Well, I finally have a vehicle that I think is worthy of making the switch from an open trailer to an enclosed trailer. I'm pretty sure on the trailer size but having a little trouble deciding what to use to tow with. I plan to sell my 1500 Suburban to offset some of the cost.
I'm thinking 24 ft trailer, 5200# axles with man door on side. Probably will try to find one with a winch as well or just put one in. Since I'm trying to do this on a budget, I have some older tow rigs in mind that can pull the loaded trailer. I'll probably only tow 500-1000miles per year going to car shows (Carlisle, Columbus etc). The rest of the time, the tow vehicle will be used sparingly as a third vehicle for the family. A sport utility type will suit my needs much better than a pickup but if a 2500 quad cab, long bed is my best bet then I'm all ears. My thoughts are (in no particular order)
1. Ford Excursion V-10. Found a nice one local with tow package and 4.30's
2. Suburban 2500 with the 8.1? (Or the 7.4 if a little older)
3. Avalanche 2500 with the 8.1

Of the bunch, the Avalanche looks it can be had the most economically.
I know there are a lot of guys on here that tow enclosed trailers a lot so hoping for some good advice.
Car is a 66 Belvedere for reference . I'm guessing car and 24ft trailer will be 8500-9000lbs?
Thanks in advance.

Any of those will tow the enclosed easily, just be prepared for single digit fuel mileage.

I'm looking at a similar situation.
I'm looking at 80s D250s out west.

I'm looking south and west as well. Most of what's around here is rusted to hell.

Single digit mileage? Oh, yeah. I figured as much. Ugh...

The 8.1 vortecs MIGHT get 10-11 mpg UNLOADED. Pulling an enclosed will be substantially lower.
Not real sure on the V10 Fords when unloaded, but they get less than 10 pulling an enclosed. I hauled a 26' enclosed trailer w/ a V10 excursion many years ago. It pulled good, but got tired of stopping for gas.

Guess it was 3 years ago, we towed a 26' V-nose enclosed from ID to SD & back, '69 RR in it on the return trip, using my buddy's Excursion Diesel, AT.
No problem pulling on hills or Interstate, though it wouldn't qualify as 1st quick, and IIRC 14 MPG.
Me, I like Duallys for their footprint - mine's been dead stable - usually 10 MPG and I'm OK with that (GMC 3500 - 454/T400/Gear Vendors/4.10s).
Another buddy, with an '04 (?) Dodge Cummins AT quad cab SRW, pulls a gigantic RV trailer with it, no problems, but I don't recall his fuel mileage.

I know where an 04.5 Cummins Quad Cab Dually NV5600 2X can be had. Has just under 226k on the odometer. There will be no issues pulling with that plus get better mileage.

I tow my 20ft enclosed with my 2102 ram 1500 quad cab.

It pulls it fine Stops just fine as well ( dual axle brakes on trailer is a must IMO )
My 66 Satellite fits ok, I can move it for or aft slightly to balance out the load a little .
Its Snug but I dont need all kinds of extra room to haul chairs tents etc etc

But like you , I only use it twice maybe 3 times a year ,

I bought the trailer from a long time friend of mine back east this past spring, Ken, Thanks again


PS, If I drag my feet a little and dont push it hard. I can actually average about 11 mpg . Stock 5.7 hemi with 3.92 rear axle

Not a struggle to get in/out of the car or maneuver around it to strap it down? I wasn't really getting the 24ft for extra storage or anything. I can put coolers and EZ-Up in the truck. If a 20ft works for 66 B body I would definitely think about that.

Not sure what the OP is hauling, but :
A '68-'69 RR is about 17.25' long, and fits a 20' OK - a bit tight tying down in front. Been there, done that.
The width is a bit tight, especially at their "hips", but a skinny guy like me can drive in & get in/out through the door window.
An electric winch is a godsend, not only for that but just making sure the car is centered.
A centered left-side trailer door is a nice feature - adds some weight to the trailer, but for big guys, very handy.
Trailers can be like garages - a little extra room can really come in handy - but in my transporting days I loaded & unloaded some pretty big cars in a 20-footer.

If I have my popup tent laying in front it can make it a little snug ug to get in lay down and tie it down. But a big part of that is Im not 25 and definitly not as flexible as I once was. So getting down and back up struggle is real. But very very doable. Otherwise It all good. and plenty of room to do so
Now,,,,I do have a winch in front I can use to pull it in ( rarely do though)
BUT , I will say having the street side escape door to get in and out of the car once inside, is a HUGE HUGE bonus

In this picture , the car is about a foot farther forward than it needs to be and where I tie it down at.
So there is quite a bit more room than this pic leads one to think there actually is

Ps, I have wheel stops attached to the floor . So it gets tied down at the same exact spot each and every time
And I have these tie down brackets that bolt on the rear axle via the U bolts and they make life tying it down SO MUCH easier trust me . best $50 I ever spent


For me personally, a 22ft with a V nose was my dream choice. But buying used makes it a little tough to ge t a dream trailer.
Around here , that trailer specked like that is $8 to 10k minimum for a 10 year old trailer, Usually much older than that.
I called on one in my perfect specs, it was a 2004 , decent shape. And for $8500, and it was sold in under an hour

Mine is a 2000 and Im in it for less than half that ( friends in low places helps sometimes )

Skip all those non Dodge gasoline powered trucks
I would buy decent condition Dodge CTD pre 1977 2500 or 3500 or a 2016 or later 2500 or 3500
Way better power and fuel mileage

A good friend of mine has a 2004 ram 3500 Cummins 2wd quad cab . he tows a 22ft enclosed and his average fuel mileage is in the 9 mpg range

Does it tow it easier than mine? sure does. But there are no gains in average mpgs. It just pulls it much easier , especially up hills

If I push mine and try to keep it the 70-75 mph range ( or more ) . Im in the 8 - 9 mpg range full time

if I slow down and keep it, maybe around 65 average. I can it into double digits regularly

on a 2000 mile trip , that adds up

My 2006 Duramax (crew cab, short bed, 4x4) will get about 11 mpg towing my 24' enclosed w/ my 3500 lb cuda in it. It gets about 17 mpg unloaded normal driving.
My '01 Ram 2500 Cummins (ext. cab, short bed, 4x4) got 11 mpg towing the same setup. 20 mpg unloaded normal driving.
The Duramax has WAYY more power though. Both trucks have 35" tires. Ram had 3.54 gears, Duramax has 3.73.

Big difference in the 2003-newer Cummins trucks power-wise. I'm talking stock, not w/ programmers.

The thing w/ the diesel is it feels like it has plenty of power towing. The gas trucks feel like you're pushing them hard.

Any of the big block gas trucks will be under 10 mpg towing anything. Some well under 10 mpg. Most do well to get 10-11 mpg unloaded.

ps, a buddy of mine used to tow with a mid 80s 4 door 1 ton Dodge.
360 power and that truck was 8 or 9 mpg EMPTY.

With an open trailer behind it towing his hemi Dart. it was 4 or 5 if he was lucky

How much does his right foot weigh? On my 04 Cummins Quad Cab Dually 2x w/NV5600, I would do 12-15mpg pulling 24k+ lbs.

I have a 04.5 CTD 3500 Dually that I pull my 28' enclosed with. It gets 15-17 towing. 24 average empty.

I Cant answer that. Ive only been with him once while towing. Cant say / remember we were pushing it by any means

His is an auto, dont know what rear axle gear

I'm probably going to tow 800 miles a year tops. Not looking to buy a 30k truck just for that. Also, since when not towing it will be 3rd vehicle for the family, an SUV type would be the most useful. That's why I was thinking the Excursion or 2500 Suburban