I'm finally able to purchase an enclosed trailer. I'm looking to find out for those that have purchased an enclosed trailer, what you wish you would have done differently, or what you couldn't live without.

Right now, I am looking at a 28' enclosed trailer with cabinetry, and possibly A/C. Not sure if the A/C is worth it or not. I may be using it as sleeping quarters as well.

* 6,000 lb + axles w/16" tires. MUCH less problems than 15" tires & a 28' can get up to 10,000+ quick, depending on car weight & what you carry.

* Generator box & wired for inside & exterior outlets. Nice to plug in battery chargers & big box fans outside & small air compressor, microwave, phone charger,, etc. inside. Gen. box is a secure storage space so you don't have to drag the generator out, but I have to leave the tray it's on pulled out because of the exhaust orientation. 3500/4000w is enough for me, but you may need more if running A/C too. But Ohio isn't like Florida. Champion gens are quieter than most but not as expensive as the high-end quietest ones.

* Consider an escape door. While I don't need it to get in & out of my Dart Sport, it's on a convenient side to get in at home and helps ventilate the trailer when working in it.

* Inside & outside lights if you plan on racing much at night.

* I have a lower L-cabinet and front upper cabinets along with custom racks for oil, chemicals, etc. Local shop was cheaper than buying ready made stuff, unless you find some used. But I gave them specs and pop-riveted them together myself. They just bent up the pieces.

* Internal door lock/latches as well as the swing bar locks that take a padlock. Double security for the side doors. (Buy good, HD padlocks for everything.

* Under-floor spare tire well(s). I have 2 but use one for storing jackstands, tire repair tools, etc. But I also carry a 2nd spare tire in the bed of the truck. (Depends on how much floor space is being used.)Might consider 30' trailer for room to sleep.

* Extended tongue if you expect to make many sharp turns forward or backward. I double-lock the tongue as well. Padlock for the latch & a ball lock.

* My vinyl flooring is a bit tore up, but I do a lot of work inside the trailer. I did install diamond plate where the tires sit during towing.

* I had an awning, but figure it's not worth it. Can be a pain to set up. I removed it all after it got older & damaged. Plus it adds weight & cost.

* Bogey wheels or skids help keep from dragging the tail on hills/dips.

* I also carry a 3 ton floor jack in my dually to make sure I can lift the trailer or dually in case of a flat. Extra boards in case I'm in grass or dirt.

* I check brakes & bearings more than average & use synthetic grease.

Try not to cut too many corners. It won't be worth it in the long run. Always go a bit more than what you think you'll need. But I wish I could afford diamond plate floors or a quality all aluminum trailer. Maybe one day.

I just went thru the process of building a wish list and ordering a trailer 2 years ago.

#1 on my list was 16" wheels with load range E tires.

Further, in no particular order:

28 foot tag. That's a 28' box, plus the tongue. Not too big, not too small.

Spread axle, supposed to be more stable.

All aluminum construction to save weight and so it won't rust.

12000 GVW (2 6000 pound axles) to get bigger brakes, and because one of my cars weighs #5500. I don't like to push the limit on weight rating.

Large escape door, positioned low enuff to allow the drivers door to open. Properly positioned fore and aft to accommodate all my different cars where they would be tied down. I did lots of measuring and specifying to get it right.

Lots of E-track to tie down a variety of car sizes, plus plenty of cargo in the front.

Extended tongue to reach under the overhang of my pickup camper.

Tubular aluminum roof joists, not hat channel. The hat channel on my last trailer collapsed under snow, destroying the trailer.

12 volt LED interior lighting, plus 110 volt 45 degree florescent fixtures in the ceiling/wall corners.

Aluminum plate attached to the ramp door that covers the joint between the floor and the door, so junk doesn't accumulate in there, and so little wheels Like on wheel dollys or floor jacks) don't fall into the gap.

Spare tire compartment. in the floor. Not for the spare though, because I don't want to unload the cargo if I get a flat. It is for storing seldom used stuff. Then a spare tire bracket on the wall.

I wanted spring hinges to raise the ramp door instead of cables, but Lighting trailers does not offer that, and I chose Lightning for having the best price and good quality for the trailer I wanted. I also wanted cabinets, but maxed out my budget at the time, so I can add those later.

I didn't get a generator compartment because I have a generator built into the camper.

Good luck, have fun, get it how you want it, don't let the dealers bs you.

Myron and Joel make great points. I wouldn't do a V nose, space waster. Battery on and under the tongue would be nice. Winch under the floor on the side, with a center d ring for a snatch pull. LED lighting, halogen outside bulbs don't last. I haven't seen the advantage of the front lower cabinets. More overheads on each side, with a fold down bench. That leaves the front floor area open. All aluminum is nice.

#1 for me is the drivers side escape door.

#2 Generator door & slide out.

#3 Upper cabinets....

#4 E-rated tires 6- lug wheels

Might want to look at used ones. My buddy just sold his loaded triple axle 32 footer that didn't have 1,000 miles on it for $10,000. He paid $17,000 a few years ago. I bought his loaded 28 footer with a generator, compressior ,heat & air, awning,electric tongue jack, aluminum floor runners, winch, cabinets along with pit pal stuff for $7,000. when he bought the 32.

I agree that used is the way to buy trailers in most cases. My first one was new when I didn't know anything about enclosed car haulers, then the next 5 trailers were used. Much better deals to be had on nice, nice used ones sometimes.

I dont ask for a lot of stuff... but must have
16" wheels and high rated tires( I try to buy
the highest rated I can buy.. they cost).. on
my 28' it had the wood walls and floor.. I put
the lights in it and runners on the floor.. I
put the generator on the tongue.. I put cabinets
in it(floor and over head.. remodel stuff).. I had
my golf cart and car in it.. I also put flip up
bunks in it(2 on the bunks for sleeping).. a must
for me is a awning.. longest I can get witch is
about 26-28 feet at that time

I like camping at races and bought a trailer I can do that in. Just got it at the beginning of this year haven't pulled a car yet but next weekend is its 1st trip to the strip. Got an Awning, small kitchen with fridge, microwave, stove, HVAC, shower and head. Has a few drop down cots and a bed that raises out of the way. Brand new was out of my price range but used was a steal being it's a 2014 model. It has 8 lug wheels, load range G tires, and is over kill for my 5000 pounds of stuff. Keep an eye out for deals. They are out there.

Same deal here with wanting to camp at the track....Couldn't find a trailer I liked for the money, got some quotes, and no way was I spending that much....But then I found this thing...



Here is the trailer I found was close to my needs...Didn't have an escape door or winch.
http://www.racingjunk.com/Trailers-with-...p;from=category

If all the finacing goes thru, I got me a Dodge RV

43 years of racing and I just picked up the very first NEW trailer I ever bought yesterday. I have 2 acres of property but its on a hill-side so I bought a 26 footer. Didn't want an escape door as I climb out the window in my black duster (steel doors wind up windows) and will winch the other two cars in. Didn't want a generator door because of lost space inside. I haul a quad so l shaped bench was out. I had it pre-wired with 4 speakers, antenna, and stereo mounting box so I can hear call to the lanes. Small coin black floor, 16 inch tires with 5000 pound axles so its titled at 9900 pounds to avoid legal issues.

I have owned around 10 enclosed trailers and my must list is as follows:

5000 lb axles
escape door
long tongue
16" tires

I currently have a 32' LQ trailer, 12' LQ and 20' garage. Unfortunately I cannot put 16" tires on it do to being so low. I will be buying another 24' soon and it will have everything listed above. I still like the V-nose though for more room to tie the car down and keep the winch out of the way, plus you never know what you may buy at the strip...

Nice looking trailer there Pittsburgh. The inside looks nice and durable! Much nicer than my plywood and cheap grey carpet that was in my first one.

This was my first and only new trailer, 26' United, was around a 90-92 model. I got it from Bruce Litton in Indy. This picture was taken because some lady backed into my polished corner to show her insurance company. Litton sent me the new corner and all hardware to install it and I did it at my shop in a couple hours.

I installed a RV generator into the generator compartment after I got it. Very worthwhile investment. It made my trailer so much more like a rolling work shop. Walk in and hit the wall switch and it came on along with the lights. It was very quiet too, we slept with it running every night. Gen compartment and genset would be at the top of my wants.

Then the new roof AC I put in was a waste of time and money for the most part. Because one 13500BTU AC unit could not cool my 26' un insulated trailer on hot sunny day. It didn't cool that well even 1/2 the inside when we tarped off the back half because of no insulation. Need 2 roof tops and a bigger genset to run 2 ACs=not worth it on a 26' trailer.

Early on, first pulled it with this 86 360 2500 dodge. It was not enough truck with it's wimpy 2.76 open gears in the back. Then got a 93 non dually 3500 454 with 4.11 gears which did great because I could not afford a dodge with a diesel. I would have bought a dodge if I could have gotten big block but the diesel was the only big motor they offered. So I switched and my chevys(had 2 of them) have done great towing.

Here we are with my buddy who we used to travel and race with. Genset running, lights and AC on with a air curtain in the door way. It was cooler inside if you were standing under the air vents. Sit down near the floor and it was pretty warm. The genset also ran our most important tool, our outdoor pit fan which helped make our pit very popular during hot summer afternoons.


I noticed a couple trailers in the pictures above with the grey staining running down the sides. Sucks don't it? I spent many hours numerous times during the racing season keeping mine clean with a power polisher and wax.
Then I discovered if I washed the diesel soot off the roof of my trailer then the grey staining stopped. So now I start with the roof and wash it first and then sides and you will not have any staining after rains.
This was my 49' goldrush trailer. Truck and trailer was always keep clean at the races when it was on display. Got to keep the roof clean if you want the sides clean.

I seem to be a minority here, but with a tongue trailer that long I really prefer a duallie to tug it with. Have pulled our 26' with crew duallie and reg cab Cummins and the bigger truck makes a big difference.

Are the Goldrush trailers worth all that extra money? Do you end up getting a lot of it back because of the high resale value?

Also one thing I have that was well worth the money was full insulation (ceiling and walls).

I would also agree with those who say get as big as you can. The price of an extra foot of trailer is not much.

Thanks,
Bill

I also had a 40' United goose trailer that I bought used. I buffed the sides numerous times to keep it clean and white. But the screw heads were rusty. So I stopped by Littons place in Indy one day when I was up there.
Showed him what kind of screw I needed and how big my trailer was and he estimated I that a half to 1/3 full 50lb box would be enough. I forget what I paid him but it was not much.

It took a couple of us 2-3 nights to replace every screw on the outside of the trailer. WOW! What a difference!! I mean big time, shinny screws down the side of a clean white trailer made it pop going down the road. No more rust stains down the sides. Felt like a new trailer and sold it a year or so later for more than I paid for it.

Litton gave me enough screws to do 3 40' trailers as it turned out, so I have using the extras for 20 years now. Have used them on RVs too, same kind of screw is used.

Yes the goldrush was a good investment as I sold it for more than I paid for it because I added the 40'awning to it and the side curtains for the outside.

Yes wheelbase is important, it needs to be long for stable towing.

Sorry but that dodge RV posted above has too short of wheelbase for comfortable towing IMO.

I bought a used 28'.
What was posted earlier is really good.
At the time the #1 wish was the large drivers side escape door. Otherwise I would have to winch the car in and out.
The trailer came with the normal 5500# axles and 15" wheels. Don't even bother with the 15" wheels, the tires won't last long if you have any weight in the trailer. I replaced the 15" wheels with 16" wheels and "E" load range tires, price was not too bad, so if you find a used trailer with 15" rims, they can be changed out. Also, as mentioned it would be nice to have the higher rated axles.
My used trailer has the 12v/110v light package, and the exterior lights, plus the roof mounted A/C, but no generator compartment. I don't own a generator, so I have never used the A/C or 110 lights. As far as with list goes, if you want those options, it would be easier to have the builder wire them, then pull everything apart it wire it later.

Along with lighting, extra side marker lights around the wheel flares.
My trailer originally just had reflectors, but the lights are nice when backing up at night.

A place for the spare tire. My trailer did not come with a spare tire compartment or any place to store the spare, so it can get in the way. I did mount "E" track to some of the walls, so I can strap down items to the walls, and I have the spare strapped to the wall that way.

Metal roof vents! A hail storm took out the plastic roof vents in my trailer and the Charger inside got hail damage on the trunk and hood. The storm also destroyed the roof mounted A/C unit.

My trailer came with cabinets, upper and lower across the front (no side/generator), and they are OK, but not great for accessing stuff.
If you have items in front of the lower cabinets, you can't open them.
Really some storage racks would hold the jack stands and other stuff I have in the cabinets and be easier to access. I use the cabinet top quite a bit, but a folding table top would work too. Anyhow, depending on cost, I might skip the cabinets and just go with storage racks?

I'm not sure what everyone is using for the backup break-away battery. The trailers come with them, but my battery seems to need replacing every other year. I have been thinking of just wiring a regular car battery inside, under the cabinets, and adding a decent remote control wench for when the car breaks. Currently, I just use the cheap HF boat wench that I got on one of their sales. It works, but is super slow.

Another thing I want is LED lights.. I am
changing all my exterior lights this year
since I have a light issue from when I bottomed
out last year and screwed up the wiring

I did all my interior 12V lighting to LED last year, and what a difference...I don't even need 110v lighting anymore.

Locomotion had a good list. I forgot as a "wish" list:


* Bogey wheels or skids help keep from dragging the tail on hills/dips.

And maybe some RV type jacks at the rear corners so you can load and unload without having the truck connected.

Adding to wish list, built in air tank(s) and maybe even an air compressor. The "portable" air tank is another item that takes up space, and is either in the way, or stored in a hard to get at place.

Rather than install a winch, I bought a Warn Pullzall 24 v battery powered portable winch. It can be used on any of my trailers, or for many other pulling chores. I've been very happy with it. I just need to make sure the batteries are charged when I need it.

https://www.amazon.com/885005-PullzAll-C...rn+pullzall+24v

I would make sure it has the dovetail floor for easier loading and a good winch. The dove tail is probably standard now but it wasn't at one time
16 inch 6000 lb.+ axles and 8 lug wheels 16 inch truck tires

I'll throw in. I needed a trailer that I could take my dogs and wife comfortably. I have never been okay with leaving the car in the trailer and being inside a hotel. I am worried the whole time. The power awnings are the only way to go, as the legs are very high when extended and you can drive right under. I wanted a side ramp door to put a golf cart in as well. On top of that, wanted a slide, full living quarters, dual A/C, full size shower, fridge, etc...Oh and it had to be all aluminum. I like the spread axle look, but is so hard on tires in tight maneuvers, so no spread, but 17.5" tires. Took a LONG time to find a used one in my price range, but did actually find one. Not the color I wanted, but can't have everything!

I've had a set of wheels/casters sitting here
for 2 years but keep forgetting to weld them on..
I have a compressor on my 43' with the lines
plumbed in.. I dont use the compressor all that
much.. but its there

I asked about bogey wheels and 3 different people said don't bother they hang to low and won't help out on my gravel driveway. They all suggested getting a piece of heavy wall pipe, cutting it in half, and welding it in areas that are issues. Mine being across the rear of my trailer because I back it down the hill and it levels off at the bottom.

My 43' sits up higher than most so the boogies
do work.. when I tore up the wiring it was on
a very steep driveway coming out of a gas station
that I figured I could do but I was way wrong.. I
got so far then I had no choice but go forward and
tore up the left corner wires.. the boogies would
have worked then

CJD, that is a splendid trailer! How long is the garage vs. the living area?

Thanks! It has a 22' garage and 26' living quarters. The generator is in the front, under the gooseneck, so it's clear without a gen cabinet. It has overheads down the sides and shallow fronts. I was a little concerned about the garage, but honestly, it's nicer to have the larger LQ's. I do have to store a few things in the front if I have the golf cart loaded, otherwise, plenty big enough. I am more than willing to "work with it" considering what I paid.

That's an old pic. Have since swapped out the TV's to flat screens and the sofa bed to twin recliners.

Now 4 people. They hang too low and get torn off. The rolling pipe is the way to go and can be tucked up tight.

I have a 20 ft Haulmark, short but it fits in my driveway and my Dart fits fine. I like the idea of the interior led lights, Did you just change the 12V overhead bulbs? Part#s and were did you find them? Thanks

Got a picture of this set up?

Thanks for all the words of wisdom!! This has been great!

Got them ( bulb # 1141 ) at Advance $20 a pair , Thanks for the idea!

Very nice. Anyplace I would go is 2-5 days and/or multiple events. I gave up on hotels looong ago. Motor homes are nice, but a truck with an LQ trailer makes sense for me. A vehicle that can be used for towing and also for transportation during the week or to leave the track if needed for supplies, go to dinner, whatever. The ATC units I've seen are super nice. Dealing with the DOT cops has become a big part of the equation over the last few years.

Agreed. Wife likes those big toter homes, but not the most nimble thing for chasing a part, dinner, or grocery store! Besides, it would just sit. My pull truck is my DD. As far as DOT, mine is an RV , which is why I really like the windows in the garage area.

I don't, sorry. Trailer is up against the fence! I just used a scrap piece of pipe with another slid inside. The inside piece has brackets on each end, that captures the larger piece, and attaches to the frame. If it bottoms, the long pipe distributes the load down the length into the frame and rolls to reduce friction against the asphalt or concrete.

On your set up is it riding on bearings or just loose
pipe.. I understand the ground clearance.. I have seen
that set up with loose fitting pipe.. I didnt care for
it due to rattling and making noise

Well, the RV I had money down on, the guy just cancelled cause he wants his money next week.

I told him the house refi paperwork was all signed, but I still need 2-3 weeks to get thru everything...He ain't willing to wait that long and is sending my check back....I told him he was silly for thinking he is getting $30k from a guy he hasn't even met yet....

SOOOOOOO......I am back in the market looking at living quarter trailers and or whatever....What have you guys got?