Need your opinion on this enclosed trailer.
 

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/2090812928.html I can get this trailer for half of what it would cost me to build a single car garage. My 20x20 garage is stuffed with my Sport Fury, Challenger, two motorcycles and much more. I would probably store one of the cars in there so I could work on the other and finally get out racing again. The first question is how much does a trailer like this weigh empty if I should decide to use it for the races rather than the open trailer. The guy is using it for his landscaping business and he says he's not sure the rear door can handle the weight of a car but it looks like a regular car trailer to me, but I wouldn't know as I've never owned or payed much attention to enclosed trailers. I see from doing searches that the Pace trailers are said to be well made. For a couple of thousand more I could buy one of the cheap Haulmarks or King Americans new but they seem to get no love around here. I really want a 24' but coming home late at night and parking it without hitting the garage would be a challenge and I only have a total of 50' in front of my house without blocking the neighbor's driveways. The second question is about the tow vehicles. I have an 88 E350 14' cube van with a 460 that runs like crap after it warms up and a 76 Dodge class C motorhome with 33k miles, an excellent running 360, drivetrain and rustfree frame and suspension. A local welding fabricator is going to put the proper hitch setup on it. I'm sure the Dodge would be fine with the open trailer but I'm not sure if the overhang of the class C would be a problem with the enclosed. I really don't trust the Ford and want to sell it, but a low millage 360, 727 torq and 410 Dana are music to my ears. All of my races will probably be within a 1-3 hour drive so plunking along in the right lane at 55 is fine with me. The trailer Toad is a great thought but the extended length could make late night parking an issue. One last note, I can get an enclosed 20' trailer locally that's a bit beat up for 1,000 if I just want it for storage or to put some TLC into it. Thanks for any replies or opinions on this, Paul.

Re: Need your opinion on this enclosed trailer.
 

A pair of 3,500 lb axles on an enclosed trailer is not a good idea if you load it with a car. There have been discussions/debates about how a trailer should be equipped. Personally, I wouldn't buy an enclosed trailer for a race car if it had 5,000 lb axles. But that's just me. I got 6,000 lb axles on my 26' Pace for a lot more durability and tire life with 16"ers even though it tops out around 10k fully loaded.

Storage, yes. Towing to the races, No!

Re: Need your opinion on this enclosed trailer.
 

Paul,the pics of that trailer seem to indicate that it's been over more than 30 miles of bad road.I'd suggest you buy the 20'er to keep a car in for storage and spend the rest on a good open trailer.You can then do some upgrades to the motor home.Or you do some refurbishing on the box van to run good and serve as a mini living quarters and sell the motor home.
Just the opinion of a low bucker.

Re: Need your opinion on this enclosed trailer.
 

I agree with Myron. I had one almost exactly like the one you are thinking of buying. One word..... scary! You have to watch for wood rot and rust on one that old. The reason he says he's not sure if it will hold a car is because it probably won't! Beware! Jim

Re: Need your opinion on this enclosed trailer.
 

Two major considerations for a trailer like that: If your car weight is in the 3,300 + area, and I'd feel safe in guessing that trailer weighs 3,500 to 3,700, you're already close to exceeding the recommended GVW of the trailer axles. Are you allowing for tool boxes, generators, fuel etc? I've seen far too many wheel bearing/tire failures under those conditions. Another thing to look for on the older landscape/utility trailers is I've seen some with the frame floor joists 24" on center with plywood floors. I wouldn't even consider anything less than 16" on center. Just a couple recommendations, good luck with your shopping/purchase.

Re: Need your opinion on this enclosed trailer.
 

If you are only going to use it to store a car make sure someone drive off with them both.