enclosed 20+ trailer questions

2

2stroken

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Jan 8, 2005
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172
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52
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Western Michigan
I am looking at V-nose drive through trailers. Have found a few all aluminum ones. What things do I need to look for? Found a snow king that is 14 years old, all aluminum tandem axle. I have thought about getting a 10,000 GVW steel trailer in case I ever wanted to haul a small tractor or car in it. Not having much luck finding a Vnose drive through one though. So back on topic, are there longevity issues with the 20+ ft all aluminum trailers(frames cracking etc?)
 
you have to watch around the suspension for corrosion where the aluminum meets the steel or the steel fasteners. road salt is a culprit in this. most will be a tube type frame that you cannot see the corrosion inside the tube. most a-frame style trailers will break at or by the corner where the tounge joins the frame.

the other problem is that aluminum is harder to weld if you are not set-up for it. steel is much easyer to repair and the materials are cheaper as well.

I just got rid of my 2000 6'x20'+5' trailer this summer as the steel frame was getting weak. it had never been undercoated though and I only had it the last 5 years. sides where getting rough too.
 
Thanks for the advice. So possibly be worthwhile to get the trailer, drop the axles out of it, stick in about 6 feet(enough well past the old steel mounts) of aluminum c channel and then rebolt the axles?
 
Previous life/use of trailer is a big factor to. Manufacturers have went to more of a "generic" trailer design rather than sled, ATV, Road bike styles. I think if I was in the hunt I would look for one that had ben primarily used in the warm months. Hauling ATVs, Harleys or dune buggy/Side by sides. Seems like bouncing down the road when warm and parked in the cold would be in better shape then bouncing around in the cold and sits all summer.
 
I have a 27' rance. We have to be around 30k miles. Replace brakes every other year repack bearings every year. We run 6 ply tires. Insulated and heated if needed. Roof vents are a plus as well. We only have one side door wished we had dual. The front door/ramp is excellent as well as the rear
 
Been looking around, and think I want a 10K trailer so I can use it for more than sledding. Actually it will probably just store sleds in the summer. Been struggling to find a drive through V nose trailer. So my thoughts are just getting a race trailer with a rear drive on door. Pull them on, then use a sled dolly to back them out, spin them around on the door(once they are clear of the inside) and point them down hill. Anybody done this? Positive or negative experiences?
 
Never tried to spin a sled around on the back door, especially on a dolly, seems it could be hard to control always wanting to roll downhill. If you're leaving the back door wood only, (no ski guides or mats), you'd be surprised how slippery they can get. Also most of these back doors have cables on each side for the spring assist open/close. If you could spin it on the door, Vegas odds would say the sled has very little chance of not hitting at least one of the cables.

V-nose car trailers with a ramp in the V started getting more common by the early 2000's, especially the steel frame versions, so there are quite a few out there. If you started looking for a this type of trailer just in December, most were likely on the market months ago, or even back in Spring, and now they're bought up. Another thing to keep in mind is that car trailers have the fenders on the inside, much harder to get 4 sleds packed in this space, maybe two facing forward and two facing back?
 
Good catch on the cables. I have been looking for a few months. Have really seen only 2 of them. Just weighing some options as sled hauler will not be the majority of the duty filled by the trailer.

Thanks!
 
You missed some really good trailers at White Star Auctions in Branson MI. Several sold for well under $5k. This is where we bought ours. Check em out.
 
alswagg said:
You missed some really good trailers at White Star Auctions in Branson MI. Several sold for well under $5k. This is where we bought ours. Check em out.
Click to expand...

I have heard some great things about White star, Ben wanting to go to one myself. Looking at their price reports some AWESOME deals have ben had.
 
This is where I generate average cost's for sleds. Be it may be the wholesale cost, but in reality the basic value of any sled, trailer ect. I have bought several sleds from White Star, some we just clean the carbs and resell, some we need to replace wear bars and the such. All have been great sleds for our customers. These sleds are for our Boat customers, so we don't buy and sell any junk.
 
There are deals around, look around the racing world. Several yeas ago we bought a 8.5x30 race trailer ( not V ) we race summer and winter and wanted plenty of cabinets which we built. The guy that owned it raced cars in the same town he lived in,almost no miles, paid 4K. Looked at several in that price range.
We simply point them in the direction we want outside, then either drive in or use dolly. With cabinets tool boxes, parts cabinets etc I carry 4 sleds but there small sleds This has a steel frame which we undercoated ourselves in the driveway. Road width is 8.5, so on any trailer that's as wide as the trailer can be. I would look for max width so you can walk around inside to get stuff.
I have a all alum 8.5 x 10 open, have had nothing buy problems with corrosion ripped the tongue out, frame rails broke
 
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