I need some help from those who know. I want to buy a car trailer to bring my car to Salem Ohio this summer 400 mile tow. I have a 69 GS. I was going to drive it but no A/C and the fear of breaking something racing it means tow. Anyhow I have a 2004 dual cab Dodge 1500 4x4 Hemi Pick up with a tow package and the Superchips progam. What type of trailer length and gross weight is best for towing my GS. I am concerned about the truck being a 1500 is this OK for towing the vehicle twice or so a year. Thanks for any advise good or bad. Dave PS I will be racing the truck on the open race night also if anyone wants to give me a try. :Brow: :grin:
Dave- I can give you my experience when I went trailer shopping. I bought an 18' open trailer. brand is "Big Tex". I paid $1900 for it brand new in 2000. I could have gotten a 16' but I trailer my Riviera sometimes as well and I didnt want the rear end hanging over. Also, the longer the trailer, the easier it is to backup. I also chose to get an open center. Just in case I had to repair something under the car. It has come in handy a few times. Mine also has a "beaver tail" aka driveway scraper. The last 2 feet are angled downward. Makes it easier to drive low ground clearance cars up. My trailer weighs 1850 lbs. It has a 5100 lb capacity. I've never towed with anything less than a 1 ton truck, but Im sure your 1500 is capable. Just double check your towing specs in your owners manual. Make sure you get brakes on all 4 wheels. One option to seriously consider is an electric winch. I never got one on mine and have had to use a come along a couple of times. Gives you a real good workout! The only thing I regret is not spending the extra money to get one in aluminum. They only put a p*ss coat on mine and its rusting. The aluminum ones stay looking good. But, all in all it was the best thing I ever bought. Good luck!
Hey Dave, hope all is well in your buick-ville. We have towed all our cars for over 6 years with a 18ft dovetail wood deck el cheapo trailer...the trailer is great, i loan it our alot..get tons of complements onhow nice it pulls with a small v-8 ext cab truck..currently a GMC 1500. The truck gets 12+ mpg while towing. So i will see you at Salem..i will be bringing the 68 Blue Ragtop and title.....you bringing cash???? Lets make a deal!!! Good luck on getting the right tow setup....!!! :TU:
I towed a 71 Skylark to Bowling Green in 2002 with my 96 F-150. A 500 mile trip. I had no probs. The trailer was a freinds. 16' 7000lb flat deck trailer. It I had to do it again though, I'd have a 3/4 ton truck with an 18' dovetail trailer.
Pulling a Trailer I read a thread on the RV site where a person was pulling a trailer with a small truck and the load got away from him and had an accident. Now he doesn't have his wife (killed) driver license, house (sold to help settle law suits) job (disabled) or the kids (can'nt take care of them). THINK ABOUT IT when you pull a trailer, that is why they make big trucks. Diver
Type trailer for A body I use a 99 Hoop 18 footer, opened in the middle. I don't have any problems towing any of my Buicks with a 2004 Rainier. Just make sure that you put the car on the trailer right, if you see the tow vehicle dipping, just back the car a bit till you see the truck come back up. Too much tongue weigh will cause the vehicle and trailer to wobble going down the road.
Dave You will gain some margin if you buy a Featherlite which is what I use with a 1500 Silverado 4 x 4. Also the exterior upkeep is eliminated.
Make sure to get a load equalizer type hitch. This will make towing much nicer and helps control sway some. Also don't try to set any speed records. Drive smart and stay safe.
How much extra for aluminum Approx how much more can one expect to pay for an aluminum trailer over steel? Also, are they rated for as much gross weight?
My guess is about double. A Featherlite is north of 4K but you get it back when you sell and it saves you to some extent from having to purchase a bigger and more expensive tow vehicle. It also saves on maintenace and fuel.
