[Yachts]

I am looking at a trailer toad..

[roadappels]

Thanks for all the great suggestions and examples. Clarke, you have the "escape" door on the driver's side of your trailer? Do you feel that is worth a couple hundred to have...seems that it would be convenient but worry that more doors means more trouble....Also, what about weight distributing hitches? Necessary for 10,000lb or less or not?

[whatsnewell]

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?

Yeah.....combined carrying capacity of both axles. I believe there is a formula for how much the tongue weight would be based on the GVW of the trailer with its cargo, but I forget what it is. The receiver hitches on our coaches have a 10,000 pound weight capacity I believe. If the cargo in the trailer is properly balanced over the axles the tongue weight should be a fraction of the gross weight.

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Thanks for all the great suggestions and examples. Clarke, you have the "escape" door on the driver's side of your trailer? Do you feel that is worth a couple hundred to have...seems that it would be convenient but worry that more doors means more trouble....Also, what about weight distributing hitches? Necessary for 10,000lb or less or not?

The ramp door on the drivers side is not really an escape door.....it was an addition made by the guy who had my trailer built......he carried a Jeep in the rear of the trailer, and quads in the front and wanted to be able to unload the quads without puling the Jeep out. The escape door comes in handy when the vehicle you have is wide enough to prevent you from accessing it from the rear of the trailer. It enables you to get in and out of the vehicle while it is in the trailer more easily.

[Fulltiming]

With a tag along trailer, typically you strive for 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight to be on the hitch. 5th wheel hitches can have a greater percentage of their weight on the hitch (15-25%). If the tongue weight is significantly less than 10% or significantly greater than 15% can result in undesirable issues. Having too little weight on the tongue can increase the propensity of the trailer to sway. To much tongue weight can be mitigated by weight distributing hitches and is less of an issue when towing with a Newell than with a car or pickup where it can take too much weight off the tow vehicles front end resulting in steering issues.

Using a Trailer Toad changes the weight and handling dynamics and they recommend 15% of the trailer weight be on the hitch.

[roadappels]

Great education I'm getting...now would you go with the rubber coin flooring or the aluminum tread plate flooring on a trailer? Is one better than the other? Any of you with trailers out there have preference?

[folivier]

What do you plan on having in the trailer?
E-track is nice for tie-downs. If you're loading your car and it is dirty or drips oil you want the floor easy to clean up.

[whatsnewell]

Great education I'm getting...now would you go with the rubber coin flooring or the aluminum tread plate flooring on a trailer? Is one better than the other? Any of you with trailers out there have preference?

Mine came with a rubber "diamond plate" flooring......not slippery, and easy to clean. It has the same tread pattern as regular diamond plate. I would think regular diamond plate might be a bit slippery when wet.

[arcticdude]

I had the floor of mine sprayed with a bedliner material. It's worked very well so far. You can pick your color and make it whatever you want. It's pretty nonslip and the tires seem to do well on it. It's actually held up better than the frp wall treatments. I located where my tie downs neede to be and used "disposable" bolts when I took it to be sprayed. That way, the sprayers could put the bolt in the holes the tie downs used and cut around the bolt shaft once the liner had hardened. It covered all my tie down point, with the exception of the bolt holes themselves. So I can remove all the tie downs and have a flat floor when I want.

[Guy]

I see several of you use the Prodigy RF brake controller with good results. I am all for not having to snake 40 ft of wire to tge rear bumper. Seems I forgot the most important thing in my trailer shopping. How to activate the electric brakes....

I have an air coupling at my hitch. Any idea of its use?

[whatsnewell]

Guy, most Newells have extra unused wires already pulled from front to rear......all you have to do is choose the ones you want to use with your brake controller.....I know that sounds simple, but at least it eliminates the necessity of pulling new wire. The hard part is getting it wired up.....I had my mechanic install my Prodigy and it has worked well now for 7 years.