I'm at the point in life where the 4x8 utility trailer just doesn't do it anymore. I have wanted a car trailer for a while and Now I'm thinking about making the jump. I'm looking for a bumper pull probally rated for 7-10k. 2 3500lbs axle seem to be the norm and that should work fine for me but a little more capacity would not hurt. I move all sorts of odds and ends besides cars. Can anyone make a reccomendations or suggestions? I'm probally going to buy new since I'll have it for a while and use it. And short of someones fire sale good trailers seem to hold there value well.

 

Make the jump to a trailer with 7K axles. THat way you can put a pickup on it no problem. or a skiid loader. The 3500lb axles are only fine for small cars, and light stuff. It wont cost that much more for a good used 7k.

This is an ironic posting, since just last satruday, I passed a dually(now sitting on the side of interstate) pulling a car trailer with a big skid loader on it. Traffic was down to 20 miles an hour because he had snapped the spindles off and the trailer frame was on the ground. He was entirely overloaded. As I drove by, I don't know what axles it had, but it was only 6 bolt wheels, 3500 maybe 5000K axles? either way, that machine weighted 6-9000 lbs alone.
As far as brands, Big Tex, PJ, Felling are good.

 

6 lug is 5000 cap axles

I'm gonna sell my 02 26' enclosed trailer soon but you are a bit far away....

 

a typical ~20' enclosed car trailer is going to weigh in at ~3,500lbs empty.
simple math... w/ a pair of 3.5k axle you've only got 3.5k left for payload.

5k axles have served me well w/ my 24'er.
7k axles would be better... cheap insurance, but they are a little harder to find!

 

I have not come across any with 7k axles. Ideally I would want to be able to tow a 1st gen on it in a crunch. I found a trailer with 5200lb axles which doing some quick math would get me about 7500-8000lbs of payload(not sure on trailer empty wieght yet). I do agree that the 7k trailers get over loaded quick. I don't need something enclosed just an open top is fine so that would get rid of weight there.

 

I am in the same boat as you. I need something to haul my tractors and other junk around on and am leaning toward a 20 footer with brakes and 5200 lb axles. It seems they often only put the brakes on one axle - is that what you are seeing too? Let me know what you end up with as real world experiences are great to hear before you buy!

 

Most seem to have one axle with brakes. Most places offer upgrades for both axles with brakes for about 100-150. I'm curious on the empty weight of the trailers so I'm doing some asking around. I don't want to get so heavy duty that its counter productive when just hauling around small stuff. The 5200lb or 6000lb seem like a good compromise. I'm going to look at empty wieght of everything and try and make a decision from there. If the 7k axles don't add that much weight to the package it may be the way to go. The heaviest thing I have is another 1st gen which is probally what I'm going to base everything off of.

 

I would definately go with at least 5200 lb axles. That gives a GVWR of 10,400 lbs plus 10% or so for the tongue. Take out about 2400 lbs for the trailer weight and you can carry about 9000 lbs max. So that would handle a CTD or a medium sized tractor.

It also gives you much bigger brakes than the 3500 lb axles have.

Try to get brakes on both axles, very important.

The six lug wheel can be either 3500 lb, 5200 lb or even 7000 lb! I know because I have all three and the manuals to prove it. So don't just go by the number of bolts. Generally the 6000 lb axles are eight lug and they are the best.

I have a Zieman with 8 lug 6000lb axles and it has the nicest welding, most thoughtful fabrication and heaviest steel of all my trailers. Very well made!

Car (or tractor) trailers vary in weight from about 1700 to 3000 lbs


John

 

If hauling things other than vehicles, I'd put some thought into a deck-over. With a beaver tail and decent ramps, you can still fit small cars, but you also don't have the guy running the forklift at Lowes crunching your fenders everytime you buy a pallet of material. I've got your garden variety 7k gross car hauler (2005, I think) and it's been very, very handy, but I'd give it up in an instant for a 14k deckover. AND, after pulling a 12k deckover bumper pull, I think I'd skip that and go to a gooseneck. I know it seems like overkill, but those derned fenders are ALWAYS in the way and FORGET about loading a Cummins dually backwards for better weight spread...just some food for thought

 

Mopar,

One more comment about the axles. The 7000 lb axles I have are the torsion style and they came in either 6 lug or 8 lug. It seems like some trick to call them 7000 lbs axles with only 6 lugs and 225/15 tires in D rating. Be careful. They do have the full 12 inch brakes though.

I can't stress enough how important it is to get brakes on all four wheels.

If you get the 5200 lbs you'll probably be just fine.

John

 

get brakes on both axles, when you have to slam on the brakes to keep from blasting through some idiot that pulled in front of you you will want all the stopping power you can get.
check your state laws, i tought that some states required brakes on both axles, CA being one of them.

 

Get a 10,000 gvw trailer(anything over 10k gvw requires expensive truck/trailer registration) as long a deck as you can find!!! H&H make a very nice hydraulic tilt deck! After owning several different trailers the H&H is the most usable out there!
My latest trailer is a H&H 24' gooseneck tilt deck with winch. You can buy cheaper but not more convenient.
Gooseneck can be turned sharper, no rattling heavy ramps no dovetail to drag etc.....if you get the trailer with 16" wheels you only need to carry 1 spare and can use your old truck tires on the trailer.

 

Me either, mainly because any trailer with a gross vehicle weight rating of 3000 pounds or more requires brakes on ALL wheels under NHTSA/DOT rules. I don't know how some of these manufacturers get away with doing brakes on one axle only because I know I can't! There was a time when it was legal, but it hasn't been since at least 1993.

chaikwa.

 

Marv and glenn, I can set you up with the outfit I deal with out of Shawnee, Okla. PM me if you want thier number so they can put you in touch with a distributor in your area! Getting another member here a trailer, going back this following week to get, I'm sure he will chime in and tell you guys how I set him up with a nice unit!

 

I have a Roadmaster 24' enclosed car hauler. according to the manufacturer it weighs 3700 empty. It has 5k axles with brakes on both. I looked at many different brands and I found that some use C-channel, I-beam or fully enclosed tubing for the frame rails. Mine has 2x6 tubing for the frame. I would highly recommend this if you plan to haul heavy or go with a trailer length over 20ft.
Also keep in mind the old saying "you get what you pay for".