I thinking about replacing my 16" tandem axle open deck trailer. It has worked well for the last four years. My wife and I are pretty committed to rallycross and stage rally at this point and low load floor designed to fit autocross cars with splitters isn't worth the hassle and scraping driving the last mile to events.
We are pulling with a crew cab Toyota Tundra that is usually filled with 3 adults, 2 kids, and all the kids junk on race day. I am looking for trailers with a more onboard storage so I don't packing and unpacking for the event is less work. We have been doing this long enough that we have duplicates of all our event day gear and it would be great to leave some of it in the trailer between events.
I don't think I have the payload capacity left over for an enclosed trailer. I am willing to be convinced on this though. As an alternative to an enclosed, I found that searching on facebook marketplace for car trailers with an observation deck returns a bunch of results like this:
These are all 20-22' long with room for a 3-4' deep box and tire rack at the front. I have priced out a new 22' trailer with a 4' racer box plus tire rack and the cost is ridiculous. I don't think I got a quote under $15K. Used, they are about the price of a similar condition open deck trailer without the racks.
This style looks like it fits my needs but I have never seen one at an SCCA event. Is there a big negative to this style trailer that I am missing? Any idea how the high mounted racks affect gas mileage?
You occasionally see racks like that at stage rallies, the big box is less common. The only downside I could see for that use is, not all service locations have room for you to bring the trailer, so you could get stuck moving the "stuff" back into the truck at some point.
In regards to the higher mounting vs fuel efficiency: It will be different for a bumper pull....how much I don't know. But with my gooseneck open trailer adding my roof top tent canceled out the loss of the wing being on the car and making drag. I believe this is due to the tent just so happened to only stick up an inch or two higher than the cab of the truck and was close enough to streamline the air off the back of the cab.
So IF you go to a higher trailer box/platform/whatever, you could likely see minimal change if you have a cap on the box that matches up height wise to even out the air flow over the truck and trailer.
Thanks for the info. It sounds like I need to prioritize a bed cap over a new trailer if I want more lockable storage.
I hadn't even considered putting a roof top tent on the observation deck. That is a great idea.
As one who has owned several travel trailers, my observation is about drag. If you did change the trailer and went to one of those pictured that had the big enclosure on the nose, the drag you would feel going down the road would be significant vs your current setup.
It appears you are leaning towards a bed cap instead and if I were in your situation I would consider that too.
Is the bed of your truck currently open? I have a locking tri-fold hard tonneau on mine and it is fantastic. To me the benefits vs a shell were that its easier to remove, far cheaper, and prevents prying eyes from looking through a window at my gear.
My 2 cents worth. Good luck in your search!
In reply to ojannen :
Mine is similar to this one
Although it doesn't have the part up top extending over the car, and the center of the deck is open all the way.
It's nice to have enclosed storage. I keep my ramps & winch battery in there & it probably has around 50-60 cubic feet of storage inside. It's a bit of a hassle getting stuff from the far passenger's side, as you have to drag anything/everything out of the way first, then stoop/crawl in, but that's the trade off for having it.
I've never used the tire rack on top, but at 5'6" I'd be lifting them up over my head somewhat blind.
Also, the box blocks most of your visibility like an enclosed trailer. Although with the rear view camera mounted on top of the RV I'm able to see over the box to keep an eye on the car & traffic behind me. I don't like the fact that the driver's side fender isn't removable either. It's in the way for every car I've hauled on it & I can barely squeeze out the partially open door.
These are my favourite open oval racing trailer these are set up for dirt late models with the ramp overs. Made my reliable welding.
I like those trailers. Are the Reliable Welding trailers made anymore? I found a few for sale posts on google but they were all over 5 years old. I found some similar designs from Newton Custom Trailers but they are all way out of my price range.
Are the rampovers for wide circle track cars that don't fit between the wheels?
How does towing this style of trailer compare to a fully enclosed trailer of the same length? Are they any lighter? I am towing with a 2018 Toyota Tundra and I am avoiding enclosed trailers right now. I don't think the truck has enough payload capacity for 800 lbs of tongue weight and 4 adults inside.
ojannen said:
I like those trailers. Are the Reliable Welding trailers made anymore? I found a few for sale posts on google but they were all over 5 years old. I found some similar designs from Newton Custom Trailers but they are all way out of my price range.
Are the rampovers for wide circle track cars that don't fit between the wheels?
How does towing this style of trailer compare to a fully enclosed trailer of the same length? Are they any lighter? I am towing with a 2018 Toyota Tundra and I am avoiding enclosed trailers right now. I don't think the truck has enough payload capacity for 800 lbs of tongue weight and 4 adults inside.
Im pretty sure they are I know Pete Parker is definitely still racing. I think the reason u only see older ones for sa,e is because the people who buy them love them and they are built very well and last a long time. And yes the rampovers are for dirt late models which are so wide they normally can't clear fenders on trailers.
I found this trailer near my house: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/744690027173516. I was planning on creating this exact setup on an 18' or 20' trailer but I didn't think I could afford aluminum.
Pros are aluminum with a battery, winch, and electric tongue jack. The one big con is it is built on a 17.5' deck Featherlite. The box is 3' deep leaving 14.5' for the car. My 90s BMWs are fairly small with a 13'8" and 13'4" lengths. Is that enough deck?
I think if you add some tie-down points in the middle, it could be done. That way you could strap toward the rear from the front wheels and toward the front from the back wheels.
In reply to Lof8 - Andy :
I like that idea. Strapping to body hooks with the ratchets fully under the car feels like a pain.
