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#1
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Need Advice on open car hauler purchase
I am in the market for a new 18 ft open car hauler. Have been looking at several and would like to hear some opinions. What brands do you like and dislike? What about tilt bed car haulers? Any opinions?
Thanks Steve
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Steve 71 Pontiac GT-37 400 4 spd (sold) 71 Formula 400 turbo 400 (sold) 01 Firebird T/A WS6 auto (fun) 64 Tempest Post car LS1/4L60E (Love It!) 65 Lemans Post car LS1/4L60E (More Fun)(sold) 73 Lemans GT 400/auto 1 owner 52k miles 69 El Camino LS1/4L65E (Awesome) 70 Pontiac GTO Convertible 400/400 Original 69 Olds Cutlass S W31 Numbers matching 4Spd 3:91 one of 569 |
#2
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Look at the welding, the thickness of the material used and how many braces it has. There are some real cheapos out there. I prefer the ones with side rails; they are stronger.
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Two 1975 455 Grandvilles & '79 455 Trans Am ‘69 Camaro SS 396/375 (owned since ‘88) ‘22 Toyota Sequoia V8 ‘23 Lexus LS500 awd ‘95 Ford F-super duty 4wd 7.3 p-stroke & countless Jeeps & off road vehicles. |
#3
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I borrowed a tilt bed bed open trailer from a Friend a while ago. It was by far the fastest way to load and unload. One that I borrowed, had a crank and the other was spring loaded and would go down as I drove the car on to it. I liked the second one better.
If you go with a tilt bed that has a crank, they make a motor that will replace the crank. |
#4
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One thing that I prefer is a wooden floor. I had one with a metal floor then sold it and bought one with a wooden floor.
The wood doesn't rust. As the paint starts to flake off of a metal floor, it makes spots of rust so I can't lay on the trailer (to strap down cars) in good clothes without getting rust on them. If I pick up a car with an oil leak, the oil doesn't puddle and then migrate all over the trailer making it slick. The wood just soaks up the oil. If the trailer is wet, the metal floor gets slick. I also like that if I'm hauling something odd, I can screw anything down to the floor. I hauled a couple of motorcycles on it a while back and I was able to screw some wooden wheel chocks around the tires. Granted, I'll have to replace the floor in ten years or so but that's no big deal. It's just a personal preference for me. Some people prefer the metal floors. I just thought I would mention it as something else to consider.
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Drag www.dixiemusclecars.com The Southeast's only online Community dedicated to the American Muscle Car! 2006 PBM GTO LS2 1995 Arctic White Trans Am LT1 1981 Trans Am Daytona Pace Car 1969 Gold Poly Firebird w/400 |
#5
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I would also think the wooden floor doesn't get as hot as a metal one. A hot metal floor is great to work on!
cm
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If the rules don't say something is illegal, I have to assume it is legal -- Smokey Yunick |
#6
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I just sold my open bed 2007 Brimar 18'. It had a dove tail with long ramps and removable fenders. It had 4 wheel electric brakes and was very easy to pull nice and steady up to 85 mph a few times. I bought it new for $3000 out the door which is a good price here in California. The open bed was great for oil changes and working under the car in the pits and ease of tying the car down from underneath. Just drive up on it and got plenty of room under to do whatever. I do not like solid floor trailers cause you cant get under the car with em. Picture of it loaded with our 240z race car but you can see how the dove tail looks on it.
Last edited by briann; 03-21-2008 at 12:38 PM. |
#7
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Don't want to hijack the thread but I am also interested in a purchase and what others have to say. I acknowledge Briann's comment about having the ease of an open floor but I have also heard that an open floor will allow all the crud to splash up when its raining, any experiences on that? I've also seen trailers with a wind/bug/rock shield in the front that would be very nice to have.
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'73 Buc Red T/A, 4 speed, A/C, Std Black Interior "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice" RUSH (Freewill) |
#8
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Quote:
__________________
Drag www.dixiemusclecars.com The Southeast's only online Community dedicated to the American Muscle Car! 2006 PBM GTO LS2 1995 Arctic White Trans Am LT1 1981 Trans Am Daytona Pace Car 1969 Gold Poly Firebird w/400 |
#9
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Yes if its in the rain or dirty roads it will blow up under the car, but no worse than whats going under the tow vehicle also. My trailer was on loan to a couple Vette guys for the last year (I also have a Z06 so I let friends use it), and one of them made a front dam the width of the trailer to keep crap off the front of the car. It still went under though but in dry weather its no a big deal. I took a show car 750 miles round trip and didnt have a bug on it or under it afterwards cause the tow vehicle was our Expedition 4X4 and blocked a lot of air/crap.
It was always being used by someone at the track to get their car up on to pull a tranny, change oil and such between rounds also. |
#10
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If your JUST going to haul cars the open floor is the way to go. If you haul other things the wood floor with siderails and tilt bed is the best of both worlds.
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#11
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#12
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Trailers
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Take a good look at the tires on a trailer. My trailer has 14" tires and they don't last very long because they are working at max most of the time loaded. I've gone through three sets of tires to his one. My friends trailer has 16" "E" rated tires and they are bullet proof. A good trailer winch is also nice to have in case you ever have to haul a dead one. That's pretty much all I ever haul so I bought one that costs more than the trailer.
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“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ― Calvin Coolidge |
#13
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I have 3 trailer right now. Just because I found an enclosed trailer during the winter that I got a pretty good deal on. I have a flat wood 18' 2 axle that I have put 4' sides on to take parts to swap meets and I can still put a car in if I need to. (that one is goint to be sold.) I have a steel bed dove tale 18" that is my favorite of the 2 of them. I have had 3 wood deck trailers over the years. 1 was stolen when I lived in an apartment complex in a bad neighborhood. The other I just never did trust it for some reason. And I got the steel bed.
I do agree that you can nail blocks down to the wooden bed that you can not do and that does help a lot. I also have an electric wench and a hand cranker for emergency! Once the snow is gone maybe July or August at the rate we are going I will sell off the one trailer and free up some space in my side yard again. |
#14
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I have a Texas Bragg "Classic Car Hauler" 18', It has a full steel deck and I have welded in some extra tie downs as I use it for hauling 4 atvs as well. I have a lift so I have never had to do any work under it or on it. I keep an old towel in the truck though for when I have to lay on it to tie the back of the car down. Otherwise I have had zero problems with it. One nice thing I do like is the low fenders and dove tail back end.
http://www.texasbraggtrailers.com/tr...rs-classic.htm |
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