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There
are a few different and many different types of Enclosed Trailers
to choose from. The following may help you determine what will fit
your requirements.
There are 3 different hitch set-ups.
Tag-A-Longs: (People call them "Bumper Pulls"
even though they are not usually pulled from the bumper). These
are pulled from a hitch mounted under the rear of a car or truck
and have a "tongue" sticking out the front of the box
area of the trailer. The tongue allows clearance between the
car/truck and the box of the trailer so you can turn around
corners without crushing the box.
*You may need an "Extended Tongue option" to pull a
trailer with a RV, Dump Truck, or any truck that is 8' feet wide.
This allows proper turning clearance.
Tag Trailers come 4' to 36' feet long. They are measured from the
front of the "Box" to the rear of the "Box".
Do not include the tongue in the measurement of the trailer
length.
Gooseneck
and 5th Wheels: These are trailers with the front extending
over the bed of a truck. The gooseneck and the 5th wheel trailer
are the same except for the hitch set-up.
The part of the trailer built over the bed on the truck is called
the "Bunk". We call the rest of the trailer to the rear
of the "bunk", the "Box". Stated length of the
trailer is from the very front edge to the very rear edge of the
trailer. A normal "Bunk" takes up 8' feet of the length.
(A 44 foot trailer has 36 feet of floor length and 8 feet of the
"Bunk"). If you are going to pull this type of trailer
with a "short bed" truck, You will need a "Short
Bunk" trailer. This is a trailer with a shorter (5 or 6 foot)
bunk and the hitch sticking out of the front of the leading edge
of the trailer. The stated length of the trailer is the same as an
8 foot bunk model except you only get a 5 or 6 foot bunk. A 44
foot "short bunk" trailer is really only 41 or 42 feet
long from the front of the bunk to the rear of the trailer, and
they cost the same as a real 44 foot trailer.
(Just be sure to tell the dealer what you are pulling the
trailer with and they
can recommend the correct trailer set-up).
They come in 20 to 53 foot long versions, measured nose to tail.
Gooseneck or 5th Wheel???? That is the question.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both these set-ups.
Gooseneck....Good: The Gooseneck trailer has a tube hanging
down from underneath the bunk. It hooks to a heavy duty
2-5/16" ball mounted in the bed of a truck. This does not
take up a lot of the truck bed. You can even get a fold down ball
set-up so you can utilize your whole bed.
Gooseneck.... Bad: To hook up to the trailer, you must
position your ball directly under the hitch, which is not easy
when the ball is centered over the axle. You must move the whole
rear end of the trailer over to line it up. This is easier with 2
people. Also you must crawl into the bed and hook up the safety
chains.
5th Wheel.... Good: The 5th
Wheel hangs down from underneath the bunk and has a big steel
plate with a 2" pin that aligns it's self (within reason)
with a big plate on top of your 5th wheel hitch set up in your
truck. Just back up, Get close and it hooks
itself up. No crawling in the bed to hook up safety chains. They
don't have safety chains. It's a one man operation.
5th Wheel....Bad: The hitch is a lot more expensive and
takes up half your truck bed. You can get the removable type but
it'd heavy to lift in and out of the truck bed. Also as an option,
some trailer manufacturers offer an "inverted 5th wheel
trailer". That's a gooseneck / 5th wheel type trailer with a 5th
wheel plate set-up on the trailer that only requires the 2" pin
to be mounted in the truck, not the big 5th wheel hitch. The
down side to this is anyone that wants to pull the trailer must
have this type of hitch set-up, and there are not many around.
Now let's go over the different Basic models most companies
offer...
Luggage Trailer: Small, lightweight, light duty. Not
so tough. They have small wheels. It is made to pull
behind motor cycles, smaller cars or vans.
Cargo Trailer: (Most have rounded roofs and fronts) come in
Tag-A-Long from 8 to 36 foot and gooseneck or 5th wheel
versions from 20 to 53 foot. They are made to haul cargo.
(Anything can be cargo). The tandem and triple axle models can be
built to haul very heavy loads. They are built to be durable, some more
than others, more about that later. They can be used for
everything. Cargo, Cars, motorcycles, 4 wheelers, concession,
Display moving furniture, etc.
Good ones have aluminum fenders 3/4" Plywood floors,
3/8" Plywood interior wall liner, torsion axles, minimum of
15" radial tires, minimum of a double tube tongue and
16" centers in the walls.
Cheaper lines, (We call them "Entry Level" Trailers),
will have Bias tires, Luan interior wall liner, painted or galvanized
fenders, 5/8" Plywood floor and 24" centers in the side
walls. These trailers are fine for recreational and daily use, but
will not last as long as a top line cargo trailer. They do not pull as smoothly as the good
cargo trailers (Torsion vs. Leaf spring axles but are generally
less costly and will do what you want very well. If you work out
of a trailer or pull it a lot, or travel on the road for long
distances.....I would spend the extra money and get a good
Cargo Trailer.
Basic Car Hauler: (Most have rounded roof and front). They
are basically cargo trailers that are set up to haul a car, (Ramp
rear door with beavertail and 4 D-rings in the floor). They don't
cost as much as a "Race Car Hauler" and do the job just
fine.
Race Car Hauler: (Flat roof and flat front
with chrome rounded corners). They come in Tag-A-Longs from 16 to
36 feet long, and in goosenecks from 24 to 53 feet long. Built
tough, built to last on the road going cross country to the races
every weekend. They have a lot of standard features. There is a
lot of options available to fit your requirements. You can even
get them built to stack cars over each other. You can spend alot
of money for these. They look good. They look fancy. You must have
one to impress your buds at the track.
Any enclosed car hauler is a good idea. They are great for
protecting your investments. (car, tools, pit bike, etc.)
Snowmobile / ATV Trailer: Usually a round roof and
wedge front end with a ramp door at the rear and road side of the
front wedge. Drive in, Drive out. They come in 6' and 7' wide
versions for hauling snowmobiles or 4-wheelers, in-line. They can
haul bikes too. The 8.5' wide versions are designed for side by
side hauling. Any 8.5' wide trailer will normally have interior
wheel wells, or wheel boxes. This gets in the way of side by side
hauling. So they build the trailer with the floor above the
wheel/tire to form a flat floor. No wheel wells on the interior.
The floor is set higher off the ground and the trailer doesn't
look as good, but it works. If you plan on
buying an 8.5 wide snowmobile/ATV trailer with the idea of
hauling a car in it someday, be sure to let the dealer know this so the
frame can be modified somewhat. Keep in mind the floor
height is very high off the ground. This makes loading a car more
difficult.
Motorcycle Trailer: Can be a cargo trailer set-up to tie
down bikes or a "Lowrider" type that sets low to the
ground. Built to only haul bikes and look good doing it.
Some will even fit inside a standard garage.
Concession Trailer: Can be any trailer that has awning
doors that open up to serve or sell out of. Some are basic
trailers to sell T-shirts. Some are fully equipped kitchens, with everything
including the kitchen sink.
Display Trailer: Can be any type trailer modified to open
up to display products. Can be walk-thru versions or walk-up to
type.
Office or Command Center: Can be any trailer with the
inside finished like a regular office, but easy to move to the
next location. A command trailer can be fully a equipped
operational center. They are just ready to go anywhere you need
them at a moments notice. All you need is a truck.
Landscaping Trailer: Usually just a cargo trailer
with a ramp rear door for driving equipment in, tool holders on
the walls and a side door to access the tools. Some even have a
bathroom on board to save those man hours on the job by not
driving around looking for a gas station. |
