Im wanting to get a enclosed trailor to store and tow my camaro in.


My question is, will a jeep be able to pull that big of trailer?
Or would i be better off to buy a beater truck?

 

I would definetly get a truck to do that job.I had to tow my trans am home from Howell when it dumped on me.I used my 95 S-10 4x4 with a open trailer. The headlights were aimed up in the trees.The owls were P!ssed.It worked the motor pretty hard also(4.3).It did it more than once and eventually the rear springs were sagging quite badly.I would recommend a 1/2 ton truck at least (Chevy of course) with a V-8 in it. Good luck.New toys are always fun.

James

 

i wouldnt get a beater if you want to tow it around.. get something decent, but like he said. a f-150 or 1500 will do fine for short hauls.. going across country the a f-250 is awesome for towing. or the big bad one ton power stroke diesel(yes im a ford fa )

 

i just went through this very same delema awhile back. what size trailer exactly are you going to get, with an enclosed i would definately get nothing smaller than a 250 or 2500 size. if you have to go to a 150 or 1500 make sure it's a HD.

are you getting a trailer for good or is this a temporary deal?

if it's for good you should look into a truck that can support it. you can get a large displacement v8 that will handle it no problem but gas will disappear quickly when your not towing. diesel is definately better here. unless you can afford or are willing to go with a larger truck i would not get an enclosed trailer....smaller trucks will not handle the load.

if you go open then you could use a smaller full size like the 150 or 1500......no way you could ever use an s-10 or smaller suv though if you value your life. alot of this has to do with how safe you want to feel as well, i myself like to have total control throughout....with a smaller vehicle i felt like i was about to get run over.

 

well i guess my dreams of a SBC powered jeep are gone
oh well, i think a truck will be better

i really want to go with a covered tralior, for a few reasons, i can get one really cheap, my mom wants her garage back soon, and my apartment wont have a garage.....and i dont want my car sitting out.

price is a factor on a truck. I need what ever i buy to be a daily driver in the winter so i dont want anything huge, college parking lots are made for the imports anymore

my uncle has a chevy 3500 with a 454, and it has tons of TQ for towing like i want, but it get around 9-10 mpg while hes towing....would a deisal be the only to get better gas milage?

will a short bed chevy, with a 350, and over loads hold up fine?

how much does a covered trailor and car wiegh?

Jeff

what are you using to tow with, and what kind of gas milage do you get while fully loaded?

 

250 diesel...........loaded your looking at a min of 8,500 with my 26' enclosed....i wouldn't go any smaller than 24' enclosed. i've got a little bit of headroom which i'm thankful for.

some of the 1500's and 150 hd's have a capacity of up to 8,500-9,000 but then your border line and working your truck really hard. most of the 2500-250's have a min of 12,000 which makes a huge difference. throw in some tools and a few extras like a set of tires and you easily exceed a smaller full size trucks capacity. the trailer alone weights 4,500 which exceeds some vehicles expectations like smaller suv's and larger ones like the denalli and escalade which are purely for show.

all 150-1500 hd's and full size suv's like the suburban hd can go up to roughly 8,500. but then your paying high price for a truck that barely cuts it. yes, you can do it. the problem really comes in acceleration and stopping power....it just isn't there. i can pull my trailer fully loaded and you wouldn't even know it's there.this is the area where you really want the extra power and you'll be glad you have it.

i went with diesel mainly because of gas prices....however with the current war brewing the diesel prices are jumping which isn't good, although it's still lower than gas which is almost at $2.00.

couple more months and it will really be bad.

fully loaded i get roughly 15 in town and maybe 19 hwy....this is of course conservative since i haven't ran it to the last drop on purpose. on the highway i get roughly 25 unloaded and 20 loaded. you could go gas but then your looking at some seriously low mpg numbers.......not that it really matters when towing, but how often do you tow? it wasn't worth it to me as i needed a all multi-purpose vehicle.

i really wanted a suv, but unfortunately there isn't a single suv out there that can handle the job well without some serious modifications. truck is the only way to go.

 

Thanks for all the help

although its not the answers i wanted, but i cant run from the truth

the trailor im looking at is a 26' with a few cabinets for tools, and a small tire rack. so i think fully loaded it will be around 8-9000 lbs. although i wont be towing it a lot, im mainly wanting it for storage.

it looks like my best solution is buying an older and cheaper diesal (simply for the towing capabillty) and then buying another smaller 4wd like a jeep for the winter.

I am not looking forward to the gas prices this summer at all. Its only about $1.60 over here (i live in a small town) but i am gonna have to work tons of overtime this summer just to pay for gas

 

I use my Suburban for towing everything. I used to have a 26' camper, traded that for a 17' Runabout Ski boat with a I/O drive (very heavy), and I've towed my car on an open trailor behind it a few times. The truck only has 250,000 miles on it, with a stock 350, a 700R4 from a 85 Camaro, and the stock rear end. It has big tranny and engine oil coolers so that helps alot. Towing with it isn't much different then driving it without a trailor, it doesn't really use any more gas, and it accelerates and brakes just the same. If your getting a trailor, make sure it has at least a surge brake no matter what your driving. Never ever rely on just the vehicle's brakes. Electric brakes are by far the best.

If you can afford a diesel, then that's the way to go. Don't even think about towing with something shorter then a full size truck, I hate it when I see people try that, it's very dangerous.

 

i have a open trailer and i often use my dad's 96 bronco sport to haul my car and or friends cars. i dont not a equalizer setup on it or anything. i usually just strap the car down where it looks like ill get nice tounge wieght.. and even though it has a short wheel base i love towing my car with that vehicle. it has the 351 motor in it and it will keep up with traffic on the highway no problem. however my parents also have a c-350 (centurion) that they haul there 42 foot boat with. the boat loaded with fuel and on the trailer is wieghing around 15,000 pounds (boat=12ish# trailer 3200# plus 300 gallons of fuel and so on) but the c-350 as the older ford diesel with some slight things done to it to make towing alittle safer. we have towed the boat from detroit to key west and back with no problem.. so in my opion a 1 ton diesel might be over kill for what you need. unless you plan on doing long hauls. i see no reason why a half ton wouldnt move it around town ??

 

true around town meaning a short trip you can manage with the smaller vehicles.....but, an enclosed trailer especially when you get 24' and larger with a car is alot of weight and there is no way i'm going to chance my life or others on the road towing it unsafely. not to mention a 250-350 or their rivals the 2500-3500 aren't really overkill for that kind of weight. their just right.

that's just to much weight to mess around with.....

 

either way for just around town with a half ton truck i would suggest a good electric or surge brake setup. stopping it would be my biggest concern

 

very true....

most of the "newer" enclosed trailers come with them....don't know about the open though.


either way they are a must!

 

The open trailor i normally use to tow my car doesnt have electric brakes, and its a ***** to stop.

Then i pulled a lot heavier enclosed trailor to West ****** loaded with ATV's and it was a ton easier to stop.

So i agree, electric brakes are the only way to go.