What size enclosed trailer do you recommend?

V10Nationals.com · Mar 16, 2004

I am ordering a custom made enclosed trailer for the Viper (RT/10). Has anyone used an 18 or 20 foot trailer for the Viper and what are your thoughts?

I measured the Viper and it is only 14 feet long. I don’t need too much space for storage except for a set of tires. No cabinets or sinks. Would a 20 foot be adequate?

Thank you in advance for your input!

Jerry Walker · Mar 16, 2004

I have a 20 ft enclosed,that is more than adequate,leaves room in the front and back for some extra stuff.

1MEANSNAKE · Mar 16, 2004

For the price, 24ft enclosed would be the way to go. Think re-sale and if you goto sell the trailer at any point, it will be multi functional for just about any vehicle. Just something to think about. Good luck!

Mr U-2 · Mar 16, 2004

I'm looking for an enclosed trailer too..what weight are yours?

Thanks..Paul :usa:

dblankenbaker · Mar 16, 2004

What size enclosed trailer do you recommend?

2 feet longer than what you think you need.

I thought 22 feet would be enough, but bought a 24 foot trailer to be safe. Now I want more....

Jay Lopez · Mar 16, 2004

I am ordering a custom made enclosed trailer for the Viper (RT/10). Has anyone used an 18 or 20 foot trailer for the Viper and what are your thoughts?

I measured the Viper and it is only 14 feet long. I don?t need too much space for storage except for a set of tires. No cabinets or sinks. Would a 20 foot be adequate?

Thank you in advance for your input!

I have a 24 foot enclosed Wells Cargo. It weighs 3000 pounds. Love it! With a 24 foot trailer, I have room up front for a tire rack, lots of tools, and the flexibility to move the car forward or backward to compensate for heavy tools up in the nose of the trailer. And I put a winch inside so I can easily load the car by myself.

Nsane1 · Mar 17, 2004

I agree with Jay, I have a 24, and I could see how I could run out of room... Also, I didn't even look at anything but a 24' so the earlier resale comment was right on.

DPViper · Jan 12, 2011

I know this is an old thread but I need help with trailer specs. I drive a Dodge 1500 Hemi and I've been told a 24' trailer is too big to pull any distance. Has anyone pulled a 24' tailer with a half ton pickup? Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Russ M · Jan 12, 2011

DPViper said:
I know this is an old thread but I need help with trailer specs. I drive a Dodge 1500 Hemi and I've been told a 24' trailer is too big to pull any distance. Has anyone pulled a 24' tailer with a half ton pickup? Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Depends on the trailer.

Its all about the weight, all 24' trailer's are not equal not even close. A nice aluminum one can weigh 2500lb's, but one made from other cheap material can weigh 10,000lb's.

Had a 6k lb 24' which I towed with a v8 land cruiser no problem, so a 1500 Dodge truck should not have any issues long as the trailer isnt made out of lead.

Viperless · Jan 12, 2011

DPViper said:
I know this is an old thread but I need help with trailer specs. I drive a Dodge 1500 Hemi and I've been told a 24' trailer is too big to pull any distance. Has anyone pulled a 24' tailer with a half ton pickup? Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks

I have a 20' V-nose. The extra 20" or so added by the V makes it perfect for me. I've carried a 55 gallon drum of fuel, extra set of wheels and tires, and assorted tools and stuff in the front. Comes in around 6600 loaded with the Viper. I towed over 10,000 miles last year with my 1/2 ton Hemi quad 2wd. I my opinion, it's right on the ragged edge of being too much for the truck. Many times I wished I had a diesel. An open trailer would be better. I towed my old GTS on a Sloan's Kwik Load with a Durango and it was easier than towing my enclosed with my Hemi. However, you can get by if you don't mind running 60-65 flat, 50-55 on hills. Head winds are ******. You can go faster if you run with the O/D off all the time but your fuel economy will suffer greatly. I have the standard 3.55 rear gearing and I think the 3.92 ratio would be just right for towing. I have 97,000 miles on the truck and the rear end is starting to howl so when I rebuild it, I think I'll change to 3.92 gears.

I really don't think a 24' would be much different. They're going to have the same wind resistance, assuming it's a V-nose. I know I've had my 20' loaded down pretty heavily and it doesn't seem to make any difference whether the trailer is empty or loaded when I'm towing.

A 2500 diesel is the way to go.

Voodoo Rob · Jan 12, 2011

Decide on what length will work the best and add 2'. Think resale and you always wish you had some extra space when loading the car. Look for something with a lot of aluminum if towing with a 1500 and option for radial tires and a dovetail rear door for easier loading and clearance. Indiana is the home of trailer manufacturers so inventory or custom builds are no problem.

Roysviper · Jan 12, 2011

I had bought a 28 ft enclosed trailer for a Viper and I had a New Chevy Z[71 truck 1/2 ton and it pulled GREAT. I made several long distance trips with it and NEVER had any problems. The 28 ft had enough room so that the Viper went in and I could also bring my Heritage Softtail Harley with me in it. I sold it easily and got back exactally what I paid for the trailer when I bought it new two yrs earlier. I would never had considered a 20' trailer for the Viper and believe it will be hard to sell to most people that want a car hauler. My personnal experience..... :2tu:

DrumrBoy · Jan 13, 2011

Agreed. Like power mods, garages and everything else.....go bigger than you initially think - it'll be worth it.

pdmracing · Jan 13, 2011

24, I towed with a Ford Lightning for years with no problems. But the switch to a 2500 made a big difference in towing safety. You can never have enough space. Its like buying a boat, you will always wish for the bigger one.

97GTS · Jan 13, 2011

I use my F150 FX4 to pull my 30' travel trailer just fine. I know this is kinda apples and oranges, but I had a 1500 Ram quad cab that when pulling the same trailer wasn't stable over about 50mph. My trailer is about 6k lbs.

Good luck,

Ron

JonB · Jan 13, 2011

I am always confused by the sales literature, which seems to include the TONGUE length, and not just the box length. Be Careful !!

A local guy who has 28' trailer is really a 31' overall..... I copied this from his local club ad.......I can direct you to him, this is NOT my ad, but IS MY FORMER TRAILER in fact. LOW, LOW PRICE...... Need a big Ram or equivalent. PM Me on link at left? His info:

PACE-AMERICAN 28', A/C, GENERATOR, FRIDGE, WIRED OUTLETS, INVERTER, WHEEL AND HELMET RACKS, RUBBER TILE, POLISHED STAINLESS DRAWERS & CABINETS. LIGHTED, INSULATED BOX....LOW MILES, EXCELLENT. exterior and interior VIPER graphics "VIPERIZED" Delivery WEST is possible.

Mods.... I hope this is no worse than the many flea-bay links posted everywhere, at least this is an owner..he has NO email, no flea-bay, and cannot post a classified. ..and it aint mine any more, so I dont want to post in Vendor area... TNX

Mopar Boy · Jan 13, 2011

Most of the info here has already been covered but remember this. Any 1500 will tow a 30' trailer that is weight balanced and not squashing the hitch into the ground. I will have the power to get you up to speed but stopping is where the brakes may not be up to it. Last thing you want to do is need to jam the brakes and find they are not capable of stopping you and your truck, trailer, and Viper get toasted.

As for trailer length, I would agree. 24' min. You do not want just a foot or two infront of the car. Seocndly, by the time you add a few things into it....

I run a 24' and a 26'. Love the longer one. I now have a cabinet in the front to store the loose goodies and still enough room to put extra junk.

If you can, get a 24'. That would be about the max I would recommend for a 1500. Just make sure you drive smart and make sure you do not add another 2500 lbs of gear, people etc.

Robert

Roysviper · Jan 13, 2011

Mopar Boy said:
Most of the info here has already been covered but remember this. Any 1500 will tow a 30' trailer that is weight balanced and not squashing the hitch into the ground. I will have the power to get you up to speed but stopping is where the brakes may not be up to it. Last thing you want to do is need to jam the brakes and find they are not capable of stopping you and your truck, trailer, and Viper get toasted.

I always have a brakebox on my tow vehicle and my trailers always have electric brakes so stopping has NEVER been an issue in my case.

Mopar Boy · Jan 13, 2011

You are right. Most won't have an issue.

On the other hand, Ever towed through the Rockies? You will run out of brakes very quickly if not careful.

Tom Sessions · Jan 13, 2011

Doug step up to the plate and get a real mans trailer like mine. 48ft and its not big enough.
Looks like I'll be back up in March.

SkyBob · Jan 14, 2011

Oh, no! Are we arguing about trailer size? Don't we ever grow up? :nono:

Mopar Boy · Jan 14, 2011

SkyBob said:
Oh, no! Are we arguing about trailer size? Don't we ever grow up?

No. We are men. I was told since childhood that we don't grow up.

97GTS · Jan 14, 2011

Roysviper said:
Mopar Boy said:

Most of the info here has already been covered but remember this. Any 1500 will tow a 30' trailer that is weight balanced and not squashing the hitch into the ground. I will have the power to get you up to speed but stopping is where the brakes may not be up to it. Last thing you want to do is need to jam the brakes and find they are not capable of stopping you and your truck, trailer, and Viper get toasted.

I always have a brakebox on my tow vehicle and my trailers always have electric brakes so stopping has NEVER been an issue in my case.

Click to expand...

My truck has the box as well and I forgot to mention that I use a weight distribution hitch.

Ron

Simms · Jan 14, 2011

Cummins, weight distribution hitch, and trailer brakes for a 24' trailer....yes I like overkill.

steve911 · Jan 14, 2011

At VOI 11 John Gastman from Roanoke Motors and I were talking cars (go figure eh?) anyway, I was contemplating trading my '05 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Daytona Special 4X4 for a Diesel.

Anyway, John asked me how my truck was equipped. My truck has the real, full trailer package w/3.92 gears, full coolers, brake controller etc. John told me that the dealer had an '04 Ram 1500 Gas 4x4 that pulled a 24' enclosed trailer to deliver cars from coast to coast putting several hundred thousand miles on the truck without problems.

Long story short, he said to save my money put it into a better trailer and keep the truck that I now have.

steve911 · Jan 14, 2011

I have been doing some research on trying to find a good quality light weight trailer. I didnt realize there is so much out there that is so minimally built corner cutting etc.

I would like to graduate from my all aluminum open trailer to an enclosed one this year.

What brands are folks here on the forums using?

thanks

Viperless · Jan 14, 2011

steve911 said:
At VOI 11 John Gastman from Roanoke Motors and I were talking cars (go figure eh?) anyway, I was contemplating trading my '05 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Daytona Special 4X4 for a Diesel.

Anyway, John asked me how my truck was equipped. My truck has the real, full trailer package w/3.92 gears, full coolers, brake controller etc. John told me that the dealer had an '04 Ram 1500 Gas 4x4 that pulled a 24' enclosed trailer to deliver cars from coast to coast putting several hundred thousand miles on the truck without problems.

Long story short, he said to save my money put it into a better trailer and keep the truck that I now have.

I think that's the key to that equation.

plumcrazy · Jan 14, 2011

a tip on sizing a trailer, whatever you think will work, add 2 '

DPViper · Jan 16, 2011

Thanks for all the comments. It sounds like a 24' is the way to go. Now the hard part....what to buy? I went to a local dealer and their base model (all I need) is $7,000+/- but if you look at ebay, you can buy the same size unit for $3,500+/- . See

New 8.5x24 Enclosed Cargo Trailer Car Hauler Ramp Door - eBay (item 250755604050 end time Jan-17-11 20:45:50 PST)

I want a quality base model that I can sell in the future. What options do I want and how do I determine which units are well made? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Roysviper · Jan 16, 2011

DPViper said:
Thanks for all the comments. It sounds like a 24' is the way to go. Now the hard part....what to buy? I went to a local dealer and their base model (all I need) is $7,000+/- but if you look at ebay, you can buy the same size unit for $3,500+/- . See

New 8.5x24 Enclosed Cargo Trailer Car Hauler Ramp Door - eBay (item 250755604050 end time Jan-17-11 20:45:50 PST)

I want a quality base model that I can sell in the future. What options do I want and how do I determine which units are well made? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

That trailer is as good as you are gonna get for under $4000....Buy it...you will get your money back when you don't want it anymore.....My opinion :dunno:

What size enclosed trailer do you recommend?

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