Car trailers sturdy enough to haul a B body.

[Richard Cranium]

Is that in BG KY or thereabouts? I would have liked mine to have that as well.

Yes, in Kentucky.

 

[Nxcoupe]

Yes, in Kentucky.

That's where mine came from as well. Really high quality in my opinion.

 

[patrick66]

The windbreak is a great option to have. Mileage gain (in most cases) and gravel and debris protection are the pluses. The cons are accessibility to the winch with a load on the trailer, and not really being able to have a direct eyeball on the load. I find myself looking back very often when I have an open trailer with a load. Your '06 aluminum trailer is what I really want to have!

 

[72redbird]

Here it is almost a year later and I'm looking again.
Same situation as before....I'd prefer an 18' unit with dove-tail for easier loading. The heaviest vehicle I'd tow would be 5000 lbs. I'll be towing using my 2007 Ram 1500 Regular cab 2wd.
Prices seem to have stabilized. I may go and look at some trailers at a Big Tex dealer tomorrow.

I have a Big Tex trailer just like you are talking about. I ordered mine, 18 foot long, with a 4 foot dove tail. I also had them put the 3 foot tongue on it. It is also what they call a super wide. It is the 6000 lbs car hauler. I have hauled cars all over the country with it, love it tows like a dream loaded and unloaded. Have hauled my wifes 88 Ramcharger a few time on it.

 

[Kern Dog]

*****U P D A T E *****
I bought an 18' Big Tex flat deck.
New.
More details to follow.....

 

[Kern Dog]

Boom. The day finally came.

Big Tex 18 footer. I wanted a dove tail but they are harder to find than I thought.

$4300 plus all the extras......Like a SPARE tire, brake controller....

Tax and license. All in, $5400. This is a 7000 lb rated unit that weighs 2000 lbs on its own.

I brought out Jigsaw and did a test load.

I didn't need any tricks to load it. I thought I'd need to back the truck tires onto some ramps or make some extensions for the steel ramps but it went right up.

NOW I have to find a way to tie the car down. Every time that I have hauled a car before, the trailer had it's own tie downs. This trailer has no D rings, just the stake pockets.

The trailer store had these on the wall:

They slip into the stake pockets and look like a decent solution for some cargo but I'm not sure I like them for tying down a car. I think I want something lower so the straps don't rub the body on the car being transported.

 

[T2R9]

The tire straps like these work well on trailers like this.

 

[Kern Dog]

The trailer dealer probably would have GLADLY modified this unit to suit my needs but I felt that I spent enough with them.....no offense to them in any way. The price I paid is less than it was about a year ago when I first started looking due to the usual excuses....supply chain and inflation.

I had the wife order these......

A 12 pack of "weld on" D rings for $45 from Amazon.
Now I just need to decide where to place them.

Here is a link ......

 

[Kern Dog]

A friend suggested welding the D rings on the outside of the side angle iron in the places depicted below.

He also suggested welding one each on the rails leading to the tongue....not sure why.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

When you tie down you need points further ahead of the car so you can grab a solid point & pull forward & side to side at the same time, you should be pulling both sides towards each other across the trailer... You do that front & rear... The rear tie downs are critical to prevent the load shifting forward under hard braking.... In the past CHP required that the rear tie downs were chains, not webbing.. Don't know if the rules changed but I don't see cars chained much anymore...

I would consider adding a winch, if I were doing it, the winch would be on a hitch type mount so it could be attached to the truck hitch or to a hitch mount fabricated & attached to the front of the trailer....

If you want to do the cheap version a hand crank winch like is typically used on a boat works too... Not a nice but cheap & doesn't require adding a battery box...


Last week there was a particularly ugly accident near here, a 1 ton dually flat bed towing a trailer hauling a backhoe & a bobcat discovered a brand new sink hole on the freeway... Honestly I'm surprised the guys weren't killed but apparently they had the equipment chained well & when the truck hit the hole & abruptly stopped the trailer mostly stopped too, it did rip the hitch off the truck & the trailer flipped but it didn't go through the truck, it went to the center wall & wound up on it's side along side the truck...

 

[33 IMP]

I wandered around Irwindale tonight, and looked at wood deck trailers. Most had loops welded onto the outside of the trailer frame, so that the loop was above the frame. Loops as far forward that didn't interfere with winch or toolbox mount, and as far rearward as possible.
Extra d-rings in as many places as possible is a plus.
I agree with your friend regarding placement.
I did see steps looped through the stake holes too. I don't think I'd do it that way.
Edit. Straps. Damn auto-correct.

 

[Kern Dog]

I don't feel comfortable strapping down a car through the stake pockets. The edges seem like they would fray the straps.

 

[33 IMP]

I don't feel comfortable strapping down a car through the stake pockets. The edges seem like they would fray the straps.

Yep.

 

[33 IMP]

Kern, check out "why I don't cross strap my trailer tie downs" by some jeep guy on you tube.

 

[Kern Dog]

Kern, check out "why I don't cross strap my trailer tie downs" by some jeep guy on you tube.

 

[Nxcoupe]

I agree with wild rt, I would put 2 at the rear most corners of the trailer, but on the rear angle iron, not the sides, then do the same on the front. X rear and straight on the front and always, always attach to rear axle and lower control arms, never to the frame. The vehicle moves up and down as you tow it, and if attached to the frame, a large bump can dislodge or loosen your straps. I see guys do this at the track and I cringe. I'm one of those few folks that have had a car come off the trailer on the expressway. No one was hurt, car wasn't damaged, but it left a lasting, burned-in impression on my brain. If I ever see any of you at a car show, ask me about it.

 

[72redbird]

NOW I have to find a way to tie the car down. Every time that I have hauled a car before, the trailer had it's own tie downs.

Check out DLD Truck straps. I bought mine there. They have straps that are made for the stake pocket. Never had a problem with them.

 

[Kern Dog]

I backed the trailer into the shop. Tomorrow I hope to start welding in the D rings. I have them placed about where they will go.
I do wonder though if having them in direct line of the ramps is a good idea. Maybe move them inboard a bit?
The Jigsaw Charger tire track width is in line with the second board in on both sides. Maybe I'll weld the D rings in to center of the third board like I have it figured for the front.

 

[33 IMP]

In the rear, it kinda depends on how you want to secure the car. I towed two different cars regularly. On the 62 I use axle straps and then tie-down straps. My Tina, I used the wheelie bar mounts as the secure point.
I generally use axle straps on everything, but that sometimes means the vehicle carried has to be all the way to the front to account for the extra strap length of the axle straps. If you get axle straps, get short ones. If you use axle straps, put your d rings in line with where they will be.
My Opel uses axle straps on both ends, but its small enough that that is not a problem, even with my short little trailer.

 

[Nxcoupe]

I backed the trailer into the shop. Tomorrow I hope to start welding in the D rings. I have them placed about where they will go.
I do wonder though if having them in direct line of the ramps is a good idea. Maybe move them inboard a bit?
The Jigsaw Charger tire track width is in line with the second board in on both sides. Maybe I'll weld the D rings in to center of the third board like I have it figured for the front.

View attachment 1319239

View attachment 1319240

I would spread the rear out further than the ramps. That's how all my trailers are. I also cross the rears to more secure the car in its location on the trailer.