Cargo Trailers

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Peartree

Cyborg Rocketeer
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Long, long ago, I inherited my parents' trailer, which, for most of it's life, had been a pop-up camper. After it's demise as a camper, I inherited the base which our family used for many camping trips, hay bale retrievals, and cargo hauling of all kinds. But after a number of years we got tired of having to tarp everything, every... stinking... time. Especially not fun when setting up, or tearing down camp in the rain.

So, chapter two of this adventure brought us to a 12' long, single axle, Haulmark, enclosed cargo trailer. This trailer has served us well for darn near everything (except hay, only because we don't have our farm anymore). But, in recent years, I've been wanting something a little bigger. The dog kennel *barely* fits, we've stuffed the 12 footer full more times than I can count for all manner of reasons, and the year before last we made two trips with the trailer to our mission project (Canton, Ohio to Western Kentucky, about a five hour drive one-way) because so much stuff was donated. Last year, we filled the trailer once, but another person on the same trip drove a commercial cargo van and filled most of it too. Six months ago, we bought a new freezer, but since the freezer was six feet tall and the trailer isn't we had to lay the freezer down, which means we couldn't plug it in for 24-48 hours.

Now we're moving and are hauling stuff from our home to storage near our new home, and, eventually, we'll have to get it out of storage and back to our new house. Last month I finally traded in my Ford Explorer, and returned to driving a full sized half-ton pickup truck (GMC 1500) with tow package.

With all that in mind, I am shopping for a new trailer as an addition to our little fleet. I want something taller (7 ft), with a full-width ramp door, but I'm not sure how long.

24 foot car haulers seem a bit too wide and a bit too long, and most of those are really 10,000 lbs, GVR and my truck is tow rated at a shade over 8,000 lbs.

So what I'm stuck on is whether I want a 16' trailer or a 20' trailer. Both typically have 3500 lb axles and are rated near 7000 lb GVW.

16' doesn't seem much bigger than what I have, but being taller should make a difference too shouldn't it?

So I'm asking the hivemind, what is your experience with these size trailers?

Is one better than the other? Is the difference in cargo capacity significant?

Is the 20' significantly harder to maneuver in traffic? Is one easier/harder to back?

What are your opinions?
 
And here I am thinking about how to travel with rockets using a BOB bike trailer.
 
20 foot? Probably, but I have a 14x 5 and 17x 6foot so what is 3-4 more feet.
 
My 5x8 does me sufficiently.

+1. Recently purchased a v-nose 5x8 with dual barn doors. In the process of building racks for the rockets. Everything else will be in big stackable totes. Anything bigger would not fit in the 3rd car garage.
 
I have a 16ft x 7ft dual axle Haulmark. Seems like the minimum size to be useful and safe (4 tires, electric brakes). 20ft seemed too awkward and heavy.

I got mine for a deep discount due to hail damage. Functionally fine and the dents remind me of how much money I saved. :)
 
20' would probably be "easier" to back up simply because it won't get so squirrelly. IME the smaller the trailer, the more squirrelly it acts. I could put my boat wherever I wanted it, it was 16' but my 5x10 ATV trailer (not boxed in) would give me fits. Partly because it was hard to see, esp empty, and partly because it was small.

20' would of course be more difficult in traffic, not significantly so though, and putting into tighter places. Larger turning radius and so on. Will the extra 4' allow you to cram in enough stuff to overload your truck? The 16' fully loaded may be all your truck wants, meaning the extra 4' on the 20' would be a waste of space and weight. I am not up to speed on towing capabilities of the newer trucks. I recently retired my old truck and now drive a Nissan Xterra. First time in my life I don't have a truck. :( It is actually a bit depressing. But...if you have a 16' trailer with a GTW of 7,000 lbs and a 20' with GTW of 7,000 lbs, you will actually be able to load more into the smaller trailer. Why? Because the larger trailer will weigh more. But not much more. 400 lbs or so. The empty 20' will be a bit over 2000 lbs probably.

If you are more concerned with volume of the load and not the weight ie. hauling large light loads, opt for the larger trailer.
 
Depending on configuration is part of the difficulty in backing. The longer the tow vehicle ( crew cab vs compact pickup) and the shorter the trailer the harder the trailer is to back up because it turns faster than the truck. A short truck with a long trailer is much easier to backup as the truck is capable of turning faster than the trailer. A 20 ' trailer will generally be easier to tow ( think smoother) than a shorter trailer however wind can be a cast iron SOB due to the sail area of the larger trailer. Given a choice and a true fullsize pickup either the 16 or the 20 will be just fine, my preference is for longer trailers though they can be harder to maneuver in town. My real preference is my F250 Crew Cab with a 24' Goose Neck box trailer ( of course I am a Teamster by profession).
 
I thought about this over night. Our club trailer is a 7x14 with dual axles. I would high recommend a double axle. It is well worth the extra cost.
 
Personally I have found that double axle trailers were easier to backup than a single axle, however that could just be me. I currently have a 5x10 v-nose cargo trailer with a single axle and wish I had ordered the 6x10 to get the extra width but I would have to wait for it.
 
Do you max out volume or weight first? If it's volume, you would benefit from the bigger trailer. If it's weight, the bigger trailer just tempts you to add one more thing.
 
I retrieved two sailplanes my brother bought, one in Toronto and other Minneapolis to Phoenix. Both trailers were about 30' but very light. Going forward in traffic or on the highway they tow great. Backing up unless the area is very clear of obstacles it is best to have a spotter. Depth perception at that distance is not good.
If a wireless backup camera could be placed on the back of the trailer it would be good.

M
 
First off, your GMC truck will handle both of the trailers very well. My personal choice would be the 20 footer. If you can find one, get a trailer with a side man door. This gives multiple oppositions, like a camping trailer if the weather goes to s---! I have noticed the longer the distance from the axle to the hitch, the easier it is to back. I back my 27 foot Comfort trailer into a 10 x 30 trailer bay without much difficulty. I hope this helps.
 
Do you max out volume or weight first? If it's volume, you would benefit from the bigger trailer. If it's weight, the bigger trailer just tempts you to add one more thing.

I have pushed the envelope on weight a couple of times with the 12 ft. trailer I have, but mostly because of weight distribution and not total weight because I couldn't put much weight on the tongue when pulling with the Explorer. When I got it right, even when I had the trailer full of books or tractor implements, it always rode fine. 7000 lbs is a lot of weight. I'm not sure what I could haul that would weight that much. So, the short answer, I guess, is volume.
 
Ironic as it is I can still carry my seven and a half foot tall Saturn V in my Z4 plus all my hand tools, finishing supplies etc. Used to carry my 1/9th scale B-17 in my Z3 as well. Admittedly, I had to have the top down for the B-17. Not so with the rocket. The wing was 11' 1/2" long and would disassemble in three sections while the fuse was 103" long in one piece. The center section of the wing sat up front in the passenger seat as well as the fuse while the tips and flight line equipment fit in the trunk.
 
Agree with tomsteve and the earlier comments. The longer the trailer the easier to back up. Shorter trailers tend to go catty-whompus in a hurry. As a trucker by trade, that’s my “professional opinion”. Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
Agree with tomsteve and the earlier comments. The longer the trailer the easier to back up. Shorter trailers tend to go catty-whompus in a hurry. As a trucker by trade, that’s my “professional opinion”. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Agreed.

I've pulled plenty of both when I was in the Army. Backing is always easier with longer trailers. The worst were those dinky 1/4 ton trailers that you couldn't see in your mirrors until they were alrealy close to jackknifing. My question about traffic had more to do with cornering in traffic in town, which we didn't do a lot of in the military. Does a longer trailer "follow" you decently or, assuming that you have to adjust by pulling a little farther into intersections before beginning your turn (which I already do), how much difference would I expect to see between a 12 foot trailer and a 20 foot trailer?
 
My setup is a 8.5x18 with the v-nose, rated for 10k. I tow it with a F350, extended bed, extended cab.
I disagree with the above people in regard to actual towing. The longer the truck the more stable the ride. Let's be honest, when towing a trailer you spend mere moments in reverse. Generally only when positioning it or putting it away. Yea, I know, bigger arcs but so what?
if you want the bigger trailer you should get 10 k. Overload possibility with a 7 k trailer (maybe hold 4k payload) is almost 100%. Problem is your tow vehicle......
Seriously consider a v-nose as it has a aerodynamic advantage - towing is about frontal area AND weight. Look at your owners manual. Flat fronted trailers provide more wind resistance and your ability to tow weight drops. As well as your gas miliage
Also, you need this https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Reese/RP66084.html. Load leveling and sway control go a long way to towing close to the limit with good control.
 
Agreed.

I've pulled plenty of both when I was in the Army. Backing is always easier with longer trailers. The worst were those dinky 1/4 ton trailers that you couldn't see in your mirrors until they were alrealy close to jackknifing. My question about traffic had more to do with cornering in traffic in town, which we didn't do a lot of in the military. Does a longer trailer "follow" you decently or, assuming that you have to adjust by pulling a little farther into intersections before beginning your turn (which I already do), how much difference would I expect to see between a 12 foot trailer and a 20 foot trailer?


ive pulled a 4 place snowmobile trailer and a 20 enclosed and did have to give more room, but it wasnt drastic- not like pulling a 35' gooseneck. i think there was only about a 4 or so foot difference in distance between axle and hitch so it didnt cause me to make drastic changes.
 
My setup is a 8.5x18 with the v-nose, rated for 10k. I tow it with a F350, extended bed, extended cab.
I disagree with the above people in regard to actual towing. The longer the truck the more stable the ride. Let's be honest, when towing a trailer you spend mere moments in reverse. Generally only when positioning it or putting it away. Yea, I know, bigger arcs but so what?
if you want the bigger trailer you should get 10 k. Overload possibility with a 7 k trailer (maybe hold 4k payload) is almost 100%. Problem is your tow vehicle......
Seriously consider a v-nose as it has a aerodynamic advantage - towing is about frontal area AND weight. Look at your owners manual. Flat fronted trailers provide more wind resistance and your ability to tow weight drops. As well as your gas miliage
Also, you need this https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Reese/RP66084.html. Load leveling and sway control go a long way to towing close to the limit with good control.
and you need a Cadillac Eldorado, saw one once where they removed rear tires to show effectiveness of the first load distribution. I think it was a reese
 
The longer trailer will off-track more to the inside of the turn, but you will get accustomed to how to much allow for with practice. Just be sure to always watch your passenger side mirror as drivers tend to come into your blind spots at the most inconvenient times. I would think the 20-footer would maneuver pretty well in traffic, the main thing is to remember it’s back there when you’re pulling it, especially when going around a corner. Take your time, remember your stopping distance will be longer, and as always, watch out for the other guy.
 
You will be towing it with a half ton gas with a capacity of 8k you said. People think that they can tow up to that and that is true but sometimes not wise. Just because you vehicle can tow that it does not mean you should. I had a 99 ram 1500 with a 5.9 magnum V8. My truck was rated at towing 7400. I had a around 5k travel trailer fully loaded. Could my truck tow it yea, but was it the best safest idea probably not. It would scream going up the hills. If you dont know what I mean I am talking about RPM's. So I pulled the trigger and bought a 17 ram cummins 2500 4x4. With a towing capacity of 17k. So well in the range of my truck. Keep in mind half ton trucks are lighter then 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. You would have been better off getting the same truck in a 3/4 config. For you probably you should be towing fully loaded at 4k or less. Towing a fully loaded trailer close to the max of your tow vehicle in a half ton is not fun.
 
I pull a dual axle, 7.5 x 17.5 with 6.5 heigth. Mine was custom built but you can pickup a nice, used 7 × 16 or 18 pretty reasonable.
I have it setup where I can store all my rockets in a rack and do all my work inside.
It maneuvers easy and easy to backup. I pull it with a big Chrysler SUV with hemi. I can run up a hill 70 mph. Just make sure you balance the load centered slightly forward of the axles. Too much in the rear and it can sway a lot. Maybe less of an issue if you have a truck.
Electric brakes and dual axles are a must once you go big.
 
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