Questions about trailer types, and size considerations

[ocean_jet]

I'm looking to get a trailer to tow my XJ. I've towed jet ski trailers before but never hauled a vehicle.

I've been looking around locally and talking to some of the trailer dealerships and I have a couple questions.

They have car haulers and utility trailers. Both are tandem axle, flat bed trailers with 7,000 GVWR. The utility trailer had a raised rail around the deck, where the car hauler does not. I understand the car haulers have no rail to accommodate opening doors of the car being hauled. But that's not a problem with my lifted jeep.

Anyway, besides that, is there any reason I can't use a utility trailer (vs. a car hauler) to haul my XJ?


Second... size. I want to store the trailer in my garage when I am not using it, my garage is fairly small.

To that end, my Jeep would fit on a 12x6.5 deck, meaning all 4 tires would be completely on the deck. But the bumpers would hang over a bit. It won't hang over so much in the front that it would hit the tow rig on sharp turns... but would definitely hang over a bit both front and back.

Is that a problem, or is it ok to tow like that?

I could go as large as a 14x6.5, but a 16x6.5 won't fit in my garage.


Thanks,
Mike

 

[Vanimal]

you'll need to balance the load, so you want some wiggle room there. a 12' won't cut it.
as for a utility trailer, the rails wont work if your jeep ever gets wider or you get a buggy on full widths. i have a 6.5' and i overhang on each side by a couple inches. and i'm not full width either. check craigslist in OC or IE, there are a couple custom builders up there that had nice car haulers for $1700-1800.

 

[ExTankerGuy]

When I bought my car hauler I was looking at 16 footers. I ended up getting an 18' and now I kinda wish I would have bought a 20'! Don't limit yourself. A toolbox, spare tire, 4 wheeler, and whatever else you decide to bring starts to take up space.

 

[sdspearo]

I could go as large as a 14x6.5, but a 16x6.5 won't fit in my garage.

Did you account for the tongue in those lengths? Most 16' deck trailers have a 4' tongue for 20' total.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

I have a 12ft deck lowboy.. it fits a jeep just fine, There's pro's and con's tho, With this setup, i am at max weight capacity.. I have brakes on both axles, etc.. but i still weigh in at a hair over 7k with jeep/trailer

But after borrowing my buddys (redjeep2.0) 18ft 10k, I fell in love! my 12ft is now on Craigslist, And i plan to buy a brand new 20ft 10k-12k next month..

My advice, Find trailer parking, and go for a 10k trailer.. With the extra capacity, with just a jeep.. the peace of mind is what sold me!

 

[DrMoab]

When I bought my trailer I bought a 16ft and really wished I had gone with an 18-20ft. Just because you have your head wrapped around just towing your jeep at the moment you'll find that it comes in handy for so many other things as well.

This same logic goes for the utility vs car hauler. Just because you can get your jeep doors to open doesn't mean the time won't come where you need to haul a small car or something else that is wider than the body of the trailer. You can always build a side kit for it if you need to haul something loose.

 

[ocean_jet]

Did you account for the tongue in those lengths? Most 16' deck trailers have a 4' tongue for 20' total.

Yep. I figured 4' tongue. I might be able to get 20' of trailer in my garage, but it would be very tight if it fit at all.

That's why I am figuring a 14' deck/18' overall would be the max I could store here.

 

[ocean_jet]

I have a 12ft deck lowboy.. it fits a jeep just fine, There's pro's and con's tho, With this setup, i am at max weight capacity.. I have brakes on both axles, etc.. but i still weigh in at a hair over 7k with jeep/trailer

That looks like it would work ok for me.... how much does the trailer weigh? Any issues with balancing the load on the trailer?

My advice, Find trailer parking, and go for a 10k trailer.. With the extra capacity, with just a jeep.. the peace of mind is what sold me!

I was figuring a trailer would be about 1,500 lbs, plus about 4,500 for the XJ would put me around 6,000 lbs. With a 7k trailer, I figured I'd be fine.

My tow rig is only rated at 9,100 max trailer size, so I don't want to tow much above 7k anyway.

As for trailer parking, a spot near my house would be at least $1,000/ year... that too much to pay to store a $2k trailer IMO.

my 12ft is now on Craigslist,

You coming to So Cal anytime?

I might be interested in buying your trailer if it wasn't so far away....

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

Iirc the 12ft trailer weighs about 1800#. Simply due to 100% 1/4" plate construction. I think a typical 12-14' would weigh 12-1500#.

For you, sounds like smaller would be better

 

[87manche]

get the upgraded axles and tires.
so, 1500lb trailer + 4500lb jeep= 6K lbs. You're only 500 lbs away from your max axle ratings. now figure that on a super short trailer you can't really adjust the load. So it's likely one axle ends up overweight. usually the 5200# axles and tires aren't a deal breaker when you buy a trailer, it's surely a ton more expensive to retrofit it later. Plus, 15" trailer tires suck, the 16's work mo better. You'll get bigger brakes as well, which may be the single biggest upgrade, especially if you're near the maximum capacity of your truck.

granted I've not taken tongue weight into account up there, but still, get the 5200# axles over the 3500. At some point someone will overload your trailer, that's just how it works.

 

[hadfield4wd]

I've hauled my jeep on a 14' trailer. It's tight but it works. I wouldn't want to. a 16' is about right. Just through all your stuff under the jeep on the trailer.

BTW why do you have to put it in the garage? Also does it have to be straight? Get a wheel for the jack, back it in a corner on an angle then push the tongue to the opposite corner.

Car haulers are wider. If you decide to go bigger you'll need the width.