I’m looking for a car hauler just a cheaper open trailer probably 16' with a 2' Dove tail to pull the Mini to track events just in case something happens. Anyone knows of one for sale cheap in the area i don’t really want to spend more than 1k if possible.

 

Rent a car hauler trailer from u haul... Much cheaper than buying , insuring , getting plates, ect

 

That’s what i was originally thinking but im already signed up for 8 track days and i would need it for friday-sunday at lease 8 times and then im kind of on their schedule. if i can find one for around $1,000 it wouldn’t be too bad and i could use it to trailer my motorcycles if i ever need to, I found nice ones in WI only about 2.5 hours from me fro about 2k out the door and i can charge it lol but if i get it for 1k then i can get the new star specs lol

 

i just rented a trailer from uhaul to sell my motorcycle, and buy another bike....rented from fri to sunday ...it was 30 bucks for the trailer.

 

wow at that point its a good deal, for some reason it was coming up at like 145 for the weekend online. Im going to go in and talk to them to see what the real prices will be

 

FYI, if you plan to buy a open car trailer, I've been down this road before....

1. needs 3 ft dove tail and 4 ft ramps for a car lowered 1.25 or more.
2. be sure to buy the "exotic car" tie down straps.. the ones that go through the wheels, not the j hooks, -- like the tow trucks. much easier to use, and when they get wet they dont stretch as much as the j hook set-up.
3. 16ft trailer will offset the car at the back half making it seem heavier than the car is. a 18-20 ft trailer will center the car better and you can use a less howerpowered vehicle to pull the trailer.

hope this helps.

If you REALLY want a trailer for a good price, buy it new. any trailer over 4 years old, you'll be checking/replacing tires and wheel bearings if the trailer wasnt maintained properly. also check the spring perches for the axles.. they have the worst amount of rotting / rusting out here in the midwest.

ps. for $19 for trailer plates. you dont have to insure the trailer as long as the vehicle pulling the trailer is full coverage insurance. or just insure the MINI while its on the trailer.

 

That was really good info! I have the Swift Spec R springs and Koni Yellows so it shouldn't be much more than an inch lower. I think its $2,200 for a 20' and $2,000 for the 18' but they both have a 2' dove i think, those prices are after taxes too so they are not terrible i just want to pay less, who doesn't lol. That's really good info i have full coverage on the Mini and just regular on the Suburban. can i get those straps anywhere like auto parts stores? I totally forgot about that part lol

 

I buy all my straps and equipment that I need from a tow truck supplier up near Janesville, WI. AWDirect.com Best pricing I can find, and they can usually get parts shipped out the same day. The warranty on the straps is probably the best I've ever had, they even replaced one of mine after I started seeing it fray. Make sure you buy the better of the 2 versions of straps, its worth it in the long run.. been down that road as well!!

 

Thanks ill check them out that’s not far from me im in the west suburbs so i can take a ride up there for them. I found a decent trailer is 16' with a 3' toungue (not sure what that is?) but im going to take a look at it tomorrow it has new tires and a winch. It also has no middle just the tire rails so it should be lighter for my truck to pull. I attached a pick of it but its not really a good one lol

 

Hey, check the "open pit" length.. I dont think the MINI clears an open rack trailer. I've been through 3 car trailers at this point, only due to a couple stupid drivers that forget to stop sooner when the BRIGHT yellow truck is towing a trailer!! I've yet to find a 18-20 foot car trailer open center that the MINI can clear, and not fall through!!

The 3ft tongue is normal, but some trailer dimensions usually include the tongue in the total length, which makes that trailer only about a 13.5 - 14.2 foot deck. long enough for the MINI but the open section will make it a PITA if you can actually get the MINI on the trailer. Be sure to bring your truck and the hitch ball you plan on running, to check for rear trailer height clearance when attached to the truck.

 

Thanks for the info! im suppose2 check out the trailer tonight i just got my roll bar in last night man that is a PITA! lol ill look at all of the clearances, so than this would technically be a 19ft trailer?

 

It depends how the guy that measured the trailer told you. usually people will only measure the deck the car rides on as the trailer length. my guess says that is a 18 ft trailer. most companies dont make 19ft trailers, only 16, 18, 20, 22...

 

He said it is 16 feet and then 3 foot tongue, now hes giving me aditude and want me to go get it lol maybe ill just buy the one from WI and pay the 2k for a brand new one man i need money!

 

Why trailer a perfectly streetable car? I always saw buying a trailer as a waste of money unless you have a non-legal, race-only track toy. Hell, my DSM is completely stripped and I still drive it to the track, I just pay $100 to get it registered every year, then get the car insured for a day at $20/per (liability only).

Then again, I've always done things the broke-*** college student way. ... My problem is storage, and I'm having a tough time convincing my parents to keep two cars and two motorcycles at their place, lol. Adding a trailer would get me disowned.

 

Im defiantly in the same boat as you except i have plenty of room we have just over 2 acres so my parents dont mind as long as it doesn’t start looking like a junk yard haha, But the reason i want to trailer the car is last year on the track i had a few close calls and actually hit the wall once it got me a little scared, the cost of a tow from Gingerman or Road America back to me would be extremely high. And also i only have my 2 front seats in the car and a roll bar in the back so i can’t really fit a second set of tires and equipment and a tent for the weekend so it is just more convenient. And ill be able to use the trailer for other things like my quad and bike if need be.

 

Nice. My solution was to always just stay clear of the walls I do know what you mean, though. My shift linkage in the DSM snapped clean off the transmission at a track day at Autobahn Country Club, and I had to ghetto-fab a solution to get the car home with the transmission in once piece.

For what it's worth, the U-Haul trailer ramps were too low for the DSM (coil-overs, 2" drop), but were fine for the MINI (I'm lowered about an inch with the Dinan suspension kit). The u-haul trailers are heavy as a sumbitch, though it seemed our Honda Pilot was able to tow it and the MINI without much fuss. I've seen some ex-u-haul trailers for sale on craigslist once in awhile for around $2k.

 

http://www.randpcarriages.com/traile...al-Bobcat.html

I found this one and can get a decent deal on it, nothing special anyone know from looking at this if they think its worth it? or for about $600 more i can get a new one with pull out out ramps, If i but this one i can get a Corbeau seat with the rest of the money lol but i want to make sure its worth it it looks kinda rough

 

So i found one that looks like a really good deal to me, but when i talk to other trailer companies around here they say the trailers that come out of MO and KY are cheap low quality trailers. Anyone see anything wrong with this trailer? To me it looks like this one is the winner.

NEW 18' car hauler flatbed utility trailer, INSANE DEAL

URL: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=290866356899

Alt URL: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-18-car-h...-/290866356899

 

Well, couple problems with the ad...

Only 1 axle brakes..
2" coupler, not 2 5/16, more common with larger trailers.
Pine wood deck.. Go for steel, trailers last longer and better re-sale.
Only 2' dovetail... You'll rub if over 1.3' drop. Unless you get longer ramps.

 

If i went with this one i was going to use a good quality deck stain to help the wood last a little longer. I do have an offer in right now on a steel deck same sizes but used for $1800 he said if he doesn’t sell it in a month for the $2100 he wants hell let me know, but i was looking at them and hear a lot of people having grip issues especially with smaller things like motorcycles, And i did find a local guy that sells the brake axles for around $100 so i was just going to put it on the other axel. But this trailer is extremely less expensive than the rest at only $1650 new!

 

not sure how familiar you are with trailer brakes, but the axle brakes that you might use on the cheaper trailer, make sure they are of GOOD quality. different sets of trailer brakes can cause the trailer to buck when using them if they are not a matched set. Matched set meaning the same as the other axle on the trailer. and you'll need to re-wire part of the trailer for the installation of the second set of brakes... just FYI...

 

Good to know! im not familiar with trailers at all i had a small 4x8 once for my atv lol. I also am looking at another place onlly 45min away from me but they are a little more expensive

http://www.randpcarriages.com/trailers/meb.html