[roadappels]

Am looking at enclosed car haulers 20 and 24 ft with 5200lb axles was wondering if any of you can give me advice on what else I should be looking for in the construction/ specs...Tongue length etc? I'm doing the research from afar and hope to be back in japan in late April and then in States for the rally in June...Any experience and guidance on what to look for wil be greatly appreciated.

Bill

[Erniee]

I have a Haulmark Edge that has a 24 foot box and 5 foot extra length tongue. smooth sides, and lots of stainless. I had this custom made so I could hit the road with my Yukon and tools. Made one trip and now folks come to me for flooring. Think I'm going to sell it

[arcticdude]

I have a little smaller enclosed for the bikes. It's 18' x 8.5'. I got the flat front and shorter tongue length, thinking it would tuck in behind the bus better. I was also concerned about my overall length (65') and the states that have laws with restrictions for that. Now if I did it again, I'd have a V nose and longer tongue. I think the front of the trailer would take less abuse (the bugs are murder on that flat front) and I think as long as I don't do something stupid to attract attention to myself, I'd be fine in all states.

While not as much of an issue now, led lights were just coming to market as I bought mine. They were expensive addons. I think they look better and wish I had them, even though the bus does not have any yet.

I did get the inside finished, so it has an frp type paneling on the inside. I've used the trailer several times to move furniture long distances and the smooth inside has been VERY nice to work with.

[whatsnewell]

We have a 26' American car trailer (out of San Diego) with a flat front, a 4 foot tongue (included in total length), and a tool box mounted on the tongue. We bought it when it was two years old. I like the longer tongue as it makes it a little easier backing up. It came with the heavy duty axles (total GVW of around 13,000), which I needed for the T-Bird, bikes and all the other "stuff" we haul with us to make our lives pleasant. In addition to the very wide side door, and rear ramp door for the car, it has another ramp door on the drivers side. We love it!

[LynnJeff]

Bill

We pull an enclosed trailer for our "toys"

You probably have this on your list but you are probably going to want brakes on the trailer preferably electric

Air ride is great but expensive

Exterior lights are almost a must as there is going to be that time when you need to load or unload at dark

You may want to look at www.racingjunk.com

I think they have around 800 trailers for sale from guys who race and pull which should give you a good idea of what they think is important

[encantotom]

i think what you guys pull is more of an enclosed parking garage and workshop. it is about the most amazing stacker i have seen.

tom

[folivier]

And it has a loft for when Jeff is in trouble!

[Flick]

Clarke when you say your trailer has a GVW of 13,000 LBS is that the combined weight of both your axles? Another question is there a formula or a way to know how much of the trailer weight then is transferred to the coach or do you ha e to simply weight the coach with it hitched and without the trailer?

[LynnJeff]

Yes as Forest can attest to there is a little dog bed up there for when I am in trouble

[Fulltiming]

There are two weights that affect your Newell. First is the total weight of the trailer plus all the 'stuff' you put into it. The GVW or Gross Vehicle Weight is the surrogate of this since it is the weight of the trailer with the maximum load it was designed to carry. Second is the hitch weight of the trailer. This is the downward weight the hitch puts on the rear of the coach. It can be as little as a few pounds in the case of a trailer with wheels on the front and rear or typically 10-15% of the weight on the loaded trailer on a single or double axle trailer with the axles just to the rear of the center of the trailer.

For hill climbing, 100% of the weight of the trailer and its contents affects the performance of the coach and puts an extra load on the engine, cooling system, transmission, etc. In the early 1990's, Newells typically had a GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating=max weight of the coach, trailer and the contents of both) of 20,000 pounds greater than the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating=max weight of the coach and its contents). The hitch itself varied from coach to coach. Some had a hitch that would support a 2,000 pound tongue weight and pull a 20,000 pound trailer and others were fitted with a much lighter weight hitch. I have seen Newells advertised for sale listing a 5,000 pound hitch (500 pound tongue weight). Many, like mine, used heavier hitches so they could carry a large motorcycle lifted from the rear.