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So just purchased a used 2019 Covered Wagon trailer to haul the C2 and maybe to aid with storing it or a C3. Thought I'd share pictures and see what y'all may see that is needed to use it to haul/ store these vehicles.
24' 6290 lb payload on the two 5200 lb torsion axles.
Spare is not the same size as the trailer wheels and tires. 4000 lb Warn winch. Receptacle inside to charge battery from extension cord outside. Tire covers and four 8' ratchet straps.
The back of the trailer is dove tailed and there are 4 D rings mounted 2 front and 2 back. One piece roof after the front cap transitions from the front to the top. 4-wheel electric brakes and torsion axles.
I was surprised about torsion axles this large, but only because ones I have had were leaf springs. I understand they should ride smoother. They do seem to be lower which is good and could be bad. Any things to watch out for here?
The spare is a 225/75 R15 (2018 year) and the 4 wheels on the ground are 235/80 R16 I believe these are 2018 but don't have pictures. I don't know the difference in diameter of these two different sizes. I believe I need to address the different size wheels tires.
Winch is only bolted to the 3/4 plywood floor. The must have first mounted to winch the wrong way (turned 180 degrees) as they drilled another set of holes for it in the same area. I thought I should have a metal plate added underneath the plywood and tacked to the crossmembers. Thoughts on this?
Nice trailer.
I would recommend you add the mounting plate between the cross members and also tap the plate (or weld on nuts) so you can remove the winch when not needed. You would be surprised how often you can trip on it. Fill the empty bolt holes with screws when using the trailer for storage to keepout the rodents.
If the bottom side is not already enclosed with metal, I would recommend doing that. Rodents will chew thru 3/4" plywood in one winter.
A full 4 ply tire or a 6 ply will ride rougher, but give you a bit of extra security should you load it to the max. Checking the tire load rating is essential as some trailers are sold with 2 ply car tires.
Nice trailer.
I would recommend you add the mounting plate between the cross members and also tap the plate (or weld on nuts) so you can remove the winch when not needed. You would be surprised how often you can trip on it. Fill the empty bolt holes with screws when using the trailer for storage to keepout the rodents.
If the bottom side is not already enclosed with metal, I would recommend doing that. Rodents will chew thru 3/4" plywood in one winter.
A full 4 ply tire or a 6 ply will ride rougher, but give you a bit of extra security should you load it to the max. Checking the tire load rating is essential as some trailers are sold with 2 ply car tires.
Great input and the tire warnings. I dropped the trailer at a place today to add a plate under the winch. Kinda fits here to comment on Chollopeter's post concerning the D rings. they are in spot welded plates from the vendor.
I'll need to check closer for abandoned holes. I did see one that had some caulk in it currently. I understand the mouse issue having lived in a camper on our visits to property we plan to move to. They lived there we just visited. Also, our snake visitors were not able to keep up with the mice.
The tires are E rated radials which I believe are 10 ply or similarly rated. The new spare wheel and tire should be here come Friday and be similar size. It will be a plain steel wheel with appropriate size tire.
I have a similar trailer and I mounted my winch on a plate that has a trailer hitch shaft welded on. Then I mounted a female trailer hitch receiver to another plate that I attached to the floor. If I need the hitch outside the trailer, I can put on my truck hitch receiver. It has been a great tool both inside and outside the trailer. I also installed an RV battery in the trailer and that powers the winch as well as the interior lights. I run a long extension to the trailer when not in use that powers a battery tender. I also store car in the trailer and it stays clean and safe all of the time.
I would work out the spare tire before your trip JIC - again w/ the redundancy
I popped a tire my friends enclosed on a turn that I had done many times (low-speed & concrete riser). In my defense, it was dark, snowy with someone riding my tail during a stressful move.
Those are nice wheels but you only need the diameter and load to match - they sell them as basic wheel/tire combos
Congrats on the trailer purchase, and good luck on your trip...... between this thread and the other, many have provided very valuable advice, especially the ones above about checking to make sure the d-rings are attached to structure, and not just through the plywood floor.....
Only things I could add, after a gazillion miles of transporting race cars all over this country is:
- Stop and check your straps, and make sure everything is good after your first bit of driving..... things do shift and may loosen, check them and tighten them up......
- On the trailer tires..... I would get your spare so that it is the same size as the ones on the trailer..... also, if the spare has a different type of wheel, make sure you have the correct lug nuts, make sure your have sockets for both types, and make sure they fit and work..... while you are working on the possible new spare, ask the tire folks about the size tires that are on the trailer, and see if they are a fairly common size, and hopefully a size that is often stocked...... last thing you want to do is have to leave a trailer with a couple of flat tires on the side of the highway while you are trying to find tires.....
- Make sure you have a jack to jack up the trailer, and that it is accessible..... If you have a tire problem, you will want to be able to get it fixed and back on the road as soon and easily as possible......
- When you get everything loaded, make sure everything is tied down and secured..... from the note from your son on the other thread, it sound like that will not be a problem.....
- Lastly.... if you are not as familiar with towing a trailer, hook it up and drive it around..... pay attention to turns, and just how much you need to allow for to get around corners, and tight corners, and not be up on the curb, and damaging wheels and tires..... check also with driving in and out of parking lots, gas stations, etc. and the slopes of some approaches and drive aisles.... you do not want to be dragging the back of the trailer....
- Lastly, lastly..... it looks to be a nice trailer, and it looks to be well taken care of, but it may not be a bad idea to check, or ask the PO when the wheel bearings were last packed..... probably overkill, but if one of those goes bad, there is not a quick and easy fix......
Sam--
X2 on the wheel bearings, in fact it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and repack them or have it done if you are not sure of the procedure. If you are making long hauls pack a couple extras and keep them in zip-lock bags, cheap insurance even if you never need them.
Carl H
Congrats on the trailer purchase, and good luck on your trip...... between this thread and the other, many have provided very valuable advice, especially the ones above about checking to make sure the d-rings are attached to structure, and not just through the plywood floor.....
Only things I could add, after a gazillion miles of transporting race cars all over this country is:
- Stop and check your straps, and make sure everything is good after your first bit of driving..... things do shift and may loosen, check them and tighten them up......
- On the trailer tires..... I would get your spare so that it is the same size as the ones on the trailer..... also, if the spare has a different type of wheel, make sure you have the correct lug nuts, make sure your have sockets for both types, and make sure they fit and work..... while you are working on the possible new spare, ask the tire folks about the size tires that are on the trailer, and see if they are a fairly common size, and hopefully a size that is often stocked...... last thing you want to do is have to leave a trailer with a couple of flat tires on the side of the highway while you are trying to find tires.....
- Make sure you have a jack to jack up the trailer, and that it is accessible..... If you have a tire problem, you will want to be able to get it fixed and back on the road as soon and easily as possible......
- When you get everything loaded, make sure everything is tied down and secured..... from the note from your son on the other thread, it sound like that will not be a problem.....
- Lastly.... if you are not as familiar with towing a trailer, hook it up and drive it around..... pay attention to turns, and just how much you need to allow for to get around corners, and tight corners, and not be up on the curb, and damaging wheels and tires..... check also with driving in and out of parking lots, gas stations, etc. and the slopes of some approaches and drive aisles.... you do not want to be dragging the back of the trailer....
- Lastly, lastly..... it looks to be a nice trailer, and it looks to be well taken care of, but it may not be a bad idea to check, or ask the PO when the wheel bearings were last packed..... probably overkill, but if one of those goes bad, there is not a quick and easy fix......
Again, good luck, and enjoy the journey......
Good advice. Make sure the load is centered for equal weight.on truck and trailer axles(rear). Watch your tongue weight. Dont get lazy after a while and not
check your load. **** always happens at the wrong time.Your gross weight is the car and everything else.
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Nice trailer- depending on what you are towing with a weight distributing hitch and/or sway control is nice. (especially if towing with a 1/2 ton truck)
I'd have extra axle straps, a few long and short sizes, also an extra pair of tie downs just in case. It is handy to have small tie downs and hookups at the front for anything you may put in with the car while towing, nothing like a cooler sliding around hitting the car. Some 4x4 and 6x6 blocks are handy to have. If your trailer doesn't have lighting that isn't too hard to add or just put in some battery powered lights for a closet.
I added a V shaped toolbox to the tongue of my trailer to keep some of the extra stuff in ready to go.
Remember to get the weight balance right and enough weight on the tongue of the trailer or it will be a scary thing to tow.
Nice trailer- depending on what you are towing with a weight distributing hitch and/or sway control is nice. (especially if towing with a 1/2 ton truck).
Excellent point!!!!!
The presence of a load leveling hitch makes all the difference in the world with regard to "porpoising", an extremely disturbing and unsettling phenomenon.
I have been towing a car for 25 years without an escape door and have never had a problem. You will be fine without it. Nice trailer and a lot of great information in this thread. Ignore the above comment and don't let anyone rain on your parade as he seems to do way too often. Sheesh!
I have a similar trailer and I mounted my winch on a plate that has a trailer hitch shaft welded on. Then I mounted a female trailer hitch receiver to another plate that I attached to the floor. If I need the hitch outside the trailer, I can put on my truck hitch receiver. It has been a great tool both inside and outside the trailer. I also installed an RV battery in the trailer and that powers the winch as well as the interior lights. I run a long extension to the trailer when not in use that powers a battery tender. I also store car in the trailer and it stays clean and safe all of the time.
I like this as a possible mounting option in the future,
I will need to replace the existing group 24 battery, a deep cycle unit controlling the winch. Honestly, I have not tested the interior light(s). This would be a good approach to help illuminate it while parked. I do need to check into charging the battery while plugged in the truck like during transport. For now, I'll plug into and AC and put a charger or maintainer on it and the car while stored. The trailer does help with a storage issue we'll have at least short term it could be housing the C2, my son's C3 or any combo of yard/ property maintenance rolling stock.
Sam--
Another thought on an upgrade since you also intend to use it for storage: A couple roof mounted solar powered vent fans, about $40 on Amazon. I used an enclosed trailer for several years as a "garage" for my Harley in Central Alabama with 2 of these fans on the roof and never had a problem with condensation or excessive heat, not air conditioning by a long shot but they worked well and used no power. You could use a solar charger for your deep cycle. I would also recommend LED interior lighting, they would run almost forever from your deep cycle.
Best,
Carl H
How much are used enclosed going for these days? Or does it depend on how they are used?
That depends on the size and shape of the body and front, style of roof and side fastening frame and tube sizes and other options. We Looked at trailers that were 24' enclosed with at least a side/front exit and a minimum of 4 D-rings set in a steel backing and one-piece roof. Most were steel construction though one was all aluminum (not really consideration but was on the lot of used trailers) don't get me wrong it was NICE but out of our price range. The ones we looked at were 7500 to 31000. Most of the steel were in the 7500 to 9000 range. You start to develop and idea of what the market may is like in your area and what you like in a trailer. It does depend on how they were used. Some were used gently and some not so much. Most have oil stans though one was clean as it was used to haul household goods and furniture.
12-05-2023, 09:23 PM
Enclosed trailer for the C2 feedback
