Open Car Trailer Improvements

[AldeanFan]

I started another thread asking for advice on building a spare tire mount for the trailer I just bought.
Trailer Ground Clearance

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=348826&share_fid=20318&share_type=t

Now I'm thinking it would be great to compile general advice about trailer Improvements.

What are the must haves,on your car hauler?
What would you change or do differently if your were buying or building a new trailer?
What is the best thing about your trailer or the thing you hate and wish you could change?



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[matt_i]

I have a gooseneck deckover, but some things apply. What I like is the bearing greaser zerks on each axle bearing. I'd treat every lug-stud with copper-anti-seize so they don't rust. Make some kind of weather resistant box for the male wiring connector, ideally bug proof as well so wasps don't become a nasty surprise. Eliminate all scotch-locks in the wiring harness and replace with heat-shrink **** splices. Eliminate incandescent lamps and replace with LED which are brighter and draw less current.

 

[BruceMc]

+1 on the LEDs. Enough well placed tie-downs so you can have confidence in your attachment points. A set of stab jacks on the rear are nice.

 

[MUD DAWG]

1. Backup lights
2. Tool box
3. Ramps that flip up and down, not ones stored and you have lug around
4. You can't have enough tie downs
5. Easy lube bearings
6. NO CARLISLE tires. Total junk.
7. Brakes on both axles
8. No 14" tires
9. Dovetail.
10. This isn't a top 10 list . But that's a combo of what I have, and what I want for the next trailer

 

[Richard Cranium]

Mud dawg, sounds like a good want list.

 

[Empty Pockets]

All I have is a 5X8 enclosed utility trailer. Next one will have Mud Dawg's options included, plus LED lights

 

[JCQuick]

I think everyones needs are geared to what your doing with it. I updated mine a few years ago and went all led lighting love it. mine is just a simple single axle tilt trailer made to haul VW's works great I've even had it at 95 mph before yes with a car on it

 

[Ray916MN]

E-Track on the deck. Makes tying down a wider variety of stuff to the deck much easier.

 

[mikegt4]

A winch at the front of the deck, either permanent or mounted on a hitch receiver for easy removal.

lots of ideas in this old thread
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/tow-...-all-about-little-things-trailer-edition.html

 

[Spareparts]

I welded a axle spindle on my trailer tongue, have the spare with complete hub/bearings and seal with Bearing Buddy on it.

 

[L5wolvesf]

On an open race car trailer a mounting point for a vise.

 

[L5wolvesf]

I welded a axle spindle on my trailer tongue, have the spare with complete hub/bearings and seal with Bearing Buddy on it.

I like this, but how do you keep road dirt etc out of it?

 

[Nodakwalleyer]

As Mikegt4 stated, a removable winch up front mounted on a receiver hitch.

 

[fourjeepin]

I added a spare to the side of mine also flip up ramps like mud dawg mentioned. This was a great improvement and took like no cash as I used the ramps and the storage slides to build them. Only had to buy the tuning I used to mount them to the trailer.

This trailer has a bulldog hitch which I think is so much easier to latch than any other I have used.

 

[wasfuzz]

Rip all current wiring out and start over fresh with one of these ;
www.nueratrailerparts.com/7-termina...sc_intid=747&gclid=CMKOlPedoNECFcK6wAodR-YHNg
that way you know all wiring is good and switch to all LED lights.

 

[southalabama]

All mentioned before.

Tie downs. Tie downs and more tie downs.

LED lights.

Whatever tire your tow vehicle is run the same on the trailer if possible.

 

[like2wheel]

I welded a axle spindle on my trailer tongue, have the spare with complete hub/bearings and seal with Bearing Buddy on it.

Genius.

Not sure why someone was asking about road dirt. Wouldn't the ones on the ground see more??

 

[RVDan]

Think about what those bearing grease zirks do.

I love them, but for the wrong reasons.

Old grease doesn't disappear, you keep adding grease thinking you're doing good, but you're pushing the old grease past the seal and into your brakes. I keep a lot of brake assemblies in stock because morons keep ruining them with grease.

When you get too much grease in there it can also run hot and liquefy, getting into your brakes easier.

Cue everybody that claims they've been greasing their bearings this way forever and never had a problem.

 

[RWorth]

RVDan we put the seals in backwards, and use spring loaded bearing buddies to force the grease out and also keep the water out on boat trailers, but most of them do not have brakes.

I agree with you on land based trailers, however on car trailers that don't get used often I'd suggest parking them on blocks and spinning the wheels occasionally when your walking by it to lube the bearings.

 

[RWorth]

couple of suggestions if you are building a trailer, car hauler or otherwise.

1) the outside channel irons should have the flanges out, that way you can mount your LED lights in the web and they are protected from bumping.
2) use a pair of landing gear on the front that you see on tractor trailers, they will allow you to tilt the trailer while still connected to the tow vehicle and with a vehicle on the trailer.
3) wood deck, things do not slide as easily on a wood deck, and if you're hauling odd items it allows you to screw down blocks to stabilize the item you're moving.
4) duck tail, allows for shorter ramps.
5) hinged ramps are easier to deploy, but limit the length of your trailer for oversized vehicles or cargo, so make them easily removable.
6) drop jacks on the 2 rear corners to prevent the trailer from lifting the rear wheels of the tow vehicle off the ground and rolling away during loading.
7) depending on the tow vehicle and the loads you will be hauling, at least brakes on one axle, all axles are best.
8) this I just started thinking about over the last year, and will probably do it on my Semi soon, a rear view camera mounted high enough to watch the load while under way. Gives peace of mind while driving, you'll find yourself not pulling over as often to check your load.

 

[matt_i]

Think about what those bearing grease zirks do.

I love them, but for the wrong reasons.

Old grease doesn't disappear, you keep adding grease thinking you're doing good, but you're pushing the old grease past the seal and into your brakes. I keep a lot of brake assemblies in stock because morons keep ruining them with grease.

When you get too much grease in there it can also run hot and liquefy, getting into your brakes easier.

Cue everybody that claims they've been greasing their bearings this way forever and never had a problem.

I have not ever had the brakes apart on my trailer...something to work on...but it seems like the excess grease collects back in the steel "cup" that protects the zerk. I usually take along a flat screwdriver and a paper towel and scrape out the excess at the same time I'm re-greasing. Again, I don't know if its all going back there but I believe a significant portion does. I usually only give 1 shot at a time, but always before any "big trip".

I am not sure if there's a rotating lip seal in there or its just a labyrinth with the path of least resistance being back to the outside.

I have about 20,000 miles of actual towing on this trailer and no problems that I can detect...its moved a lot of heavy stuff. Time for a brake check anyway

Just another data point....my boat trailer which has no brakes, does the same thing with its greasable axle bearing zerks. I'm putting in a blue grease and getting grey back out thru the cup, which seems like its the grease that the previous owner put in there. I give those significantly more shots to push out any water. And I have never detected any leakage on the ID of the wheel either.

 

[Outlander]

8) this I just started thinking about over the last year, and will probably do it on my Semi soon, a rear view camera mounted high enough to watch the load while under way. Gives peace of mind while driving, you'll find yourself not pulling over as often to check your load.

Interesting - at night I can't see my ATV unless a car passes by. I 'know' it is till there but would like visual confirmation!

All mentioned before.

Tie downs. Tie downs and more tie downs.

LED lights.

I'll do LED lights on my new trailer when the bulbs die and I am forced to.

Is it me, or do trailer manufacturers have no clue about what tie downs are actually for, and what configurations are actually useful?

 

[manwithtools]

A winch at the front of the deck, either permanent or mounted on a hitch receiver for easy removal.

lots of ideas in this old thread
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/tow-...-all-about-little-things-trailer-edition.html

This ^^^ I've got a receiver mount welded to the trailer tongue, along with power outlet and winch control receptacle mounted under the trucks rear bumper. The winch control solenoid and circuit breaker are mounted under the hood of the truck next to the battery. I've got a similar setup on the UTV, I switch the winch between trailer an UTV as necessary.

Toss the winch in the receiver mount of the trailer and pull a disabled vehicle onto the trailer in a jiffy.

 

[ghnl]

Think about what those bearing grease zirks do.

I am aware of two types. One is a replacement for the dust cap. Inside is some sort of spring loaded device. These are intended to keep water out of boat trailer wheel bearings. Add a few shots of grease before backing the trailer into the water so the sudden cooling doesn't cause a vacuum while they are under water.

The other type - what I have on my car trailer - are axle spindles drilled to deliver the grease into the bearings. Remove a rubber plug, pump in some grease through the spindle into the bearings, wipe off any excess with a paper towel and call it done. There is no residual pressure and I've not seen grease forced onto the brakes.

 

[stage20]

I like this, but how do you keep road dirt etc out of it?

their are 4 of them on the trailer already....they do fine

 

[38Chevy454]

Very low budget: I welded chain half links for rope and ratchet tie down points. You get the chain pieces free at any hardware store that sells chain. Get the cut links out of the box they throw them in. Round the cut edge so it is smooth and then weld direct to the trailer frame. Bigger chain links are better obviously. End result is a bunch of upside down U tie down points.

I did this to my open car trailer, not for tying the vehicle down. Just for small stuff like car parts (engine, trans, rearend, etc) or a tarp when using the trailer for other uses. I know this sounds obvious, but use the trailer frame for vehicle tie down, not the small chain link points.

 

[prostreetamx]

I did lots of mods on my open car trailer. I completely rewired it first with some LED lights. Will swap out the rest next time. Added an ATV 400 winch, dual spare tire mounts and box on tongue for straps. Added a bunch more tie downs and one item I've never seen added before is 2 high mounted tails lights on poles on each rear corner. This trailer has been rear ended twice while empty because the duckbilled rear deck sits very low, making the tail lights very hard to see at night. One of my cars I trailer has it's rear lights set up to connect with the trailer lights so they also work aiding visibility but my other car is not set up yet for that. My ramps pull out from the back but one stop broke letting the ramp fall out while loading. I need to go through this whole trailer again when I finish my new garage.

 

[billgreenwood]

Very low budget: I welded chain half links for rope and ratchet tie down points. You get the chain pieces free at any hardware store that sells chain. Get the cut links out of the box they throw them in. Round the cut edge so it is smooth and then weld direct to the trailer frame. Bigger chain links are better obviously. End result is a bunch of upside down U tie down points.

I did this to my open car trailer, not for tying the vehicle down. Just for small stuff like car parts (engine, trans, rearend, etc) or a tarp when using the trailer for other uses. I know this sounds obvious, but use the trailer frame for vehicle tie down, not the small chain link points.

I like this idea a lot. I have access to a lot of chain links at work and I think I will use this idea. I guess I should contribute to the thread now that I have gotten something out of it.

When I rewired my trailer electrical I ran a couple of sections of PEX tubing down each side of the frame. One tube went all the way to the rear on each side for the lights and the other tubes stopped at the axles for the trailer brake wires. For lights I used Harbor Freight magnetic towing lights that I hard wired on each side with just enough slack to be able to pull them off to the side so they don't get broken while loading or unloading the trailer.



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[LS6 Tommy]

Winch at the front of the deck, storage for fuel jugs and a tool box on the tongue. Rollers under the back for going up and down ramps and driveway aprons. Obviously the required tire rack.

Tommy

 

[Homerr]

Some tips here:

 

[Waggoner72]

I put a 12k harbor freight winch on the front of my car hauler and I love it. I also got a cover for it off eBay for like $10 to keep it looking new. Best addition to my car hauler yet. I plan to add some lights to the deck to aid in loading at night.

 

[AldeanFan]

Lots is great ideas.

Winch is definitely high On my list of must haves, especially after using a come along to drag a jeep with 4 flat tires and seized brakes on to a trailer.

I think I'll load each of my cars on my trailer and see where I need to add tie downs.

I'm surprised a few people carry two spare tires, I've only had one flat tire towing a trailer and it was on a pop up with 12" tires. I can't imagine the scenario where I'd need two spares.

Also, I've never understood the insistence on using LED lights. I've never seen an alternator that couldn't keep up with a few extra 1156 bulbs on a trailer.



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[4EyedTurd]

If you've got time to kill there's a lot of good ideas in this thread.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/tow-...-all-about-little-things-trailer-edition.html

 

[joe49]

Lots is great ideas.

Winch is definitely high On my list of must haves, especially after using a come along to drag a jeep with 4 flat tires and seized brakes on to a trailer.

I think I'll load each of my cars on my trailer and see where I need to add tie downs.

I'm surprised a few people carry two spare tires, I've only had one flat tire towing a trailer and it was on a pop up with 12" tires. I can't imagine the scenario where I'd need two spares.

Also, I've never understood the insistence on using LED lights. I've never seen an alternator that couldn't keep up with a few extra 1156 bulbs on a trailer.
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Hell I carry 4 spares and have a few times used 2 and once 3. All it takes is some debris on the road to take out 2 at once.

 

[macgyver37]

Depending on how well your trailer rides, LED's tend to last longer due to vibration. I still run the incandesant but they are in the rubber mounts. I do keep a spare with my trailer though.

My biggest pet peeve with most trailers is the tongue to too short and the jack is placed at the front right behind the hitch. How many tail gates have you seen with the jack handle dent in them? I built mine so that I could drop the tail gate and even jack knife the trailer without hitting anything. Makes life much easier when using the trailer.

 

[manwithtools]

LED lights are not about power savings on a trailer, it's about bulb life and brightness. You may never have to replace an LED in the life of a trailer.

 

[Redhotrod]

Nothing major here either but I find this is a major help backing up my 15' open trailer behind my lifted extended cab with tonneau cover. I just stick the magnet ends near the back on the trailer frame top or by the fenders and effortlessly can see the trailer. Also works great with the boat trailer when empty to retrieve the boat, just put them on the fender out of the boats way.

 

[texasranger]

I like the brightness of LED but if it's snowing they won't keep the ice and snow melted off like incandescent.

 

[AldeanFan]

I'm not yet sold on leds.
On our last camping trip I had a tail light burn out on the airstream. I had spare bulbs with me but if I hadn't I know any gas station, parts store or even Walmart would have a bulb for a dollar or less. If I had converted the lights to leds I would probably still be waiting for $25 replacements to ship out.


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[AldeanFan]

One of my best additions to my trailers has been a bottle jack capable of lifting the loaded trailer.
Lots of trailers come with a spare tire but I don't think I've ever bought a trailer with a jack.
One of my friends had to unload his suburban to get the jack out, then unload the racecar from the trailer, because the suburban's jack wouldn't lift the loaded trailer.

Another option is carrying enough blocking to pull one wheel on to so the other is off the ground. I think this only works with torsion axles.


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