VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Enclosed Trailer Question

I'm hoping someone can help, I'm looking to purchase a trailer for my 1956 Chevrolet 3100 stepside and I also want to store it in the trailer....

What would be a very nice towing trailer, 20 to 24 ft, finished inside? also what GR Axle wieght would I need?

I plan on having a winch or it would be nice to have a door on the drivers side..

I would like the beavertail style also...

I plan to tow it with my 2011 1500 Silverado....THANKS



taskforce56

i love my featherlite 5th wheel trailer. no problems since i bought it new in '94. be sure to get one with a one piece roof as multi-piece roofs tend to eventually leak. mike

Alot of the guys on the west side (Az, Calif) like the Jim-Glow trailer. I've been with several people towing them to the Pamona swap meet & they tow so nice we have to look in the rear veiw mirror to make sure it's still there.....Joe

A 24 foot trailer will have enough interior room to correctly position the vehicle, have room for: spare parts, tools, cleaning supplies and other items. Many stock trailers will use 3500 lb axles with spring suspension. 5000 lb torque-flex axles are much safer and require less maintenance. It is particularly important when you add up the weight of the trailer, weight of the vehicle and other stuff that will be put inside (floor jack, gas cans, lawn chairs, cleaning supplies, etc.) Also make sure that you get the 8 1/2 foot wide not 8 foot. The extra 6" inside makes a BIG difference.

I have a drivers side door that I ordered thinking it would be an asset. Even measured the driver door location on several vehicles I planned to haul to make sure it was located in the most advantageous location. I have used it several times to provide cross ventilation but only once tried it to give better access to the open drivers door on vehicle. Open door didn't work enough better than with the access door closed to justify even opening it. Besides it is nearly impossible to keep it from leaking.

Particularly if you use a 1/2 ton truck as tow vehicle and a "bumper pull" or "tag behind" trailer be sure to use a load equalizing hitch. An anti-sway device is also a good idea. The 1/2 ton suspension is marginal. Consider the added weight, length and more storage if you want a "goose neck" or "fifth wheel" trailer. There are advantages and disadvantages of each type.

Location of D-rings (and tie down system), wood versus metal floor, interior finish, outside vs. inside spare, spare handing on side or spare well are also items to decide on. Then there are lights?, vents?, windows? to consider.

Far more important is trailer height. Make sure that there is plenty of height to load the vehicles and also bounce room so the top of the vehicle does not meet the top of the trailer. Will really ruin a day if it happens. There are places on todays highways that make amusement rides seem tame. You might be surprised to see how far the vehicle inside a trailer can "jump".

Thanks Guy's for the info, it's nice when someone that has been there done that can help out a fellow Chevrolet collector, I only want the best for my 56....STEVE M

I pick up my New Used trailer yesterday...

It's a 2007 24ft Haulmark Race trailer, I had to tow it about 230 miles in 30-40 mile per hour winds,that was crazy...

I'm glad I got the Sway bar set up with it, this will work very well for towing my 56 Chevy truck, it came with extra's (winch, Battery, Tie downs, chair rack, side door compartment & new tires) & fully finished interior............Rooney3100












After I got it home.........

I am sure you will enjoy the trailer. I have a much older Haulmark 24 foot. Has given reasonably good service but hauling the 6000 lb fire truck took its toll on it.

bought and pulled a 20ft trailer from the factory. so far, it is the dream trailer. added the extra 6 in in height for hauling older cars. i also got the drivers side accesss door. so far i've decided that it was a waste of 200.00. in my opinion, a 20ft trailer is all thats needed. i don't see any reason to drag around 4 ft of trailer thats not needed. my humble opinion

When you buy a later 50s or newer car you will understand why the extra 4 feet is valuable. Actually any vehicle over ~ 16 feet can be a bit of a challenge to get the load weight properly located. The 4 feet doesn't cost that much more and only adds less than 200 lbs.

For overall versatility, longer is better.

Well, I need to add my two cents.

LENGTH
I've owned two open trailers and my current closed trailer. My closed one is 20' long. Inside I've hauled 1928, '31, '36, '38, '66 and a couple other years when it was loaned out. (Only my 1986 Olds wouldn't fit inside.)

I think this length has been perfect. But I don't haul a bunch of extra stuff inside it. Just some tools, spare tires and floor jack. There's always enough room.

I have a friend who had a 24 footer and he finally got rid of it since it was too much trouble to park anywhere!?!?

SIDE DOORI evaluated this a lot before I got my trailer. Decided that it wasn't worth it - for the same reasons mentioned in an earlier posting. And after 12 years, I've only wished that I had it ONCE. So, I think not worrying about the extra leaks and security was a good trade-off.

TOWING
I'm a little surprised that no one is mentioning hauling a 24' trailer around with a 1500 truck. Ouch. From my experience, that's a lot of hassle.

I've bought three new trucks in the past 11 years and finally have the perfect towing rig.
2000 Silverado 1500 -- stable, comfortable but not good on hills. No guts.
2008 Avalanche 1500 -- neat truck, but tranny downshifted way too much on slightest grade.
2011 Silverado 3500 -- with Duramax -- this is Heaven On Earth!!!!!

--Bill

I have a 2011 regular cab 1500 Silverado with the HD towing & Z71 packages, it pulled the trailer just fine in towing mode, I haven't put my truck in yet thou, but it should be fine, I wish I could have bought a 2500 series, but it was not in the budget....

As for the size, my 56 truck is around 16ft in length, I wanted enough room to be able to stand in front and open the hood and also operate the winch, I thought a 20 ft trailer would be small, it doesn't matter what size of a trailer you have you still have to park it like any other....Rooney3100

Jerry,

Sorry I recommended you purchase a street side door in your new trailer. As I remember you were considering a 96" wide trailer at the time, but ended up with a 102" wide unit. Would you like me to send you the $200?

I own a 96" wide with a street side door which I couldn't live without, even with my '28 Chevrolets. I own a 102" enclosed trailer without a street side door. Getting in and out of my '28 in that trailer works fine but putting my 68" 1/2 ton inside the 102" requires going out the driver's door window. Not an easy task for a guy well north of 70.

howdy oldie, no need to send me the 200.00-- you were spot on with all your recomendations. i owe you alot for helping me with all the decisions in having my trailer built. i have found in my case, i have,nt had a need for the drivers side door. maybe one day i will. besides, i,d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. also, when the time comes to sell it i think it will be an asset. thanks again for all your help, jerry

I agree as the extra space can always be used for storage. Haven't seen any post about anyone complaining about too much storage space, and probably few of us are on the road with the trailers very often. I think there are different needs for all of us and each needs to decide which is best for them. The best scenario I could imagine is to be able to call a carrier and tell them when and where I want a car to be.