Aluma Tilt Trailer

[Brightonuk]

I am looking for a new trailer and like the idea of the Aluma Tilt does anyone use one of these or any thoughts

 

https://www.alumaklm.com/6810h-utility-trailer-2#trailer-options

 

As I am in Florida and I have to special order on I am concerned that the nose will hit the bed before the wheels lift it up

[Davemk1]

I looked at Aluma a few years back (there's a local dealer making it easy) and I was serious about buying one until I had a realization......if when driving up onto the trailer the front wheels go past the pivot point of the bed before the rears start rolling on it won't work.

 

If the fronts pass the bed pivot before the rears are on then the weight of the front of the car will push down in front of the pivot and the rear of the bed it will pivot and will rise up hitting the bottom of the car before the rears can roll on.

 

I measured the beds at the local dealer and none were even close to long enough to allow the rears to get onto the bed before the fronts pass the pivot....so i ended up going in a different direction.

 

I'm sure glad I had that realization before buying it and getting it home!

 

So double and triple check the distance from the rear edge of the bed forward to the pivot to see if it's shorter than your wheelbase. I think most ATV's and side-by-sides will have such short wheelbases that they will work but very few cars will.

 

I hope that helps.

 

dave

[fastg]

I liked the look of these, a covered trailer without the expense, they also do cover options for existing trailers

 

http://serpentexpress.com/

 

Graham

[lotsats]

I am going to comment on this post and also the next one. It sounds as if this is a tilt bed trailer. If you have a clearance issue with the nose, a solution is to add some ramps to the back of the trailer to modify the car’s angle of approach. You can put either a floor jack or a block of some sort under the back edge of the trailer so that it won’t drop all the way to the ground. With the ramps lengthening the path onto the trailer, your car will go on at a more shallow angle and not have a problem.

[lotsats]

I am not sure where my first reply sequenced in on this post, but here are the rest of my thoughts. I will explain this in relation to my personal trailer. It has a 22 foot long tilt bed. I have some low front clearance vehicles, and also small vehicles that are short enough to allow me to put two cars on the trailer at the same time. Using a couple of removable ramps as mentioned in my first reply allows me to take care of the low front clearance issue by lengthening the approach bath and jacking up the rear of the trailer a few inches to get it off the ground. When I load my WWII Jeep with its military trailer attached, or the Jeep without trailer with my Lotus 7 behind it, the extension ramps also assist. My tilt bed automatically tips back down to towing position when the car being loaded gets far enough on to move the center of gravity forward. If the Jeep trailer wheels are on the ramps, this weight keeps the trailer tipped up long enough to get everything on. Loading the Jeep and Lotus is a little more complicated. First, I drive the Jeep onto the trailer, but not far enough forward to tip the front back down. Then, I drive the front wheels of the Lotus over the ramps, putting the car part way onto the trailer. That holds the back end down while the Jeep gets moved the rest of the way forward. The Lotus is then moved forward, and the trailer bed pivots into towing position. Hopefully, this makes sense.

[m wirth]

Tilt trailers are great, you don't have to mess with ramps. I have had some very low cars with splitters on this trailer.

[Nick OTeen]

I looked at Aluma a few years back (there's a local dealer making it easy) and I was serious about buying one until I had a realization......if when driving up onto the trailer the front wheels go past the pivot point of the bed before the rears start rolling on it won't work.

 

If the fronts pass the bed pivot before the rears are on then the weight of the front of the car will push down in front of the pivot and the rear of the bed it will pivot and will rise up hitting the bottom of the car before the rears can roll on.

I've seen lots of guys puts lightweight race cars on tilt-bed trailers and they work even when the front wheels past the pivot point. I think you are overlooking the influence of leverage.

 

While the front tires have passed the pivot point the amount of leverage they can put on the tilt bed is fairly small compared to the leverage/force imparted by the all weight of the long tilt bed extending back, behind the pivot point. The makers of these trailers know what they're doing and they make these trailers in a wide variety of styles and sizes to suit all sorts of cars. If you're in doubt, take your car to a dealer and try one out.

[NVP66S]

I have an Alumina 6812HTILT and loading my Westfield couldn't be simpler. First, unlike a fixed bed trailer with ramps, the bottom of the car negotiates the transition just fine. Then, as DaveMK points out, when the front wheels pass the pivot point, the bed tilts up but with very little force, as Nick says. I drive the car up and pause to let the bed tilt up, then drive it to the chocks I bolted to the trailer bed. There's no concern for hitting the nose, as the chocks prevent that. I even have a Stanley toolbox bolted to the deck at the front of the trailer to hold the tie-down strraps, lug nut wrench, flashlight, etc. I also like that the Alumina is only 7'10" outside width compared to the standard 8'6" that seems to be the norm, as it makes the maneuverability on city streets lower stress for me.

Edited January 30, 2019 by NVP66S

[Davemk1]

I've seen lots of guys puts lightweight race cars on tilt-bed trailers and they work even when the front wheels past the pivot point. I think you are overlooking the influence of leverage.

 

While the front tires have passed the pivot point the amount of leverage they can put on the tilt bed is fairly small compared to the leverage/force imparted by the all weight of the long tilt bed extending back, behind the pivot point. The makers of these trailers know what they're doing and they make these trailers in a wide variety of styles and sizes to suit all sorts of cars. If you're in doubt, take your car to a dealer and try one out.

 

You are of course correct - it's not that the front wheels passing the pivot is the only issue but it's by how far and with how much weight.

 

My larger point, poorly made, is that one needs to be mindful of the length of the wheelbase relative to the length of the behind-the-pivot portion of the bed. The only way to be 100% sure it will work out is to roll the car on and see what you get.

 

dave

[NVP66S]

You are of course correct - it's not that the front wheels passing the pivot is the only issue but it's by how far and with how much weight.

 

My larger point, poorly made, is that one needs to be mindful of the length of the wheelbase relative to the length of the behind-the-pivot portion of the bed. The only way to be 100% sure it will work out is to roll the car on and see what you get.

 

dave

 

Yeah, you need to check what exactly hits when the trailer deck rises above the ground. It wouldn't be very nice if it hit the brake lines.

[Alfonse]

I liked the look of these, a covered trailer without the expense, they also do cover options for existing trailers

 

http://serpentexpress.com/

 

Graham

 

I had seen those, but didn't know they had a retrofit kit for existing trailers. Thanks for sharing.

[fastg]

I have found a couple of videos of the Aluma tilt trailer in action.

 

Power option

 

 

Manual

 

 

The tilt speed is controllable

 

[Brightonuk]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I have a place that has a 6812 on the lot and will be driving up to check it out

The pivot point I had not thought about, the approach angle (if the nose hits first) I can solve with race ramps.

 

I have a 12' utility trailer that serves purpose now but the wife hates it in the front of the house and in the garage takes up way to much space the loading and unloading is a PITA + it is heavy.

 

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=15013&stc=1

 

 

So..... As I originally posted the Alumna 6812 looked like a good option but what are your thoughts on this concept

 

https://www.kendonusa.com/product/smart-car-trailer-folding-stand-trailer/

 

I spoke to the rep and he looked up the Cats dimensions and said it will fit (again approche issues can be solved with Race Ramps)

I like this as obviously it folds up = Happy Trouble an Strife

 

or maybe this will work (remove the center track)

 

https://www.stingertrailer.com/product/stinger-can-am-cruiser-combo/

 

https://www.stingertrailer.com/product/stinger-can-am-spyder-trailer/

 

I have not really looked at the Stingers but a possibility?

 

The biggest issue is location everything is a long way from Fl so purchased in the hopes it will work and if it dont I will need to ship it back + restocking fees so any and all suggestions or comments are welcome

Edited February 2, 2019 by Brightonuk

[NVP66S]

I don't know how active you are in other things, but I use my Alumina as a flat bed utility trailer as well as a car hauler. I added a pair of tie-down strips and the trailer is far more useful than a trailer without a flat deck. https://www.uscargocontrol.com/shop/Enclosed-Trailer-Accessories/Airline-Straps-Hardware/L-Track-Tie-Down-Rails

I've hauled furniture, a Bobcat, even a Bridgeport milling machine with 4X4s as a load spreader.

[fastg]

I used a Kendon motorcycle trailer for years, it did a lot of miles, worked great until it got hit in a fender bender then it want all catawampus, was never the same. Looking at the Kendon web site are you sure your cat will fit. Deck Area: 72” x 108” I don't think 108 is long enough. The Stinger shows 116, but that is the total length of the trailer, so I think that is closer, but still a little short.

Graham

[fastg]

My local dealer is selling the 6812H-Tilt for only $3150, in you can fit on a 7712H it's $2895

 

https://harrisoncartworks.com/2017-aluma-6812h-tilt.html

 

https://harrisoncartworks.com/2017-aluma-7712h-tilt.html

[Brightonuk]

Tried the Kendoin Smart Car trailer..... that did not work, the approach was to steep and the car bottomed out half way up (I also have lowered floors) and lifting the back while loading defeats the whole object of "simple"

The are calling me today about a new model not in production yet don't know if you have seen this but it was an earlier model they produced

 

 

The thing is storage, a folding trailer works for the wife I can store it in the garage

The tilt works for me as iot is easy on and off, if the Aluma 6812 works for the car I think that is the best compromise (fits in the garage with the car on it).

 

Thanks fastg but MD is a long way from Fl and that price would have sold me

[BlueBDA]

Reading this whole thread makes me wonder: I'd like to trailer my car from MA to NJ for the Sevens get-together in June. Will I be able to rent a trailer at U-Haul or equivalent that will work for this? Pulling with our AWD minivan.

[fastg]

That new Kendon trailer looks expensive all those individuate tubes.

 

I just found the MD supplier by putting my zip code into the Aluma web site, I am sure there are closer dealers.

 

I would check with U-Haul they have a database of what can tow what, if your not in the database they will not rent you a trailer. I know someone that picked up a brand new diesel Chevy Colorado truck one of the first available. Drove straight to the U-Haul to pick up a trailer, he had long planned a trip to pick up a car, everything was planned out. U-Haul refused to rent him any trailer because the Colorado was not in there database. He has to rent a truck and trailer! So just go check with U-Haul so you don't get a surprise.

 

Graham

[panamericano]

If you can stand ramps, Harbor Freight has aluminum 6' ramps for about $100 (set, with coupon). I use them with my tilt trailer because it has a bed all the way across and the approach angle won't work.

 

U Haul will want to know what car is going on the trailer. I rented from them twice with the Birkin. I gave them the weight, dimensions of tire contact patches (inside and out, etc). They had to call HQ to get the OK, but finally did. They have 2 sizes of car haulers. Make sure the person you talk to is not thinking you want a tow-dolly. The only way to know if they will approve the mini van is to ask them.