Open Car Trailer: Econo Trailer (Dively), Bri Mar, or other?

[Tucci139]

Yeah - that was one of my questions - trailer length - I heard some say they wished they got a 20ft trailer and others wish they got a 16ft trailer. Looking at my car a 2005 Impreza - its:

14.5 feet (173.8 inches) overall length
8.3 feet (99.4 inches) wheelbase
4.875 (58.5 inches) feet track

I have room in truck for supplies - so I would think a 16 foot is the version to get. And strapping down should be good at that length and not too difficult. I have no idea how wood decked trailer work - where are the "D" rings - you must have something there to tie down the load?

Thoughts on that? I agree - George - the "NEED" maybe me just saying that the aluminum trailers are better built, nicer features and I would be happier with it in the long run. I think no trailer for now is my plan and a nice steel used trailer or aluminum trailer (if price is right) would be my next move. If I can't find used - buy a new steel split trailer.

Steel vs Aluminum:
Steel seems stronger after hearing the opinions
Cheaper - cost is 2-3X less for a steel trailer
Steel is higher in maintenance - requires lots of TLC for rust ruining it, etc.
Full deck is heavier, split deck is about same weight as a larger aluminum trailer
re-sale OK for both - but better for Aluminum
Cost is the one factor you just can't justify in my opinion. If I was towing a Corvette or Porshe - maybe - but not a Subaru rally car.

Thanks everyone - this really helped - now to find the right steel split trailer - I still want some nicer features and won't skimp on tires, LED and suspension components after reading and learning more about how they are built.

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

[vision.dynamix]

On my 18' wood deck trailer, I have d-rings bolted through the wood into the steel.

Strap angle aside, with a short trailer your ratchet ends up underneath the car making it a PITA to work with.

For a GD chassis, 18' is the shortest trailer I'd use.

[Tucci139]

Originally Posted by Jard

Yeah its been rock solid, no issues at all. The only thing I will say is I wish I got a 16' instead of the 18'. I've never *needed* the extra length and the 18 is harder to maneuver in tight spaces.

Jard - what chassis Subaru do you tow - I was thinking 16ft length, now for GD vision.dynamix recommended 18 foot. Actually 18ft is easier to find than the 16 ft. But want to get as small as possible so too neighborhood covenants and such.

[vision.dynamix]

This is the Caliber trailer I bought. 18x7' Deck, Electric Trailer Brakes on both axles, 1300lbs empty, 7000 GVWR


With the Rallycross car loaded. My D-rings are 1' from the ends of the trailer, meaning they'd be at the end of the trailer if the trailer were a 16' trailer. Notice how in the front, the ratchets are UNDER the front bumper. For the rear, I use an axle strap around the knuckle (NOT THE LATERAL LINK) Im going to move the D-Rings to the ends of the trailer this summer when I paint the wood with sanded paint.




This was a borrowed 18' trailer with the tie down hooks at the very front and back of the trailer. Notice the nice cross angle I got, the good amount of lenght and the amount of space I had to work. I was even able to use the tie-down points on the rear of the chassis.



Here is a borrowed 16' trailer with the tie down hooks at the very front and back of the trailer. The Front Tie Downs are designed at the corner of the front cross member and the deck. I had to pull the car up so the bumper was over these (to get the proper tongue weight), so I couldnt even use them. How I had them hooked to the frame was honestly kinda sketchy. In the rear I couldve gotten the proper angle hooking to the rear tie-downs on the chassis (like on the above trailer) had I had the right hooks to do so. This trailer wouldn't've been so bad if the axles were positioned towards the back a little more.



To summarize, you may not need the deck length for the car itself, but having the deck length makes strapping the car down so much easier.

[Tucci139]

Wow - awesome post - pictures are worth a thousand words as they say - I'm convinced now not to get anything smaller than 18ft. BTW, the yellow/black car is awesome - nice paint job! I like the wood plank since using the trailer for other reasons would be good to have. I assume you installed the D-rings not the trailer dealer? How did you size bolt and such? And could you share sources for these parts? MacMaster Carr or somewhere like that I guess.

[mav1c]

Hijacking a little...

Definitely want 18'. The extra space makes it a lot easier to maneuver if you have to, and gives space to put a tire rack, storage box, etc on it. And a longer trailer is going to be more stable at speed.

If anyone is interested, I'd sell my 18' Anderson closed steel deck open trailer for $1200. Just got 2 new tires, all bearings repacked, and state inspection (passed). 3500 axles. Dual electric brakes.

[george2]

I have a anderson 18' split deck. it's a 97 and probably has 100k miles on it. occasionally we have to fix some welds and replace the bearings but it's been a great trailer.

[Tucci139]

That says a lot if you had it since 1997 - sounds like steel is just fine if you maintain. I'm assuming the Anderson is steel?

[Tucci139]

Originally Posted by mav1c

Hijacking a little...

Definitely want 18'. The extra space makes it a lot easier to maneuver if you have to, and gives space to put a tire rack, storage box, etc on it. And a longer trailer is going to be more stable at speed.

If anyone is interested, I'd sell my 18' Anderson closed steel deck open trailer for $1200. Just got 2 new tires, all bearings repacked, and state inspection (passed). 3500 axles. Dual electric brakes.

Interested - could you PM me.

[vision.dynamix]

Originally Posted by Fastie

Wow - awesome post - pictures are worth a thousand words as they say - I'm convinced now not to get anything smaller than 18ft. BTW, the yellow/black car is awesome - nice paint job! I like the wood plank since using the trailer for other reasons would be good to have. I assume you installed the D-rings not the trailer dealer? How did you size bolt and such? And could you share sources for these parts? MacMaster Carr or somewhere like that I guess.

I got the D-Rings from Tractor Supply Co. I believe the bolts are 3/8x3-1/2", Grade 8, also at TSC.

Make sure you're going into the steel also and not just the wood. This is why mine are 1' in and not at the ends of the trailer.

I did it myself yes. The trailer place wanted $100 todo it plus I had to buy their D-Rings that were 3x the price.

Thanks for the compliments on the car.

[Tucci139]

Originally Posted by vision.dynamix

I got the D-Rings from Tractor Supply Co. I believe the bolts are 3/8x3-1/2", Grade 8, also at TSC.

Make sure you're going into the steel also and not just the wood. This is why mine are 1' in and not at the ends of the trailer.

I did it myself yes. The trailer place wanted $100 todo it plus I had to buy their D-Rings that were 3x the price.

Thanks for the compliments on the car.

Another question I thought of - is what do you use for ramps - I assume you had to build something or does the wooden trailer come with ramps as well?

[vision.dynamix]

The trailer comes with its own steel ramps that slide underneath the deck for storage.

[Cody06]

The main thing you should be concerned about is what type of tires they sell on their discounted trailers.

Whatever chinese crap tires most places offer might as well be made out of styrofoam.

Even the Shipping Wars show, when they go out and buy a new flatbed with single wheel axles, it seems every 5 minutes someone has an entire sidewall blow out and damage the trailer or whatever they're hauling.

I had a flat the 2nd day with my monster 40' 8 tire dually trailer. All my buddies pick up new or used smaller trailers, open or enclosed, and I see them post on Facebook that they are heading out with their car to some race or show, and they seem to blow a tire out - completely shredding it - every 200 miles or so.

If you are close in price, the deciding factor should be who throws in or offers the better price on the upgraded name brand US tires.

[vision.dynamix]

Yeah, I've never had a tire issue. One of the kids on my fb feed goes though tires every trip.

[Tucci139]

Yes - understand that and that is why I am also looking at upgrades. I had several trailers over the years for the boats I owned and I always replaced tires with marathon Goodyear or similar. Boats are heavy as a car so I am surprised that the tires on some trailers are not quality tires since the cargo is so expensive.

[Davidss]

Personally I think some of you guys are crazy for getting such large trailers. What advantage is there to hauling around an extra 4 feet of trailer you don't need? A small trailer is much easier to live with, maneuver, park, and will give you a substantial fuel economy boost.

Originally Posted by vision.dynamix

That hondatech dude put his axles too far forward..

EDIT: Disregard. Super short trailer for a CRX.

Double edit: You can see how having too short of a trailer means he's having a hard time strapping the car down.

In that thread I posted a spreadsheet you can use to determine axle placement.

Most trailers are built by small independently owned regional businesses. They tend to want to pump out the same c-channel trailer in bulk with little customization. So unless you do the math and can specify in advance where you want your axles placed you need to buy a longer trailer than you need so that you can move the car around for proper tongue weight. But if you can do the engineering in advance (most trailer builders will allow this) then there is little to no advantage to buying a longer trailer than what you need. In that respect I would say that my CRX trailer isn't super short, it's just shorter than what you are used to seeing, and everyone else's is super long.

As far as the straps go once I got the right ones everything is super easy. And using a chain/carabiners in the front RULES! Everyone should copy it. You drive on, clip on the carabiners, push the car back a few inches, then strap down the rear.

[vision.dynamix]

Originally Posted by Davidss

As far as the straps go once I got the right ones everything is super easy. And using a chain/carabiners in the front RULES! Everyone should copy it. You drive on, clip on the carabiners, push the car back a few inches, then strap down the rear.

What I do now is I dont undo my front straps, so I just pull the car up far enough to hook it then push the car back to tension them.

Its tough to do alone, since it requires the car to be in the same exact spot every time, especially in the Rallycross car which you cant see **** out of.

Having just chains and shackles isnt DOT Legal, FYI. EACH chain/strap needs to have its own way of tensioning it, independent of the others.

[vision.dynamix]

Originally Posted by mav1c

And a longer trailer is going to be more stable at speed.

I cant believe I forgot this tidbit. A million times this.

[Jard]

You should buy mav1c's trailer for sure, good deal and good people.

[Jard]

And I would not worry as much about rust living in the mid-atlantic unless you plan to tow out of region in winter. My trailer has very little rust on it but does get used primarily in March - November only.

[dunk]

Originally Posted by Jard

You should buy mav1c's trailer for sure, good deal and good people.

Seconded. That's a great price for that trailer.

Duncan

[UKscooby]

I know you guys are talking about car trailers, but we've got a 12ft steel utility trailer, wood bottom with attachable wood sides thats 20 years old. It has spent its whole lift in Michigan and has just surface rust. Steel will last a while, even in these heavily salted areas. Just gets a power wash after each use in winter.

[george2]

Originally Posted by Fastie

That says a lot if you had it since 1997 - sounds like steel is just fine if you maintain. I'm assuming the Anderson is steel?

yes ours is steel. and I was thinking about it last night, I'd say 5 out of 6 trips it takes it's over loaded weight wise. also +1 on the suggestion of better tires. I only run Radial truck tires on mine.

[Tucci139]

Confirmed if anyone is following this thread that Caliber emailed me with shipping weight on their 18ft wood deck trailer is 1700 lbs - lighter by about 300-400 lbs from other steel trailers, but they probably made some mods since "vision.dynamic" got his. And, they added in their email - no dealers in my area so I would have to travel to get one. I have a lead on a aluminum trailer so I may go against the grain anyway if the price is right. we'll see. Next choice is used steel or if I need buy new to a Bri-Mar. Mav1c if yours hasn't sold - let me know.

[vision.dynamix]

Hmm..interesting. I bought mine last year, and scaled it at 13xxlbs. Wonder what the discrepancy is..not like thats any packing material with shipping a trailer.