Dreaming: Affordable-ish way to tow two cars to the track?

When I finish my stock car build, I'll have two track-capable cars in my garage. I would love to be able to bring my wife or trusted friends and family to the track with me to run track days, but most are hesitant to take their own cars. If I could tow two cars to the track, I could let them borrow my Miata and I could drive the stock car and it would be a total blast :)

Together, the cars are probably 28'-29' long and weigh about 5500 pounds. What options would I have for a truck/trailer combo (or any other combo - rollback and trailer? Huge box truck with super long ramps)? Do you think it would be possible for $20 grand or less?

AMiataCalledSteve said:

When I finish my stock car build, I'll have two track-capable cars in my garage. I would love to be able to bring my wife or trusted friends and family to the track with me to run track days, but most are hesitant to take their own cars. If I could tow two cars to the track, I could let them borrow my Miata and I could drive the stock car and it would be a total blast :)

Together, the cars are probably 28'-29' long and weigh about 5500 pounds. What options would I have for a truck/trailer combo (or any other combo - rollback and trailer? Huge box truck with super long ramps)? Do you think it would be possible for $20 grand or less?

Ramptruck and trailer.  Boom done.

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1480402066125402/?ref=search

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Your suggestion led me to this lol

Kinda related, has anyone ever seen a smaller stacker trailer? the only ones i see are giant, but i figure a trailer built for stacking two formula cars could be only marginally taller than a normal trailer.

I've looked into stacking, but if you're just dragging two cars it's probably eaiser to go long unless you build something custom. I drew out some designs for Miata + Lotus 7 a while back but it ended up being needless complication.

At FM, I tow two cars in a 28' trailer behind a Dodge diesel pickup. They're Miatas, of course, but it's been a good rig. The downside is that non-car cargo space is limited to the bed of the truck. 

I like the ramp truck plus  a 20' trailer. I have no idea what a ramp truck costs though :)

I've seen some really groovy ramp trucks with custom paint and interior for about 15-20k on marketplace, less cool ones for less money of course. A longer trailer probably makes sense but parking space is at a premium at my house, so the idea of a shorter stacker rather than a 30 footer appeals to me

One of my friends in SC wanted a ramp truck for his auto shop and looked for a while. He ended up going older roll back. He paid somewhere south of $20k for this one. It has low miles a 6.5 straight drive. It goes 2 cars, one on the bed and one on the wheel lift, not sure how that would work with your cars, it can also tow a trailer off the wheel lift. Another friend of mine goes the uhaul trailer route for his Miata track car because he doesn't have the space for a trailer. 

Because our formula cars are only about 900# and 36" tall, a lot of guys use stackers in standard height trailers.   I wouldn't for heavier bigger cars.

One problem... a lot of $20K solutions may create more problems that will keep you from racing.   Old $20K trucks tend to be slap wore out.

In reply to Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) :

For sure, though part of that is probably location dependent. I currently tow (just one car) with a '02 Silverado 1500 that I bought for $6k a few years ago. I'm the second owner and the truck has been pretty decent so far, though to your point it is pretty high mileage. I have wondered about buying an Avalanche 2500 since they seem to be cheaper than the comparable pickup.

I have often thought about one of these, though I suppose it's not any simpler than a ramp truck...

NY Nick said:

One of my friends in SC wanted a ramp truck for his auto shop and looked for a while. He ended up going older roll back. He paid somewhere south of $20k for this one. It has low miles a 6.5 straight drive. It goes 2 cars, one on the bed and one on the wheel lift, not sure how that would work with your cars, it can also tow a trailer off the wheel lift. Another friend of mine goes the uhaul trailer route for his Miata track car because he doesn't have the space for a trailer. 

The key of course is to find one with somebody else's name still on the door.  That way you can drive like a berking psycho and all the Karens will call said name on door.  Works for dash cams and door cams too 

gixxeropa said:

Kinda related, has anyone ever seen a smaller stacker trailer? the only ones i see are giant, but i figure a trailer built for stacking two formula cars could be only marginally taller than a normal trailer.

I did a lot of looking when researching our setup, and I think it comes down to the lift.  Our stacker is 22' long, which is as short as they normally make them.  All of the stackers I've seen have a 3-5k lift, and that ends up being pretty big.  You could probably stack two formula cars in a 7-8' tall trailer if you built a custom lift/liftgate/ramps. 

For a budget solution, a 28-30ft open trailer is probably the cheapest, towed behind a pickup.  IIRC, some states have rules about overall length for a bumper pull, so you may need to go gooseneck.

One problem with ramp trucks, and over cab carriers as pictured above is approach angle.  Depending on the construction, it might be difficult to impossible to load/unload a low race car, especially with aero.

Downside to a ramp truck -- to hold that kind of weight it's built on an F550-or-whatever chassis.  Much less comfortable to ride in, and probably only seats 2, which might not be enough if the goal is to bring along other people to introduce to the hobby.  For weekend events, do you camp at the track or stay at a nearby hotel?  If the latter, then finding parking for the ramp truck at the the hotel/restaurant/etc kinda sucks.

I'd go with a gooseneck 2 car hauler over a ramp truck, personally.  You can tow that with a 1-ton (or maybe even 3/4 ton) pickup, and while those aren't EASY to park, it's a whole lot better than a ramp truck.  You can also get one with a crew cab, so you can bring more than 1 other person with you.

Just a bigger equipment trailer if you have a strong enough vehicle to tow it. It's a little heavy and you may have to find better ramps than what would likely come with it. Saw a YouTuber that bought one to tow two cars. Video link of him buying it.

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c2b3gICzBaM

A local shop mad two reps of Parnelli Jones' Mustang, one '69 fastback, one newer.  He made a ramp truck from a C-900, then a trailer.  I thought it was clever to run ramps from the trailer to the truck so you don't have to disconnect to get just the top car off.

I've ridden in the back of a crew cab rollback(my bmw was on the back). They aren't common, but you do see them here and there. Just have to check local laws. Some states make it difficult to own an ex-commercial vehicle even if used privately.

Crewcab ramp with a trailer though. That's my vote. I saw a bunch of them already sold all over the internets.