Do You Like Your Trailer?

[Fresh1179]

Hello All,

My M3 is no longer safe to operate on the road, so I am looking at trailers at the moment. I have a GMC Sierra 1500 with the baby Duramax engine with a theoretical towing capacity of 13,000 lbs. I doubt the transmission would agree with those numbers. What type of trailer (make/enclosed/open/length) did you buy and why did you make that choice? Is there anything you would change if you were buying another trailer right now? Thanks for any input or advice in advance.

[bigjae46]

Depends on budget and commitment.

I get by with an open trailer despite having no windows. I just slide in the OE glass and tape it down if I need to protect from the rain.

I know many have dreams of getting an enclosed trailer and the sleeping in it. I know no one that has actually done that. lol

But if you do take longer trips to far away tracks, I would think that you would do more to keep the car running. So an enclosed trailer makes like much easier because you can carry more spares and tools. You can always pack your truck with stuff.

Race ramps are typically a must.

Practice backing up the trailer in isolation is a must to maintain man-cred. Nothing worse than having to back up a trailer around a bunch of dudes. You go back and forth 10 times and everyone is pointing and laughing.

[foolio]

I have been towing my track car for about six years now. I decided to go with an open trailer. I bought a lightweight anluminum open trailer for a great price in 2017. Before I bought that trailer, I did borrow an enclosed trailer for a Track event that was approximately four hours away. I was almost dead set on the enclosed trailer, but I really didn’t care for the towing experience. At the time I had a 5.7L Tundra. I think it was rated to tow 9800 pounds. So as far as power, it was no big deal. However, I did feel the wind sometimes and also the visibility was absolutely garbage. Between those two things I decided on an open trailer. I also thought that a lightweight open trailer would be kinder on my mpg‘s, which were horrible in the Tundra when towing.
With all that said, there are some things I would consider doing differently if I were to do it over. Part of it may have been my own undoing. I ordered a 16 foot open trailer with a tire rack. It fit my M3 perfectly. I could even get a few 5gal. VP Racing fuel jugs on there. I also have a winch. So, one thing I would consider doing differently is going with an 18 ft. trailer. For one, while it fits my M3 perfectly, it won’t fit my 86 Mercedes S-class. It won’t fit my Kubota L-Series with a rotary cutter. Going with this smaller size made the trailer very convenient for my track car but not as useful as it could be. I think getting an 18 ft. trailer would’ve maybe only add $500 at the time and it would have been worth it. Secondly, I decided to trade my Tundra for a Diesel VW Touareg. TBH, I hated driving the Tundra except when I needed it to do truck things. It’s so damn big and inconvenient. I bought it used but had this $35k vehicle that I maybe drove 10 times a year between tracking and trips to Home Depot. I decided I wanted some that got better MPG and could do more daily duties as well. Plus, it would be a better vehicle even on track weekends. It massively delivers on all accounts and is a very nice place to be. As such, I lost some of my cargo capacity doing so. This has further exacerbated the problems with the 16” trailer.
Lastly, I’m still not 100% certain I made the right decision going with the open trailer…LOL. No, seriously, I think I did, but I do often have enclosed trailer envy. Perhaps unlike Jae, a lot of my track buddies camp out at the track and sleep in their trailers. It would be a lot of fun to join them and hang out in the evenings. It would probably save a few hundred bucks a track weekend too. Who knows…this is just my experience.

[bigjae46]

Perhaps unlike Jae, a lot of my track buddies camp out at the track and sleep in their trailers. It would be a lot of fun to join them and hang out in the evenings. It would probably save a few hundred bucks a track weekend too. Who knows…this is just my experience.

lol...I have that conversation with someone at almost every track day. The problem is AC is a must in TX which complicates the whole setup. For me, I'd rather just pay for a hotel. Call me old. I did try an AirBnB at COTA a couple of weeks ago which was about 1/3 the price. It was kinda weird - it was a room in someone's home so I felt like I was invading.

I feel like a pickup is a must if you don't have a tire rack.

My trailer is an 18' + 2' dovetail wood deck. Its old looking but is in good shape. At some point I will need to blast and paint the frame...probably when I re-deck the trailer in a couple of years.

[Feffman]

I have a 24-foot Haulmark Edge enclosed trailer and love it. The spread axle with torsion suspension design truly makes it easy to tow. I wouldn't go any shorter than 24 for an enclosed tailer. If I could change one thing it would be the aluminum version, which wasn't available when I bought mine, instead of steel.

Your truck should be able to tow it. I have a commercial account with Enterprise Commercial Truck, so I rent a 3/4 ton diesel to tow with as needed.

Feff

[Fresh1179]

Thank y’all so much for the input. You guys pointed out a huge dilemma for me, heat….My home track is VIR which is absolutely brutal from April-September. Road Atlanta, CMP etc. are similar. 90+ degree heat with 85% humidity is real tough. I plan to run a cool suit next season because it’s pretty brutal to get out of the car soaked to the bone after a 30 minute session in a black on black car with no A/C and the paddock is just as hot as the car.

I’m new to the towing game, so a parking lot is in order. I’m ashamed to admit that I rented a uhaul trailer to pick up a jointer (heavy woodworking tool) and I could not back it up to save my life. It was clown shoes. Eventually the guy I was buying it from hopped in my truck and backed it up into his driveway for me. I’ve been treated for low T ever since haha. Ugh. Terrible moment.

Thank y’all for the thoughtful input. I am stuck between an 18 foot open and 24 foot enclosed. I just need to pull the trigger on one now so I can terrorize a Wal-Mart parking lot at 3:00 A.M. doing backup drills. The open lowering trailers (by all the manufacturers) have become stupid expensive. I would have guessed that after everyone followed the Futura model, that would have driven prices down. Nope. I guess that is just the nature of the beast right now. I paid an absurd price for my truck this year because they were selling every 10 minutes. Hell, I know the guy that owned the dealership and he gave me a “deal.” That same truck will be on truck days in a year or so for $15,000 off…but I digress. I do get 24/30 a gallon with the small diesel which is wild.

Thanks again for the input, I’ll let y’all know what I end up going with.

Winston

[pMak26]

I went with the lightest weight trailer I could find to make the actual event of towing a much more enjoyable experience. I've pulled enclosed trailers and don't enjoy it. So I have an R&R 18' trailer with (I think) 32" dovetail, 7' ramps and use 4' race ramps on those to get the racecars on/off. It's a 1200# trailer. And Dexter axles, so no annoying leaf springs either. I pulls so nicely. I added a winch for yanking dead vehicles on. The only complaint I have is that there are only 4 D rings on it for tie down, affording no flexibility in the attachment points. I don't always load only cars, so I've had to be creative more than once.
And oh, don't get aluminum wheels for your trailer. Steel only. Don't fall for that "Upsell".



I have lexan windows to pop into the M3 for rainy trailering days. Regarding the Texas heat... I'm down in SA a lot (though I'm from NJ). I go to the drifting events occasionally at SA Karting Complex. Some of the guys bring portable AC units and just let'em run. After you get out of the car, just stand in front of the unit for a bit. Bonus, it cools the entire earth down right? Fighting all that global warming making drifting a net zero sport!

[Gt4]

Open trailer are good when you have an SUV as a tow vehicule. With a truck like yours, I would go with an enclosed. Try to find one with a V-nose. A good/popular size is 8.5’x24’.

BTW it’s easier to go backward with a longer trailer than a shorter one.

[bigjae46]

Open trailer are good when you have an SUV as a tow vehicule. With a truck like yours, I would go with an enclosed. Try to find one with a V-nose. A good/popular size is 8.5’x24’.

BTW it’s easier to go backward with a longer trailer than a shorter one.

I think 24' is as long as I would go for a bumper pull. I had a 28' enclosed bumper pull and it's only 4' longer but you're pretty damned long with a 3/4 ton crew cab 6-3/4' bed. The biggest issue is payload. I had dual 5k axles only 5500lbs of payload. I would have to get 7k axles but then you're committed to a 3/4 ton truck. And 7k axles raise the trailer height and make loading harder.

A 22' + V-Nose trailer should be about the right size, have enough payload capacity and provide some flexibility to tow with a 1/2 ton. I'm debating on a 20' + V-nose trailer.

[Gt4]

I think 24' is as long as I would go for a bumper pull. I had a 28' enclosed bumper pull and it's only 4' longer but you're pretty damned long with a 3/4 ton crew cab 6-3/4' bed. The biggest issue is payload. I had dual 5k axles only 5500lbs of payload. I would have to get 7k axles but then you're committed to a 3/4 ton truck. And 7k axles raise the trailer height and make loading harder.

A 22' + V-Nose trailer should be about the right size, have enough payload capacity and provide some flexibility to tow with a 1/2 ton. I'm debating on a 20' + V-nose trailer.

Exact, I mean a 24’ V-nose included. 20’ + V-nose is long enough to fit an E46 M3, tools, 2 spare wheelsets, fuel jugs, … Just depend how you install tire racks, cabinets, …, in the V-nose. I like to strap the car the closer to the rear door as possible to shift weight backward and allow space for the extra stuff in front of the car, like EZ-Up tent, cooler, …

[Gt4]

When I was shopping for an enclosed trailers years ago, I was dead set on the CargoPro C8.5x20CH-IF which is a 8.5x20+ good size V-nose so 24’ long total.

It was cheap and not too heavy at 2600lbs.

https://www.cargoprotrailers.com/enclosed-car-hauler-trailers

[bigjae46]

Exact, I mean a 24’ V-nose included. 20’ + V-nose is long enough to fit an E46 M3, tools, 2 spare wheelsets, fuel jugs, … Just depend how you install tire racks, cabinets, …, in the V-nose. I like to strap the car the closer to the rear door as possible to shift weight backward and allow space for the extra stuff in front of the car, like EZ-Up tent, cooler, …

The trailer lengths are always confusing. Thanks for the feedback.

The worst thing with my 28' trailer is it feels like a mile walk from the back to the front. You have to be way more efficient otherwise you spend a ton of time and energy walking circles around the trailer. Or put a door on both sides.

One other thing you have to think about is security. Not an expert but I think degenerates would be more inclined to steal an enclosed trailer. I don't see a lot of open trailers getting stolen, at least here in TX.

[Onefastsicilian]

I have an 18ft SureTrac.. it's a lightest steel deck trailer I could find.. around 1900lbs with brakes and LEDs

I love this thing and I use it for more than my m3... haul the ATVs around too.

[Mpassioned]

I used an open trailer for years. Was light and easy to see around it. Also was free, as it was my friends to use and keep when he got married and had twin girls.
Upgraded years later to a 28' Pace American enclosed and absolutely love having everything out of the weather, away from eyes of others, secure tool storage, and the fact I can leave a lot of my track stuff in it when not in use.
I pull it with a 3.5 Ecoboost F150 and that truck rocks anything thrown at it. Goes up and down the mtns with no issue

Regarding navigating backwards, it really helps to have good tow mirrors. Watch the sides of the trailer for any hint of deviation from path and correct as soon as you notice it going in a direction you don't want. I find backing up with good mirrors to be easy and it really just takes practice. It can also really help if you just get out of the truck and survey your backing course especially if you can't see one side of the trailer to assure you are not going to hit something.

[Acetech]

Bought a open trailer after driving to from events for 24 years. Tow vehicle is a X3 M40 and it’s more than enough power and stability.
It’s a more pleasant experience and proved necessary this past October when coy 3 piston let go. Loading the dead car on the trailer was so easy took only minutes.
I spent extra on a lowering trailer, Futura super sport, requiring nothing to drive on or off with my E36 with front splitter.
Enjoying lift with a trailer.