Hi all,

Looking at buying a trailer this week, my intent is to haul the Nova to the track and nothing heavier than a 3/4 truck. Will tandem 3500# axles be OK or will I be maxing out with a heavy truck on board? Tomorrow I will be looking at a used 18' tilt deck with 3-4' dovetail, used once, sounds nice but only has the light axles and 15" tires, will this be OK for my intended use?

Appreciate any input on this.

Craig.

 

What are the other racers using at the track ?? you should be OK as long as your hitch weight doesn't exceed its limits

 

I have 18' open car hauler. It has tandem 3500# axles. I Have had this thing for 4 yrs now. I have pulled from a 85 Omni GLH with my now gone 99 Dakota all the way up to a 75 W250 Power wagon with a 383, getting pulled by the same Dakota, Longest trip was with a 77 Dodge shortwheel base van, fully loaded like an enclosed trailer that had 2 engine in the back of the van fromAz to Fl, however on that trip, I caused the back axle to destroy itself. (Maintance neglect) Since I now always at least check the wheel bearings and if needed, regrease the wheel bearings before any trip. The trailer weights 1800# empty, So the trailer can safely carry 5200lbs. Properly loaded of course. The Nova should be no problem. The 3/4 ton truck on the other hand will more than likely "overload" the axles. My trailer has sucessfully carried more weight than it should have. I would base the decision on how often is the trailer going to be loaded close to its max and also for how long of a trip. Running long distances and towing the 3/4 ton truck more often than the nova, I would look for a trailer with tandem 5k axles, and prolly a 2 5/16 ball also.

 

Thanks for your input.

I am tempted to buy a new tilt deck with 6K axles, price goes up to $6K as well though... I should be able to get this slightly used one for around $3800. I will check them both out and see the difference $ buys, other than the axle weight.

 

If the 3/4 ton truck is a cummins it will be way too much for it. If its a std cab chev with a 350 you should be fine the chevy will weigh about 4500lbs, say 2000 for the trailer, 500lbs tounge weight gives you a thousand lbs to play with.

 

Good point DJ, I should go big and leave my options open, never know when I might bring another Cummins home, just missed out on a 95 4x4 5 spd with only 140,000 kms needing a transfer case for $5K.

 

i use the 3500# ones, works fine, just need to add brakes to the other axel. but tows awsome. course the trailer only wieghs about 1100# total. see pic here https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...threadid=45385

jiMMy

 

Since you already have some doubts about the 3500# axles, and for some peace of mind, I suggest that you go with the heavier rated axles. You will also get a stronger frame trailer and higher rated tires.

 

I think the 3500's are fine....a non tilt trailer is only 1500 or so...18 ft'er dove tail...You can get a 20 ft all steel with 10 lb axles new for 3300........

I used a 18 ft for years (two actually) and they got over loaded a couple times at most. Now I use a two car enclosed.....and would never go back to a tag, or open trailer. If you can spend 6 k , spend 10 and get a 30 ft enclosed.

 

Well, I checked out the 18' tilt deck. I was expecting an industry standard black but rolled up to a beautiful RED trailer and since it matched the paint on my truck I had to buy it.
The guy that built it is part owner of a hot rod shop and spent many many hours building this one for himself, and it shows
( ended up being too heavy for his 6 cyl Ford gasser ).
After comparing to 'factory built' trailers, this one is superior in all categories. Pulled it home last night and it pulls great. Pics to follow!