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Old 01-31-2015, 06:52 PM   #21
Marco Tahtaras
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

My problem is being in California. The best quality trailers I've seen were made in Indiana or nearby which adds significantly to the cost here. I always favored Pace American but don't know if the quality is the same since they changed hands a few years back.

Always being 'on a budget' I couldn't justify getting what I really wanted. My first was a used 18' Pace 8' wide cargo trailer that I setup to accommodate my needs fairly well. That took me to New York and Toronto, Ontario, and a few other trips totaling about 14k miles.

My current trailer is a brand I hadn't heard of but after watching Craigs list for a couple years, I found it with very little use (maybe 750 miles) and less than two years old. The important features were there like torsion axles (lower stance), typical 8.5' width, and self lubricating hubs. It's a very nice trailer but the quality lacks in a few areas. They did include a vapor barrier between the frame and floor which was a plus. I never completed insulation and white inside walls at intended before my trip to Dallas in '08 so it remains as I stopped for that trip. I used garage floor epoxy on the entire floor for obvious reasons. It came with the typical fore and aft recessed 'D' rings for axle straps which I've never used. I installed four pairs of 'D' rings for tire bonnets at each wheel so the Model A's are held down by all four tires and nothing touching paint. Note: I didn't use the friction additive (silica?) in the floor epoxy. I SHOULD have on the ramp door (only). It only takes a little rain to make that ramp door dangerous!

Other trailer notes:

1. I would have chosen to stay with 18' but the deal I found was too good to pass up. Sometimes the extra two feet is inconvenient. Also, I've never intended to add a bench in the front.

2. Chasing other information in the past on forums I found it was common for folks to report no towing advantage of any kind when switching to a "V" nose trailer so get one if you like it and avoid them if you don't. It happens that I don't care for them.

3. The only aluminum trailer I have any familiarity with is Featherlite. Very nice but expensive. I believe they only come with a "V" nose and that's a no-go for me (but I'm cheap anyway)! The weight difference with Featherlite is not what you would expect. My 20 ft trailer is 3270#. A similarly configured Pace is around 3300 and Featherlite around 3100. Add a 2500# car in there and 200# difference is really meaningless.

4. Inside height - It's more common today for 8.5' wide trailers to have 6.5' ceiling height like mine but DO NOT assume anything! A 6' ceiling will come back to bite you sooner or later.

5. Flooring - Aluminum Diamond Tread Plate (some use) may be practical for some uses but not for my trailer floor. It is extremely difficult to sweep out effectively. Also if you ever get under the car in the trailer it will not make your life better!

I like my epoxy! It was an idea I came up with after researching other (more common) options and finding them not well suited for me personally.





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Old 02-01-2015, 09:34 AM   #22
Bill's Auto Works
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

Brent in 10-uh-c has very good suggestions. As a transporter of 30 years & almost 3 million miles I have used a lot of different trailers (open & enclosed) with many different options.
You might consider looking for a used aluminum trailer to keep costs lower. Don't go shorter than 20' & if you have a little room 24' would give you some more options. My 24' aluminum only weighed 3145lbs from the factory, that is generally about 1000lbs less than a steel of the same size. Go with a good name brand. Featherlite, Ameri-lite, etc.

Torflex axles are the only way to go for suspension, electric brakes on both axles & purchase a Prodigy controller.

A drive in rear door is the only thing an auto trailer has, ramps are for equipment trailers & the only reason to not get the full door is it costs more. You do not want to mess around setting ramps that might fall off & if you do not have a dove tail rear, you will end up buying more ramps or piling boards on them because the angle is too steep. This is very unsafe!

If you end up with a flat front, invest in a Nose Cone from Fitzgeralds in Ca. This added 2 mpg when I installed it. It also added noticeable stability to pulling the trailer, as the wind did not buffet it around like it did before.

After you buy one, you can customize the inside to suit your style & use, just like Marco did (beautiful). I also fully customized mine inside & out. I insulated it, put up poly walls & ceiling. added Race Deck flooring, a compressor with air fittings inside & out as well as a power inverter with lights & outlets inside & out. I also added a rub rail so I can open the drivers door without chipping the paint. You do not have to go this far, but I am anal about my equipment & my customers like it as well.
Good Luck
Bill
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Last edited by Bill's Auto Works; 02-01-2015 at 10:14 AM.
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Old 02-01-2015, 11:14 AM   #23
Mitch//pa
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

Bill is that a one piece floor in your trailer? Everything Looks very nice
What do you recommend for flooring?
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Old 02-01-2015, 11:45 AM   #24
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

No Mitch,
The floor is one foot squares called RaceDeck flooring, you can buy it in many colors & on their website you can design your own pattern if you like. It is made for garage floors, but I thought it would work in the trailer & it has. It is a little expensive, but so is the epoxy. Both will work great on the trailer floor
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Your QUALITY Ford Barn Transporter- Open or Enclosed.
Bill's Auto Works Est. 1983 & Still Going Strong!

1955 Chevy Altered W.B. Gasser
1955 Nash Amb. Cust. Lemans
1957 Pontiac Chieftain 2 DR HT
1964 Pontiac Grand Prix 2 DR HT
1966 Pontiac Catalina Conv
1966 AMC Ambassador DPL 2 DR HT
1966 AMC Ambassador Cust 2DR HT
1967 AMC Marlin
1967 Toronado
1973 Chevy Nova Full Chassis Car
1992 Jag XJS Conv
1992 Jag XJS 2 DR Coupe
2007 Cadillac XLR-V Supercharged Roadster
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Old 02-01-2015, 11:52 AM   #25
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

I have a 24 foot Exiss trailer. They are high quality, but expensive. All aluminum made with I beam and tube versis C channel. The main selling point for the extra money is that they have extra ceiling height. I have used trailers that you could not get old cars in or out without letting air out of the tires or changing wheels. I have other cars and the 24 foot length is nice. I also took the wheels off a rolling tool box and bolted it to the floor using the old roller wheel holes, has worked great and leave tools in it all the time for conveniance.
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Old 02-01-2015, 12:12 PM   #26
Marco Tahtaras
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill's Auto Works View Post
Brent in 10-uh-c has very good suggestions. As a transporter of 30 years & almost 3 million miles I have used a lot of different trailers (open & enclosed) with many different options.
You might consider looking for a used aluminum trailer to keep costs lower. Don't go shorter than 20' & if you have a little room 24' would give you some more options. My 24' aluminum only weighed 3145lbs from the factory, that is generally about 1000lbs less than a steel of the same size. Go with a good name brand. Featherlite, Ameri-lite, etc.
I can only go by the information offered by the manufacturers but here are examples for 24' enclosed trailers with 7000# GVWR (3500# axles):

Entry level -

Featherlite 1611 - No interior paneling or front stone guard - 3300#
Pace Outback - With paneled interior and front stone guard - 3620#

Upper line -

Featherlite 4926 - 3500# - Turns out to have 4800# axles which would account for much of the weight increase.
Pace Shadow GT - 3680#
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Old 02-01-2015, 12:23 PM   #27
Bill's Auto Works
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

A lot of the time aluminum trailers are close in weight to steel trailers is because many of the steel trailer companies build "cheap" trailers. The distance between the studs are greater, the gauge of the steel is thinner & the overall amount of material is less. If you compare a well built steel trailer to an aluminum Featherlite or Ameri-lite, etc... you will find there is about 1000lbs difference in the same length trailer

Also, I would not suggest using a 24ft trailer with only 3500lbs axles (7000 for both) this does not leave you much for the vehicle & equipment you are going to put in it. An average vehicle weights 3500lbs, this makes you at the limit without anything else in the trailer.
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Bill's Auto Works Est. 1983 & Still Going Strong!

1955 Chevy Altered W.B. Gasser
1955 Nash Amb. Cust. Lemans
1957 Pontiac Chieftain 2 DR HT
1964 Pontiac Grand Prix 2 DR HT
1966 Pontiac Catalina Conv
1966 AMC Ambassador DPL 2 DR HT
1966 AMC Ambassador Cust 2DR HT
1967 AMC Marlin
1967 Toronado
1973 Chevy Nova Full Chassis Car
1992 Jag XJS Conv
1992 Jag XJS 2 DR Coupe
2007 Cadillac XLR-V Supercharged Roadster
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Old 02-01-2015, 01:24 PM   #28
Mitch//pa
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill's Auto Works View Post
No Mitch,
The floor is one foot squares called RaceDeck flooring, you can buy it in many colors & on their website you can design your own pattern if you like. It is made for garage floors, but I thought it would work in the trailer & it has. It is a little expensive, but so is the epoxy. Both will work great on the trailer floor
Thanks
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Old 02-23-2015, 07:25 PM   #29
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

Aside from all of the great comments, what tiedown points do you use for the Model A? I just completed a trip on lousy Pa highways in horrid weather, using the four rings in the trailer floor, with the straps criss-crossed to the outer axle ends of the car. The straps were new and they experienced a bit of stretching that I periodically had to tightened - but, all-in-all, the trip was without incident. What I'm wondering is, would it work just as well to strap the car in using the bumper mounts? I kept it out of gear and with the hand brake off to keep from constantly jarring the related mechanicals.
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Old 02-23-2015, 07:31 PM   #30
Mitch//pa
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

do not tie to the bumper brackets...
you did it right by going around the axle housing behind the backing plates on the narrowest part of the axle tube...
on the front i use the outer area of the axle just inside the king pins..
4 straps to 4 d-rings..
the only controversy is cross strapping vs straight strapping.
i used to cross strap but then if one breaks it can pull the car to one side so now i straight strap.
its kinda like what kind of oil...lol
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Old 02-23-2015, 08:30 PM   #31
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Default Re: Enclosed Car Trailer

Interesting thought on straight vs cross strapping! I'll have to look at the spacing on my trailer tiedown points to see if that would work "as is" without putting toe out pressure on the wheels. A chain, tightly shackled from one tiedown to the other would, however, resolve any problem.
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