Enclosed trailer

[fireZ]

I am looking at buying an enclosed trailer for my 1968 Z28. Any thoughts on what size a guy should be looking at. Thanks Paul

[Pacecarjeff]

Make sure the car fits all the way in.

The biggest you can afford is the best.
Mine is a 20 ft. -- always wish it was bigger. (insert joke here)

[CNorton]

I've used a 24' box for my race car for several years.  Anything shorter hurts a little in resale.  24' gives plenty of room for a 1st generation plus some extra room for tools or other supportequipment.  I much prefer to have everything in the trailer and as little as possible in the pickup.

[Ron C.]

my advice is make sure your happy with what you buy,dont skip on options,get a winch!! maybe some cabinets or what you can afford and make sure your tow vehicle will handle it! I just bought a Continential cargo auto master by forest river and we were at carlisle with it,pulled the car out and dropped the bed and bunks and it was our motel for 3 days




It has a head,shower,fridge,microwave,2 burner stove,queen size bed, A.C.,heat,all self contained tanks. 18k

[PURESS]

Another option you may want to consider is a side door located where your door of your car will be...so when you get in your car you can open the side of the trailer and you will be able to open the door of your car...tight fit otherwise....I have seen guys crawl though their windows to get in their car..but the winch would probably elimate this also..Just a thought....Scott

[jmcbeth]

Mine is a 20 ft. Roadmaster with a wedge front end. Cabinets in the wedge. It's plenty big enough for my '69 z.
 
Door on driver's side is a must.

I recommend weight distribution hitch and sway bars.

Previous post is an awesome trailer. I agree with getting sufficient power to tow.

[rat pack]

Paul, the first thing you must consider is how much weight can your tow vehicle pull per the manufacturers GVWR located on the sticker in the drivers door jamb. The GVWR of the trailer cannot be more than the GVWR of the tow truck or you are considered overloaded per DOT regulations, even if the trailer is empty. Most trailers with 5-lug 3500# axles can be safely towed with a 1/2 4wd extended cab truck or larger SUV (Suburban, Tahoe, etc.) without any problems. Just make sure you have the largest engine available for your vehicle, and the lowest gear ratio possible. (Torque is what you need, not horsepower). Any trailer with the 6-lug 5000# axles will need either a 1500HD truck that has the 3/4 ton truck axles, or you will need a 3/4 ton or larger truck.

Now without knowing what your vehicle is, a 20' enclosed trailer is more than enough to haul your Camaro. I have a 20' Haulmark and when my 68 is in the trailer there is another 4' of room at the front center (the front wall is not flat) with a foot or so at the rear. Let me know and I can post some pictures of the trailer with the car loaded in it. You can go to a 24' trailer but you will need the larger 3/4 ton truck for towing as most, if not all of those trailers have the 5000# axles. Two mandatory items are a weight distributing hitch and a sway bar, or you will not enjoy towing on the interstate when a truck passes you from behind.  I have hauled cars as large as Chevelles, and mid 80's SS Monte Carlos with room left to spare, not much, but enough to keep tools and equipment up front.................RatPack...................

[fireZ]

If you could post some pics of your trailer

[rat pack]

Paul, I will see what I can do about getting some pics posted for you tomorrow..........RatPack............

[Jerry@CHP]

Hey,

If money is no object, then go all the way and buy the best, a Goldrush or Motorsport trailer.  I do agree with Chuck, having a 24' does have better resale.  My first trailer was a 20' Haulmark and I had a hell of a time trying to sell it. 

What ever you buy get it insulated.  It's not much money to do this and the car will stay nicer when it's kept in the trailer.

Jerry

[copo69]

One thing I did which I feel is important....crossmembers on 16 inch centers rather than the the more common 24 inch centers. It makes the floor much more solid.  I went with a winch instead of the roadside door because it's hard to get the door low enough to accomodate low cars.  When I do it again one thing I don't have but will are 16 inch tires as the quality available in 15 inch sucks...no 10 ply.  Mine is a 22' and I've been satisfied.  If you just want to haul show cars then extra length is extra weight and extra space needed to store.  If you race or want to haul additional stuff like a golf cart then go bigger but you can get by with a 20'.  It really depends on your tow vehicle too.  3/4 ton and up are much better with big block or diesel and you can tow more comfortably. One piece roof that's not steel is mandatory and vents are just another place to leak.  It's like most other things, buy the best you can afford.

[Charley]

Here is my 20' Featherlite with a 69 Camaro in it to give you a idea of the room you have. Plenty of room in front of the car unless you are a hardcore racer needing a workbench, tires etc. I think it is actually 22' to the tip of the V.

[Flowjoe]

I have a 20 foot wells cargo that I pull with a F350 superduty diesel (crew cab, dualie).  I don't race so that extra 4 feet is, well, an extra 4 feet.  I've never had any difficulties fitting the car and extra stuff (wheels, seats, body panels, etc) in the 20 footer.  Obviously there are times that extra 4 feet would be nice but mostly I enoy the shorter length for manuevering.  I have a man door on the right front as well as a side door on the left to accommodate ingres and egress in the trailered vehicle.  The problem I always have with any trailer - open or closed -  is that the traielr wheel wells are right where the drivers door is and with low cars like camaros and corvettes one cannot get the door all the way open.  I also have a stone guard (diamond plate) in the front and a spare tire carrier there as well...both were worth the extra cost.  Right now it is serving as extra storage down by my lower garage...it has a complete '69 Z project plus the entire interior froma  '68 firebird convertible, seats from a '69 camaro convertible, body panels and rims for a '71 camaro, replated bumpers for a '67 firebird, '67 camaro and a '70 camaro.  rear seats from a '67 firebird, radiators, munice parts..so on and so on.  Not doing much "trailering" now but it is keeping a lot of "stuff" out of harms way.

[fireZ]

Thanks Flojoe,I am also wanting the trailer to store one car in beside my shop while aI work on another car. I have no room to add on to my shop so I am thinking a enclosed trailer would give me a couple options.

[tom]

This thread has been giving me that same idea. Expanding the garage would be challenging, and expensive. Would a trailer be a reasonable place to store a car? What additional concerns would there be?

Tom