and it just doesn't pay for my time to build my own.

One thing that would be cost effective is if I could find a used aluminum trailer that was almost what I needed and then modify it from there. But still finding a used aluminum car trailer even close to the 10K capacity is hard to do.

 

Having been in and around the four wheeling community, I have talked with the owner of a fab shop that built his own. It overall cost more than just buying a nice one from a name brand manufacturer. He said he wouldn't do it again, not worth the hassle.

 

I have a 32 ft enclosed goose-neck, and was amazed at how smooth and stable it is even 'enthusiastic speeds' (they raised the speed limit coming across west Texas) and loaded a bit heavy. For towing heavy though, there's no comparison to having a hitch up over your rear axle whatever you end up with. A goose neck ball is also wonderfully easy to fold out of the way when not in use.

As for home built - they're a great way to get exactly what you want if you don't see it for sale used - but if you're not getting a discount on the material like a big manufacturer... you're likely to spend more than if you bought one used in good condition. (Currently a CAD designer with a waterjet at my disposal and a shop full of fabrication gear, as well as a being an accomplished fabricator - but haven't been able to justify taking time away from paying work to build a trailer when my old ugly one is finally set up the way I like it.) Maybe I'll re-skin it so it's not quite so ugly if it goes to Riffraff East this year....

Edit: Aluminum trailers can be fantastic if you can afford one that's well built. There's no such thing as well built aluminium trailer for a tight budget though, which is where some guys go wrong.

Also - handiest tilt trailer I've gotten to use was one where someone capped the hydraulic cylinder when they're electric pump burnt out. The worn out cylinder let just enough fluid by to slow the descent when rolling something heavy over to the edge, and was faster to use than when the pump was doing it's job.