Basically, I'm in the market for a full deck car hauler and wanted to get recommendations from you all on what options to go with, what brands are best in quality, who has them for the least expensive..

I've already spoken with a few companies and they all seem to run around $2000 with varying options.. Tilt fenders seem to be the exception not the norm.. any more info you guys could provide - especially on what you currently use, would be great. Thanks!

 

A few options that aren't necessary, but sure nice to have:

Tilt or removeable fender on drivers side
Swing jack (saves you from bottoming out on it)
Spare tire mount

A beaver tail (dove tail..) is almost required stuff. Standard ramps are 5 feet. Get 6-footers if you can. If you go with a tilt-bed like I have, do not get one with a beaver tail.

$.02

 

yeah, i don't think i can afford a tilt bed, but I'm sure my dad would love me to get one..

anyone else? I figured there would be a lot more opinions on trailers in here..

 

Dove tails are nice - my old trailer didn't have one and I had to jack up the front of the trailer to get the race car loaded (but didn't have to jack it up for street cars).

Dual axle is almost required unless you have a good reason to go single.

Electric brakes > surge brakes.

I'd go with closed deck this time. Old trailer was open deck - many times I would have liked to use it for hauling stuff other than cars but couldn't. I tried working on car while on trailer a few times - it was too cramped and dirty - I usually ended up pulling the race car down and into the driveway.

15" wheels will ride a bit better and last a bit longer than smaller wheels. But, make sure the fender leaves room for the race car's door to open.

If you want to be able to haul larger cars, make sure the trailer is large enough. I'm not sure if stock cars and other larger cars will fit all trailers.

 

not having a tilt/removable fender SUCKS if your car door does not clear the fender... either have to leave the window open and ukes of hazard it (pray for no rain) or climb in/out through the trunk (not easy and looks funny)

important detail, what kind of tow vehicle do you have?

 

Throw a window net in the mix and you've got a real fun time getting out of the car if the door dont clear the fender.

--Karl, also shopping for a replacement

 

Dove/Beaver tail is a definite.. Basically, what I'm looking right now is a steel full deck (with steel plated deck, not wood), 18ft, dove tail, dual axle, electric brakes on at least one of the axles, D ring tie downs.. not sure on wheel sizing though..

I'm trying to get it as wide as I can, since we'll have to put my dad's street rod on it at some point as well. Tilt fenders seem to be a pain to get, ie - there's not many that seem to have em.. I wonder how hard it would be to customize it to make it have it later?

as for tow vehicle, right now I have my v6 tacoma.. and i had already put all the towing stuff(hitch, 4 and 6 post connections, brake controller) on last fall.. I have it for sale though, and will probably move up to an F150/Lightning once it's gone. Or worst case borrow my dad's Chevy 1 ton Turbo Diesel if I have to..

all this sound ok? anything else I should be looking for?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mstewar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">all this sound ok? anything else I should be looking for?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Load leveling kit would do wonders.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by El Pollo Diablo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Load leveling kit would do wonders.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

like the weight leveling hitch things? maybe i'm not familiar with what you're talking about..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mstewar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

like the weight leveling hitch things? maybe i'm not familiar with what you're talking about..</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds like you are Yeah, that.

Did wonders for me. For friends as well. Worth every penny. (~$350 for whole kit)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by El Pollo Diablo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Sounds like you are Yeah, that.

Did wonders for me. For friends as well. Worth every penny. (~$350 for whole kit)</TD></TR></TABLE>

if i stick with the tacoma, i'll have to pick one of those up.. i'm thinking the integra and trailer won't bother my other truck choices much..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mstewar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

if i stick with the tacoma, i'll have to pick one of those up.. i'm thinking the integra and trailer won't bother my other truck choices much..</TD></TR></TABLE>

prolly won't, but it wont hurt having it. I've moved from the caprice to an explodition, and I still use it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by El Pollo Diablo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Load leveling kit would do wonders.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, forgot about that one. Great addition, even for larger trucks that don't need one.

Fender - the driver side fender on my trailer was cut off, then re-attached with brackets/bolts, so it could be removed. Wasn't exactly quick release, but worked ok.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crack Monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Fender - the driver side fender on my trailer was cut off, then re-attached with brackets/bolts, so it could be removed. Wasn't exactly quick release, but worked ok.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah.. i was thinking something along the lines of cut off and then use a hinge on one side and some sort of locking mechanism on the other.. ::shrugs::

 

If you are limited to $2000 take a look at Bri-Mar. They are very well made and come as others have noted with a "beaver tail" and hide-away ramps. There are other brands, but this one seems good very many types of race car. Definitely buy with a spare tire mounted out of the way of the car. The driver's side fender needs to be lower that the top of the door sill or removeable. Brakes need to be electric on both axles (required in many states).
If you finally decide on spending more (like double) or even just want to see the weight savings for your truck not to pull-go aluminum like I did. Not cheap-but maintenance free and a full deck, beavertail, etc. Our R&R is 20'x8.5' and can haul either the CRX or Prelude. In fact with 7000 max capacity it can haul my friends 64 Fairlane. What to pull with for our race car-Dodge Dakota w 4.7L V8 (5.9 was too pricey). Just my experience.

 

i've got basically exactly what you're looking for.

16' + 2' dovetail with 5' ramps. low profile fenders (the miata doors clear them), dual axle electric brakes, full deck (10yr warranty on the wood), with diamond plate covers on the fenders to protect against rock chips. i don't know how wide it is, but i've got about a foot on either side of the miata to spare, it's just slightly wider than my silverado. it's made by H&H and cost me $2080 including tax, title, and liscense. in my opinion, it's the perfect first trailer. i've got plenty of room to add a tire rack (which i am in a couple weeks), a box, and a place for the fuel jugs. when i first started this season, i could fit everything in the back of my truck no problem, now it's packed to the brim with wheels, tires, fuel jugs, tools, spares, and the like. make sure you've got enough room for a rack and box on whatever you get. the nice thing about a trailer like this is that it is always in demand and easily resaleable.