Choosing the right trailer

[Destroyer]

Since I recently bought a tow rig/DD I am now looking at a trailer to pull the XJ. The tow rig is an 05 Ram 5.9 QCLB and I am thinking an 18' trailer would give me the most versatility for the future. Storage and obviously price are issues so anything over 20' is definitely not going to work at this time. I am already pretty set on a non-dovetail, wood deck and 8lug dual brake configuration, but what really has me thinking is should I go with the normal car hauler style or a deckover? I like the increased usable area of the deckover but am worried about the higher CG. Looking for people with experience and what they would/did do.

Thanks,
Destroyer

 

[ChiXJeff]

The only reason for a deckover would be if you need a completely flat bed.

I bought an 18' flat 10k tandem axle (both braked) 102" width and drive over fenders, trailer a year ago. It's already got over 5k miles on it. I thought about saving a few bucks and going with a 7k trailer, but figured that I'd have just enough use for the extra ton and a half to just buy the heavier trailer. Heavier than a 10k and you get into other licensing issues.

I bought a trailer that's fully painted, top and bottom. I could have bought a cheaper trailer, but those were raw steel below, and I figure that I don't want to either have to keep painting the bottom, or replace the whole thing in 10 years.

 

[bails85]

i have towed my xj with a 16 foot boat trailer that was converted to a flat bed. i had plenty of room so a 18 foot should be perfect for you.

 

[MasterPull]

I have used a 16, 20, 24, and maybe even an 18 footer. I liked the 16 the best because it was easy to stash places, my XJ was overhanging off the back by half a foot and it got pretty close to the front of the deck. But having a short trailer was great when I had to turn around or do anything else.

-Alex

 

[JOEKAY]

longer is always nice to give room to play with tongue weight. I would recommend the dove, I used to have a non dove. whenever I needed to put a car on there, I had to use long 2x12s on the ramps to help from high centering. I currently use a 18+2 but a 16+2 would work nicely.

 

[ChiXJeff]

I bought a flat trailer because I'd get hung up in my driveway, let alone a trailhead. Something else to think about.

 

[macgyvr]

My single place is 16ft with two 3500# axles. Its nice to maneuver around. That said if I were to buy another single place I would go 18 ft with two 5200# axles. I feel like my popcan XJ is pushing the limits of the 7k rating and it would nice to have an extra two feet for stuff sometimes. Its not as big of a deal since I have my two place. I've also replaced my axles once because they got bent (not me, loaned trailer out...don't loan it out anymore) but because of the way my trailer is set up I couldn't' upgrade to 5200# axles. My trailer is flat, but its a lowboy so the dove tail isn't really an issue.

mac 'its been all over the country and back a couple times' gyvr

 

[Destroyer]

Thanks for the input so far guys. If I go with a non-deckover it will definitely be a flat deck for the reasons mentioned. Getting onto my street a dove would probably drag pretty bad. I'm kinda worried about a normal car hauler high centering at the top of my driveway as well, some seem to have the main framerails sitting really low. I drove past a nice looking deckover yesterday and it sat really high next to the Dodge though? What size main frame would be considered a minimum for what we do? I have seen 5-8" with the same overall rating, but 5-6" seems pretty small for that length of trailer.

Thanks,
Destroyer

 

[macgyvr]

My 16ft trailer has 4 inch frame rails. Trailer is 10 years old and no issues. Also it was built about the same time as four other trailers built on the same floor plan and no issues on those either.

My 34ft bumper pull has 8 inch frame rails, but under the initial frame has another 8 inches of frame. So 16 inches of frame from the trailer axles forward to the tongue.

The center of mine is dropped down too...makes it nice to hauling spares and working on the rig on the trailer.

Here's the best pick I could find without much searching.

mac 'trailered' gyvr

 

[BenDiesel]

i have a 03 ram 5.9 ctd quadcab that i bought to do the same thing you are lol. have towed my jeep twice so far. used 2 different trailers. both borrowed from awesome coworkers.
the first time i towed was approx 160 miles round trip not sure how much the trailer weighed i think it was raited for 10k. traffic sucked going down so comming back at night was my only real expereance with it. it towed beatifully didnt sway any and had plenty of room to adjust toung weight.

seccond time was about 460 miles for nwfest. i borrowed a diff trailer from a coworker that used it for moving a escivator. it was raited at 1600 pounds and weighed 3000 pounds. it was a tortion axle and towed nice as well. the wind hit it a few times but i never had a unexpected lane change. infact it was small enough that without a load on it i coulnt see it in any of my mirrors without the tail gate down.

as for the higher center of gravity just go slower around sharp corners. but brakes are nessary. another temp solution is if you have d rings on the front of your jeep ya might think about a tow bar. thats what im going to do till i can save up enough for a diecent trailer. check craigslist to there are a few good deals .

 

[87manche]

yes to 5200# axles
Yes to brakes on both axles

my pig of an MJ fits in 16 ft of enclosed space, barely, an XJ should fit fine on 16 ft, but you might want that extra 2 feet so you can adjust the tongue weight. 16 ft pretty much dictates where you're going to put it.

Even though you've got a proper 3/4 ton tow rig I would still do a WD hitch. You won't believe the difference it makes.

 

[TRCM]

If you're worried about clearance at the trail and your driveway, you need a deck over.

Don't forget gas stations, fast food places, etc. that don't always have a nice entrance for a low trailer due to the drown of the road.

I had a 97 dodge 3500 ctd and a 14k 20' flatbed GN with a 4 ft dove. Even as high as it sat (main deck was right around 38" from the ground, dove was maybe 12"), I drug the tail several times pulling into and out of places I needed to go (paved places, not trail heads).

I also towed much heavier and taller than your setup, and CG was never an issue. I routinely towed my 8' tall 79 dodge ramcharger on 40's on it, and never had a reason to worry.

 

[Destroyer]

Thanks for all the input. I think I have finally decided on a trailer.

A dealer out of Macon, GA will build me a 18' flat deck equipment trailer with 5200lb axles, heavy gauge fenders, wood deck, LED lighting, and adjustable coupler for $2800. Sound like a good deal or keep looking?

 

[macgyvr]

new trailers tires on it or used car tires?

srsly they do that with new trailers...

mac 'seems to be in the ballpark' gyvr

 

[Destroyer]

New 10ply trailer tires. They also said they come painted on top and powdercoated underneath.

 

[shortxjdoug]

Thanks for all the input. I think I have finally decided on a trailer.

A dealer out of Macon, GA will build me a 18' flat deck equipment trailer with 5200lb axles, heavy gauge fenders, wood deck, LED lighting, and adjustable coupler for $2800. Sound like a good deal or keep looking?

thats a good deal... i paid 1k for my well used 18ft deck car hauler, it needs wood and wiring so when im done dressing it all up ill have about 2 in it.

i know everyone has been talking about clearance and whatnot but i would definently make sure you get a dovetail, i can load lowered cars on mine and it very much so extends the usefelness of having a trailer just my .02 cents

 

[Destroyer]

Thanks Doug. I actually put a deposit in on Wednesday for it. I took a ride down to see the construction/quality of their other trailers and ended up getting a few extra options throw in as well. Should have it in a week or two. I already have a Ridgid storage box to throw on it, now I need to start researching straps/binders and all that good stuff.

 

[Destroyer]

I finally picked up the trailer last week. I am waiting on my straps as well as a new 7 pin connector for the Dodge to arrive but I couldn't resist test loading the Jeep before I parked the trailer. I need to raise the coupler a hole or 2 to get it to sit level but it pulled great on the 3hr ride home. Unfortunately my Ridgid box won't fit between the deck and the jack so I'm probably going to try to trade it for a different box. Also planning on putting some leftover deck sealer on when I get another day off.

 

[BenDiesel]

nice lookin steup you got there.when you get straps and every thing you want put the jeep on the trailer some night and head for a closed weigh station. they will have a scale with a read out you can use for free to get every thing weighing righ then mark on the trailer where your front tire goes so loading it will be consistant, repeatiable and reliable. you want 60% to 70% of your overall trailer weigh on the toung

 

[RedHeep]

Have a tractor supply nearby?

That's the best place to pick up what you need to tie it down to the trailer. Get yourself 14k cargo ratchet straps and 18" axle straps. You're going to spend about 80 bucks, but there are many more uses for those big straps if you need them. If you get a car dedicated tiedown kit, you won't have any options for the $150 you're going to spend.

I don't think you want 60-70% of your overall trailer weight on the tongue. That would mean if you were towing 10,000 lbs, your tongue weight would be 6000 lbs. What you actually want is 10-15%. Not enough tongue weight will make your trailer sway.

If you haven't towed a lot before, do some research and understand the terms. Things like GVWR, GTW, etc are important things to know so you set yourself up for success. There's lots of guides out there, this one I found just googling quick:

http://www.etrailer.com/faq-trailertowtips.aspx

I tow a 15+2. I haven't had any issues towing with the dovetail. I have an inclined driveway, but it's not very steep. For anyone towing jeeps or offroad vehicles, I'd suggest find a trailer with the lowest deck you can maneuver for your situation.

I get 12 mpg towing the jeep behind me and 14 mpg towing a car. Wind resistance and how much it sticks up over the truck is a big deal.