Pe7e Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) I haven't been able to find something used, so for not too much more I'm having a semi-custom open, single axle with brakes, wood bed, built. It's for trackday use, dunno if I'll ever race it. Any advice on the best trailer length? The minimalist in me wants to go for 12'. (lighter, of course) Is this enough for tire tie-down? Will I regret not having extra length for extra stuff? Is 13' (extra cost option) the magic number? Is there a reason to bring another set of tires to trackdays/weekends? Thanks for the newbie care. Pete Edited March 29, 2013 by Pe7e Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 For all track days I think you need to consider taking some tools, spares and miscellany but there is no need to go whole hog with a custom uber-luxurious trailer with flatscreen tv and wall mounted Bose speakers. I would go with the longer trailer bed just to give flexibility. For example, the most common track day issue at NJMP always seems to be tires - e.g. puncture in 1 needs the replacement of all 4 because there is no matching spare mega wide 10 inch slick (Yellowss7), need to run intermediate mega grippy slicks because it is slightly cold (Blubarisax), or "I had my third spin in a session and destroyed another rim and tire" (Kitcat:rolleyes:)....so I would get at least one extra matching wheel and tire to mount on the trailer and you would have a good spare to change to if a puncture happens and the day is not a bust. (I think your car runs same tire/wheel all around?) Use the extra trailer bed to also mount a nice big lockable box to transport tools or something? Of course you could be as minimalist as me and not have anything other than 2 cans of tire slime (track has an inflator), jack, torque wrench, some oil, and 2 Sparco rally bags full of tools and useful items (WD40, cable ties, duct tape, spanners, screwdrivers, allen keys, etc). Even so I did have concerns about not having a spare wheel/tire given the other guys problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) You want advice, and you want it for free. So here it is, and it isn't worth anything since it's free. Croc has some good ideas but really, the big flat screen ? Wouldn't a mid-size 42" work just as well ? My first trailer was a 24" V-nose completely enclosed trailer. I could put any car I had in there and carry a whole bunch of stuff. However, the thing is big and hard to pull efficiently so even while keeping my foot off the throttle, 8.5 mpg...............ouch. However, the trailer was air conditioned and in it was my 3 KW genset, air compressor, tools jacks, spare wheels & tires, electric winch, etc. The only thing I left out was the big flat screen. Great trailer once I get to the track, a real pain going 500 to 600 miles to far away tracks. My second trailer is an open all steel car trailer that I had custom made in Ft. Pierce, Florida. It's 15' of bed, dual axle, electric brakes on both axles, has slide out ramps that attach to a beaver tail slant without much effort. I then put a tool box on the front frame to house my tie-downs, jack, misc. tools, etc. I also added an electric winch to be able to winch up the car if I ever needed to. The cost of the trailer with twin 3500 lb axles, led lights, painted and ready to go was $2850. I pull the trailer with my F-150 and now added a topper to the bed which makes it really nice to keep my genset, compressor and extra wheels/tires, gas cans, etc. I can pull this trailer at 70 mph and still get 14 mpg, and it is effortless. I would stay away from wood anything on your trailer unless you're going to store it inside. You live in NJ and if its outside, snow may sit on it for periods of time. We have a bunch of smaller untility trailers for my company and they have the pressure treated planks. We're constantly replacing them. Also, single axle trailer is dangerous if you lose a tire from a blow out as this thing may unravel quickly before you get it slowed down. Dual axle doesn't cost that much more and if you do get a blow out, your trailer will stay flat. Down side is its heavier and likely harder to push around by hand, if not impossible. Of course, this also depends on what you'll be using to pull the trailer. A Ford Escape or Honda CRV won't pull a dual axle trailer. One other thing, minor but very important. Have plenty of very bright lights on the trailer. Mount them as high as is humanly possible. Use LED lights if you can. People on the road don't pay attention and when you're pulling a trailer you will slow down more than cars to make a turn, and this is where someone is likely to rear end you. I added extra brake/TS lights on the back of my trailer for just that reason. Good luck. Edited March 29, 2013 by Klasik-69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blubarisax Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) ...there is no need to go whole hog with a custom uber-luxurious trailer with flatscreen tv and wall mounted Bose speakers. If I had just bought an 18' trailer rather than a 16', I could have put in some real speakers Wilson Audio A good rule of thumb is to decide on a size and then add two feet. You'll never regret a little extra space. I first thought of getting an open trailer, but it sure is nice to have a place to put the car overnight and when it is raining. Karl Edited March 29, 2013 by blubarisax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) Dual axles tow straighter, not as much wiggle waggle. I had a bearing go bad on one side of my 16' dual axle and still limped home thx to intact 2nd axle. Nice when you are in the middle of nowhere @11:00pm Sunday, 200 miles from home and nothing is open anywhere. The extra length (13' vs.12')will facilitate tie down. Enclosed is nice (secure, dry, more storage), but kills gas mileage-it's like driving up a steep hill the whole way. I always try to have an extra set ot tires at track days. It is cheap insurance. When you consider cost of time off work, gas to event, motel, food, entry fee, etc, all to get to the track and discover that one tire wont hold air, it can be painful. Not to mention missing out on the fun of the track day. I have had tires get ''corded', get punctured and, as Croc faithfully and accurately recalls, punctured and wheel bent in an early lap "off". So I try to have a complete set, or at least one rear/front spare. And rain tires wld be nice too. Edited March 29, 2013 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-T Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I would go for a 14' minimum. 16' would be better. Make sure to get a small dovetail, and drop axles. A breakaway kit is required in most states, so make sure you have that too. Dual axles is definitely more relaxing to tow, the weight difference isn't too bad. My favorite trailer I ever used was a 16' steel deck with an open pit and dropped axles. That was fantastic to tow, and really easy to load. You might also want a removable fender on the drivers side if you plan to open the door. A pic of my old favorite attached. Bought on Fleabay for $710. Sold three years later (after about $80 in paint) for $1400... BT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Nice work, that looks like a brand new trailer now. The only thing I could see that you could have done and not sure if you added it later is having brakes on both axles. Reasoning on that is if you lose an axle or wheel, you can run on just one axle to get home, and it would be nice to have brakes on that one just to be safe. That's why I had my trailer built with dual electric brakes. Also, it allows me to set the brake controller down to 7.0 for smoother braking. If I load a heavier car like the Z06, I adjust it to 7.5. Money wise, you made out pretty good on that buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I have 11 trailers of assorted sizes. Big enclosed is great but it eats the fuel but does keep everything dry and room for spares. I have a 20" diamond plate floor with 5500k axles I use it for many things but have hauled the Ultralite on there and I think I could get two on there with some ramps over the front rail. The one I always seem to grab the last few years with high fuel prices is a 12ft trailer I built one afternoon. It has a dropped single axle with no brakes. I use a Dodge 2500 diesel to pull with so I may consider using brakes if I was using something smaller to tow with. The single axle doesn't bother me so much. I have never had an issues with it getting crazy due to a flat. Its very light weight and is easy to move around by hand if you desire. My gas mileage drops only 1 mpg using it. I have towed it about 8k miles with no issues with my 914 and my 7 on it. When heading to the track I throw my tool box and assorted stuff in the back of the truck. Tow vehicle choice will make a difference in the trailer size as well. I think a nice trailer would be one of the Haulmark motorcycle low hauler enclosed trailers. Its a much lower profile than the standard enclosed trailer, only down side is your cant stand up in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pe7e Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Thanks very much for all the tips, guys. They've been very helpful; even the "worthless" ones. B-T, yours looks like the one that got away. Though even then, I wouldn't have scored your price. Trying to avoid trailer jealousy, Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I think a nice trailer would be one of the Haulmark motorcycle low hauler enclosed trailers. Its a much lower profile than the standard enclosed trailer, only down side is your cant stand up in it. I have one of those, 14 x 7. It has the V-nose and holds a Se7en easily and a spare set of tires. Tools and jack go in the back of the Ram 1500 with a lockable shell. It works well for track days and for travel. I can fit a Miata in there but it is tight and I have to climb out over the doors. Prior to that I had an 8 x 16' enclosed trailer, standard height. Towing gas mileage went from 7 - 8 mpg with the big trailer to 11 mpg with the Haulmark LoHauler. It would get better but I tend to cruise at 75 - 80 mph with the trailer. Only down side is it take awhile to get used to the lower interior height, I suffered a few bumps to the skull before I got used to it. The Haulmark is the 5th trailer I've owned and the one I will keep. It is 20" lower in overall height and tows beautifully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsport Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I delivered Birkin's on a single axle 12x6 trailer. It covered Texas to California three times, Texas to Connecticut once, Kentucky once, Georgia 4 times and Colorado twice. I had a wood frame so I could cover the cars with a tarp if weather was naughty. Before I had a 22 foot enclosed that I hauled both a Birkin and Stalker (flat on the floor). Now I have a 14x7 single axle that I bought new for 1500.00. Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirkinBernie Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I tow my Birkin on a Aluma single axle trailer with a 10 foot bed. It weighs under 500 lbs. Seems to be in keeping with the philosophy of the car. :-) It is within the rated towing capacity of my Crown Vic (and my wife's Subaru Outback), tows straight as an arrow and the Vic gets 17 mpg towing on the highway. I can bag and stash four tires in the back seat, and with a few tools and such in the trunk, the Air Lift bags in the rear coils keep the ride height correct. The steel/wood trailers I looked at were running $1500, and would have required a bigger tow vehicle. The Aluma trailer wasn't cheap at $2100 (a few years ago) but light weight has its advantages.... Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabbot Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I can't claim it's pretty, but it is functional: Multiple uses including toy transporter (Caterham and elan), log hauler and moving house remodeling supplies. Single axle (3500lb) steel 11'x6' trailer with pressure treated wood boards. It weighs ~600lbs empty which means I can pull the Caterham with my 4 motion VW Passat and the elan with my wife's Honda Pilot. The nose of the Caterham fits neatly through the gap in the front and the tires rest ( and get tied down to ) the front steel work. Obviously there is a problem if you lose a tire or wheel on a single axle trailer but I wanted a small and relatively light trailer to be able to move it easily around the yard. When It’s perfectly stable at highway speeds and I've done a 1000miles with the elan on the back across some of the biggest potholes that I've seen in Canada and the US and it was fine. The only two issues that I have with it is a) if it rains some water manages to get under the Caterham tonneau cover and b) because it sits on fairly tall wheels and tires it’s a little tricky loading the Caterham without the exhaust hitting the ramps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Scannon good to know on the Haulmark. I am keeping my eye out for a deal on one. Good to know it tows well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Here is a trailer I built a few years ago for Paul Snyder in Indianapolis. Its a 14 foot with 4 sides the top lifts up to give more head room. It fairly light weight I'd guess about 1250 lbs. Trying to find the finished pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Here is a trailer I built a few years ago for Paul Snyder in Indianapolis. Its a 14 foot with 4 sides the top lifts up to give more head room. It fairly light weight I'd guess about 1250 lbs. Trying to find the finished pics. What's the inside height and what kind os skin did you put on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 It's been a few years but I think the sides were 48" the opened to about 7 foot at the back. It has a ramp door too it just wasn't done in this picture. I skinned it in a painted aluminum just like any other trailer make. It has 3/4 t&g plywood floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 If you look on the Brunton Stalker web site you'll see their single axle tilt bed trailer designed for these lightweight cars. I was going to build one like it but decided against it since I also tow my Vette or GTO. It is a nice design if you want a single axle lightweight trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckeD Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 I tow Shineola with a bar purchased from Harbor Freight. No need for a trailer, Shineola is the trailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 I tow Shineola with a bar purchased from Harbor Freight. No need for a trailer, Shineola is the trailer. Are you flat towing the car? What model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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