Trailer Length

tlucier

tlucier

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Location
Mebane, NC
I apologize in advance if this has been covered in a previous thread, but I've checked about 8 pages out of 30 and haven't seen this question addressed yet.

I'm planning to buy a trailer for my '01 TJ and I'm looking for suggestions regarding trailer length. I'm looking at a bumper pull trailer to hook to my trailer hitch. I only need to tow one vehicle. I'd like to mount a tool box to the frame rails near the coupler.

What sre some of the reasons you all decided to go with a 16', 18', 20' or larger trailer?

Thanks in advance for your input. I know everyone has different thoughts and I'm trying to make sure I look at this from every angle possible before I lay down my cash.
 
depends on how much, how long of stuff you want to hual, and what your hualing with, if tow rig is sub par the smallest thing your junk will fit on, if you have a nice tow rig get the biggest one in reason that you have space to park and turn it around. i run a 16 foot w/ 2 foot doevetail perfect for my needs, but can't fit a fullsize longbed truck on it, i have had to borrow someones 20ft twice to do this. never know when youll need to tow something big. if just a jeep get a 16. light easy to manuvauer and find a place to park.
 
I have a 12' trailer. A 14 foot would be better for me, but my truck fits PERFECTLY on the 12 footer. I would go with the smallest you need. A longer trailer would be nice I guess, but I have never NEEDED a longer trailer. If I am towing a truck with a full bed my ramps won't go up though.
 
Right there you have it, in two post you have about the two most opposite answers you can get: Get the longest you think youll ever need, or get the shortest you can get away with. A lot of it goes into what you want. I personally wont have anything less than 20 ft when I get one, because like was said a long bed pickup will not fit comfortably on an 18ft, but I have plenty of room to park it in my yard too.

Duane
 
I have plenty of room for the trailer, but if my fullsize truck breaks down and I need to tow it, I have nothing else to tow it with, so a 20ft trailer does me no good. And the increased manuverability of my 12ft trailer is awesome.

If I thought I would ever NEED a longer trailer, I would want one. So yes, buy as long as you think you will ever need. A 14 footer would be perfect for me, but my 12 footer was given to me by by grandpa, I have modified it to fit my truck on it, and painted it and am in the process of adding brakes on the front axle, but I don't plan on buying anything longer. If I need a longer trailer I will just borrow one from a friend, I've got access to a 16 foot trailer, and a 25foot gooseneck if I ever need one (don't plan on it).
 
if you fab stuff, stock lengths of steel (that'll fit on a trailer) are 20 & 21 feet (and 40' and other lengths before anybody else says it).
 
tlucier said:
What sre some of the reasons you all decided to go with a 16', 18', 20' or larger trailer?
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I bought an 18' Hudson... Cause the Moss is 16' long. In retrospect, pull out ramps would be nice (may see what the Hudson brothers would charge to add them after NewYears :D )
 
My trailer was 16' and I added about 2' as a dove tail. Never use ramps for my Jeep but have them for other things I may have to haul or pull up on my trailer.
Longer than you need(for your Jeep) is good, so you can haul more than what you plan should the need arise. As I mentioned in another post, a longer trailer gives you the ability to adjust position of a rig to get the right tongue weight. Allows you to haul a longer rig if need be.
You have room to put a crash box on the front of the trailer if you desire. Or, if like me, I built a rack to hold all my propane tanks. A longer trailer IMO will pull better. So, if you have the means to pull it, I say go for it.
 
i have an 18' hudson with a 2' dovetail. i had a 78 f350 4 door long bed on it. barely fit. its big for my bronco , but nice when i need the extra room. and also with extra room you can move your rig forward or backward more on the trailer to get the weight shifted around to where your tow rig pulls it better.
if that makes any since.
 
I'm running a 16' dovetail from Burke Trailers up in Elon. It works well for both the YJ and the C104. The Commando has to hang off the back a little bit to get more of the motor weight over the axles.

Was nice to have a friend with an 18' trailer when my CTD broke down in WV. It just barely fit up on his trailer, but it got the CTD home.

My advice is to get the smallest, lightest trailer you can get away with for your rig. You can always borrow or rent something bigger for that 1 time a year you have to haul home your tow rig or steel.
 
You can make about anything work. I had a fellow in the club that pulled a TJ on a 12' for years, no problems. I have a 16' and have pulled everything from CJs to full size Z71 with it. IMO better to have a larger trailer and smaller towed rig vs smaller trailer and larger towed rig. If I had it to do over I'd probably go with a 16' again, maybe 14', simply because I don't have a CTD otherwise I would get an 18'-20'.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm somewhat held back by my tow vehicle. I've got a Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab with the 5.2. I'd love to have a CTD but it isn't in sight for at least a year. I guess I'm leaning towards a 16' or 18' trailer. I understand the point about going as big as possible, but until I can upgrade the tow rig i think a 20+ footer is out of reach.

Thanks again for your input and have a Merry Christmas!
 
I'm currently running a 22' as I have my small camper (5' deep) up on the front. You really need to watch the type or construction of the trailer you get. Why get a 16' trailer that heavier than it needs to be? or why get a 20' that can't haul what you want.

I had a 12' for a long time, I had zukes,TJs andCJs etc on it several times. Yes it was tight, but the trailer was light and it towed very well. That said my 22' tows very well also.

With your tow rig, id get a 16' car hauler (open deck) and get 2 brake axles. I'd also spend a the few hundered $ on a WD hitch as it will make all the difference in your towing setup.
 
A big old 'it depends'

from my personal experience.
12' 1200#/7000# (2x3500# idler axles) 2"x1/4" angle w/ rails, wood deck utility trailer but no brakes,
16' ~2300# /7000# (2x3500# brake axles) 4" channel w/ 4" double wrap tongue full 1/8" diamond plate deck. (includes spare + tool boxes etc)
22' (current) = ~2800#/10000# (2x6000# brake axles) Open center, 1/8" diamond tread steel runners, 5"channel mains, 5" channel double wrap tongue
18' ~2400# (brothers trailer) (2x3500# brake axles) 2x4" box steel frame formed tongue w/ extra tube brace, full 1/8" diamond tread deck.

utility = angle iron construction w/ upper rail, can be lighter and still strong by using railer to strengthen a lighter frame, just don't remove upper rail.

double wrap tongue - tongue extends under front part of trailer typical to the first axle spring hanger.
 
Yager - thanks for the input. I thought a WD hitch would be a must with my tow vehicle; I already had that in mind. I also figured I'd upgrade and get brakes on both axles. What's the difference between electric brakes and hydraulic surge brakes? Which system is better? I see where a number of companies offer hydraulic surge brakes as an option.
 
electric = yes dual brakes and a prodigy controller IMHO
surge = ok for a smaller load that is pretty consistent ex. boats, also boats use them due to being submerged where hydraulic is better due to corrosion vs electrical stuff under water......
 
And to add to your weight/rating database...

18' Hudson dovetail, single 4" channel, 2x8 decking, springloaded ramps, & 2 upgraded axles (IIRC, Hudson bros thought they're 4200# axles) w/ elec. brakes on rear axle

2250#/rated 10k# by Hudson on the ORIGINAL "mobilehome" style axles when it was new 11 years ago
 
I went ahead and got a 20 footer. It was not much to add the length to it was a big reason. I never figured I would use that much trailer. After getting one you will find many, many uses for it. My suggestion is go with the 20 footer and get a solid deck (either wood or steel). You will find that the trailer will get used foor many different things if it is a solid deck. I use mine for trips to the dump or Home Depot. I have a fullsize truck but I like the idea of the trailer being low and easier to unload/sweep off.

I am actually trying to go to a bigger trailer now. So I say go with what you think you will need.
 
I don't own a trailer however I have 2 that I borrow. I have found that the longer of the 2 is much better as I can haul more stuff on it. I have to remove my tires and run some smaller ones to load my junk so the extra length is handy for me to put my tires on the trailer vice the back of my excursion. When i buy mine I am definitely getting something in the 20-22' range.
 
family xj said:
I have to remove my tires and run some smaller ones to load my junk so the extra length is handy for me to put my tires on the trailer vice the back of my excursion.
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Sounds like a 76" one.. dont' even consider one if it's not 83" wide... and fenders you can drive over will save alot of work.
 
I think any trailer that is going to haul a 4x4 bigger than a Sami should have a set of strong fenders you can drive over or removable fenders. Even if you dont need them sooner or later you will have something that will not fit between them or you will bump one and smash it.

The trailer I use has fenders made out of 1/4 aluminum that are bolted to two steel mounts. Its nice to be able to take them off when loading stacks of lumber or pallets with the forks on the tractor.
 
I like my 16' trailer that I built but if i was to build another to flat tow it would be an 18 footer.. mainly because i find myself wanting to bring generator spare tires, etc when going on long wheeling trips.

of course I am still looking for a 24' or 26' gooseneck :) so I can add my bed camper to the front and have jeep behind it..
 
family xj said:
What is the weight difference between a 14,16,16 and 20' trailer? Are the aluminum ones that much lighter than the steel ones?
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Aluminum trailers are super light weight, I looked at a 18' feather lite open deck trailer 3 years ago. for the same price as the aluminum i bought a 20' inclosed car hauler. a big lifted jeep will not fit in a enclosed trailer, I bought it for a drag car I had a few years ago. I still have it and use it everday as a tool box for my business.

If I remember right, the feather lite was $6K for a 18' open deck and weighed right at 1K pounds.
 
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