Charley Hoyt

I just purchased a 20' enclosed trailer for my race car and have a few questions. I purchased a very basic model and it has a plane plywood floor and partical board side liners.

1) It seems like the floor should have some kind of covering to protect it. Any recommendations? Coin rubber flooring? Garage floor epoxy paint with sand in it? or other?

2) I picked a trailer with 3500 lb axles because it was lower and my car only has about 2 inches of ground clearence, so ramp angle is important. I found out after the sale that it only has e brakes on two wheels. I called the dealer and they said that they only put them on all four wheels with the larger axles. Is it worth adding them to the other two wheels. Update: I contacted the manufacturer of my trailer and they confirmed that the trailer does have four wheel brakes....the dealer didn't know what he was talking about.

3) While I was under the trailer adding a winch plate I noticed that the wiring to the e brakes only appears to go down one side of the trailer. How does the electrical signal get to the wheel on the other side? Maybe I missed something while I was under there???

Thanks for the help,
Charely

RX-Ben

How much will your trailer weigh loaded? This will involve actually weighing since empty trailers are typically a bit higher than what the mfg claims. You should also compare this to the load rating on the tires.
You can always get ramps to deal with loading issues, way cheaper than chasing problems due to an overloaded trailer.

SinisterC6

I would install race deck, it will allow fluids to drain without becoming slippery or dangerous. Stays clean and looks nice. If you damage a tile it can be removed without removing the entire floor. The only downside is that you would need some wood to put under a jack stand to prevent damage. The floor is pretty strong tho, I can lift my car with a floor jack and the floor doesn't dent or deform.

Charley Hoyt

I will need to load it and weigh it to answer that question completely...But here is the basic information:
1) Claimed trailer weight ~ 3160 lbs
2) Race car weight ~ 1300 lbs
3) Nitrogen bottle for air jacks - ?
4) Winch ~ 20 lbs?
5) race ramps ~ 20 lbs?
6) Fuel jug ~35 lbs

I am sure there are a tone of things I need to add, but it shouldn't be anywhere near the total capacity of the trailer.

Regarding the ramps...Yes, I ordered a set of long Race ramps to help with the loading.

Charley Hoyt

Looks nice.

RX-Ben

You will need to add in weight for tools, gas, spares, winch battery, spare tires and wheels, spare trailer tires/wheels (2 makes sense b/c if one goes, it will likely take out a sibling), dolly, spare fluids, spare brake parts, chairs/table, tent, generator?, liquor, grill, mini fridge, any external lights, tarp, gloves, rags, additional cabinets/shelves to hold all this crap, inflatable mattress to take a nap + inflator and whatever else you can think off.

c4cruiser

When I got my 20' enclosed trailer, I used some porch/deck paint for the floor. I just lightly sanded the entire floor and the rear gate, filled in some minor scratches and knot holes with some wood patch and applied two coats. Took just under 2 gallons. I didn't add any anti-skid stuff and so far, I haven't any concerns about a wet floor.

Although my car doesn't leak any fluids, I picked up a 2'x3' drain pan and screwed it to the floor with 1/2 screws directly below the engine with the car in towing position.. Any drips will sit there instead of soaking in to the deck.

As far as brakes, check the CA laws regarding trailer brakes. Some states will require brakes on both axles depending on the length and empty weight. I strongly suggest that you have brakes added to the second axle.

I upgraded the tires on my trailer shortly after I bought it. It came with bias-ply Load Range C trailer tires. I went to a radial tire with a D load range

The brake wires usually go down one side as all the wiring is in a rubber covered loom. The wires for the various lights will usually go into the inside and then routed between the skin and the wood paneling. The brake wires will go to one side of the axle and cross over to the other side on a frame crossmember just above the axle.

One thing you should do is to weigh everything that will go into the trailer and add it all up. I would expect that you will have tools, other liquids, maybe a tool box or chest, extra tires, and whatever else. If you are going to run your winch off a standalone battery, add the weight of a battery.

Then add the empty weight of the trailer then match that against the max trailer weight. I would expect your trailer probably has something like a 7000 lb max weight.

Bill32

Yea, do that Charley.
4 wheel brakes are required in NV., can't imagine that Ca. would be different.

Bill32

Definitely on the ramp door (assuming you have one). Best thing I ever did.

I actually found some sand type abrasive made to mix with paint at Home D.

k24556

The brake wire to the other side goes into a small hole and routes in the axle tube to the other side. The hole us usually close to the brake backing plate, so it is hard to see. It is also the place where the wire will fail in the future chafing in the hole

trackboss

If it is treated plywood it's not necessary to cover it. Rubber (coin or otherwise) flooring will add quite a bit of weight and does get expensive. If you had 5klbs axles and didn't mind spending the money I would say go for it.

trackboss

Also, as far as spare tires/wheels. I like to carry 4. I would say 2 is a minimum. I've upgraded to wider tires in order to get more load rating as I could not find any e load 205's. I don't remember off the top of my head, but I think the size I went to is 225 width (15" wheels) and the load rating went up significantly. Not to mention the tires are just bigger in general and seem to be way more durable.

56belair

Charley
I would also suggest painting the floor with a good porch or sealed paint. Any oil stains on a plywood floor not only look bad, but are pretty much there forever.
I painted mine with a good outdoor grey color floor paint, then I ran 2 strips of aluminum diamond plate ...about 15 inches wide...where the tires rolled...all the way in the trailer. Not only looked good, but was a much easier process to clean up after any spills, or getting in and out of the trailer in crappy weather.

Bill Dearborn

2) You need 4 wheel brakes especially when you have 7500 lbs behind the truck. A lot of trailer dealers will tell you that. That is how they get the price down and then they tell you it isn't necessary. Your car has 4 wheel brakes, doesn't it make sense the trailer should have 4 wheel brakes? Especially when the load will be ~ twice the weight of the car. I have 4 wheel brakes on my open trailer that has 2 3500 lb axles. It came from the factory that way. The dealer I went to wouldn't sell dual axle trailers without 4 wheel brakes.

3) Usually the wiring goes through the axle (it's hollow) but the insulation eventually wears out and the wiring starts shorting to the axle housing. First time you get some weird trailer brake action rewire the trailer so the wires are on the outside of the axle. Don't ask how I know this.

Bill

Charley Hoyt

I learned today that this trailer dealer might not be all that knowledgeable.... I called the manufacturer today and they confirmed that my trailer does have four wheel brakes.

the blur

Certain states require 4 wheel trailer brakes. Some do not. It's actually stupid to cheap out on trailer brakes. Especially if a brake magnet stops working 300 miles from home, and now your running on 3 brakes out of 4. Imagine if you only had 2 wheel brakes.

Sgt.Gator

I used Glidden Porch and Floor polyurethane paint + the non-slip "sand" the entire length.Wears like iron. Wet feet don't slip on the ramp. It's self priming. Two coats.

I also painted the plain wood walls and ceiling bright white. That makes a HUGE difference inside the trailer, especially when you only have one or two 12 volt ceiling lights on at night. Two coats and well worth the effort.

c4cruiser

That's also what I did with my 20' enclosed trailer. The floor is a light tan and the walls and ceiling are gloss white. I also went to Lowe's and bought some "stair runner" carpet and glued it to the lower walls. This stuff is about 28-29" wide and is sold by the linear foot. It's high enough that the car doors won't hit the wood.

Charley Hoyt

Well I put the first coat of epoxy garage floor paint on the trailer floor. So far it looks really good.

Gary2KC5

Well, I guess I'm in a little late on this thread...

truck bed liner would have been a good choice also. pretty much bullet proof, hose it out any time it get a little dusty.