Anyone ever towed on a 10' trailer?

I've come to the conclusion it is the result of trying to meet the 'needs' of American buyers. They want a truck with a decent payload capacity, but it must also ride soft and comfortable like a car. So the makers use very soft springs and set them up really high to allow lots of sag when a load is added. Notice how the truck looks like a 'low rider' when something is in the bed. On my F150 "shop truck" I lowered the suspension all the way around (it is mildly customized), and added air bags to the rear suspension. That way I can pump up the air bags when I need to load the bed.

That may be part of it, My F350 is from the early 80's and empty the rolling 25mph speed bumps they love to litter the streets with, if hit at 25 in my truck I catch a fair amount of air and it hurts when you land, I hate it when they don't mark them... I'm also thinking of adding air to it after removing all but the main leaf in the springs, that should soften it up a bunch then I can add air to set the ride height.

I have used air in the past as well, my 76 F250 had air in the back and I loved that setup, that's why I want to try it on all four corners on the newer truck. and come up with a self leveling system so it's automatic.
 
If you go with a full air suspension on your truck, a couple things to consider:
Depending on how you use the truck, it can be a little less reliable than a regular spring design.
They have self leveling systems that work pretty well, but they are really expensive. The air suspension it self is a bit pricey also.
Typically the front suspension isn't a real comfort issue (unless yours has REALLY stiff front coils). So the main reason to going to air on all four corners is if you want a custom look, able to be lowered significantly ("slammed").

For a "work truck", I prefer stock front suspension and soft rear leaf springs with air "helper springs". It gives the adjustability you need for payload and comfort, but is much simpler, reliable, and cost effective.
 
If you go with a full air suspension on your truck, a couple things to consider:
Depending on how you use the truck, it can be a little less reliable than a regular spring design.
They have self leveling systems that work pretty well, but they are really expensive. The air suspension it self is a bit pricey also.
Typically the front suspension isn't a real comfort issue (unless yours has REALLY stiff front coils). So the main reason to going to air on all four corners is if you want a custom look, able to be lowered significantly ("slammed").

For a "work truck", I prefer stock front suspension and soft rear leaf springs with air "helper springs". It gives the adjustability you need for payload and comfort, but is much simpler, reliable, and cost effective.

On mine the front isn't as stiff as the rear but it's still very harsh plus I want the leveling capability for when the plow is on. I have leaf's in the front as well.

Part of it is lowering it some, not slammed but down where my SO can get in without me reaching over to pull her in lol. Less reliable isn't a worry as it's not a daily driver I probably only use a tank of fuel a month. The self leveling feature could be as simple as using a mechanical level sensor like my old air ride motorhome, it just has a small orifice that either bleeds or adds air depending on the level, it's slow enough that bumps don't effect it much, if you're below ride height it slowly adds air until the bumps average it out and vice versa if you're above ride height you bleed air off until the bumps average out the bleed and add functions and it runs constantly no electronics involved.
 
plus I want the leveling capability for when the plow is on. I have leaf's in the front as well.
I hadn't thought about a heavy front load like a snow plow (we don't know what snow is here). But you are right, air bags in the front would be very useful for that. And I forgot the earlier Fords had leafs in the front.

I suppose you could do the same as discussed for the rear. Remove some leafs from the front, then add air 'helper' bags?

For your application I would not use the latest ride leveling technology. Not only is it really expensive, but it requires a lot of work to install and get set up and programmed (it's computer based on your smartphone). There are options, like you mentioned. Actually one method I prefer is really old-school. It uses paddle switches on the dash that are air valves. They manually increase/decrease the air pressure into the bags. A pressure gauge monitors things. Simple, reliable, easy to install and good enough for these type applications. I have lots of references for this stuff if you decide to do it.
 
I thought there would be two or three responses to this thread!

Mike, can you measure the trailer length from the hitch to the front of the bed? These appear to have a decent length to them but will have to take measurements.

Price; they start at about $1k to $1350 for the basics. With all of the modifications - if they will do all of them - not sure. The drop axle seems to be a few hundred more. Ramps instead of a tilt gate might be more. It would be great if I could start with the 6x10 at $984 and keep it under $1400-1500. The five foot bed is 60.5" wide and the six foot bed is 76", quite a difference. they don't have a 5 1/2' wide option. I'll go through this thread and notate all of the suggestions and see what they would be willing to do.

I would prefer to go with 13" to keep it lower but will look into the ratings more. They told me the 13"s have the same tow rate as 15s but a 15 in the same brand should be a higher rated tire anyway. It would be cool to have 13" duallies.:)

If anyone could tell me the length from the front or rear (bumperless) to the jack point I would appreciate it.
 
Roughly 89" from the nose to the jack point and 57 from the back.

This is the tire I'm using
https://recstuff.com/trailer-tires-...ier-s-trail-radial-trailer-tire-load-range-e/
at 21.3" tall and 1520Lbs 2 tires would be questionable but if you go tandems you have 6080Lbs capacity which gives you a nice 4000lb trailer with a healthy safety margin. If you figure an X at 2200 Lbs plus your trailer weight you can work your way to how much tire you need, I would figure about 80% of the tires rating for full load especially if you are on a long haul, short trips I'll push it much closer to the rating.

The other place to look at tire ratings I found helpful is etrailer.com

One thing I did to keep the deck low and still be able to open doors over the fender is to mount the fender to the hub not the trailer, that way I could set it 1" above the tire and didn't have to worry about suspension travel, If you go this route it has to be mounted well as the fender is subjected to the full force of the wheel vibrations and shock loads, if it's mounted to the trailer the suspension is between the fender and the shock loads but then you have to mount the fender high enough to clear the suspension movement.

Good luck
 
Brian makes a good point that possibly wasn't clearly stated earlier. I am assuming the trailers you are looking at are single axle, typically smaller ones in that price range are. Therefore with only two tires (compared to a dual axle with four total tires), your tires must have a sufficient weight capacity each (total load is carried by two instead of four tires). You should also include some additional margin for safety as he said; with dual axles there are still three tires if one blows, but with a single axle you have nothing on one side when a flat occurs. That's why I suggested going with a larger wheel/tire. Not only will it offer a greater weight capacity, but it will rotate at a lower RPM for any given road speed. That creates less heat, stress, wear, etc in the tire.

What you are finding about the available trailer widths is due to the standard sizes of axle widths. They make the trailers to fit the axle, which only comes in a few widths. If you opt for the narrower one, it will allow less side clearance for the doors to open. Likewise, a drop axle will place the wheel/tire/fender higher relative to the deck height. But a drop axle has two major benefits; lower center of gravity (more stable towing), and reduced loading height (for ramp angle). Like most things in life, everything is a tradeoff. Decisions, decisions. If you plan to keep the trailer a long time and anticipate using it much, then it might be worth investing in one that's a little better suited overall for all of the potential uses.
 
Hasbro
The trailer I have has seen plenty of use. And it appears to have been extensively modified by a PO. It was used by a PO to transport an X based car, you may remember that car as the Wedge X. The tires are 14" and I haven't really needed the brakes. Brakes may be necessary for a light tow vehicle though.
The ball is about 57.5" from the front of the trailer. I can open the door of the X when the car is rolled all the way forward on the tracks. That's handy as I have a couple of other cars that I have to climb out the top of when I load them into an enclosed trailer. :p
It looks like this trailer was originally designed with a foldable tongue, and was later modified to move the tongue about 18" forward. That would make it much better for towing an X because it moves the car back a little further helping to prevent contact between the tow vehicle and the towed car in sharp (ish) turns. Sharp turns are a big no-no, something that must always be kept in mind! Moving the tounge forward will (?) also move the center of gravity rearward allowing the car to be towed facing forward. Driving the car onto the trailer makes it much easier to load without a winch. The car overhangs both front and rear.
This trailer has room to store 12" X 2" boards that are roughly 10' long under the tracks. That's just enough to load a stock (not lowered) X. I place a couple of supports I cobbled up out of left over 2 X 4s about midway under the ramps. So far they've worked, but I should probably start looking for some boards that are in better shape.:eek:
This trailer also has another useful feature, a couple of supports that can be lowered to help keep the rear of the trailer from squatting down when a car is loaded.
Thinking about this trailer I've come to realize that I really need to add some tire stops to the front of the tracks before I load another car. :confused:
P1040564_LI.jpg

I hope this helps you with your search for a trailer. This 10' trailer does an acceptable job of transporting an X and is very light. Light enough that I don't ever really "feel" it when I'm pulling it. :)
 
Thanks Brian, Jeff, Mike. The measurements will help.

I spoke to two people today and Superior Trailer will do whatever custom changes are doable, so that's great. The car in question is about 1,800 lbs. - put together. :) The motor, tranny, and ancillaries will mostly go in the truck bed, which is heavily sprung. So, the trailer will carry less than 1,500 lbs., maybe 1,400. (Pete, if my numbers are wrong, pipe in). The Deluxe 6x10 can carry 2,070 lbs. but I should be able to pull about 150-200 off so make that 2250-2300 lbs. According to Brian's recstuff.com site 13" tires are available with a 1650 lb. load capacity. Loaded trailer would be approx. 2300 lbs., well below the gvwr of 2990 lbs.. 15" tires are rated at about 1,000 more load capacity than the 13s (wow) but are 28" in diameter (wow) as opposed to 24". I need to measure the diameter of the 15s at Superior, they might be smaller, although they would then have a lower rating, too.
 
One topic that's been mentioned a couple times here is brakes on the trailer. For the size of trailer you are considering, and the low load limits you listed, you won't need them. My 13' trailer does not have any brakes and it stops easily. But I'm also towing it with a full size truck, so that might make a difference. If you decide in the future that you want them, they are easy to add to any trailer (all trailer axles come with the mounts).
 
The motor, tranny, and ancillaries will mostly go in the truck bed, which is heavily sprung. So, the trailer will carry less than 1,500 lbs., maybe 1,400. (Pete, if my numbers are wrong, pipe in).

That part is not quite accurate, the SOHC motor and tranny are still in the car, so better plan on more like 1800-1900 unless you want to yank the motor while you are here. Whichever (or both) of the DOHC motors/trannies you want. plus assorted other parts, would have to go in the truck bed.

Pete
 
On the brake topic, Each State has their own requirements for that, In Washington any trailer that has a loaded weight over 2000lbs has to have brakes on all axles, Where in Oregon I think it's still 2000lbs but only has to have brakes on 1 axle (the leading axle) these rules are by memory and it has been a few years since I built the trailer so check your local laws. My opinion is that all but the smallest trailers should have brakes and I'm a fan of surge brakes, nothing has to be done to the towing vehicle and they work on any vehicle you hook the trailer to, Especially if you are towing with a lighter vehicle. I think Federal requirements are 3000lb max and 40% of towing vehicle GVW max. and that is actual weight of the towing rig not it's rated towing capacity so a 6000lb pickup can only tow 2400lbs without brakes legally.

To me it's a safety issue, all my trailers have brakes except the little 8" wheel hardware store trailers but those spend all their time on the back of the lawnmower and even there I've had moments where I wish they had brakes. lol.
 
also on the brake topic, with surge brakes there are two kinds, the drum brakes are different that a car's drum in that they only work in forward when you back up they self release, the disk brakes on the other hand do work in reverse so the master cylinder has a solenoid valve on it that is operated from the backup light circuit on the tow rig. I went with the disk brakes because the only drum for 12" wheels looked like it "might" work on a gokart, the drums for 13" are better. I carry a metal wedge in the tool box on the trailer so if it ever ends up on a car not wired for the backup lights you can stick it in the tongue to block the braking force in reverse, just have to remember to remove it before hitting the road. I also added backup lights to the trailer and those have come in very handy a few times backing up in the dark.
 
Points well taken Brian. Oddly, Calif does not have as stringent rules on trailer brakes (considering they do on everything else).
Perhaps in my situation, with a late model full-size tow vehicle (domestic pickup with disc's on all 4 corners and ABS), and the light loads I've towed, I did not feel the need for trailer brakes. I also have a huge 'slide-in' camper that fits in the truck's bed. Even with the enormous weight it adds (exceeds the truck's rated limit), I've never found the truck's brakes to be lacking; including a couple of panic stops where it performed flawlessly. Although I've never had both the camper and the trailer attached at the same time (don't think the truck's small V8 would pull all that). But I will concede that adding braking capacity is always a good thing. Especially if the tow vehicle to be used is a smaller one.
 
Curious what you decided to do about a trailer?

Just to help visualize what I was describing earlier on the cheap 13' utility trailer that I've used to haul X's. The side (and front) rails are fairly tall and prevent the car from sitting very far forward:
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I should have measured the height, sorry. But the top of the rail is right at the height of the X's bumpers. So the bumper hits it and won't overlap any. That makes the car sit fairly far back on the trailer.

This trailer was homemade by someone locally, he used it a few times, then I bought it for a couple hundred dollars. At that time it looked very decent, but the harsh environment here has really degraded its appearance (didn't realize how bad until seeing this pic). It is mostly angle iron and 2"x8" planks. I wish the tongue was longer and the side rails lower. But I like that it has 15" wheels/tires. It's a single axle, no brakes. Tows very easily behind my full size truck. I added a winch inside the storage box (you can just see the nose of it sticking out).
 
Dr J, out of frustration I called U-Haul a couple of days ago and asked why I could rent an enclosed 6x12 but not a 6x12 utility. He said the utility had to be returned to the same place that it was rented from. Several months back a U-Haul guy told me I couldn't rent one due to ratings and I didn't question it at the time. So, for the trip to Texas I will pick one up here and take it round trip.

When back, I will work on getting the single axle designed but there won't be a rush. There are many suggestions on here to apply and would like to make it similar to the Euro ones with a mild railing for utility function. With the car here it will be easier to precisely measure out a tailored fit for the X. I'm never getting rid of the X but am also interested the trailer being able to handle really big cars such as Scorpion.:)
 
Good plan. If you haven't hauled a car on a trailer before, then renting one will be worth the experience to learn what is important to you for the future.

As for using the trailer for multipurposes. I've often thought how nice it would be to have a flat bed with a removable enclosed box. Something of a conversion kit so you could use it either way. Think of something like these two, but combined so the same trailer can be converted from one to the other:
Screen-Shot-2017-05-24-at-6.43.32-PM.png

nest01-660x371.jpg


That top one is interesting. I met the owner of the company that makes them a couple years ago at SEMA. He is from Australia (if I remember right), where he had been making them for some time before bring it to America. It is all aluminum (very light weight), and the suspension articulates on a pivoting mechanism that is driven by a cable system. A winch raises or lowers the suspension to allow dropping the trailer for easier loading.
 
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