Car Hauler Trailer Advice? Rent or Buy? What to Look for When Buying?

[Lookout Ranch]

There are times when it would be nice to put the wagon on a trailer and avoid punishing it (and us) on long stretches of high-speed roads for which it wasn’t designed.

The thing is, we have a good towing rig — a ‘96 F250 7.3 Power Stroke diesel set up for either a gooseneck or receiver hitch. And we have room to park a car hauler outdoors alongside the horse trailers.

I’ve rented a u-Haul car hauler on a couple of occasions and consider it the gold standard in car hauler design. It’s exceptionally easy to tow, load and offload. I probably couldn’t find one just like that it wouldn’t want to pay the price if I did, but that would be ideal. A rental runs about $75 per day with all the fees, taxes, etc.

If I had a car hauler, I’d probably use it 4-6 times a year for trips 150-250 miles (one way), with occasional much longer trips, potentially, like to Moab or Death Valley, etc.

So please share any advice, tips, pointers or precautions. Things like:

Rent or buy?
New vs. used?
Features to look for?
Features to avoid?
Multi-use considerations?
Good places to look for good new or used trailers?

Thank you

 

[54 wagon ken]

I’ve thought about this same thing but with no room to store it buying one is out of the question for me . If price is not the main concern there are some nice all aluminum light weight ones on the market .

Electric brakes, ramps and tandem wheels would be my main concerns.

 

[JABJEEP]

I bought mine, used, from a freind who needed a bigger one. I talked to another friend who rented one for some unreasonable high (it seemed) price just for a show-n-sell swap meet. Based on how many times I use mine, the fact that I don't often need it in a pinch (no time to plan/rent), the cost of replacing dryrotted-like new tires, license fee, repairs to the mouse damage on the wires, and the fact that until the leaves come out in the spring I can see it from my kitchen window....renting, at the rediculous prices they charge, may actually be cheaper. If you tow often, and with little fore-planning, then owning makes a lot of sense. But if you only tow a few times/year, then paying big bucks to rent is actually less expensive.

 

[Stakebed]

There are times when it would be nice to put the wagon on a trailer and avoid punishing it (and us) on long stretches of high-speed roads for which it wasn’t designed.

The thing is, we have a good towing rig — a ‘96 F250 7.3 Power Stroke diesel set up for either a gooseneck or receiver hitch. And we have room to park a car hauler outdoors alongside the horse trailers.

I’ve rented a u-Haul car hauler on a couple of occasions and consider it the gold standard in car hauler design. It’s exceptionally easy to tow, load and offload. I probably couldn’t find one just like that it wouldn’t want to pay the price if I did, but that would be ideal. A rental runs about $75 per day with all the fees, taxes, etc.

If I had a car hauler, I’d probably use it 4-6 times a year for trips 150-250 miles (one way), with occasional much longer trips, potentially, like to Moab or Death Valley, etc.

So please share any advice, tips, pointers or precautions. Things like:

Rent or buy?
New vs. used?
Features to look for?
Features to avoid?
Multi-use considerations?
Good places to look for good new or used trailers?

Thank you

Kurt, you've seen my trailer in action. Dad and I trailered more derelicts than I can count (more than fingers and toes). I continue to have a trailer that needs ramps. But for our senior years, I recommend a rollback. Best trailer investment we ever made.

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www.kwikload.com

 

[two-bit]

I agree with @JABJEEP. If you can plan out when you have a need for the trailer, rent it.
Trailers can end up being lots of maintenance. I would consider 4-6 times a year rather limited usage.

If you really do want to buy. I would recommend a few key things to look at.
1) Frame design, and weight of the trailer.
2) Axle ratings, dual axle trailer trailer w 4K rated axles. Can it carry 8K? probably should not. Whatever your axles are rated for, take that weight. Then subtract the weight of the trailer, the weight of all of the tie down equipment, your spare tire, the breakaway battery, anything you would have on the trailer while you are hauling with it.
Your axles maybe rated for 4K, two axles = 8K. By the time you subtract all the weights. You could end up with a load capacity of less than 6K, sometimes closer to 5K.
3) Trailer brakes, you want both axles to have brakes, electric system, with a break away back up circuit.
4) Lights. Light fixtures in the open get broken. Recessed light housings, and wiring with dedicated grounds can make life a lot easier.
5) Once your (friends, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors, in-laws, out-laws and damn near everyone you have ever met) find out you own a trailer... they will ALL want to borrow it.

 

[timd32]

Our local trailer place rents trailers, they are a family business, been around for ever.

I have way too many trailers.

But I feel my 24' is too long too big too heavy, 14' is too short, 10' too small.

So I would go with a 20' which has limitations getting the load where you need it all the time with some trucks.

The roll backs are cool, a winch is a super nice to have, but it's like buying tires good luck, you probably know winches I know nothing there.

I have a tilt deck with a winch, it works but is super heavy and the axle location is tricky on those.

I agree rental sounds the way to go.

But I have never rented always purchased, the resale is not that terrible if your decent to a good model they hold good value. I outfitted my 14' as a landscaper trailer but I'm not a landscaper by trade it should be easy to off load to a landscaper if I toss in the small goodies and the sort for hanging up all the tools.

Good luck.

 

[Tralehead]

This thread got me looking for trailers to buy, most in decent shape were close in price to new! It seems the average is 5k, so that covers a fair amount of renting.
I don't really have a choice, no room to store, plus my Sprinter has a pretty light capacity at 5k lbs. But neither is your problem...

This did however bring me back to flat towing. IMHO, fabbing the proper brackets that hang below the frame, and using a good tow bar makes sense to me. I see lots of RVs flat towing all sorts of vehicles, and I recently talked to one who had a trailer but went to flat towing. Basically he felt the trailer was a hassle; always in the way, a pain to store, and yep, folks always asking to borrow. With flat towing he can park in a regular campsite, and if he wants to go to the city, it's easy enough to un hook his Jeep, park the RV and use the little car to drive around.
This made even more sense to me thinking about remote camp sites; my wife can drive the 4x van and I can lead in the Wagon. I really don't think pulling a trailer over rough roads is a good idea.
Plus, after I saw how fast @ndnile got his flattie off and on compared to the trailered rigs, it reinforced my decision.

So I'll be searching for the thread here on OWF about flat towing, and I can get an extra set of brackets made for ya if you'd like. LMK...
And I'll share any research on tow bars too!

 

[Pete]

I rented U-haul trailers to drag my wagon to Moab for about 10 years in a row, along with 2-3 various other trips each year. I agree that they are easy to use and tow. They are heavy though so if weight is a concern with your tow vehicle, maybe not the best option.
The problem I had again and again with renting the u-haul trailers over the years was availability. I live in a small town that isn't on the way to anywhere else. The U-haul rental place comes and goes, changing hands and location around town. They don't always have a trailer on hand, and can't guarantee that they will have one even if reserved way in advance. The next nearest rental place is 50 miles away, and when I've had to go that route it adds a ridiculous amount of time and miles to the round trip. I've even cancelled trips because I couldn't get a trailer.
I bought a trailer a couple of years ago, and am happy I did. With all of the rental fees I've paid over the years, I could have bought two of these trailers... It's a simple wood deck trailer with pull out ramps, weighs 1900 lbs, and will work for either my wagon or flatfender. I paid $3k for it new, all of the used ones I could find were the same price in well used condition. It tows easy, and even behind my Gladiator I can comfortably cruise with the wagon in tow at 70+ on the freeway all day long.
The only thing I'd do different if I had the choice, would be to get the all aluminum version to save weight. They cost about 3x though, so steel/wood will do for me.

 

[Eurodoublecab]

One thing you guys are missing about owning a trailer. If you own a trailer, you end up buying more stuff. lol
I bought a very nice 19' trailer at an auction a few years ago for $750, and sold it a few weeks ago for over $2000. Trailer prices are getting crazy.
I bought a frame from a very well built 5th wheel travel trailer for cheap. I am going to make it this trailer to go out west and haul home Willys pickups when I retire next year.

 

[ndnile]

Plus, after I saw how fast @ndnile got his flattie off and on compared to the trailered rigs, it reinforced my decision.

I have a buddy that has flat towed his GPW all over America, into Mexico and into Canada behind his truck and camper. Being a stock GPW it has a floating rear axle. On long trips when flat towing he pulls the rear axles and slides them into sleeves he made from an old pair of jeans. After setting up camp for the night, if they want to go to town, etc, he just locks the front hubs, puts it in 4WD high and goes.

 

[JABJEEP]

I made a nice tow bar and towed my CJ from Wisconsin to Moab, Colorado, Iowa, Southern Illinios, Michigan, and northern Wisconsin too many times to count. I used the "universal jeep bumper" adapter I made to retrieve my GPW in a pinch when the trailer would have been more work. The trailer is better if you push stuff to the limit and break stuff needed for flat towing (steering, axle end, etc.), and the towed vehicle doesn't have brakes like a good trailer. After I flew through and intesection at the bottom of a hill towing my CJ with my Grand Cherokee I finally bought the trailer. This alone (the added safety feature of brakes) was enough sway me to buy a trailer. I use it for drywall,plywood, long lumber, manure for the garden, other projects, and of course friends. It's still an expensive luxury, but more valuable to me than cable TV (which my wife insists on). For me renting would possibly be cheaper, but not by enough to offset the convenience.

 

[Joe B]

Somebody on here converted a large camp trailer (maybe a 5th wheel) into an open car hauler.

Once these things end up damaged from abuse, neglect or roof leaks, folks are practically giving them away on FB and CL.

I guess it would be no small feat to demolish what was left of the shell, figure out how to get rid of all that crap, and adapt some form of decking.

It might not be worth the hassle.

 

[Blue Duck]

How much you plan to pull should determine whether to buy or rent. If you rent for a week would be about $500 dollars. If you do that a couple times a year would be $1000, which would be a good part of the purchase of a trailer. I’ve built, rebuilt and owned trailers for years and still use them on a regular basis. I presently have a 20 ft enclosed hauler, a 20 ft flat hauler with heavy axles, and a 16 ft utility. The 3500 lb axles are good enough for most use, the heavier axles are more expensive to buy and tires cost a lot more to replace. I like owning the trailer, no worry about pick and drop off or availability. Upkeep and licensing is a factor, new tires about every 5 years, paint and decking 10 or 12 years depending where you live. With good maintenance you can usually get most or all of your money back when you sell.

 

[Truck56]

I once bought a machine from an elderly friend. I offered a low price with the condition that he could use it whenever he needed it and I would drop it off and pick it up for him. It was a no brainer for him.

If storage is your problem, find a friend who can store it for you and let him use it whenever he needs to. It just might work….until your friend moves….

 

[Greaser007]

One thing you guys are missing about owning a trailer. If you own a trailer, you end up buying more stuff. lol
I bought a very nice 19' trailer at an auction a few years ago for $750, and sold it a few weeks ago for over $2000. Trailer prices are getting crazy.
I bought a frame from a very well built 5th wheel travel trailer for cheap. I am going to make it this trailer to go out west and haul home Willys pickups when I retire next year.

I flat towed my cj-7 almost each year to the Rubicon, with rear driveline unbolted at the rear diff and wired up out of harms way.
Towed it behind our Winnebago and our Ford E-series Trekker with great results. Never tied off the steering.

I have used U-haul auto transports for years, and like Pete says he could have paid for several trailers over the years.
I remember when we could purchase a real nice Carson Trailer auto-hauler for $1,800. Not today more like $5,000 each or more.

Anyone flat tow their wagon successfully ?
I ask because a good trailer adds another 2k lbs of tug weight.

 

[JABJEEP]

I flat towed my '55 pickup home from "up north" about 190 miles with my home made "universal" tow bar. It wasn't much different than towing my CJ (which probably weighs about the same with the Dana 60/44, V6, winch, heavier frame, etc).

 

[Seabee]

One thing you guys are missing about owning a trailer. If you own a trailer, you end up buying more stuff. lol
I bought a very nice 19' trailer at an auction a few years ago for $750, and sold it a few weeks ago for over $2000. Trailer prices are getting crazy.
I bought a frame from a very well built 5th wheel travel trailer for cheap. I am going to make it this trailer to go out west and haul home Willys pickups when I retire next year.

Drop one off for me Steve when you pass through Mt Vernon, IL. It's only 20 miles to my house from there!

 

[Seabee]

I have a 16' twin axle utility that I have owned for 26 years. During that time I have made several round trips to the east coast at max (okay over) load on the interstate. I have hauled everything from building materials to multiple motorcycles and vehicles. I made a set of ramps for it and I have a front hitch on my pickup so I can use the truck winch to pull a vehicle onto the trailer.

For most of those years it never had a braking system. I did up one axle a few years ago and that was a smart move. Much safer and less liability, if you know what I mean. Most States require trailer brakes at 3K and above. It has 5 lug axles, so I'd say 3500lb axles. It probably weighs around 1500lbs all in.

If you buy a car hauler, try to get one with stake pockets on the sides. This will allow you to better use it for hauling loose materials. Mine has a wood deck, so I have re-decked it 3 times in all of those years. I have also re-painted it 3 times. I have replaced all of the tires at least 3 times from dry rot, not tire wear.

With all of that said, I am very happy to own my own trailer. I paid $600.00 for it in 1996 (used) and in good shape. I'm sure I could get at least $1K for it today. It has paid for itself over and over. The convenience has been great. If you have the room, I think you'll be happy having it available for your every beck and call!

 

[cptlogger]

I flat towed my 1952 Willys wagon from Vernonia Oregon to Grand Junction Colorado. I pulled the rear drive shaft & turned the front hubs out. The wagon was loaded with miscellaneous household stuff. It worked just fine.

I towed it with a 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel loaded down with motorcycles & motorcycle parts.

 

[Tralehead]

Are you living in the "Grand Junkyard" area now? (I use that term after hearing it from a friend who moved there )
We might just be flat towing our wagon through on a UT trip, riding mountain bikes in Fruita/GJ, et al heading south to the San Juan's region from Moab whilst visiting friends and family in your area.
I'm guessing it's a bit drier that OR?

Wouldn't mind seeing a pic or two of your tow bar set-up.
Thanks!