I am looking to buy a used car trailer to haul my bone-stock '45 ****** jeep around. (I was initially thinking about a towbar, but would not feel comfortable pulling it at 65 mph or so when its drivetrain was originally designed for about 50 mph tops). I need some advice:
1) What does a typical empty tandem axle trailer weigh?
2) Surge or electric brakes preferable? (I noticed rental outfit trailers are usually surge type)
3) Do tandem axle trailers come with brakes on both axles?
4) Is regular receiver hitch towing adeqate? Conversely, is a weight-distibuting hitch setup overkill? (Somehow I am thinking 2,000 lbs trailer + 3,000 lbs jeep = 5,000 lbs gross.)

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

>I am looking to buy a used car trailer to haul my bone-stock
>'45 ****** jeep around. (I was initially thinking about a
>towbar, but would not feel comfortable pulling it at 65 mph
>or so when its drivetrain was originally designed for about
>50 mph tops). I need some advice:
>1) What does a typical empty tandem axle trailer weigh?
>2) Surge or electric brakes preferable? (I noticed rental
>outfit trailers are usually surge type)
>3) Do tandem axle trailers come with brakes on both axles?
>4) Is regular receiver hitch towing adeqate? Conversely, is
>a weight-distibuting hitch setup overkill? (Somehow I am
>thinking 2,000 lbs trailer + 3,000 lbs jeep = 5,000 lbs
>gross.)
>
>Thanks in advance for your advice!

1. Depending on who built the trailer...2000 lbs. may be a little lite. It might be closer to 2500 lbs. or more (your better off weighing the one your considering). Oh yea, weigh your Jeep too!
2. Most rental trailers are the surge style because the people renting may not have an electric brake controller already mounted in their trucks, a surge brake requires no controller to work.
3. Again it depends on who built the trailer...if it's "home-built" the trailer may not have brakes at all!
4. Personally I'd spend the money for the weight-distributing hitch and use nothing less than a 2-5/16" ball. Good luck, Deen

 

I picked up a new, steel 15' open bed trailer 2 months ago. It weighs ~1400lbs unloaded. Dual axles, both with brakes. It came to right under $2000 with a spare, dropped tow bar (whatever the thing the ball mounts to is called) because the truck is so high, brake controller, fuses and the whole shebang installed (hehe all of 10 minutes of work). The flatbed model was like $200 more and weighed ~200lbs more. A closed trailer seemed like a waste for me and the flatbed wouldn't let me get under the car to work on it at the track and whatnot.
-Trouble

 

I got a brand new steel open car trailer for well under $2grand. The trailer's GVWR is 7,000lbs. The trailer wieght is listed at 1350lbs. Electric brakes on both axels. I am pulling a light car with a F-250 with just a drop hitch and ball. My 6200lbs truck pulls the 4000lbs load just fine. Alot of guys at the track have similar set ups.

I had looked for a used trailer, but got fustrasted by all the junk out there. You may have better luck with the end of the racing season approching.

Check www.trailerplaceinc.com/economy.htm for an idea of what you can find.

 

Thanks to all your guy's advice! A coworker wants to sell me his used 16 foot trailer for $1200, but then I got looking around the internet and big city newspaper classified and saw new trailers for $1200-$2000. I think it's time for a road trip to the city.