How long of a flatbed trailer to haul my XJ.

[Mdub]

Guys, I'm looking for a flatbed trailer to haul around my XJ. I know it will fit on a 14' or 16' but does anyone tow with a shorter trailer? What general advice can anyone offer in my search for a trailer? I posted here because a lot of the highly modded jeeps get trailered.

p.s. No comments about a trailer queen. I drive mine everywhere I can, but when I'm gonna camp I want to haul it behind my motorhome. (c:

 

[Goatman]

My trailer is 13', I don't think I'd want it any shorter. A bunch of the guys I wheel with use 12' trailers, but those are for Wranglers that have a little shorter wheelbase. You want to be able to move the rig on the trailer a little to adjust the tongue weight.

 

[2stix]

trailer queens are vehicles (boats included) that get trailered out to a spot but never get off the trailer. i for one commend you for wanting to trailer your jeep. no matter how well you build it, stuff breaks.
as for what trailer to get. that all depends on your budget. an actual car hauler would be the best as it is designed to haul a vehicle. low profile, ramps, proper axle locations for weight distribution, most likely trailer brakes, proper sized axles, and dont forget tires with a high enough load rating. as for size, get the largest you can so you can load spare parts, water, fuel, (and if camping for a couple days) fire wood. (please NO pallets with nails).

 

[KarlVP]

FiFo tows with a 16 foot but wishes he built a 14 foot.

That is, until his J-20 broke down. Then the 16 foot came in WAY handy.

IMHO, get the longest trailer that you can. You may find yourself using it for other stuff. The extra length comes in handy more often than you thing.

 

[Mdub]

Thanks for the responses guys. I want the shortest trailer possible. It will be towed behind a 30'+ motorhome. The thing about the car haulers I've seen is that the wheels are so far back on the trailer that the tongue weight is very high.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

i love my 18' trailer and wouldn't have gone any shorter

 

[FordGuy]

I use a 16 ' and its just right for me, but if I could of found a 18' at the time, I could have been able to put my bike and a fuel rack.

 

[altierior]

The thing about the car haulers I've seen is that the wheels are so far back on the trailer that the tongue weight is very high.

all it takes is a little experimentation with the position of the XJ on the trailer. a few inches forward or back can make a huge difference in the tongue weight. if the tongue weight is too low, that thing will become one damn scary fishtail .

 

[xjtrailrider]

I plan on a 18' soon, not only for my junk to ride home on but if someone else breaks they can drive mine home and I'll haul theirs for them. Also most of my family drives Fords so they always need a tow to the repair shop or my garage!

I have seen a XJ hauled on a 12' trailer and it is a tight fit, get as long a trailer you can afford.

 

[seanR]

I have a 16 foot trailer, and I am glad it is not any shorter.
Depending on what I pull it with, I can adjust the tounge weight.

 

[Mdub]

Good point. That tongue weight is important to a good tow.

all it takes is a little experimentation with the position of the XJ on the trailer. a few inches forward or back can make a huge difference in the tongue weight. if the tongue weight is too low, that thing will become one damn scary fishtail .

 

[Mosephus]

I agree with the longer the better, when I had a Mustang I had a 16ft Dove Tail, and wished I had a 18ft Dove Tail. With the Jeep it would make carrying Extra Equipment oh so much easier. Plus you know your buddy's are gonna want to borrow it now an then. :variety:

 

[Ramsey]

i love my 18' trailer and wouldn't have gone any shorter

x2, its more than plenty long for the xj and i can fine tune the tongue weight, plus it can be used for other things. I thought for a while about getting a 14', but then there would be very little adjustment and other longer vehicles I wouldnt be able to pull if needed.

 

[IllianaXJ]

I've borrowed an 18' to tow my junk a couple times, and if I were to buy my own, I'd probably go 16'. Just personal preference, but my tow rig (Expedition) isn't the greatest to begin with, so anything I can do to reduce weight is a plus.

 

[Gerr]

I like the 16 we have but wish it was a 20 from time to time its also a big pain to have it be a dovetail

 

[altierior]

I like the 16 we have but wish it was a 20 from time to time its also a big pain to have it be a dovetail

what's a dovetail?

 

[Gerr]

its where the last couple feet of the trailer is slanted it makes for easy loading of cars and small vehicles

 

[IllianaXJ]

...its also a big pain to have it be a dovetail

Yep, you end up dragging the tail on every curb or breakover. PITA.

 

[Ramsey]

or peoples bridges

 

[vetteboy]

My trailer's pretty big...23' deck w/dovetail, 26' overall with a box over the tongue for strap storage and winch to pull stuff onto the deck.

Typical scrap run...

The Bronco belongs to a friend of mine, he and I built it about two years ago. Dana 80HD rear, 8-lug 44 up front (D60 swap coming soon), powered by a '94 Cummins 6BT 12-valve with a full Banks turbo kit, fuel plate, & 5-inch exhaust.

It used to be an enclosed box trailer that we got for free...my buddy and I stripped the box off because it was all rotted, fixed the frame, and plated the deck with 1/8" diamond plate. The fenders can be driven over and aside from being the jeep hauler, we use it for scrap metal runs, metal pickup/delivery, moving furniture, etc. It's heavy but when you're scrapping a load of engine blocks & twisted I-beams from building demo work, a wood deck just isn't a good idea.

Axles are rated for 10k lbs, brakes on all 4 tires, load range E tires...pretty stout. It's roomy enough that I can load a quad or 2 dirtbikes in front of the jeep without issue, and it makes picking up 24' sticks of DOM easy. Personally I wouldn't want a smaller one.